Quantum Cloning: Challenges and Opportunities for Quantum Information

Shrish Roy

Quantum information theory studies the fundamental limits and possibilities of manipulating quantum states. One of the most intriguing aspects of quantum mechanics is that it forbids the exact copying of arbitrary quantum states, as stated by the no-cloning theorem. However, this does not rule out the possibility of approximate or probabilistic cloning, where the copies have a non-unit fidelity with the original state. In this talk, I will introduce some basic concepts and tools of quantum information theory, such as local operations and classical communication (LOCC), quantum teleportation, and superdense coding. I will then discuss some applications and variations of quantum cloning, such as quantum telecloning, which combines teleportation and cloning, and quantum copying machines, which are physical devices that implement cloning operations. We will also look into a duality between teleportation and superdense coding. Finally, I will present some results from my thesis on quantum copying protocols, which are protocols that allow two or more parties to collaboratively clone a quantum state using LOCC.