Geometrically robust linear optics from non-Abelian geometric phases

Abstract: We construct a unified operator framework for quantum holonomies generated from bosonic systems. For a system whose Hamiltonian is bilinear in the creation and annihilation operators, we find a holonomy group determined only by a set of selected orthonormal modes obeying a stronger version of the adiabatic theorem. This photon-number independent description offers deeper insight as well as a computational advantage when compared to the standard formalism on geometric phases. In particular, a strong analogy between quantum holonomies and linear optical networks can be drawn. This relation provides an explicit recipe how any linear optical quantum computation can be made geometrically robust in terms of adiabatic or nonadiabatic geometric phases.