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arXiv:1006.0036 · Journal of Mathematical Physics

All maximally entangled four-qubit states

Gilad Gour, Nolan R. Wallach

Published Nov 1, 2010• 142 citations
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Abstract

We find an operational interpretation for the 4-tangle as a type of residual entanglement, somewhat similar to the interpretation of the 3-tangle. Using this remarkable interpretation, we are able to find the class of maximally entangled four-qubits states which is characterized by four real parameters. The states in the class are maximally entangled in the sense that their average bipartite entanglement with respect to all possible bipartite cuts is maximal. We show that while all the states in the class maximize the average tangle, there are only a few states in the class that maximize the average Tsillas or Renyi α-entropy of entanglement. Quite remarkably, we find that up to local unitaries, there exists two unique states, one maximizing the average α-Tsallis entropy of entanglement for all α ⩾ 2, while the other maximizing it for all 0 < α ⩽ 2 (including the von-Neumann case of α = 1). Furthermore, among the maximally entangled four qubits states, there are only three maximally entangled states that have the property that for two, out of the three bipartite cuts consisting of two-qubits verses two-qubits, the entanglement is 2 ebits and for the remaining bipartite cut the entanglement between the two groups of two qubits is 1 ebit. The unique three maximally entangled states are the three cluster states that are related by a swap operator. We also show that the cluster states are the only states (up to local unitaries) that maximize the average α-Renyi entropy of entanglement for all α ⩾ 2.

DOI
10.1063/1.3511477

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We find an operational interpretation for the 4-tangle as a type of residual entanglement, somewhat similar to the interpretation of the 3-tangle. Using this remarkable interpretation, we are able to find the class of maximally entangled four-qubits states which is characterized by four real parameters. The states in the class are maximally entangled in the sense that their average bipartite entanglement with respect to all possible bipartite cuts is maximal. We show that while all the states in the class maximize the average tangle, there are only a few states in the class that maximize the average Tsillas or Renyi α-entropy of entanglement. Quite remarkably, we find that up to local unitaries, there exists two unique states, one maximizing the average α-Tsallis entropy of entanglement for all α ⩾ 2, while the other maximizing it for all 0 < α ⩽ 2 (including the von-Neumann case of α = 1). Furthermore, among the maximally entangled four qubits states, there are only three maximally entangled states that have the property that for two, out of the three bipartite cuts consisting of two-qubits verses two-qubits, the entanglement is 2 ebits and for the remaining bipartite cut the entanglement between the two groups of two qubits is 1 ebit. The unique three maximally entangled states are the three cluster states that are related by a swap operator. We also show that the cluster states are the only states (up to local unitaries) that maximize the average α-Renyi entropy of entanglement for all α ⩾ 2.
Entanglement is a resource to overcome the natural restriction of operations used for state manipulation to Local Operations assisted by Classical Communication (LOCC). Hence, a bipartite maximally entangled state is a state which can be transformed deterministically into any other state via LOCC. In the multipartite setting no such state exists. There, rather a whole set, the Maximally Entangled Set of states (MES), which we recently introduced, is required. This set has on the one hand the property that any state outside of this set can be obtained via LOCC from one of the states within the set and on the other hand, no state in the set can be obtained from any other state via LOCC. Recently, we studied LOCC transformations among pure multipartite states and derived the MES for three and generic four qubit states. Here, we consider the non-generic four qubit states and analyze their properties regarding local transformations. As already the most coarse grained classification, due to Stochastic LOCC (SLOCC), of four qubit states is much richer than in case of three qubits, the investigation of possible LOCC transformations is correspondingly more difficult. We prove that most SLOCC classes show a similar behavior as the generic states, however we also identify here three classes with very distinct properties. The first consists of the GHZ and W class, where any state can be transformed into some other state non-trivially. In particular, there exists no isolation. On the other hand, there also exist classes where all states are isolated. Last but not least we identify an additional class of states, whose transformation properties differ drastically from all the other classes. Although the possibility of transforming states into local-unitary inequivalent states by LOCC turns out to be very rare, we identify those states (with exception of the latter class) which are in the MES and those, which can be obtained (transformed) non-trivially from (into) other states respectively. These investigations do not only identify the most relevant classes of states for LOCC entanglement manipulation, but also reveal new insight into the similarities and differences between separable and LOCC transformations and enable the investigation of LOCC transformations among arbitrary four qubit states.
Systems of four nonbinary particles, with each particle having $d\ensuremath{\ge}3$ internal states, exhibit maximally entangled states that are inaccessible to four qubits. This breaks the pattern of two- and three-particle systems, in which the existing graph states are equally accessible to binary and nonbinary systems alike. We compare the entanglement properties of these special states (called PPP states) with those of the more familiar Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) and cluster states accessible to qubits. The comparison includes familiar entanglement measures, the ``steering'' of states by projective measurements, and the probability that two such measurements, chosen at random, leave the remaining particles in a Bell state. These comparisons demonstrate not only that PPP-state entanglement is stronger than the other types but also that it is maximal in a well-defined sense. We prove that GHZ, cluster, and PPP states represent all possible entanglement classes of four-particle graph states with prime $d\ensuremath{\ge}3$.
Entanglement is a resource in quantum information theory when state manipulation is restricted to local operations assisted by classical communication (LOCC). It is therefore of paramount importance to decide which LOCC transformations are possible and, particularly, which states are maximally useful under this restriction. While the bipartite maximally entangled state is well known (it is the only state that cannot be obtained from any other and, at the same time, it can be transformed to any other by LOCC), no such state exists in the multipartite case. In order to cope with this fact, we introduce here the notion of the maximally entangled set (MES) of n-partite states. This is the set of states which are maximally useful under LOCC manipulation; i.e., any state outside of this set can be obtained via LOCC from one of the states within the set and no state in the set can be obtained from any other state via LOCC. We determine the MES for states of three and four qubits and provide a simple characterization for them. In both cases, infinitely many states are required. However, while the MES is of measure zero for 3-qubit states, almost all 4-qubit states are in the MES. This is because, in contrast to the 3-qubit case, deterministic LOCC transformations are almost never possible among fully entangled four-partite states. We determine the measure-zero subset of the MES of LOCC convertible states. This is the only relevant class of states for entanglement manipulation.
Understanding and classifying multipartite entanglement is fundamental to quantum information processing. This work focuses on absolutely maximally entangled (AME) states, a class of highly entangled states characterized by their maximal entanglement across any bipartitions. To analyze and classify AME states, we employ the minimal decomposition entropy, defined as the minimum Rényi entropy SqS_qSq​ associated with the state's decomposition over all local product bases. This quantity identifies the product bases in which the state is maximally localized, thereby yielding optimal representations for analyzing properties of AME states. We develop an efficient algorithm for computing the minimal decomposition entropy for finite q>1q>1q>1 and compare AME and Haar-random states for q=2 q = 2 q=2 and q=∞ q = \infty q=∞ in qubit, qutrit, and ququad systems. For q=2 q = 2 q=2, AME states of four qutrits and ququads show lower minimal entropy than generic states, indicating sparser optimal forms. For q=∞ q = \infty q=∞ -- related to the geometric measure of entanglement -- AME states exhibit higher entanglement. The algorithm also simplifies known AME states into sparser representations, aiding in distinguishing genuinely quantum AME states from those constructible from classical combinatorial designs. Our results advance the classification of AME states and demonstrate the utility of minimal decomposition entropy as both a local unitary invariant and a tool for state simplification.
Bipartite maximally entangled states have the property that the largest Schmidt coefficient reaches its lower bound. However, for multipartite states, the standard Schmidt decomposition generally does not exist. We use a generalized Schmidt decomposition and the geometric measure of entanglement to characterize three-qubit pure states and derive a single-parameter family of maximally entangled three-qubit states. The paradigmatic Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) and WWW states emerge as extreme members in this family of maximally entangled states. This family of states possesses different trends of entanglement behavior: in going from GHZ to WWW states, the geometric measure, the relative entropy of entanglement, and the bipartite entanglement all increase monotonically whereas the three-tangle and bipartition negativity both decrease monotonically.