Mutually unbiased bases with free parameters

Abstract: We present a systematic method to introduce free parameters in sets of mutually unbiased bases. In particular, we demonstrate that any set of m real mutually unbiased bases in dimension N>2 admits the introduction of (m-1)N/2 free parameters which cannot be absorbed by a global unitary operation. As consequence, there are m=k+1 mutually unbiased bases in every dimension N=k^2 with k^3/2 free parameters, where k is even. We construct the maximal set of triplets of mutually unbiased bases for two-qubits systems and triplets, quadruplets and quintuplets of mutually unbiased bases with free parameters for three-qubits systems. Furthermore, we study the richness of the entanglement structure of such bases and we provide the quantum circuits required to implement all these bases with free parameters in the laboratory. Finally, we find the upper bound for the maximal number of real and complex mutually unbiased bases existing in every dimension. This proof is simple, short and it considers basic matrix algebra.