We derive the optimal input states and the optimal quantum measurements for estimating the unitary action of a given symmetry group, showing how the optimal performance is obtained with a suitable use of entanglement. Optimality is defined in a Bayesian sense, as minimization of the average value of a given cost function. We introduce a class of cost functions that generalizes the Holevo class for phase estimation, and show that for states of the optimal form all functions in such a class lead to the same optimal measurement. A first application of the main result is the complete proof of the optimal efficiency in the transmission of a Cartesian reference frame. As a second application, we derive the optimal estimation of a completely unknown two-qubit maximally entangled state, provided that N copies of the state are available. In the limit of large N, the fidelity of the optimal estimation is shown to be 1-3/(4N).
We prove that any multiple-copy entanglement transformation [S. Bandyopadhyay, V. Roychowdhury, and U. Sen, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{65}, 052315 (2002)] can be implemented by a suitable entanglement-assisted local transformation [D. Jonathan and M. B. Plenio, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{83}, 3566 (1999)]. Furthermore, we show that the combination of multiple-copy entanglement transformation and the entanglement-assisted one is still equivalent to the pure entanglement-assisted one. The mathematical structure of multiple-copy entanglement transformations then is carefully investigated. Many interestin…
We examine the powers of entanglement-assisted transformation and multiple-copy entanglement transformation. First, we find a sufficient condition of when a given catalyst is useful in producing another specific target state. As an application of this condition, for any non-maximally entangled bipartite pure state and any integer $n$ not less than 4, we are able to explicitly construct a set of $n\times n$ quantum states which can be produced by using the given state as a catalyst. Second, we prove that for any positive integer $k$, entanglement-assisted transformation with $k\times k$-dimensi…
We show that two ways of manipulation of quantum entanglement, namely, entanglement-assisted local transformation [D. Jonathan and M. B. Plenio, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 83}, 3566 (1999)] and multiple-copy transformation [S. Bandyopadhyay, V. Roychowdhury, and U. Sen, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 65}, 052315 (2002)], are equivalent in the sense that they can asymptotically simulate each other's ability to implement a desired transformation from a given source state to another given target state with the same optimal success probability. As a consequence, this yields a feasible method to evaluate the optimal…
We show that braiding transformation is a natural approach to describe quantum entanglement, by using the unitary braiding operators to realize entanglement swapping and generate the GHZ states as well as the linear cluster states. A Hamiltonian is constructed from the unitary $\check{R}_{i,i+1}(θ,ϕ)$-matrix, where $ϕ=ωt$ is time-dependent while $θ$ is time-independent. This in turn allows us to investigate the Berry phase in the entanglement space.
We present a general theoretical framework for both deterministic and probabilistic entanglement transformations of bipartite pure states achieved via local operations and classical communication. This framework unifies and greatly simplifies previous works. A necessary condition for ``pure contraction'' transformations is given. Finally, constructive protocols to achieve both probabilistic and deterministic entanglement transformations are presented.
We are concerned with catalyst-assisted probabilistic entanglement transformations. A necessary and sufficient condition is presented under which there exist partial catalysts that can increase the maximal transforming probability of a given entanglement transformation. We also design an algorithm which leads to an efficient method for finding the most economical partial catalysts with minimal dimension. The mathematical structure of catalyst-assisted probabilistic transformation is carefully investigated.
We determine all $2\times 2$ quantum states that can serve as useful catalysts for a given probabilistic entanglement transformation, in the sense that they can increase the maximal transformation probability. When higher-dimensional catalysts are considered, a sufficient and necessary condition is derived under which a certain probabilistic transformation has useful catalysts.
We demonstrate that multiple copies of a bipartite entangled pure state may serve as a catalyst for certain entanglement transformations while a single copy cannot. Such a state is termed a "multiple-copy catalyst" for the transformations. A trade-off between the number of copies of source state and that of the catalyst is also observed. These results can be generalized to probabilistic entanglement transformations directly.
Any deterministic bipartite entanglement transformation involving finite copies of pure states and carried out using local operations and classical communication (LOCC) results in a net loss of entanglement. We show that for almost all such transformations, partial recovery of lost entanglement is achievable by using $2 \times 2$ auxiliary entangled states, no matter how large the dimensions of the parent states are. For the rest of the special cases of deterministic LOCC transformations, we show that the dimension of the auxiliary entangled state depends on the presence of equalities in the m…
We consider the transformation of multisystem entangled states by local quantum operations and classical communication. We show that, for any reversible transformation, the relative entropy of entanglement for two parties must remain constant. This shows, for example, that it is not possible to convert 2N three party GHZ states into 3N singlets, even in an asymptotic sense. Thus there is true three-party non-locality (i.e., not all three-party entanglement is equivalent to two-party entanglement). Our results also allow us to make {\em quantitative} statements about concentrating multi-particl…
We introduce the general catalysts for pure entanglement transformations under local operations and classical communications in such a way that we disregard the profit and loss of entanglement of the catalysts per se. As such, the possibilities of pure entanglement transformations are greatly expanded. Remarkably, we find an interesting phenomenon that, in some situations, incomparable pairs ${| ψ> ,| ϕ> \} $ and ${| χ> ,| χ^{\prime}> \} $ can assist each other mutually so as to realize the transformation $| ψ> | χ> \to| ϕ> | χ^{\prime}>$. We also design an efficient algorithm to detect whethe…
We construct the protocols to achieve probabilistic and deterministic entanglement transformations for bipartite pure states by means of local operations and classical communication. A new condition on pure contraction transformations is provided.
We have studied the relativistic effects on the mean spin entanglement of two massive Dirac particles using the simultaneous eigen-spinors of the Foldy-Woutheysen mean spin operator and the Dirac Hamiltonian. We have obtained the transformation matrix from the spinor with specific momentum to the spinor with a transformed momentum under an arbitrary Lorentz transformation. Using the transformation matrix we have shown the consistent monotonic behavior between the concurrence and the maximum value of Bell parameter in Bell inequality of transformed spin states.
Simple examples are presented of Lorentz transformations that entangle the spins and momenta of two particles with positive mass and spin 1/2. They apply to indistinguishable particles, produce maximal entanglement from finite Lorentz transformations of states for finite momenta, and describe entanglement of spins produced together with entanglement of momenta. From the entanglements considered, no sum of entanglements is found to be unchanged.
We show that in some cases, catalyst-assisted entanglement transformation cannot be implemented by multiple-copy transformation for pure states. This fact, together with the result we obtained in [R. Y. Duan, Y. Feng, X. Li, and M. S. Ying, Phys. Rev. A 71, 042319 (2005)] that the latter can be completely implemented by the former, indicates that catalyst-assisted transformation is strictly more powerful than multiple-copy transformation. For purely probabilistic setting we find, however, these two kinds of transformations are geometrically equivalent in the sense that the sets of pure states …
We analyze approximate transformations of pure entangled quantum states by local operations and classical communication, finding explicit conversion strategies which optimize the fidelity of transformation. These results allow us to determine the most faithful teleportation strategy via an initially shared partially entangled pure state. They also show that procedures for entanglement manipulation such as entanglement catalysis [Jonathan and Plenio, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 3566 (1999)] are robust against perturbation of the states involved, and motivate the notion of non-local fidelity, which qua…
We show that bipartite and tripartite entangled states cannot be used as catalysis states to enable local transformations inbetween inequivalent classes of three-particle entangled states which are non-interchangeable under local transformations. We find the optimal protocol for conversion of a certain family of the W-states and an EPR-pair into the GHZ-state.
We revisit the properties of qubits under Lorentz transformations and, by considering Lorentz invariant quantum states in the Heisenberg formulation, clarify some misleading notation that has appeared in the literature on relativistic quantum information theory. We then use this formulation to consider the transformation properties of qubits and density matrices under space-time and gauge transformations. Finally we use our results to understand the behaviour of entanglement between different partitions of quantum systems. Our approach not only clarifies the notation, but provides a more intui…
Suppose Alice and Bob jointly possess a pure state, $|ψ\ra$. Using local operations on their respective systems and classical communication it may be possible for Alice and Bob to transform $|ψ\ra$ into another joint state $|ϕ\ra$. This Letter gives necessary and sufficient conditions for this process of entanglement transformation to be possible. These conditions reveal a partial ordering on the entangled states, and connect quantum entanglement to the algebraic theory of majorization. As a consequence, we find that there exist essentially different types of entanglement for bipartite quantum…
Time-dependent Fröhlich transformations can be used to derive an effective Hamiltonian for a class of quantum systems with time-dependent perturbations. We use such a transformation for a system with time-dependent atom-photon coupling induced by the classical motion of two atoms in an inhomogeneous electromagnetic field. We calculate the entanglement between the two atoms resulting from their motion through a cavity as a function of their initial position difference and velocity.
Understanding the nature of multipartite entanglement is a central mission of quantum information theory. To this end, we investigate the question of tripartite entanglement convertibility. We find that there exists no easy criterion to determine whether a general tripartite transformation can be performed with a nonzero success probability and in fact, the problem is NP-hard. Our results are based on the connections between multipartite entanglement and tensor rank (also called Schmidt rank), a key concept in algebraic complexity theory. Not only does this relationship allow us to characteriz…
We consider quantum states under the renormalization-group (RG) transformations introduced by Verstraete et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 140601 (2005)] and propose a quantification of entanglement under such RG (via the geometric measure of entanglement). We examine the resulting entanglement under RG for the ground states of "matrix-product-state" (MPS) Hamiltonians constructed by Wolf et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 110403 (2006)] that possess quantum phase transitions. We find that near critical points, the ground-state entanglement exhibits singular behavior. The singular behavior within finite …
Entanglement transformation of composite quantum systems is investigated in the context of group representation theory. Representation of the direct product group $SL(2,C)\otimes SL(2,C)$, composed of local operators acting on the binary composite system, is realized in the four-dimensional complex space in terms of a set of novel bases that are pseudo orthonormalized. The two-to-one homomorphism is then established for the group $SL(2,C)\otimes SL(2,C)$ onto the $SO(4,C)$. It is shown that the resulting representation theory leads to the complete characterization for the entanglement transfor…
Quantum entanglement of pure states is usually quantified via the entanglement entropy, the von Neumann entropy of the reduced state. Entanglement entropy is closely related to entanglement distillation, a process for converting quantum states into singlets, which can then be used for various quantum technological tasks. The relation between entanglement entropy and entanglement distillation has been known only for the asymptotic setting, and the meaning of entanglement entropy in the single-copy regime has so far remained open. Here we close this gap by considering entanglement catalysis. We …
Pure state entanglement transformations have been thought of as irreversible, with reversible transformations generally only possible in the limit of many copies. Here, we show that reversible entanglement transformations do not require processing on the many copy level, but can instead be undertaken on individual systems, provided the amount of entanglement which is produced or consumed is allowed to fluctuate. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for entanglement manipulations in this case. As a corollary, we derive an equation which quantifies the fluctuations of entanglement, whic…
We consider the problem of deciding if a given three-party entangled pure state can be converted, with a non-zero success probability, into a given two-party pure state through local quantum operations and classical communication. We show that this question is equivalent to the well-known computational problem of deciding if a multivariate polynomial is identically zero. Efficient randomized algorithms developed to study the latter can thus be applied to the question of tripartite to bipartite entanglement transformations.
We prove that sufficiently many copies of a bipartite entangled pure state can always be transformed into some copies of another one with certainty by local quantum operations and classical communication. The efficiency of such a transformation is characterized by deterministic entanglement exchange rate, and it is proved to be always positive and bounded from top by the infimum of the ratios of Renyi's entropies of source state and target state. A careful analysis shows that the deterministic entanglement exchange rate cannot be increased even in the presence of catalysts. As an application, …
We present a theory of entanglement transformations of Gaussian pure states with local Gaussian operations and classical communication. This is the experimentally accessible set of operations that can be realized with optical elements such as beam splitters, phase shifts and squeezers, together with homodyne measurements. We provide a simple necessary and sufficient condition for the possibility to transform a pure bipartite Gaussian state into another one. We contrast our criterion with what is possible if general local operations are available.
A necessary and sufficient condition of the possibility of a deterministic local operations and classical communication (LOCC) transformation of three-qubit pure states is given. The condition shows that the three-qubit pure states are a partially ordered set parametrized by five well-known entanglement parameters and a novel parameter; the five are the concurrences $C_{AB}$, $C_{AC}$, $C_{BC}$, the tangle $τ_{ABC}$ and the fifth parameter $J_{5}$ of Ref. [18], while the other new one is the entanglement charge $Q_{e}$. The order of the partially ordered set is defined by the possibility of a …
In this article, we discuss the optimality of basis transformations as a security measure for quantum key distribution protocols based on entanglement swapping. To estimate the security, we focus on the information an adversary obtains on the raw key bits from a generic version of a collective attack strategy. In the scenario described in this article, the application of general basis transformations serving as a counter measure by one or both legitimate parties is analyzed. In this context, we show that the angles, which describe these basis transformations can be optimized compared to the ap…
In this note we generalize Nielsen's marjoization criterion for the convertibility of bipartite pure states [Phys. Rev. Lett \textbf{83}, 436(1999)] to a special class of multipartite pure states which have generalized Schmidt decompositions.
We present an optimal scheme to realize the transformations between single copies of two bipartite entangled states without classical communication between the sharing parties. The scheme achieves the upper bound for the success probabilities [PRA 63, 022301 (2001), PRL 83, 1455 (1999)] of generating maximally entangled states if applied to entanglement concentration. Such strategy also dispenses with the interaction with an ancilla system in the implementation. We also show that classical communications are indispensable in realizing the deterministic transformations of a single bipartite ent…
We discuss the estimation of channel parameters for a noisy quantum channel - the so-called Pauli channel - using finite resources. It turns out that prior entanglement considerably enhances the fidelity of the estimation when we compare it to an estimation scheme based on separable quantum states.
A proper choice of subsystems for a system of identical particles e.g., bosons, is provided by second-quantized modes i.e.,creation/annihilation operators. Here we investigate how the entanglement properties of bipartite gaussian states of bosons change when modes are changed by means of unitary, number conserving, Bogolioubov transformations. This set of "virtual" bi-partitions is then finite-dimensionally parametrized and one can quantitatively address relevant questions such as the determination of the minimal and maximal available entanglement. In particular, we show that in the class of b…
The paper [Phys. Lett. A 373 (2009) 3610] by D.-C. Li analyzes the transformation between two-qubit mixed states by local operations and classical communication. We show that the proof of the main theorem, Theorem 2.6 in [Phys. Lett. A 373 (2009) 3610] is not complete. Therefore the generalization of Nielsen's theorem to mixed states still remains an open problem.
The distribution of typical bipartite pure states is studied within the framework of state transformation via local operation and classical communication (LOCC). We report the statistics of comparable and incomparable states in different dimensions for single- and multi-copy regimes and establish a connection between state transformation and the difference between the entanglement contents of the initial and the target states. From the analysis of catalyst resources, required to further otherwise impossible LOCC transformations between pairs, we demonstrate a universal pattern in the average a…
Entanglement does not correspond to any observable and its evaluation always corresponds to an estimation procedure where the amount of entanglement is inferred from the measurements of one or more proper observables. Here we address optimal estimation of entanglement in the framework of local quantum estimation theory and derive the optimal observable in terms of the symmetric logarithmic derivative. We evaluate the quantum Fisher information and, in turn, the ultimate bound to precision for several families of bipartite states, either for qubits or continuous variable systems, and for differ…
Given a finite dimensional pure state transformation restricted by entanglement assisted local operations and classical communication (ELOCC), we derive minimum and maximum bounds on the entanglement of an ancillary catalyst that allows that transformation. These bounds are non-trivial even when the Schmidt number of both the original and ancillary states becomes large. We identify a lower bound for the dimension of a catalyst allowing a particular ELOCC transformation. Along with these bounds, we present further constraints on ELOCC transformations by identifying restrictions on the Schmidt c…
We analize the entanglement change, under a Lorentz transformation, of a system consisting of two spin-one particles, considering different partitions of the Hilbert space, which has spin and momentum degrees of freedom. We show that there exists a complete set of states of the spin subspace in which the entanglement change of any state in the set is zero for all partitions and all values of the Wigner angle. Moreover, these states only change by a global phase factor under the Lorentz boost. Within this basis, maximally entangled invariant states, interesting for quantum information purposes,…
We study strategies for establishing long-distance entanglement in quantum networks. Specifically, we consider networks consisting of regular lattices of nodes, in which the nearest neighbors share a pure, but non-maximally entangled pair of qubits. We look for strategies that use local operations and classical communication. We compare the classical entanglement percolation protocol, in which every network connection is converted with a certain probability to a singlet, with protocols in which classical entanglement percolation is preceded by measurements designed to transform the lattice str…
We analyze the Pauli-channel estimation with mixed nonseparable states. It turns out that within a specific range entanglement can serve as a nonclassical resource. However, this range is rather small, that is entanglement is not very robust for this application. We further show that Werner states yield the best result of all Bell diagonal states with the same amount of entanglement.
We investigate entanglement transformations with stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC) in an asymptotic setting using the concepts of degeneration and border rank of tensors from algebraic complexity theory. Results well-known in that field imply that GHZ states can be transformed into W states at rate 1 for any number of parties. As a generalization, we find that the asymptotic conversion rate from GHZ states to Dicke states is bounded as the number of subsystems increase and the number of excitations is fixed. By generalizing constructions of Coppersmith and Winogra…
For manipulations of multipartite quantum systems, it was well known that all local operations assisted by classical communication (LOCC) constitute a proper subset of the class of separable operations. Recently, Gheorghiu and Griffiths found that LOCC and general separable operations are equally powerful for transformations between bipartite pure states. In this letter we extend this comparison to mixed states and show that in general separable operations are strictly stronger than LOCC when transforming a mixed state to a pure entangled state. A remarkable consequence of our finding is the e…
We investigate the asymptotic rates of entanglement transformations for bipartite mixed states by local operations and classical communication (LOCC). We analyse the relations between the rates for different transitions and obtain simple lower and upper bound for these transitions. In a transition from one mixed state to another and back, the amount of irreversibility can be different for different target states. Thus in a natural way, we get the concept of "amount" of irreversibility in asymptotic manipulations of entanglement. We investigate the behaviour of these transformation rates for di…
Given a pure state transformation $ψ\mapstoϕ$ restricted to entanglement-assisted local operations with classical communication, we determine a lower bound for the dimension of a catalyst allowing that transformation. Our bound is stated in terms of the generalised concurrence monotones (the usual concurrence of two qubits is one such monotone). We further provide tools for deriving further conditions upon catalysts of pure state transformations.
Alice and Bob are given an unknown initial state chosen from a set of pure quantum states. Their task is to transform the initial state to a corresponding final pure state using local operations only. We prove necessary and sufficient conditions on the existence of such a transformation. We also provide efficient algorithms that can quickly rule out the possibility of transforming a set of initial states to a set of final states.
We investigate crossing behavior of ground state entanglement Renyi entropies of quantum critical systems. We find a novel property that the ground state in one quantum phase cannot be locally transferred to that of another phase, that means a global transformation is necessary. This also provides a clear evidence to confirm the long standing expectation that entanglement Renyi entropy contains more information than entanglement von Neumann entropy. The method of studying crossing behavior of entanglement Renyi entropies can distinguish different quantum phases well. We also study the excited …
We study the change of entanglement under general linear transformation of modes in a bosonic system and determine the conditions under which entanglement can be generated under such transformation. As an example we consider the thermal entanglement between the vibrational modes of two coupled oscillators and determine the temperature above which quantum correlations are destroyed by thermal fluctuations.
We study the problem of deterministic transformations of an \textit{initial} pure entangled quantum state, $|ψ\rangle$, into a \textit{target} pure entangled quantum state, $|ϕ\rangle$, by using \textit{local operations and classical communication} (LOCC). A celebrated result of Nielsen [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{83}, 436 (1999)] gives the necessary and sufficient condition that makes this entanglement transformation process possible. Indeed, this process can be achieved if and only if the majorization relation $ψ\prec ϕ$ holds, where $ψ$ and $ϕ$ are probability vectors obtained by taking the s…
Lorentz boosts on particles with spin and momentum degrees of freedom induce momentum-dependent rotations. Since, in general, different particles have different momenta, the transformation on the whole state is not a representation of the rotation group. Here we identify the group that acts on a two-particle system and, for the case when the momenta of the particles are correlated, find invariant subspaces that have interesting properties for quantum information processes in relativistic scenarios. A basis of states is proposed for the study of transformations of spin states under Lorentz boos…
Quantum communication schemes widely use dielectric four-port devices as basic elements for constructing optical quantum channels. Since for causality reasons the permittivity is necessarily a complex function of frequency, dielectrics are typical examples of noisy quantum channels in which quantum coherence will not be preserved. Basing on quantization of the phenomenological electrodynamics, we construct the transformation relating the output quantum state to the input quantum state without placing frequency restrictions. Knowledge of the full transformed quantum state enables us to compute …
We prove that enhanced entanglement percolation via lattice transformation is possible even if the new lattice is more poorly connected in that: i) the coordination number (a local property) decreases, or ii) the classical percolation threshold (a global property) increases. In searching for protocols to transport entanglement across a network, it seems reasonable to try transformations that increase connectivity. In fact, all examples that we are aware of violate both conditions i and ii. One might therefore conjecture that all good transformations must violate them. Here we provide a counter…
Quantum catalytic transformations play important roles in the transformation of quantum entangled states under local operations and classical communications (LOCC). The key problems in catalytic transformations are the existence and the bounds on the catalytic states. We present the necessary conditions of catalytic states based on a set of points given by the Schmidt coefficients of the entangled source and target states. The lower bounds on the dimensions of the catalytic states are also investigated. Moreover, we give a detailed protocol of quantum mixed state transformation under entanglem…
We present optimal measuring strategies for the estimation of the entanglement of unknown two-qubit pure states and of the degree of mixing of unknown single-qubit mixed states, of which N identical copies are available. The most general measuring strategies are considered in both situations, to conclude in the first case that a local, although collective, measurement suffices to estimate entanglement, a non-local property, optimally.
This paper considers the control landscape of quantum transitions in multi-qubit systems driven by unitary transformations with single-qubit interaction terms. The two-qubit case is fully analyzed to reveal the features of the landscape including the nature of the absolute maximum and minimum, the saddle points and the absence of traps. The results permit calculating the Schmidt state starting from an arbitrary two-qubit state following the local gradient flow. The analysis of multi-qubit systems is more challenging, but the generalized Schmidt states may also be located by following the local…
We experimentally demonstrate a general criterion to identify entangled states useful for the estimation of an unknown phase shift with a sensitivity higher than the shot-noise limit. We show how to exploit this entanglement on the examples of a maximum likelihood as well as of a Bayesian phase estimation protocol. Using an entangled four-photon state we achieve a phase sensitivity clearly beyond the shot-noise limit. Our detailed comparison of methods and quantum states for entanglement enhanced metrology reveals the connection between multiparticle entanglement and sub-shot-noise uncertainty…
Suppose Alice and Bob try to transform an entangled state shared between them into another one by local operations and classical communications. Then in general a certain amount of entanglement contained in the initial state will decrease in the process of transformation. However, an interesting phenomenon called partial entanglement recovery shows that it is possible to recover some amount of entanglement by adding another entangled state and transforming the two entangled states collectively. In this paper we are mainly concerned with the feasibility of partial entanglement recovery. The bas…
