Measuring the parity of an $N$-qubit state

POSTER

Abstract

We present a scheme for a projective measurement of the parity operator $P_z=\prod_{i=1}^N \sigma_z^{(i)}$ of $N$-qubits. Our protocol uses a single ancillary qubit, or a probe qubit, and involves manipulations of the total spin of the $N$ qubits without requiring individual addressing. We illustrate our protocol in terms of an experimental implementation with atomic ions in a two-zone linear Paul trap, and further discuss its extensions to several more general cases.

Authors

  • B. Zeng

    • Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
    • Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA 02139, USA

  • D.L. Zhou

    • School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA

  • L. You

    • School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA