Adapting coherent-state superpositions in noisy channels

Abstract: Quantum non-Gaussian states are crucial for the fundamental understanding of non-linear bosonic systems and simultaneously advanced applications in quantum technologies. In many bosonic experiments the important quantum non-Gaussian feature is the negativity of the Wigner function, a cornerstone for quantum computation with bosons. Unfortunately, the negativities present in complex quantum states are extremely vulnerable to the effects of decoherence, such as energy loss, noise and dephasing, caused by the coupling to the environment, which is an unavoidable part of any experimental implementation. An efficient way to mitigate its effects is by adapting quantum states into more resilient forms. We propose an optimal protection of superpositions of coherent states against a sequence of asymmetric thermal lossy channels by suitable squeezing operations.