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arXiv:1009.1476 · Physical Review A

Optimal measurements to access classical correlations of two-qubit states

Xiao-Ming Lu, Jian Ma, Zhengjun Xi, Xiaoguang Wang

Published Jan 31, 2011• 164 citations
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Abstract

We analyze the optimal measurements to access classical correlations in arbitrary two-qubit states. Two-qubit states can be transformed into the canonical forms via local unitary operations. For the canonical forms, we investigate the probability distribution of the optimal measurements. The probability distribution of the optimal measurements is found to be centralized in the vicinity of a specific von Neumann measurement, which we call the maximal-correlation-direction measurement (MCDM). We prove that, for the states with zero discord and maximally mixed marginals, the MCDM is the optimal measurement. Furthermore, we give an upper bound of quantum discord based on the MCDM, and investigate its performance for approximating the quantum discord.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.83.012327

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We analyze the optimal measurements to access classical correlations in arbitrary two-qubit states. Two-qubit states can be transformed into the canonical forms via local unitary operations. For the canonical forms, we investigate the probability distribution of the optimal measurements. The probability distribution of the optimal measurements is found to be centralized in the vicinity of a specific von Neumann measurement, which we call the maximal-correlation-direction measurement (MCDM). We prove that, for the states with zero discord and maximally mixed marginals, the MCDM is the optimal measurement. Furthermore, we give an upper bound of quantum discord based on the MCDM, and investigate its performance for approximating the quantum discord.
We discuss the upper bound of quantum discord, and derive a necessary condition for the reachable entropy quantum correlated states. We analyze the optimal measurements to access classical correlation in arbitrary two-qubit system. Then, we define the minimum quantum discord on the correlation direction, and demonstrate that it could be a good approximation of quantum discord. Finally, we study the dynamics of quantum correlation, which exhibits a sudden change under the decayed process, then we give a reasonable interpretation for this phenomenon with respects to the minimum quantum discord on the correlation direction.
When a quantum system is divided into two local subsystems, measurements on the two subsystems can exhibit correlations beyond those possible in a classical joint probability distribution; these are partially explained by entanglement, and more generally by a wider class of measures such as the quantum discord. In this paper, I introduce a simple thought experiment defining a measure of quantum correlations, which I call the accord, and write the result as a minimax optimization over unitary matrices. I find the exact result for pure states as a simple function of the Schmidt coefficients and provide a complete proof, and I likewise provide and prove the result for several classes of mixed states, notably including all states of two qubits and the experimentally relevant case of a pure state mixed with colorless noise. I demonstrate that for two qubit states the accord provides a tight lower bound on the discord; for Bell diagonal states it is also an upper bound on entanglement.
We present an analytical solution for classical correlation, defined in terms of linear entropy, in an arbitrary system when the second subsystem is measured. We show that the optimal measurements used in the maximization of the classical correlation in terms of linear entropy, when used to calculate the quantum discord in terms of von Neumann entropy, result in a tight upper bound for arbitrary d⊗2 systems. This bound agrees with all known analytical results about quantum discord in terms of von Neumann entropy and, when comparing it with the numerical results for 10(6) two-qubit random density matrices, we obtain an average deviation of order 10(-4). Furthermore, our results give a way to calculate the quantum discord for arbitrary n-qubit GHZ and W states evolving under the action of the amplitude damping noisy channel.
The state disturbance induced by locally measuring a quantum system yields a signature of nonclassical correlations beyond entanglement. Here, we present a detailed study of such correlations for two-qubit mixed states. To overcome the asymmetry of quantum discord and the unfaithfulness of measurement-induced disturbance (severely overestimating quantum correlations), we propose an ameliorated measurement-induced disturbance as nonclassicality indicator, optimized over joint local measurements, and we derive its closed expression for relevant two-qubit states. We study its analytical relation with discord, and characterize the maximally quantum-correlated mixed states, that simultaneously extremize both quantifiers at given von Neumann entropy: among all two-qubit states, these states possess the most robust quantum correlations against noise.
Abstract Understanding how correlations can be used for quantum communication protocols is a central goal of quantum information science. While many authors have linked the global measures of correlations such as entanglement or discord to the performance of specific protocols, in general the latter may require only correlations between specific observables. In this work, we first introduce a general measure of correlations for two-qubit states, based on the classical mutual information between local observables. Our measure depends on the state’s purity and the symmetry in the correlation distribution, according to which we provide a classification of maximally mixed marginal states (MMMS). We discuss the complementarity relation between correlations and coherence. By focusing on a simple yet paradigmatic example, i.e. the remote state preparation protocol, we introduce a method to systematically define the proper protocol-tailored measures of the correlations. The method is based on the identification of those correlations that are relevant (useful) for the protocol. On the one hand, the approach allows the role of the symmetry of the correlation distribution to be discussed in determining the efficiency of the protocol, both for MMMS and general two-qubit quantum states, and on the other hand, it allows an optimized protocol for non-MMMS to be devised, which is more efficient with respect to the standard one. Overall, our findings clarify how the key resources in simple communication protocols are the purity of the state used and the symmetry of the correlation distribution.
We derive a general approximate solution to the problem of minimizing the conditional entropy of a qudit-qubit system resulting from a local measurement on the qubit, which is valid for general entropic forms and becomes exact in the limit of weak correlations. This entropy measures the average conditional mixedness of the postmeasurement state of the qudit, and its minimum among all local measurements represents a generalized entanglement of formation. In the case of the von Neumann entropy, it is directly related to the quantum discord. It is shown that at the lowest nontrivial order, the problem reduces to the minimization of a quadratic form determined by the correlation tensor of the system, the Bloch vector of the qubit and the local concavity of the entropy, requiring just the diagonalization of a $3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}3$ matrix. A simple geometrical picture in terms of an associated correlation ellipsoid is also derived, which illustrates the link between entropy optimization and correlation access and which is exact for a quadratic entropy. The approach enables a simple estimation of the quantum discord. Illustrative results for two-qubit states are discussed.