Jean-Daniel Bancal

Self-testing protocols enable the certification of quantum systems in a device-independent manner, i.e., without knowledge of the inner workings of the quantum devices under test. Here, we demonstrate this high standard for characterization routines with superconducting circuits, a prime platform for building large-scale quantum computing systems. We first develop the missing theory allowing for the self-testing of Pauli measurements. We then self-test Bell pair generation and measurements at the same time, performing a complete self-test in a system composed of two entangled superconducting circuits operated at a separation of 30 m. In an experiment based on 17 million trials, we measure an average CHSH (Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt) S value of 2.236. Without relying on additional assumptions on the experimental setup, we certify an average Bell state fidelity of at least 58.9% and an average measurement fidelity of at least 89.5% in a device-independent manner, both with 99% confidence. This enables applications in the field of distributed quantum computing and communication with superconducting circuits, such as delegated quantum computing.

The Wineland parameter aims at detecting metrologically useful entangled states, called spin-squeezed states, from expectations and variances of total angular momenta. However, efficient strategies for estimating this parameter in practice have yet to be determined and, in particular, the effects of a finite number of measurements remain insufficiently addressed. We formulate the detection of spin squeezing as a hypothesis-testing problem, where the null hypothesis assumes that the experimental data can be explained by non-spin-squeezed states. Within this framework, we derive upper and lower bounds on the p value to quantify the statistical evidence against the null hypothesis. By applying our statistical test to data obtained in multiple experiments, we are unable to reject the hypothesis that non-spin-squeezed states were measured with a p value of 5% or less in most cases. We also find an explicit non-spin-squeezed state according to the Wineland parameter reproducing most of the observed results with a p value exceeding 5%. More generally, our results provide a rigorous method to establish robust statistical evidence of spin squeezing from the Wineland parameter in future experiments, accounting for finite statistics.

It is well known that the set of statistics that can be observed in a Bell-type experiment is limited by quantum theory. Unfortunately, tools are missing to identify the precise boundary of this set. Here, we propose to study the set of quantum statistics from a dual perspective. By considering all Bell expressions saturated by a given realization, we show that the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt expression can be decomposed in terms of extremal Tsirelson inequalities that we identify. This brings novel insight into the geometry of the quantum set in the (2,2,2) scenario. Furthermore, this allows us to identify all the Bell expressions that are able to self-test the Tsirelson realization.

We report on a method to certify a unitary operation with the help of source and measurement apparatuses whose calibration throughout the certification process needs not be trusted. As in the device-independent paradigm our certification method relies on a Bell test and requires no assumption on the underlying Hilbert space dimension, but it removes the need for high detection efficiencies by including the single additional assumption that non-detected events are independent of the measurement settings. The relevance of the proposed method is demonstrated experimentally by bounding the unitarity of a quantum frequency converter. The experiment starts with the heralded creation of a maximally entangled two-qubit state between a single ⁴⁰Ca⁺ ion and a 854 nm photon. Entanglement preserving frequency conversion to the telecom band is then realized with a non-linear waveguide embedded in a Sagnac interferometer. The resulting ion-telecom photon entangled state is assessed by means of a Bell-CHSH test from which the quality of the frequency conversion is quantified. We demonstrate frequency conversion with an average certified fidelity of ≥84% and an efficiency ≥3.1 × 10⁻⁶ at a confidence level of 99%. This ensures the suitability of the converter for integration in quantum networks from a trustful characterization procedure.

Quantum memories represent one of the main ingredients of future quantum communication networks. Their certification is therefore a key challenge. Here we develop efficient certification methods for quantum memories. Considering a device-independent approach, where no a priori characterization of sources or measurement devices is required, we develop a robust self-testing method for quantum memories. We then illustrate the practical relevance of our technique in a relaxed scenario by certifying a fidelity of 0.87 in a recent solid-state ensemble quantum memory experiment. More generally, our methods apply for the characterization of any device implementing a qubit identity quantum channel.

It is well known that the effect of quantum nonlocality, as witnessed by violation of a Bell inequality, can be observed even when relaxing the assumption of measurement independence, i.e., allowing for the source to be partially correlated with the choices of measurement settings; however, what is the minimal amount of measurement independence needed to observe quantum nonlocality? Here we explore this question and consider models with strong measurement-dependent locality, where measurement choices can be perfectly determined in almost all rounds of the Bell test. Nevertheless, we show that quantum nonlocality can still be observed in this scenario, which we conjecture is minimal within the framework we use. We also discuss potential applications in randomness amplification.

Superposition, entanglement and non-locality constitute fundamental features of quantum physics. The fact that quantum physics does not follow the principle of local causality^1–3 can be experimentally demonstrated in Bell tests⁴ performed on pairs of spatially separated, entangled quantum systems. Although Bell tests, which are widely regarded as a litmus test of quantum physics, have been explored using a broad range of quantum systems over the past 50 years, only relatively recently have experiments free of so-called loopholes⁵ succeeded. Such experiments have been performed with spins in nitrogen–vacancy centres⁶, optical photons^7–9 and neutral atoms¹⁰. Here we demonstrate a loophole-free violation of Bell’s inequality with superconducting circuits, which are a prime contender for realizing quantum computing technology¹¹. To evaluate a Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt-type Bell inequality⁴, we deterministically entangle a pair of qubits¹² and perform fast and high-fidelity measurements¹³ along randomly chosen bases on the qubits connected through a cryogenic link¹⁴ spanning a distance of 30 metres. Evaluating more than 1 million experimental trials, we find an average S value of 2.0747 ± 0.0033, violating Bell’s inequality with a P value smaller than 10⁻¹⁰⁸. Our work demonstrates that non-locality is a viable new resource in quantum information technology realized with superconducting circuits with potential applications in quantum communication, quantum computing and fundamental physics¹⁵.

Genuine multipartite entanglement represents the strongest type of entanglement, which is an essential resource for quantum information processing. Standard methods to detect genuine multipartite entanglement, e.g., entanglement witnesses, state tomography, or quantum state verification, require full knowledge of the Hilbert space dimension and precise calibration of measurement devices, which are usually difficult to acquire in an experiment. The most radical way to overcome these problems is to detect entanglement solely based on the Bell-like correlations of measurement outcomes collected in the experiment, namely, device independently. However, it is difficult to certify genuine entanglement of practical multipartite states in this way, and even more difficult to quantify it, due to the difficulty in identifying optimal multipartite Bell inequalities and protocols tolerant to state impurity. In this Letter, we explore a general and robust device-independent method that can be applied to various realistic multipartite quantum states in arbitrary finite dimension, while merely relying on bipartite Bell inequalities. Our method allows us both to certify the presence of genuine multipartite entanglement and to quantify it. Several important classes of entangled states are tested with this method, leading to the detection of genuinely entangled states. We also certify genuine multipartite entanglement in weakly entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states, showing that the method applies equally well to less standard states.