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arXiv:1609.05060 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

On symmetric decompositions of positive operators

Maria Anastasia Jivulescu, Ion Nechita, Paşc Găvruţa

Published Mar 22, 2017• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract We present results concerning decompositions of positive operators acting on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. Our motivation is the study of a generalized version of the SIC–POVM problem, which has applications to Quantum Information Theory. We relax some of the conditions in the SIC–POVM setting (the elements sum up to the identity, resp. the elements have unit rank), and we focus on equiangular decompositions (the elements of the decomposition should have the same length, and pairs of distinct elements should have constant angles). We characterize all such decompositions, comparing our results with the case of SIC–POVMs. We also generalize some existing Welch-type inequalities.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8121/aa6469

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Abstract We present results concerning decompositions of positive operators acting on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. Our motivation is the study of a generalized version of the SIC–POVM problem, which has applications to Quantum Information Theory. We relax some of the conditions in the SIC–POVM setting (the elements sum up to the identity, resp. the elements have unit rank), and we focus on equiangular decompositions (the elements of the decomposition should have the same length, and pairs of distinct elements should have constant angles). We characterize all such decompositions, comparing our results with the case of SIC–POVMs. We also generalize some existing Welch-type inequalities.
In this work, we generalise an object that has proved interesting to both the pure and applied mathematician alike. Specifically, symmetric informationally complete positive operator valued measures (SIC-POVMs) were first encountered in the study finite tight frames, where they provide examples of complex equiangular tight frames. Then, the quantum information theory community discovered their own utility for these objects, for they provided a particularly useful example of a generalised measurement of a quantum system, a type of positive operator valued measure. In particular, they have proven useful to quantum state tomography and for probing quantum foundations. SIC-POVMs are collections of rank-one orthogonal projections acting on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces and operational SIC-POVMs are their arbitrary rank counterparts. In this thesis, we cover necessary background on the standard quantum formalism, define SIC-POVMs and outline how they have been constructed up until this point via the orbit of the Weyl-Heisenberg group, which motivates Zauner’s conjecture. We go on to discuss generalised operational SIC-POVMs and give some new theorems that classify them. We then show that an infinite family of operational SIC-POVMs can be obtained via the representation theory of the symmetric group. Possibly shedding light on the unproven Zauner’s conjecture, we prove that an element of this infinite family cannot be generated via an orbit of the Weyl-Heisenberg group. We finish by describing the relation between these operational SIC-POVMs and Bell inequalities.
A set of d 2 vectors in a Hilbert space of dimension d is called equiangular if each pair of vectors encloses the same angle. The projection operators onto these vectors define a POVM which is distinguished by its high degree of symmetry. Measures of this kind are called symmetric informationally complete , or SIC POVMs for short, and could be applied for quantum state tomography. Despite its simple geometrical description, the problem of constructing SIC POVMs or even proving their existence seems to be very hard. It is our purpose to introduce two applications of discrete Wigner functions to the analysis of the problem at hand. First, we will present a method for identifying symmetries of SIC POVMs under Clifford operations. This constitutes an alternative approach to a structure described before by Zauner and Appleby. Further, a simple and geometrically motivated construction for an SIC POVM in dimensions two and three is given (which, unfortunately, allows no generalization). Even though no new structures are found, we hope that the re-formulation of the problem may prove useful for future inquiries.
Symmetric informationally complete (SIC) positive operator valued measures (POVMs) are a class of quantum measurements which, in addition to being informationally complete, satisfy three conditions: (1) every POVM element is rank one, (2) the Hilbert-Schmidt inner product between any two distinct elements is constant, and (3) the trace of each element is constant. The third condition is often overlooked, since it may give the impression that it follows trivially from the second. We show that this condition cannot be removed, as it leads to two distinct values for the trace of an element of the POVM. This observation has led us to define a broader class of measurements which we call semi-SIC POVMs. In dimension two, we show that semi-SIC POVMs exist, and we construct the entire family. In higher dimensions, we characterize key properties and applications of semi-SIC POVMs, and note that the proof of their existence remains open.
We consider the existence in arbitrary finite dimensions d of a positive operator valued measure (POVM) comprised of d2 rank-one operators all of whose operator inner products are equal. Such a set is called a “symmetric, informationally complete” POVM (SIC–POVM) and is equivalent to a set of d2 equiangular lines in Cd. SIC–POVMs are relevant for quantum state tomography, quantum cryptography, and foundational issues in quantum mechanics. We construct SIC–POVMs in dimensions two, three, and four. We further conjecture that a particular kind of group-covariant SIC–POVM exists in arbitrary dimensions, providing numerical results up to dimension 45 to bolster this claim.
We construct the set of all general (i.e. not necessarily rank 1) symmetric informationally complete (SIC) positive operator valued measures (POVMs). In particular, we show that any orthonormal basis of a real vector space of dimension d^2-1 corresponds to some general SIC POVM and vice versa. Our constructed set of all general SIC-POVMs contains weak SIC-POVMs for which each POVM element can be made arbitrarily close to a multiple times the identity. On the other hand, it remains open if for all finite dimensions our constructed family contains a rank 1 SIC-POVM.
Several open problems in quantum information theory can be formulated as equipartition problems for positive operators, asking for a decomposition into bounded-rank positive parts under uniform constraints. The existence problems for SIC-POVMs and MUBs are of this type, as is the Ruskai-Audenaert conjecture. We first show that certain problems of this form can be attacked using equivariant cohomology, and then present new results on the Ruskai-Audenaert conjecture. In its weak form, this conjecture asserts that every quantum channel admits a convex decomposition into a minimal number of generalized extreme points; in its strong form, one with equal weights. We prove the strong conjecture in all dimensions for a set of channels of nonzero measure, including all cq- and qc-channels, as well as for all channels with qubit inputs. We also prove the weak conjecture for all qutrit channels, along with further results on convex decompositions of quantum channels.