All-optical cat-code quantum error correction

Abstract

The cat code is a promising encoding scheme for bosonic quantum error correction as it allows for correction against losses—the dominant error mechanism in most bosonic systems. However, it has remained unclear how the required syndrome measurement and recovery can be implemented in the optical regime. Here, we introduce a teleportation-based error-correction scheme for the cat code, using elements suitable for an optical setting. The scheme detects and corrects single-photon losses while restoring the amplitude of the cat states, thereby greatly suppressing the accumulation of errors in lossy channels.