# How to differientate the noise functions in qiskit?

In Qiskit, there are many different Quantum Error Functions. From my understanding, pauli_error represents the error rate of $$X, Y, Z$$ independently, and deplolarizing_error is a combination of these Pauli operators. Is it correct? Are the two channels belong to incoherent errors?

Moreover, can phase_damping_error and amplitude_damping_error be regarded as $$Z$$ and $$X$$ errors respectively? Are they coherent or incoherent errors?

• Pauli error: if you assign this error to some gate (e.g. Hadamard), and you attach probabilities (p_x, p_y, p_z) to it, then after that gate is simulated, with probability p_x, an X gate will run, with probability p_y, a Y gate will run, and with probability p_z, a Z gate will run. Note that it's not the error rate of the X gate etc.
• Depolarizing: a special case of a Pauli error, where p_x = p_y = p_z.
• Thanks for your clarifying! To summarize my understanding, Pauli_error and Depolarizing are gate errors while amplitude_damping and phase_damping are thermal relaxation errors. Is that correct? Oct 27 at 16:32
• amplitude_damping and phase_damping are indeed thermal relaxation errors. I don't know what you mean by "gate errors", but Pauli_error and Depolarizing are unital. Oct 28 at 4:26