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Quantum convolutional coding is a technique for encoding a stream of quantum information before transmitting it over a noisy quantum channel. Two important goals in the design of quantum convolutional encoders are to minimize the memory required by them and to avoid the catastrophic propagation of errors. In a previous paper, we determined minimal-memory, non-catastrophic, polynomial-depth encoders for a few exemplary quantum convolutional codes. In this paper, we elucidate a general technique for finding an encoder of an arbitrary quantum convolutional code such that the encoder possesses these desirable properties. We also provide an elementary proof that these encoders are non-recursive. Finally, we apply our technique to many quantum convolutional codes from the literature., Comment: Continuation and expansion of arXiv:1011.5535; 21 pages, 2 figures; v2 includes an elementary proof that the encoders in this paper are non-recursive in addition to being non-catastrophic; v3, accepted into IEEE Transactions on Information Theory

One of the most important open questions in the theory of quantum convolutional coding is to determine a minimal-memory, non-catastrophic, polynomial-depth convolutional encoder for an arbitrary quantum convolutional code. Here, we present a technique that finds quantum convolutional encoders with such desirable properties for several example quantum convolutional codes (an exposition of our technique in full generality will appear elsewhere). We first show how to encode the well-studied Forney-Grassl-Guha (FGG) code with an encoder that exploits just one memory qubit (the former Grassl-Roetteler encoder requires 15 memory qubits). We then show how our technique can find an online decoder corresponding to this encoder, and we also detail the operation of our technique on a different example of a quantum convolutional code. Finally, the reduction in memory for the FGG encoder makes it feasible to simulate the performance of a quantum turbo code employing it, and we present the results of such simulations., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for the International Symposium on Information Theory 2011 (ISIT 2011), St. Petersburg, Russia; v2 has minor changes

Quantum convolutional codes, like their classical counterparts, promise to offer higher error correction performance than block codes of equivalent encoding complexity, and are expected to find important applications in reliable quantum communication where a continuous stream of qubits is transmitted. Grassl and Roetteler devised an algorithm to encode a quantum convolutional code with a "pearl-necklace encoder." Despite their theoretical significance as a neat way of representing quantum convolutional codes, they are not well-suited to practical realization. In fact, there is no straightforward way to implement any given pearl-necklace structure. This paper closes the gap between theoretical representation and practical implementation. In our previous work, we presented an efficient algorithm for finding a minimal-memory realization of a pearl-necklace encoder for Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) convolutional codes. This work extends our previous work and presents an algorithm for turning a pearl-necklace encoder for a general (non-CSS) quantum convolutional code into a realizable quantum convolutional encoder. We show that a minimal-memory realization depends on the commutativity relations between the gate strings in the pearl-necklace encoder. We find a realization by means of a weighted graph which details the non-commutative paths through the pearl-necklace. The weight of the longest path in this graph is equal to the minimal amount of memory needed to implement the encoder. The algorithm has a polynomial-time complexity in the number of gate strings in the pearl-necklace encoder., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures; extends paper arXiv:1004.5179v1

One of the major goals in quantum information processing is to reduce the overhead associated with the practical implementation of quantum protocols, and often, routines for quantum error correction account for most of this overhead. A particular technique for quantum error correction that may be useful for protecting a stream of quantum information is quantum convolutional coding. The encoder for a quantum convolutional code has a representation as a convolutional encoder or as a "pearl-necklace" encoder. In the pearl-necklace representation, it has not been particularly clear in the research literature how much quantum memory such an encoder would require for implementation. Here, we offer an algorithm that answers this question. The algorithm first constructs a weighted, directed acyclic graph where each vertex of the graph corresponds to a gate string in the pearl-necklace encoder, and each path through the graph represents a path through non-commuting gates in the encoder. We show that the weight of the longest path through the graph is equal to the minimal amount of memory needed to implement the encoder. A dynamic programming search through this graph determines the longest path. The running time for the construction of the graph and search through it is quadratic in the number of gate strings in the pearl-necklace encoder., Comment: 30 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publication in the IEEE Transactions on Computers

A two-layer quantum protocol for secure transmission of data using qubits is presented. The protocol is an improvement over the BB84 QKD protocol. BB84, in conjunction with the one-time pad algorithm, has been shown to be unconditionally secure. However it suffers from two drawbacks: (1) Its security relies on the assumption that Alice's qubit source is perfect in the sense that it does not inadvertently emit multiple copies of the same qubit. A multi-qubit emission attack can be launched if this assumption is violated. (2) BB84 cannot transfer predetermined keys; the keys it can distribute are generated in the process. Our protocol does not have these drawbacks. As in BB84, our protocol requires an authenticated public channel so as to detect an intruder's interaction with the quantum channel, but unlike in symmetric-key cryptography, the confidentiality of transmitted data does not rely on a shared secret key., Comment: 13 pages, submitted to the the 25th Annual International Cryptology Conference (Crypto 2005), dated 14/02/2005