Techniques for learning sparse Pauli-Lindblad noise models

Error-mitigation techniques such as probabilistic error cancellation and zero-noise extrapolation benefit from accurate noise models. The sparse Pauli-Lindblad noise model is one of the most successful models for those applications. In existing implementations, the model decomposes into a series of simple Pauli channels with one- and two-local terms that follow the qubit topology. While the model has been shown to accurately capture the noise in contemporary superconducting quantum processors for error mitigation, it is important to consider higher-weight terms and effects beyond nearest-neighbor interactions. For such extended models to remain practical, however, we need to ensure that they can be learned efficiently. In this work we present new techniques that accomplish exactly this. We introduce twirling based on Pauli rotations, which enables us to automatically generate single-qubit learning correction sequences and reduce the number of unique fidelities that need to be learned. In addition, we propose a basis-selection strategy that leverages graph coloring and uniform covering arrays to minimize the number of learning bases. Taken together, these techniques ensure that the learning of the extended noise models remains efficient, despite their increased complexity.