Demonstration of Cluster State Shaping and Quantum Erasure for Continuous Variables

TL;DR

This paper experimentally demonstrates methods to reshape continuous-variable cluster states by removing nodes and shortening quantum wires, enabling flexible graph state generation for universal quantum computing.

Contribution

It introduces practical, unconditional techniques for cluster state shaping, including node removal and wire shortening, advancing continuous-variable quantum information processing.

Findings

Successfully removed nodes from a four-mode cluster state.

Shortened quantum wires within the cluster state.

Demonstrated all variations using homodyne measurements and feedforward.

Abstract

We demonstrate experimentally how to remove an arbitrary node from a continuous-variable cluster state and how to shorten any quantum wires of such a state. These two basic operations, performed in an unconditional fashion, are a manifestation of quantum erasure and can be employed to obtain various graph states from an initial cluster state. Starting with a sufficiently large cluster, the resulting graph states can then be used for universal quantum information processing. In the experiment, all variations of this cluster-shaping are demonstrated on a four-mode linear cluster state through homodyne measurements and feedforward.