The mixed states are important in quantum optics since they frequently appear in the decoherence problems. When one of the components of the system is prepared in the mixed state and the evolution operator of this system is not available, one cannot deduce the density matrix. We present analytical approach to accurately solve this problem. The approach can be applied on the condition that the Schrödinger's equation of the system is solvable with any arbitrary initial state. In deriving the solution we exploit the fact that any mixed state can be expressed in terms of a phase state. The approach is illustrated by deriving the density matrix of a single-mode heat environment interacting asymmetrically with two qubits. Our results are in good agreement with the available results in the literature. This approach opens new perspectives for treating complicated systems and may impact other applications in the quantum theory.
In the theory of quantum information, the mixed-unitary quantum channels, for any positive integer dimension $n$, are those linear maps that can be expressed as a convex combination of conjugations by $n\times n$ complex unitary matrices. We consider the mixed-unitary rank of any such channel, which is the minimum number of distinct unitary conjugations required for an expression of this form. We identify several new relationships between the mixed-unitary rank~$N$ and the Choi rank~$r$ of mixed-unitary channels, the Choi rank being equal to the minimum number of nonzero terms required for a K…
For a positive integer $d$ and a unitary representation $ρ:G\rightarrow\mathrm{U}(d)$ of a compact group $G$, the twirling channel for this representation is the linear mapping $Φ: M_d\rightarrow M_d$ defined as $Φ(X)=\int_{G}\mathrm{d}μ(g)\,ρ(g)Xρ(g^{-1})$ for every $X\in M_d$, where $μ$ is the Haar measure on $G$. Such channels are examples of mixed-unitary channels, as they are in the convex hull of the set of unitary channels of a fixed size. By Carathéodory's theorem, these channels can always be expressed as a finite linear combination of unitary channels. We consider the mixed-unitary r…
We classify, up to local unitary equivalence, local unitary stabilizer Lie algebras for symmetric mixed states into six classes. These include the stabilizer types of the Werner states, the GHZ state and its generalizations, and Dicke states. For all but the zero algebra, we classify entanglement types (local unitary equivalence classes) of symmetric mixed states that have those stabilizers. We make use of the identification of symmetric density matrices with polynomials in three variables with real coefficients and apply the representation theory of SO(3) on this space of polynomials.
We consider the mixed states of the bipartite quantum system with the first party a qubit and the second a qutrit. The group of local unitary transformations of the system, ignoring the overall phase factor, is the direct product G of SU(2) and SU(3). We compute the simply graded Poincare series of the algebra of G-invariant polynomial functions on the set of mixed states of the system, and construct several low degree invariants.
The nonlocal properties of arbitrary dimensional bipartite quantum systems are investigated. A complete set of invariants under local unitary transformations is presented. These invariants give rise to both sufficient and necessary conditions for the equivalence of quantum states under local unitary transformations: two density matrices are locally equivalent if and only if all these invariants have equal values.
Off-diagonal mixed state phases based upon a concept of orthogonality adapted to unitary evolution and a proper normalisation condition are introduced. Some particular instances are analysed and parallel transport leading to the off-diagonal mixed state geometric phase is delineated. A complete experimental realisation of the off-diagonal mixed state geometric phases in the qubit case using polarisation-entangled two-photon interferometry is proposed.
We present computable criterion for completely classifying multi-qubit quantum states under local unitary operations. The criterion can be used to detect whether two quantum states in multi-qubit systems are local unitary equivalent or not. Once obtaining the positive answer, we are further able to compute the corresponding unitary operators precisely. Since the scheme is based on the mean values of some quantum mechanical observables, it supplies an experimental way to judge the local equivalence of quantum states.
We present a way of treating the problem of the interaction of a single trapped ion with laser beams based on successive aplications of unitary transformations onto the Hamiltonian. This allows the diagonalization of the Hamiltonian, by means of recursive relations, without performing the Lamb-Dicke approximation.
The geometric phase for a pure quantal state undergoing an arbitrary evolution is a ``memory'' of the geometry of the path in the projective Hilbert space of the system. We find that Uhlmann's geometric phase for a mixed quantal state undergoing unitary evolution not only depends on the geometry of the path of the system alone but also on a constrained bi-local unitary evolution of the purified entangled state. We analyze this in general, illustrate it for the qubit case, and propose an experiment to test this effect. We also show that the mixed state geometric phase proposed recently in the c…
The equivalence of multipartite quantum mixed states under local unitary transformations is studied. A criterion for the equivalence of non-degenerate mixed multipartite quantum states under local unitary transformations is presented.
The unitary $ \mathrm{U}(d)$-equivalence relation between elements of the space $\mathfrak{P}_+\,$ of mixed states of $d$-dimensional quantum system defines the orbit space $ \mathfrak{P}_+/ \mathrm{U}(d)\,$ and provides its description in terms the ring $\mathbb{R}[\mathfrak{P}_+]^{\mathrm{U}(d)}\,$ of $\mathrm{U}(d)$-invariant polynomials. We prove that the semi-algebraic structure of $ \mathfrak{P}_+/ \mathrm{U}(d)\, $ is determined completely by two basic properties of density matrices, their semi-positivity and Hermicity. Particularly, it is shown that the Processi-Schwarz inequalities in…
In terms of the analysis of fixed point subgroup and tensor decomposability of certain matrices, we study the equivalence of of quantum bipartite mixed states under local unitary transformations. For non-degenerate case an operational criterion for the equivalence of two such mixed bipartite states under local unitary transformations is presented.
A quantum channel is said to be a mixed-unitary channel if it can be expressed as a convex combination of unitary channels. We prove that, given the Choi representation of a quantum channel, it is NP-hard with respect to polynomial-time Turing reductions to determine whether or not that channel is a mixed-unitary channel. This hardness result holds even under the assumption that the channel is not within an inverse-polynomial distance (in the dimension of the space upon which it acts) of the boundary of the mixed-unitary channels.
We analyze the geometric aspects of unitary evolution of general states for a multilevel quantum system by exploiting the structure of coadjoint orbits in the unitary group Lie algebra. Using the same method in the case of SU(3) we study the effect of degeneracies on geometric phases for three-level systems. This is shown to lead to a highly nontrivial generalization of the result for two-level systems in which degeneracy results in a "monopole" structure in parameter space. The rich structures that arise are related to the geometry of adjoint orbits in SU(3). The limiting case of a two-level …
We study the equivalence of quantum states under local unitary transformations by using the singular value decomposition. A complete set of invariants under local unitary transformations is presented for several classes of tripartite mixed states in KxMxN composite systems. Two density matrices in the same class are equivalent under local unitary transformations if and only if all these invariants have equal values for these density matrices.
Usually models for quantum computations deal with unitary gates on pure states. In this paper we generalize the usual model. We consider a model of quantum computations in which the state is an operator of density matrix and the gates are quantum operations, not necessarily unitary. A mixed state (operator of density matrix) of n two-level quantum systems is considered as an element of $4^{n}$-dimensional operator Hilbert space. Unitary quantum gates and nonunitary quantum operations for n-qubit system are considered as generalized quantum gates acting on mixed state. In this paper we study un…
We investigate the equivalence of bipartite quantum mixed states under local unitary transformations by introducing representation classes from a geometrical approach. It is shown that two bipartite mixed states are equivalent under local unitary transformations if and only if they have the same representation class. Detailed examples are given on calculating representation classes.
Majorana Representation (MR) of symmetric $ N $-qubit pure states has been used successfully in entanglement classification. Generalization of this has been a long standing open problem due to the difficulties faced in the construction of a Majorana like geometric representation for symmetric mixed state. We have overcome this problem by developing a method of classifying local unitary (LU) equivalent classes of symmetric $N$-qubit mixed states based on the geometrical Multiaxial Representation (MAR) of the density matrix. In addition to the two parameters defined for the entanglement classifi…
We investigate the equivalence of quantum states under local unitary transformations. A complete set of invariants under local unitary transformations is presented for a class of mixed states. It is shown that two states in this class are locally equivalent if and only if all these invariants have equal values for them.
We investigate the equivalence of quantum mixed states under local unitary transformations. For a class of rank-two mixed states, a sufficient and necessary condition of local equivalence is obtained by giving a complete set of invariants under local unitary transformations, such that two states in this class are locally equivalent if and only if all these invariants have equal values for them.
We consider the statistics of overlaps between a mixed state and its image under random unitary transformations. Choosing the transformations from the unitary group with its invariant (Haar) measure, the distribution of overlaps depends only on the eigenvalues of the mixed state. This allows one to estimate these eigenvalues from the overlap statistics. In the first part of this work, we present explicit results for qutrits, including a discussion of the expected uncertainties in the eigenvalue estimation. In the second part, we assume that the set of available unitary transformations is restr…
We study the local unitary equivalence for two and three-qubit mixed states by investigating the invariants under local unitary transformations. For two-qubit system, we prove that the determination of the local unitary equivalence of 2-qubits states only needs 14 or less invariants for arbitrary two-qubit states. Using the same method, we construct invariants for three-qubit mixed states. We prove that these invariants are sufficient to guarantee the LU equivalence of certain kind of three-qubit states. Also, we make a comparison with earlier works.
We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for local unitary (LU) operators to leave invariant the set of 1-qubit reduced density matrices of a multi-qubit state. LU operators with this property are tensor products of {\it cyclic local} operators, and form a subgroup, the centralizer subgroup of the set of reduced states, of the Lie group $SU(2)^{\otimes n}$. The dimension of this subgroup depends on the type of reduced density matrices. It is maximum when all reduced states are maximally mixed and it is minimum when none of them is maximally mixed. For any given multi-qubit state, pure or …
We consider arbitrary mixed state in unitary evolution and provide a comprehensive description of corresponding geometric phase in which two different points of view prevailing currently can be unified. Introducing an ancillary system and considering the purification of given mixed state, we find that different results of mixed state geometric phase correspond to different choice of the representation of Hilbert space of the ancilla. Moreover we demonstrate that in order to obtain Uhlmann's geometric phase it is not necessary to resort to the unitary evolution of ancilla.
We study the local unitary equivalence of arbitrary dimensional multipartite quantum mixed states. We present a necessary and sufficient criterion of the local unitary equivalence for general multipartite states based on matrix realignment. The criterion is shown to be operational even for particularly degenerated states by detailed examples. Besides, explicit expressions of the local unitary operators are constructed for locally equivalent states. In complement to the criterion, an alternative approach based on partial transposition of matrices is also given, which makes the criterion more ef…
We consider the tensor product of the completely depolarising channel on $d\times d$ matrices with the map of Schur multiplication by a $k \times k$ correlation matrix and characterise, via matrix theory methods, when such a map is a mixed (random) unitary channel. When $d=1$, this recovers a result of O'Meara and Pereira, and for larger $d$ is equivalent to a result of Haagerup and Musat that was originally obtained via the theory of factorisation through von Neumann algebras. We obtain a bound on the distance between a given correlation matrix for which this tensor product is nearly mixed un…
We provide a physical prescription based on interferometry for introducing the total phase of a mixed state undergoing unitary evolution, which has been an elusive concept in the past. We define the parallel transport condition that provides a connection-form for obtaining the geometric phase for mixed states. The expression for the geometric phase for mixed state reduces to well known formulas in the pure state case when a system undergoes noncyclic and unitary quantum evolution.
The equivalence problem under local unitary transformation for $n$--partite pure states is reduced to the one for $(n-1)$--partite mixed states. In particular, a tripartite system $\mathcal{H}_A\otimes\mathcal{H}_B\otimes\mathcal{H}_C$, where $\mathcal{H}_j$ is a finite dimensional complex Hilbert space for $j=A,B,C$, is considered and a set of invariants under local transformations is introduced, which is complete for the set of states whose partial trace with respect to $\mathcal{H}_A$ belongs to the class of generic mixed states.
We propose an extended quantum mechanical formalism that is based on a wave operator $\vr$, which is related to the ordinary density matrix via $ρ=\vr\vr^\dagger$. This formalism allows a (generalized) unitary evolution between pure and mixed states. It also preserves much of the connection between symmetries and conservation laws. The new formalism is illustrated for the case of a two level system.
We study quantum metrology for unitary dynamics. Analytic solutions are given for both the optimal unitary state preparation starting from an arbitrary mixed state and the corresponding optimal measurement precision. This represents a rigorous generalization of known results for optimal initial states and upper bounds on measurement precision which can only be saturated if pure states are available. In particular, we provide a generalization to mixed states of an upper bound on measurement precision for time-dependent Hamiltonians that can be saturated with optimal Hamiltonian control. These r…
We consider mixed states of two qubits and show under which global unitary operations their entanglement is maximized. This leads to a class of states that is a generalization of the Bell states. Three measures of entanglement are considered: entanglement of formation, negativity and relative entropy of entanglement. Surprisingly all states that maximize one measure also maximize the others. We will give a complete characterization of these generalized Bell states and prove that these states for fixed eigenvalues are all equivalent under local unitary transformations. We will furthermore chara…
The geometric phases of cyclic evolutions for mixed states are discussed in the framework of unitary evolution. A canonical one-form is defined whose line integral gives the geometric phase which is gauge invariant. It reduces to the Aharonov and Anandan phase in the pure state case. Our definition is consistent with the phase shift in the proposed experiment [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{85}, 2845 (2000)] for a cyclic evolution if the unitary transformation satisfies the parallel transport condition. A comprehensive geometric interpretation is also given. It shows that the geometric phases for mi…
We study the equivalence of mixed states under local unitary transformations. First we express quantum states in Bloch representation. Then based on the coefficient matrices, some invariants are constructed. This method and results can be extended to multipartite high dimensional system.
We investigate the average entropy of a subsystem within a global unitary orbit of a given mixed bipartite state in the finite-dimensional space. Without working out the closed-form expression of such average entropy for the mixed state case, we provide an analytical lower bound for this average entropy. In deriving this analytical lower bound, we get some useful by-products of independent interest. We also apply these results to estimate average correlation along a global unitary orbit of a given mixed bipartite state. When the notion of von Neumann entropy is replaced by linear entropy, the …
A general scheme is presented to decompose a $d$-by-$d$ unitary matrix as the product of two-level unitary matrices with additional structure and prescribed determinants. In particular, the decomposition can be done by using two-level matrices in $d-1$ classes, where each class is isomorphic to the group of $2\times 2$ unitary matrices. The proposed scheme is easy to apply, and useful in treating problems with the additional structural restrictions. A Matlab program is written to implement the scheme, and the result is used to deduce the fact that every quantum gate acting on $n$-qubit registe…
Entangling properties of a mixed 2-qubit system can be described by the local homogeneous unitary invariant polynomials in elements of the density matrix. The structure of the corresponding invariant polynomial ring for the special subclass of states, the so-called mixed X-states, is established. It is shown that for the X-states there is an injective ring homomorphism of the quotient ring of SU(2)xSU(2) invariant polynomials modulo its syzygy ideal and the SO(2)xSO(2)-invariant ring freely generated by five homogeneous polynomials of degrees 1,1,1,2,2.
The metric underlying the mixed state geometric phase in unitary and nonunitary evolution [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 85}, 2845 (2000); Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 93}, 080405 (2004)] is delineated. An explicit form for the line element is derived and shown to be related to an averaged energy dispersion in the case of unitary evolution. The line element is measurable in interferometry involving nearby internal states. Explicit geodesics are found in the single qubit case. It is shown how the Bures line element can be obtained by extending our approach to arbitrary decompositions of density operators. The…
We cast observable measure of quantum coherence or asymmetry as a resource to control the quantum speed limit (QSL) for unitary evolutions. For non-unitary evolutions, QSL depends on that of the state of the system and environment together. We show that the product of the time bound and the coherence (asymmetry) or the quantum part of the uncertainty behaves in a geometric way under partial elimination and classical mixing of states. These relations give a new insight to the quantum speed limit. We also show that our bound is experimentally measurable and is tighter than various existing bound…
We study the structure of the inverse limit of the graded algebras of local unitary invariant polynomials using its Hilbert series. For k subsystems, we conjecture that the inverse limit is a free algebra and the number of algebraically independent generators with homogenous degree 2m equals the number of conjugacy classes of index m subgroups in a free group on k-1 generators. Similarly, we conjecture that the inverse limit in the case of k-partite mixed state invariants is free and the number of algebraically independent generators with homogenous degree m equals the number of conjugacy clas…
Entanglement of two parts of a quantum system is a non-local property unaffected by local manipulations of these parts. It is described by quantities invariant under local unitary transformations. Here we present, for a system of two qubits, a set of invariants which provides a complete description of non-local properties. The set contains 18 real polynomials of the entries of the density matrix. We prove that one of two mixed states can be transformed into the other by single-bit operations if and only if these states have equal values of all 18 invariants. Corresponding local operations can …
To implement any quantum operation (a.k.a. ``superoperator'' or ``CP map'') on a d-dimensional quantum system, it is enough to apply a suitable overall unitary transformation to the system and a d^2-dimensional environment which is initialized in a fixed pure state. It has been suggested that a d-dimensional environment might be enough if we could initialize the environment in a mixed state of our choosing. In this note we show with elementary means that certain explicit quantum operations cannot be realized in this way. Our counterexamples map some pure states to pure states, giving strong an…
Dissipation and decoherence, and the evolution from pure to mixed states in quantum physics are handled through master equations for the density matrix. By embedding elements of this matrix in a higher-dimensional Liouville-Bloch equation, the methods of unitary integration are adapted to solve for the density matrix as a function of time, including the non-unitary effects of dissipation and decoherence. The input requires only solutions of classical, initial value time-dependent equations. Results are illustrated for a damped driven two-level system.
Modern applications of quantum control in quantum information science and technology require the precise characterization of quantum states and quantum channels. In particular, high-performance quantum state engineering often demands that quantum states are transferred with optimal efficiency via realizable controlled evolution, the latter often modeled by quantum channels. When an appropriate quantum control model for an interested system is constructed, the exploration of optimal bounds on state transfer for the underlying quantum channel is then an important task. In this work, we analyze t…
We present a general formalism based on the variational principle for finding the time-optimal quantum evolution of mixed states governed by a master equation, when the Hamiltonian and the Lindblad operators are subject to certain constraints. The problem reduces to solving first a fundamental equation (the {\it quantum brachistochrone}) for the Hamiltonian, which can be written down once the constraints are specified, and then solving the constraints and the master equation for the Lindblad and the density operators. As an application of our formalism, we study a simple one-qubit model where …
A random unitary channel is one that is given by a convex combination of unitary channels. It is shown that the conjectures on the additivity of the minimum output entropy and the multiplicativity of the maximum output $p$-norm can be equivalently restated in terms of random unitary channels. This is done by constructing a random unitary approximation to a general quantum channel. This approximation can be constructed efficiently, and so it is also applied to the computational problem of distinguishing quantum circuits. It is shown that the problem of distinguishing random unitary circuits is …
In this article, by treating minimum error state discrimination as a complementarity problem, we obtain the geometric optimality conditions. These can be used as the necessary and sufficient conditions to determine whether every optimal measurement operator can be nonzero. Using these conditions and an inductive approach, we demonstrate a geometric method and the intrinsic polytope for N-qubit mixed-state discrimination. When the intrinsic polytope becomes a point, a line segment, or a triangle, the guessing probability, the necessary and sufficient condition for the exact solution, and the op…
