A Resource Comparison of Logical T-State Preparation

Abstract: Logical T state preparation is a major overhead source in fault tolerant architectures built from stabilizer operations. Existing protocols, however, are reported under different code families, noise models, postselection rules, and cost conventions, making direct comparison difficult. We compare three representative preparation routes: magic state distillation, magic state cultivation, and code switching, using currently available results. Rather than reducing heterogeneous data to a single cost metric, we retain source native cost units and record output error, single attempt cost, expected cost per accepted output, footprint, latency, and reporting completeness for each configuration. Within the current dataset, distillation reaches the lowest output error regime; code switching achieves the lowest reported single attempt cost and the smallest explicit footprint among the compatible rows; and recent RP2 cultivation results add low cost cultivation points with output errors between 1e-6 and 1e-9. As a simple algorithm level case study, we also examine the reported preparation routes under an error budget motivated by Shor factoring algorithm, in order to relate single state preparation costs to full workload requirements. The resulting comparison clarifies the trade offs currently supported across the literature, while remaining bounded by the conventions and coverage of the underlying papers.