A simple asymptotically optimal Clifford circuit compilation algorithm

Abstract

We present an algorithm that decomposes any $n$-qubit Clifford operator into a circuit consisting of three subcircuits containing only CNOT or CPHASE gates with layers of one-qubit gates before and after each of these subcircuits. As with other asymptotically optimal Clifford compilation algorithms, the resulting circuit contains $O(n^2/\log n)$ two-qubit gates. The derivation of our algorithm only requires the symplectic representation of Clifford gates, basic row and column matrix manipulations, and some known properties of general matrices over 0 and 1.