Maximizing Information Flow in Three-Coin Quantum Walk: from Initial Entanglement to Integrated Photonic Implementation

Abstract

Discrete-time quantum walks are powerful platforms for simulating quantum transport and information processing. Here we introduce a walker on a one-dimensional lattice whose motion is controlled by three entangled coins, each initialized with the Hadamard gate, aiming to maximize information flow. The walker moves only when all three coins yield the same outcome (HHH or TTT), thus coupling the 8-dimensional coin Hilbert space to the position degree of freedom. By analyzing fully separable, fully entangled (GHZ-type) and intermediate initial states, and using the von Neumann entropy of reduced subsystems, we compute the mutual information $I(C;P;t)$ between coin and position. The results show that initial three-partite entanglement accelerates the growth of mutual information by up to 18\% after ten steps (when compared to the lower of the two separable states), although it exhibits short-term non-monotonic dynamics due to quantum interference. For the first time, we introduce a tunable parameter $α$ (amplitude of non-displacement states) and show that the GHZ state reaches a maximum of mutual information at $α\approx 0.71$ - a key finding for optimal control of information flow. Finally, an integrated photonic implementation using polarization, spatial modes and time bins is proposed, where $α$ can be tuned with nonlinear or electro-optic elements. A scalable numerical framework (Python code) for simulations up to $t = 5$ steps is provided. Our findings establish three-partite entanglement as a dynamical resource for maximizing information flow and spatial spreading, with direct applications in quantum state transfer, entanglement-assisted sensing and programmable photonic quantum processors.