Adversarially robust quantum state learning and testing

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Aliakbarpour, Maryam, Braverman, Vladimir, Chia, Nai-Hui, Liu, Yuhan
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Aliakbarpour, Maryam
Braverman, Vladimir
Chia, Nai-Hui
Liu, Yuhan
author_facet Aliakbarpour, Maryam
Braverman, Vladimir
Chia, Nai-Hui
Liu, Yuhan
contents Quantum state learning is a fundamental problem in physics and computer science. As near-term quantum devices are error-prone, it is important to design error-resistant algorithms. Apart from device errors, other unexpected factors could also affect the algorithm, such as careless human read-out error, or even a malicious hacker deliberately altering the measurement results. Thus, we want our algorithm to work even in the worst case when things go against our favor. We consider the practical setting of single-copy measurements and propose the $γ$-adversarial corruption model where an imaginary adversary can arbitrarily change $γ$-fraction of the measurement outcomes. This is stronger than the $γ$-bounded SPAM noise model, where the post-measurement state changes by at most $γ$ in trace distance. Under our stronger model of corruption, we design an algorithm using non-adaptive measurements that can learn an unknown rank-$r$ state up to $\tilde{O}(γ\sqrt{r})$ in trace distance, provided that the number of copies is sufficiently large. We further prove an information-theoretic lower bound of $Ω(γ\sqrt{r})$ for non-adaptive measurements, demonstrating the optimality of our algorithm. Our upper and lower bounds also hold for quantum state testing, where the goal is to test whether an unknown state is equal to a given state or far from it. Our results are intriguingly optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. For general states, the error is dimension-dependent and $γ\sqrt{d}$ in the worst case, meaning that only corrupting a very small fraction ($1/\sqrt{d}$) of the outcomes could totally destroy any non-adaptive learning algorithm. However, for constant-rank states that are useful in many quantum algorithms, it is possible to achieve dimension-independent error, even in the worst-case adversarial setting.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_13959
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Adversarially robust quantum state learning and testing
Aliakbarpour, Maryam
Braverman, Vladimir
Chia, Nai-Hui
Liu, Yuhan
Quantum Physics
Computational Complexity
Information Theory
Quantum state learning is a fundamental problem in physics and computer science. As near-term quantum devices are error-prone, it is important to design error-resistant algorithms. Apart from device errors, other unexpected factors could also affect the algorithm, such as careless human read-out error, or even a malicious hacker deliberately altering the measurement results. Thus, we want our algorithm to work even in the worst case when things go against our favor. We consider the practical setting of single-copy measurements and propose the $γ$-adversarial corruption model where an imaginary adversary can arbitrarily change $γ$-fraction of the measurement outcomes. This is stronger than the $γ$-bounded SPAM noise model, where the post-measurement state changes by at most $γ$ in trace distance. Under our stronger model of corruption, we design an algorithm using non-adaptive measurements that can learn an unknown rank-$r$ state up to $\tilde{O}(γ\sqrt{r})$ in trace distance, provided that the number of copies is sufficiently large. We further prove an information-theoretic lower bound of $Ω(γ\sqrt{r})$ for non-adaptive measurements, demonstrating the optimality of our algorithm. Our upper and lower bounds also hold for quantum state testing, where the goal is to test whether an unknown state is equal to a given state or far from it. Our results are intriguingly optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. For general states, the error is dimension-dependent and $γ\sqrt{d}$ in the worst case, meaning that only corrupting a very small fraction ($1/\sqrt{d}$) of the outcomes could totally destroy any non-adaptive learning algorithm. However, for constant-rank states that are useful in many quantum algorithms, it is possible to achieve dimension-independent error, even in the worst-case adversarial setting.
title Adversarially robust quantum state learning and testing
topic Quantum Physics
Computational Complexity
Information Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.13959