We seek to derive the probability--expressed in terms of the Hilbert-Schmidt (Euclidean or flat) metric--that a generic (nine-dimensional) real two-qubit system is separable, by implementing the well-known Peres-Horodecki test on the partial transposes (PTs) of the associated 4 x 4 density matrices. But the full implementation of the test--requiring that the determinant of the PT be nonnegative for separability to hold--appears to be, at least presently, computationally intractable. So, we have previously implemented--using the auxiliary concept of a diagonal-entry-parameterized separability function (DESF)--the weaker implied test of nonnegativity of the six 2 x 2 principal minors of the PT. This yielded an exact upper bound on the separability probability of 1024/(135 Pi^2) = 0.76854. Here, we extend this line of work by requiring that the four 3 x 3 principal minors of the PT be nonnegative, giving us an improved/reduced upper bound of 22/35 = 0.628571. Numerical simulations--as opposed to exact symbolic calculations--indicate, on the other hand, that the true probability is certainly less than 1/2. Our combined analyses lead us to suggest a possible form for the true DESF, yielding a separability probability of 29/64 = 0.453125, while the best exact lower bound established so far is (6928-2205 Pi)/2^(9/2) = 0.0348338.
We seek to derive the probability--expressed in terms of the Hilbert-Schmidt (Euclidean or flat) metric--that a generic (nine-dimensional) real two-qubit system is separable, by implementing the well-known Peres-Horodecki test on the partial transposes (PTs) of the associated 4 x 4 density matrices. But the full implementation of the test--requiring that the determinant of the PT be nonnegative for separability to hold--appears to be, at least presently, computationally intractable. So, we have previously implemented--using the auxiliary concept of a diagonal-entry-parameterized separability function (DESF)--the weaker implied test of nonnegativity of the six 2 x 2 principal minors of the PT. This yielded an exact upper bound on the separability probability of 1024/(135 Pi^2) = 0.76854. Here, we extend this line of work by requiring that the four 3 x 3 principal minors of the PT be nonnegative, giving us an improved/reduced upper bound of 22/35 = 0.628571. Numerical simulations--as opposed to exact symbolic calculations--indicate, on the other hand, that the true probability is certainly less than 1/2. Our combined analyses lead us to suggest a possible form for the true DESF, yielding a separability probability of 29/64 = 0.453125, while the best exact lower bound established so far is (6928-2205 Pi)/2^(9/2) = 0.0348338.
We seek to derive the probability—expressed in terms of the Hilbert–Schmidt (Euclidean or flat) metric—that a generic (nine-dimensional) real two-qubit system is separable, by implementing the well-known Peres–Horodecki test on the partial transposes (PTs) of the associated 4 × 4 density matrices (ρ). But the full implementation of the test—requiring that the determinant of the PT be nonnegative for separability to hold—appears to be, at least presently, computationally intractable. So, we have previously implemented—using the auxiliary concept of a diagonal-entry-parameterized separability function (DESF)—the weaker implied test of nonnegativity of the six 2 × 2 principal minors of the PT. This yielded an exact upper bound on the separability probability of . Here, we piece together (reflection-symmetric) results obtained by requiring that each of the four 3 × 3 principal minors of the PT, in turn, be nonnegative, giving an improved/reduced upper bound of . Then, we conclude that a still further improved upper bound of can be found by similarly piecing together the (reflection-symmetric) results of enforcing the simultaneous nonnegativity of certain pairs of the four 3 × 3 principal minors. Numerical simulations—as opposed to exact symbolic calculations—indicate, on the other hand, that the true probability is certainly less than . Our analyses lead us to suggest a possible form for the true DESF, yielding a separability probability of , while the absolute separability probability of provides the best exact lower bound established so far. In deriving our improved upper bounds, we rely repeatedly upon the use of certain integrals over cubes that arise. Finally, we apply an independence assumption to a pair of DESFs that comes close to reproducing our numerical estimate of the true separability function.
Due to recent important work of \ifmmode \dot{Z}\else \.{Z}\fi{}yczkowski and Sommers [J. Phys. A 36, 10115 (2003); 36, 10083 (2003)], exact formulas are available (in terms of both the Hilbert-Schmidt and the Bures metrics) for the $({n}^{2}\ensuremath{-}1)$-dimensional and $[n(n\ensuremath{-}1)∕2\ensuremath{-}1]$-dimensional volumes of the complex and real $n\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}n$ density matrices. However, no comparable formulas are available for the volumes (and, hence, probabilities) of various separable subsets of them. We seek to clarify this situation for the Hilbert-Schmidt metric for the simplest possible case of n=4, that is, two-qubit systems. Making use of the density matrix $(\ensuremath{\rho})$ parametrization of Bloore [J. Phys. A 9, 2059 (1976)], we are able to reduce each of the real and complex volume problems to the calculation of a one-dimensional integral, the single relevant variable being a certain ratio of diagonal entries, $\ensuremath{\nu}={\ensuremath{\rho}}_{11}{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{44}∕{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{22}{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{33}$. The associated integrand in each case is the product of a known Jacobian (highly oscillatory near $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$) and a certain unknown univariate function, which our extensive numerical (quasi Monte Carlo) computations indicate is very closely proportional to an (incomplete) Beta function ${B}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}(a,b)$, with a=1∕2, b=3 in the real case, and a=26∕5,b=3∕2 in the complex case. Assuming the full applicability of these specific incomplete Beta functions, we undertake separable-volume calculations.
The nonnegativity of the determinant of the partial transpose of a two-qubit (4 x 4) density matrix is both a necessary and sufficient condition for its separability. While the determinant is restricted to the interval [0,1/256], the determinant of the partial transpose can range over [-1/16,1/256], with negative values corresponding to entangled states. We report here the exact values of the first nine moments of the probability distribution of the partial transpose over this interval, with respect to the Hilbert-Schmidt (metric volume element) measure on the nine-dimensional convex set of real two-qubit density matrices. Rational functions C_{2 j}(m), yielding the coefficients of the 2j-th power of even polynomials occurring at intermediate steps in our derivation of the m-th moment, emerge. These functions possess poles at finite series of consecutive half-integers (m=-3/2,-1/2,...,(2j-1)/2), and certain (trivial) roots at finite series of consecutive natural numbers (m=0, 1,...). Additionally, the (nontrivial) dominant roots of C_{2 j}(m) approach the same half-integer values (m = (2 j-1)/2, (2 j-3)/2,...), as j increases. The first two moments (mean and variance) found--when employed in the one-sided Chebyshev inequality--give an upper bound of 30397/34749 = 0.874759 on the separability probability of real two-qubit density matrices. We are able to report general formulas for the m-th moment of the Hilbert-Schmidt probability distribution of the density matrix determinant over [0,1/256], in the real, complex and quaternionic two-qubit cases.
We list in increasing order -- 1/3, 3/8, 2/5, 135 pi/1024, 16/(3 pi^2), 3 pi/16, 5/8, 105 pi/512, 2 - 435 pi/1024, 11/16, 1 -- a number of exact two-qubit Hilbert-Schmidt (HS) separability probabilities, we are able to compute. Each probability corresponds to a specific scenario -- a class of 4 x 4 density matrices (rho) with an m-subset (m<6) of its six off-diagonal pairs of symmetrically located entries set to zero. Initially, we consider only scenarios in which the (6-m) non-nullified pairs are real, but then permit them to be complex (as well as quaternionic) in nature also. The general analytical strategy we implement is based on the Bloore density matrix parameterization (J. Phys. A, 9, 2059 [1976]), allowing us to conveniently reduce the dimensionalities of required integrations. For each scenario, we identify a certain univariate ``separability function'' S_{scenario}(nu), where nu = rho_{11} rho_{44}/(rho_{22} rho_{33}). The integral over nu in [0,infty] of the product of this function with a scenario-specific (marginal) jacobian function J_{scenario}(nu) yields the HS {separable} volume (V^{HS}_{sep}). The ratio of V^{HS}_{sep} to the HS total (entangled and non-entangled) volume, gives us the HS scenario-specific separability probability. Among the possible forms that we have so far determined for S_{scenario}(nu) are piecewise combinations of c, c sqrt{nu} and c nu for nu in [0,1] and (in a dual manner) c, c/sqrt{nu} and c/nu for nu in [1,infty]. We also obtain bivariate separability functions S_{scenario)^{6 x 6}(nu_{1},nu_{2}} in the qubit-qutrit case, involving 6 x 6 density matrices, with ratio variables, nu_{1}= rho_{11} rho_{55}/(rho_{22} rho_{44}), and nu_{2}= rho_{22} rho_{66}/(rho_{33} rho_{55}). Additionally, we investigate parallel two-qutrit and three-qubit problems.
We extend the findings and analyses of our two recent studies (Phys. Rev. A, 75, 032326 [2007] and arXiv:0704.3723) by, first, obtaining numerical estimates of the separability function based on the (Euclidean, flat) Hilbert-Schmidt (HS) metric for the 27-dimensional convex set of quaternionic two-qubit systems. The estimated function appears to be strongly consistent with our previously-formulated Dyson-index (beta = 1, 2, 4) ansatz, dictating that the quaternionic (beta=4) separability function should be exactly proportional to the square of the separability function for the 15-dimensional convex set of two-qubit complex (beta=2) systems, as well as the fourth power of the separability function for the 9-dimensional convex set of two-qubit real (beta=1) systems. In particular, we conclude that S_{quat}(mu) =(6/71)^2 ((3-mu^2) mu)^4 =(S_{complex}(mu))^2. Here, mu =(rho_{11} rho_{44}/(rho_{22} rho_{33})^(1/2), where rho is a 4 x 4 two-qubit density matrix. We can, thus, supplement (and fortify) our previous assertion that the HS separability probability of the two-qubit complex states is 8/33= 0.242424, by claiming that its quaternionic counterpart is 72442944/936239725 = 0.0773765. We also comment on and analyze the odd beta=1 and 3 cases.
Jakobczyk and Siennicki studied two-dimensional sections of a set of (generalized) Bloch vectors corresponding to n x n density matrices of two-qubit systems (that is, the case n = 4). They found essentially five different types of (nontrivial) separability regimes. We compute the Euclidean/Hilbert-Schmidt (HS) separability probabilities assigned to these regimes, and conduct parallel two-dimensional sectional analyses for the higher-level cases n=6,8,9 and 10. Making use of the newly-introduced capability for integration over implicitly defined regions of version 5.1 of Mathematica -- also fruitfully used in our n=4 three-parameter entropy-maximization-based study quant-ph/0507203 -- we obtain a wide-ranging variety of exact HS-probabilities. For n>6, the probabilities are those of having a partial positive transpose (PPT). For the n=6 case, we also obtain biseparability probabilities; in the n=8,9 instances, bi-PPT probabilities; and for n=8, tri-PPT probabilities. By far, the most frequently recorded probability for n>4 is π/4 = 0.785398. We also conduct a number of related analyses, pertaining to the (one-dimensional) boundaries (both exterior and interior) of the separability and PPT domains, and attempt (with limited success) some exact calculations pertaining to the 9-dimensional (real) and 15-dimensional (complex) convex sets of two-qubit density matrices -- for which HS-separability probabilities have been conjectured, but not verified.