Closed form logical error rate approximations for surface codes

Abstract

We propose a novel method to calculate logical error rates in surface codes, assuming independent and identically distributed physical errors. We show how to use our method to analyze hypothetical quantum computers with various configurations and select designs with lower error rates. Currently, this requires expensive classical simulations of quantum decoders for various distances and physical error rates or inaccurate extrapolation from minimal experimental data. Instead, we use the symmetry of the problem to count the configurations that result in a logical error with our novel software. Given a physical error rate, we can deduce the probability of a logical error, to provably good accuracy. We include an analysis of measurement errors to allow a more complete comparison of different surface code implementations.