Permutationally invariant codes for quantum error correction (Q1887506)

The well-developed class of the quantum error correction codes is known as ``additive codes'', which arise as subspaces stabilized by Abelian subgroups of the Pauli group. In this paper several codes of the much less investigated ``non-additive'' class are discussed. Namely, these are the binary codes associated with the action of non-Abelian group. More precisely, the authors concentrate their attention on the codes on which the symmetrie group acts trivially and call it permutationally invariant codes. These codes require at least 7 qubits to correct all one-bit errors. Authors found two distinct 7-bit codes of this type. Also they investigated a large family of permutationally invariant 9-bit codes and found boundaries of its power in the area of two-bit error correction. It was shown that no 9-bit code can correct all two-bit errors of the form \(Z_jZ_k\) and all one-bit errors of the form \(X_k\) and \(Z_k\) at the same time, where \(X_i\) and \(Z_i\) denote the action of the \(\sigma_x\) and \(\sigma_z\) Pauli spin operators. Also it was proved that if one apply a slightly modified restriction on the simultaneously one-bit and two-bit error correction, which require to correct all errors of the form \(X_k\) and all errors of the form \(X_jX_k\) and \(Z_jZ_k\), it can be achieved using the simple 5-bit repetition code.