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arXiv:1606.09148 · Mathematics

Preparational Uncertainty Relations for N Continuous Variables

Spiros Kechrimparis, Stefan Weigert

Published Jul 19, 2016• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

A smooth function of the second moments of N continuous variables gives rise to an uncertainty relation if it is bounded from below. We present a method to systematically derive such bounds by generalizing an approach applied previously to a single continuous variable. New uncertainty relations are obtained for multi-partite systems that allow one to distinguish entangled from separable states. We also investigate the geometry of the “uncertainty region” in the N ( 2 N + 1 ) -dimensional space of moments. It is shown to be a convex set, and the points on its boundary are found to be in one-to-one correspondence with pure Gaussian states of minimal uncertainty. For a single degree of freedom, the boundary can be visualized as one sheet of a “Lorentz-invariant” hyperboloid in the three-dimensional space of second moments.

DOI
10.3390/math4030049

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Abstract A general theory of preparational uncertainty relations for a quantum particle in one spatial dimension is developed. We derive conditions which determine whether a given smooth function of the particle’s variances and its covariance is bounded from below. Whenever a global minimum exists, an uncertainty relation has been obtained. The squeezed number states of a harmonic oscillator are found to be universal : no other pure or mixed states will saturate any such relation. Geometrically, we identify a convex uncertainty region in the space of second moments which is bounded by the inequality derived by Robertson and Schrödinger. Our approach provides a unified perspective on existing uncertainty relations for a single continuous variable, and it leads to new inequalities for second moments which can be checked experimentally.
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Abstract For a quantum particle with a single degree of freedom, we derive preparational sum and product uncertainty relations satisfied by N linear combinations of position and momentum observables. The state-independent bounds depend on their degree of incompatibility defined by the area of a parallelogram in an N -dimensional coefficient space. Maximal incompatibility occurs if the observables give rise to regular polygons in phase space. We also conjecture a Hirschman-type uncertainty relation for N observables linear in position and momentum, generalizing the original relation which lower-bounds the sum of the position and momentum Shannon entropies of the particle.
We derive a family of necessary separability criteria for finite-dimensional systems based on inequalities for variances of observables. We show that every pure bipartite entangled state violates some of these inequalities. Furthermore, a family of bound entangled states and true multipartite entangled states can be detected. The inequalities also allow us to distinguish between different classes of true tripartite entanglement for qubits. We formulate an equivalent criterion in terms of covariance matrices. This allows us to apply criteria known from the regime of continuous variables to finite-dimensional systems.