Qubit state guidance without feedback

Abstract

We study a protocol for two-qubit state guidance that does not rely on feedback mechanisms. In our scheme, entanglement can be concentrated by arranging the interactions of the qubits with a continuous variable ancilla. By properly post-selecting the outcomes of repeated measurements of the state of the ancilla, the qubit state is driven to have a desired amount of purity and entanglement. We stress the primary role played by the first iterations of the protocol. Inefficiencies in the detection operations can be fully taken into account.