A Note on the Speed of Perfect State Transfer

Abstract

In Phys. Rev. A 74, 030303 (2006), Yung showed that for a one-dimensional spin chain of length $N$ and maximum coupling strength $J_{\max}$, the time $t_0$ for a quantum state to transfer from one end of the chain to another is bounded by $J_{\max} t_0\geq\pi N/4$ (even $N$) and $J_{\max} t_0\geq\pi\sqrt{N^2-1}/4$ (odd $N$). The proof for even $N$ was elegant, but the proof for odd $N$ was less so. This note provides a proof for the odd $N$ case that is simpler, and more in keeping with the proof for the even case.