Threshold Accuracy for Quantum Computation

We have previously (quant-ph/9608012) shown that for quantum memories and quantum communication, a state can be transmitted over arbitrary distances with error $\epsilon$ provided each gate has error at most $c\epsilon$. We discuss a similar concatenation technique which can be used with fault tolerant networks to achieve any desired accuracy when computing with classical initial states, provided a minimum gate accuracy can be achieved. The technique works under realistic assumptions on operational errors. These assumptions are more general than the stochastic error heuristic used in other work. Methods are proposed to account for leakage errors, a problem not previously recognized.

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