Noise-Resilient Quantum Evolution in Open Systems through Error-Correcting Frameworks

TL;DR

This paper investigates the effectiveness of quantum error-correcting codes in preserving quantum states within open systems modeled by microscopic system-bath interactions, emphasizing realistic environmental effects.

Contribution

It introduces a microscopic master-equation framework to benchmark QEC codes in open quantum systems with detailed environmental modeling.

Findings

Repeated error correction with the five-qubit code suppresses decoherence at low temperatures.

Thermal excitations at high temperatures reduce code effectiveness, but the five-qubit code remains superior.

A critical evolution time exists for two-qubit Werner states, beyond which QEC benefits diminish.

Abstract

We analyze quantum state preservation in open quantum systems using quantum error-correcting (QEC) codes explicitly embedded in microscopic system-bath models. Rather than assuming abstract quantum channels, we consider multi-qubit registers coupled to bosonic thermal environments, derive a second-order master equation for the reduced dynamics, and use it to benchmark the five-qubit, Steane, and toric codes under local and collective noise. We compute state fidelities as functions of system-bath coupling strength, bath temperatures, and the number of correction cycles. In the low-temperature regime, repeated error correction with the five-qubit code significantly suppresses decoherence and relaxation for weak-to-moderate couplings. In the high-temperature regime, thermal excitations reduce the effectiveness of all codes, although within the parameter range studied, the five-qubit code still yields the highest fidelities among the three codes. For two-qubit Werner states, we identify a critical evolution time associated with an early-time crossover, before which the overhead of QEC does not compensate for the noise-induced degradation; this critical time increases with entanglement, reflecting the greater fragility of strongly entangled states. Overall, our results provide a microscopic master-equation-based framework for benchmarking QEC performance in realistic open-system environments and for assessing code behavior in near-term noisy quantum architectures.