Title: Unfolding quantum computer readout noise

Abstract

In the current era of noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers, noisy qubits can result in biased results for early quantum algorithm applications. This is a significant challenge for interpreting results from quantum computer simulations for quantum chemistry, nuclear physics, high energy physics (HEP), and other emerging scientific applications. An important class of qubit errors are readout errors. The most basic method to correct readout errors is matrix inversion, using a response matrix built from simple operations to probe the rate of transitions from known initial quantum states to readout outcomes. One challenge with inverting matrices with large off-diagonal components is that the results are sensitive to statistical fluctuations. This challenge is familiar to HEP, where prior-independent regularized matrix inversion techniques (“unfolding”) have been developed for years to correct for acceptance and detector effects, when performing differential cross section measurements. We study one such method, known as iterative Bayesian unfolding, as a potential tool for correcting readout errors from universal gate-based quantum computers. This method is shown to avoid pathologies from commonly used matrix inversion and least squares methods.

Authors:

Nachman, Benjamin ;

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Nachman, Benjamin"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0003-1024-0932"

Urbanek, Miroslav ;

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Urbanek, Miroslav"
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-9960-7424"

de Jong, Wibe A. ;

• Search DOE PAGES for author "de Jong, Wibe A."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0002-7114-8315"

Bauer, Christian W.

• Search DOE PAGES for author "Bauer, Christian W."
• Search DOE PAGES for ORCID "0000-0001-9820-5810"

Publication Date:

Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 2020

Research Org.:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); National Science Foundation (NSF)

OSTI Identifier:

1665912

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1572866

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC02-05CH11231; AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:

Published Article

Journal Name:

npj Quantum Information

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Name: npj Quantum Information Journal Volume: 6 Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2056-6387

Publisher:

Nature Publishing Group

Country of Publication:

United Kingdom

Language:

English

Subject:

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS