Collective Quantum State Preparation Is Nonadditive

Abstract

Quantum state preparation is a basic primitive of quantum computation and control, but its resource cost is usually analyzed for one target state or under an independent-copy construction. Here we study the many-copy problem under weighted Pauli control, where a Pauli-product rotation $e^{iϕP}$ is charged by its rotation angle $|ϕ|$, independently of the weight of $P$. We derive the exact single-qubit preparation cost and show that it is strictly nonadditive: a four-pulse collective protocol prepares two $T$ states at lower cost than two optimal one-copy protocols. We further identify finite regions of the Bloch sphere with collective saving, including trajectories that remain product throughout, showing that transient entanglement is not the only mechanism behind the advantage. Complementarily, a dimension-independent Rényi-entropy speed limit gives an extensive lower bound for every coherent target and an exponential fidelity penalty below a finite preparation rate. These results establish a many-copy geometry of state synthesis in which uncorrelated outputs can nevertheless benefit from collective control.