Mitigating quantum operation infidelity through engineering the distribution of photon losses

Abstract

Multiport interferometers can be constructed from two-port components in various configurations. We investigate how these configurations influence the performance of quantum operations through asymmetries in optical losses. Using numerical simulations, we analyze the effect of photon-loss distributions on the fidelity of operations involving measurements. For both full- and partial-measurement protocols, we compare rectangular (symmetric-loss) and triangular (asymmetric-loss) architectures. Our results show that asymmetric loss configurations can reduce operation infidelity in several cases, revealing a quantifiable trade-off between fidelity and success probability, with implications for the design of high-fidelity photonic circuits.