Optical implementations of the optimal phase-covariant quantum cloning machine
Jaromı́r Fiurášek · Physical Review A · 2003
We propose two simple implementations of the optimal symmetric $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{1}2$ phase-covariant cloning machine for qubits. The first scheme is designed for qubits encoded into polarization states of photons and it involves a mixing of two photons on an unbalanced beam splitter. This scheme is probabilistic and the cloning succeeds with the probability $1/3.$ In the second setup, the qubits are represented by the states of Rydberg atoms and the cloning is accomplished by the resonant interaction of the atoms with a microwave field confined in a high-Q cavity. This latter approach allows for deterministic implementation of the optimal cloning transformation.