Coherent Parity Check Construction for Quantum Error Correction

We present a framework for constructing and analysing quantum error correction codes that gives simple and intuitive tools for designing codes based on device specifications. Built from a direct analog of classical parity checking, these coherent parity codes use a simple model for constraints between qubits and decoding of information. With an associated graphical language, this coherent parity check (CPC) construction enables automated search for codes, and we give discovered examples of low-overhead codes for small devices ([[10,3,3]], and [[12,4,3]]) based on realistic error rates taken from current ion trap state-of-the-art . We show that CPC codes form a class of CSS codes. We further show that the graphical language maps to the category-theoretic ZX calculus, which enables the use of the automated reasoning tool Quantomatic to derive properties of the codes. We show how automated reasoning allows us to perform computation between qubits in the same code-block without requiring multiple codeblocks and/or transversal gates. These tools offer a significant aid to put quantum error correction theory into design practice for practical quantum technologies in both the immediate future and looking forwards to large-scale deployable quantum computing. Furthermore, the close theoretical link between the CPC construction and classical error correction codes opens up the possibility of constructing quantum versions of modern high- performance error correction codes (such as LDPC and turbo codes) that approach the Shannon limit.