English

Assessing non-Gaussian quantum state conversion with the stellar rank

Quantum Physics 2026-05-06 v5

Abstract

State conversion is a fundamental task in quantum information processing. Quantum resource theories allow for analyzing and bounding conversions that use restricted sets of operations. In the context of continuous-variable systems, state conversions restricted to Gaussian operations are crucial for both fundamental and practical reasons, particularly in state preparation and quantum computing with bosonic codes. However, previous analysis did not consider the relevant case of approximate state conversion. In this work, we introduce a framework for assessing approximate Gaussian state conversion by extending the stellar rank to the approximate stellar rank, which serves as an operational measure of non-Gaussianity. We derive bounds for Gaussian state conversion and distillation under approximate and probabilistic conditions, yielding new no-go results for non-Gaussian state preparation and enabling a reliable assessment of the performance of Gaussian conversion protocols. We also provide an open-source Python library to compute stellar-rank-related quantities and to assess Gaussian conversion.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2410.23721,
  title  = {Assessing non-Gaussian quantum state conversion with the stellar rank},
  author = {Oliver Hahn and Maxime Garnier and Giulia Ferrini and Alessandro Ferraro and Ulysse Chabaud},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.23721},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

30 pages, 6 figures. Updated version with additional results, including on mixed states and an open-source library

R2 v1 2026-06-28T19:42:34.731Z