Pauli Error Estimation via Population Recovery

Abstract

Motivated by estimation of quantum noise models, we study the problem of learning a Pauli channel, or more generally the Pauli error rates of an arbitrary channel. By employing a novel reduction to the "Population Recovery" problem, we give an extremely simple algorithm that learns the Pauli error rates of an n-qubit channel to precision ϵ in ℓ∞ using just O(1/ϵ2)log⁡(n/ϵ) applications of the channel. This is optimal up to the logarithmic factors. Our algorithm uses only unentangled state preparation and measurements, and the post-measurement classical runtime is just an O(1/ϵ) factor larger than the measurement data size. It is also impervious to a limited model of measurement noise where heralded measurement failures occur independently with probability ≤1/4.We then consider the case where the noise channel is close to the identity, meaning that the no-error outcome occurs with probability 1−η. In the regime of small η we extend our algorithm to achieve multiplicative precision 1±ϵ (i.e., additive precision ϵη) using just O(1ϵ2η)log⁡(n/ϵ) applications of the channel.