arXiv:1205.3409 · IEEE Transactions on Information Theory

The Entropy Power Inequality for Quantum Systems

Robert König, Graeme Smith

Published Jan 31, 2014• 69 citations

Abstract

When two independent analog signals, X and Y are added together giving Z=X+Y, the entropy of Z, H(Z), is not a simple function of the entropies H(X) and H(Y), but rather depends on the details of X and Y's distributions. Nevertheless, the entropy power inequality (EPI), which states that e2H(Z)≥ e2H(X)+e2H(Y), gives a very tight restriction on the entropy of Z. This inequality has found many applications in information theory and statistics. The quantum analogue of adding two random variables is the combination of two independent bosonic modes at a beam splitter. The purpose of this paper is to give a detailed outline of the proof of two separate generalizations of the EPI to the quantum regime. Our proofs are similar in spirit to the standard classical proofs of the EPI, but some new quantities and ideas are needed in the quantum setting. In particular, we find a new quantum de Bruijin identity relating entropy production under diffusion to a divergence-based quantum Fisher information. Furthermore, this Fisher information exhibits certain convexity properties in the context of beam splitters.

DOI: 10.1109/tit.2014.2298436

Related papers

Entropy power inequalities for qudits

Koenraad M. R. Audenaert, Nilanjana Datta, Māris Ozols

Shannon’s entropy power inequality (EPI) can be viewed as a statement of concavity of an entropic function of a continuous random variable under a scaled addition rule: f(a X+1−a Y)≥af(X)+(1−a)f(Y)∀ a∈[0,1]. Here, X and Y are continuous random variables and the function f is either the differential entropy or the entropy power. König and Smith [IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 60(3), 1536–1548 (2014)] and De Palma, Mari, and Giovannetti [Nat. Photonics 8(12), 958–964 (2014)] obtained quantum analogues of these inequalities for continuous-variable quantum systems, where X and Y are replaced by bosonic fields and the addition rule is the action of a beam splitter with transmissivity a on those fields. In this paper, we similarly establish a class of EPI analogues for d-level quantum systems (i.e., qudits). The underlying addition rule for which these inequalities hold is given by a quantum channel that depends on the parameter a ∈ [0, 1] and acts like a finite-dimensional analogue of a beam splitter with transmissivity a, converting a two-qudit product state into a single qudit state. We refer to this channel as a partial swap channel because of the particular way its output interpolates between the states of the two qudits in the input as a is changed from zero to one. We obtain analogues of Shannon’s EPI, not only for the von Neumann entropy and the entropy power for the output of such channels, but also for a much larger class of functions. This class includes the Rényi entropies and the subentropy. We also prove a qudit analogue of the entropy photon number inequality (EPnI). Finally, for the subclass of partial swap channels for which one of the qudit states in the input is fixed, our EPIs and EPnI yield lower bounds on the minimum output entropy and upper bounds on the Holevo capacity.

arXiv:1503.04213Journal of Mathematical PhysicsMay 1, 201630 citations

The conditional entropy power inequality for Gaussian quantum states

Robert König

We propose a generalization of the quantum entropy power inequality involving condi-tional entropies. For the special case of Gaussian states, we give a proof based on perturba-tion theory for symplectic spectra. We discuss some implications for entanglement-assisted classical communication over additive bosonic noise channels. 1 Classical and quantum entropy-power inequalities The entropy power inequality, proposed by Shannon [27] and later established with increasing rigor by Stam [29] and Blachman [5], has become a fundamental tool in classical informa-tion theory. Shannon’s original application of the entropy power inequality is a lower bound on the capacity of an additive (but potentially non-Gaussian) noise channel [27, Theorem 18]. However, the usefulness of the entropy power inequality is especially evident in multi-terminal information theory. Among the most well-known applications are the characterization of the Gaussian broadcast channel by Bergman [4], the Gaussian two-description problem by Ozarow [25] and the quadratic Gaussian CEO problem by Oohama [24]. In these multi-user settings, Fano’s inequality by itself is insufficient to characterize different tradeoffs. A more recent application proposed by Liu and Viswanath [23] uses entropy power inequalities to solve certain optimization problems. The entropy power inequality lower bounds the differential entropy of the convolution of two independent random variables X, Y taking values in Rn. Its covariance-preserving version states that H( λX + 1 − λY) ≥ λH(X) + (1 − λ)H(Y) for all 0 ≤ λ ≤ 1. (1) Eq. (1) can be shown [22, 32] to be equivalent to the more commonly used statement e2H(X+Y)/n ≥ e2H(X)/n + e2H(Y)/n. The latter explains the terminology as e2H(X)/n is the power, i.e., variance of a Gaussian ran-dom variable with identical entropy as H(X). Inequalities such as (1) are closely related to Log-Sobolev inequalities (see e.g., [31]) as well as Brunn-Minkowski-type inequalities [6]. Gen-eralizations to free probability [30] and quantum states have been considered. 1 ar

Jan 1, 201416 citations

Equality in the Bosonic Quantum Entropy Power Inequality

Yonglong Li

The bosonic quantum entropy power inequality bounds the entropy of a beam-splitter output in terms of the input entropies. We determine its complete equality class among independent inputs of finite mean photon number: for any number of modes and any transmissivity strictly between zero and one, equality in either the linear or the exponential form holds if and only if the inputs are Gaussian with the same covariance matrix, allowing arbitrary displacements. The main step shows that equality for one output forces the two outputs to be independent: a thermal auxiliary converts equality into preservation of mutual information by a fixed noisy channel, and a two-outcome instrument shows that preservation of mutual information requires a product state with the reference. The quantum Darmois--Skitovich theorem then gives Gaussianity, while a central-limit argument reduces exponential equality to linear equality.

quant-pharXiv:2609.40061Oct 1, 20260 citations

Entropy power inequalities for qudits

Audenaert, K, Datta, N, Ozols, M

Shannon's entropy power inequality (EPI) can be viewed as a statement of concavity of an entropic function of a continuous random variable under a scaled addition rule: f (√a X + √1 - aY) ≥ af(X)+(1 - a)f(Y) ∀a ∈ [0,1]. Here, X and Y are continuous random variables and the function f is either the differential entropy or the entropy power. König and Smith [IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 60(3), 1536-1548 (2014)] and De Palma, Mari, and Giovannetti [Nat. Photonics 8(12), 958-964 (2014)] obtained quantum analogues of these inequalities for continuous-variable quantum systems, where X and Y are replaced by bosonic fields and the addition rule is the action of a beam splitter with transmissivity a on those fields. In this paper, we similarly establish a class of EPI analogues for d-level quantum systems (i.e., qudits). The underlying addition rule for which these inequalities hold is given by a quantum channel that depends on the parameter a ∈ [0,1] and acts like a finite-dimensional analogue of a beam splitter with transmissivity a, converting a two-qudit product state into a single qudit state. We refer to this channel as a partial swap channel because of the particular way its output interpolates between the states of the two qudits in the input as a is changed from zero to one. We obtain analogues of Shannon's EPI, not only for the von Neumann entropy and the entropy power for the output of such channels, but also for a much larger class of functions. This class includes the Rényi entropies and the subentropy. We also prove a qudit analogue of the entropy photon number inequality (EPnI). Finally, for the subclass of partial swap channels for which one of the qudit states in the input is fixed, our EPIs and EPnI yield lower bounds on the minimum output entropy and upper bounds on the Holevo capacity.

Apr 29, 201627 citations

The entropy power inequality with quantum conditioning

Giacomo De Palma

Abstract The conditional entropy power inequality is a fundamental inequality in information theory, stating that the conditional entropy of the sum of two conditionally independent vector-valued random variables each with an assigned conditional entropy is minimum when the random variables are Gaussian. We prove the conditional entropy power inequality in the scenario where the conditioning system is quantum. The proof is based on the heat semigroup and on a generalization of the Stam inequality in the presence of quantum conditioning. The entropy power inequality with quantum conditioning will be a key tool of quantum information, with applications in distributed source coding protocols with the assistance of quantum entanglement.

arXiv:1808.08231Journal of Physics A Mathematical and TheoreticalJan 18, 20199 citations

Gaussian optimizers and other topics in quantum information

Giacomo De Palma

The main topic of this thesis is the proof of two fundamental entropic inequalities for quantum Gaussian channels. Quantum Gaussian channels model the propagation of electromagnetic waves through optical fibers and free space in the quantum regime, and provide the mathematical model to determine the maximum rates achievable by quantum communication devices for communication and quantum key distribution. The first inequality proven in this thesis is the quantum Entropy Power Inequality, which provides a lower bound to the output entropy of the beam-splitter or of the squeezing in terms of the entropies of the two inputs. The second inequality states that Gaussian states minimize the output entropy of the one-mode quantum Gaussian attenuator among all the input states with a given entropy, and was a longstanding conjecture in quantum communication theory. The generalization of this inequality to the multimode attenuator would determine its triple trade-off region and its capacity region for broadcast communication to two receivers. The thesis contains further results in Gaussian quantum information, quantum statistical mechanics and relativistic quantum information. The most important of these results concerns the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis (ETH). The ETH is an assumption in quantum statistical mechanics stating that the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian of a system+bath compound look as thermal states if we can access only the system. We prove that the ETH must hold if the system thermalizes for any initial product state of the system+bath compound with a well-defined temperature.

arXiv:1710.09395Oct 25, 201712 citations