Decoding general error correcting codes and the role of complementarity

TL;DR

This paper presents a method to extend decoding circuits from CSS quantum codes to general quantum error correcting codes using classical-quantum codes, with applications to black hole information paradox models.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to decoding non-stabilizer QECCs by leveraging classical-quantum codes and their complementarity, expanding decoding capabilities.

Findings

Decoding error depends on classical decoding errors and complementarity of CQ codes.

The proposed decoding circuit outperforms previous methods in a toy black hole model.

Black hole dynamics may encode quantum information efficiently but not classical information.

Abstract

Among various classes of quantum error correcting codes (QECCs), non-stabilizer codes have rich properties and are of theoretical and practical interest. Decoding non-stabilizer codes is, however, a highly non-trivial task. In this paper, we show that a decoding circuit for Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) codes can be straightforwardly extended to handle general QECCs. The key to the extension lies in the use of a pair of classical-quantum (CQ) codes associated with the QECC to be decoded. The decoding error of the proposed decoding circuit depends on the classical decoding errors of the CQ codes and their degree of complementarity. We demonstrate the power of the decoding circuit in a toy model of the black hole information paradox, improving decoding errors compared to previous results. In addition, we reveal that black hole dynamics may optimally encode quantum information but poorly encode classical information.