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arXiv:1803.08935 · Physical Review A

Classifying quantum entanglement through topological links

Gonçalo M. Quinta, Rui André

Published Apr 5, 2018• 14 citations
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Abstract

We propose an alternative classification scheme for quantum entanglement based on topological links. This is done by identifying a nonrigid ring to a particle, attributing the act of cutting and removing a ring to the operation of tracing out the particle, and associating linked rings to entangled particles. This analogy naturally leads us to a classification of multipartite quantum entanglement based on all possible distinct links for a given number of rings. To determine all different possibilities, we develop a formalism that associates any link to a polynomial, with each polynomial thereby defining a distinct equivalence class. To demonstrate the use of this classification scheme, we choose qubit quantum states as our example of physical system. A possible procedure to obtain qubit states from the polynomials is also introduced, providing an example state for each link class. We apply the formalism for the quantum systems of three and four qubits and demonstrate the potential of these tools in a context of qubit networks.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.97.042307

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We propose an alternative classification scheme for quantum entanglement based on topological links. This is done by identifying a nonrigid ring to a particle, attributing the act of cutting and removing a ring to the operation of tracing out the particle, and associating linked rings to entangled particles. This analogy naturally leads us to a classification of multipartite quantum entanglement based on all possible distinct links for a given number of rings. To determine all different possibilities, we develop a formalism that associates any link to a polynomial, with each polynomial thereby defining a distinct equivalence class. To demonstrate the use of this classification scheme, we choose qubit quantum states as our example of physical system. A possible procedure to obtain qubit states from the polynomials is also introduced, providing an example state for each link class. We apply the formalism for the quantum systems of three and four qubits and demonstrate the potential of these tools in a context of qubit networks.
Classification of entanglement is an important problem in quantum resource theory. In this paper we discuss an embedding of this problem in the context of topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). This approach allows classifying entanglement patterns in terms of topological equivalence classes. In the bipartite case a classification equivalent to the one by stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC) is constructed by restricting to a simple class of connectivity diagrams. Such diagrams characterize quantum states of TQFT up to braiding and tangling of the ``connectome.'' In the multipartite case the same restricted topological classification only captures a part of the SLOCC classes, in particular, it does not see the WWW entanglement of three qubits. Nonlocal braiding of connections may solve the problem, but no finite classification is attempted in this case. Despite incompleteness, the connectome classification has a straightforward generalization to any number and dimension of parties and has a very intuitive interpretation, which might be useful for understanding specific properties of entanglement and for design of new quantum resources.
We discuss the analogy between topological entanglement and quantum entanglement, particularly for tripartite quantum systems.We illustrate our approach by first discussing two clearly (topologically) inequivalent systems of three-ring links: The Borromean rings, in which the removal of any one link leaves the remaining two non-linked (or, by analogy, non-entangled); and an inequivalent system (which we call the NUS link) for which the removal of any one link leaves the remaining two linked (or, entangled in our analogy).We introduce unitary representations for the appropriate Braid Group (B3) which produce the related quantum entangled systems. We finally remark that these two quantum systems, which clearly possess inequivalent entanglement properties, are locally unitarily equivalent.
We discuss the analogy between topological entanglement and quantum entanglement, particularly for tripartite quantum systems. We illustrate our approach by first discussing two clearly (topologically) inequivalent systems of three-ring links: The Borromean rings, in which the removal of any one link leaves the remaining two non-linked (or, by analogy, non-entangled); and an inequivalent system (which we call the NUS link) for which the removal of any one link leaves the remaining two linked (or, entangled in our analogy). We introduce unitary representations for the appropriate Braid Group (B3B_3B3​) which produce the related quantum entangled systems. We finally remark that these two quantum systems, which clearly possess inequivalent entanglement properties, are locally unitarily equivalent.
Chapter 14 transitions the focus to multipartite entanglement, a realm that broadens the discussion from bipartite systems to those involving multiple parties. This complex form of entanglement plays a crucial role in quantum computing, cryptography, and communication networks. The chapter introduces the foundational concepts of multipartite entanglement, including its characterization and the challenges associated with its classification. Significant attention is given to the classification of multipartite entangled states through SL-invariant polynomials, which provide tools for understanding the structure and properties of these states. Stochastic Local Operations and Classical Communication (SLOCC) are introduced as a means to classify entanglement. Furthermore, the chapter explores the entanglement of assistance and the monogamy of entanglement, two concepts that illustrate the limitations and potential for distributing entanglement among multiple parties. Through detailed explanations and examples in three and four qubits, this chapter offers insights into the intricate world of multipartite entanglement, revealing both its potential and challenges.
The number of entanglement classes in stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC) classifications increases with the number of qubits and is already infinite for four qubits. Criteria for explicitly discriminating and classifying pure states of four and more qubits are highly desirable and therefore at the focus of intense theoretical research. We develop a general criterion for the discrimination of pure $N\text{\ensuremath{-}}$partite entangled states in terms of polynomial $\mathrm{SL}(d,\mathrm{C}){}^{\ensuremath{\bigotimes}N}$ invariants. By means of this criterion, existing SLOCC classifications of four-qubit entanglement are reproduced. Based on this we propose a polynomial classification scheme in which entanglement types are identified through ``tangle patterns.'' This scheme provides a practicable way to classify states of arbitrary multipartite systems. Moreover, the use of polynomials induces a corresponding quantification of the different types of entanglement.
Kauffman and Lomonaco (New J Phys 4:73.1–73.18, 2002. arXiv:quant-ph/0401090 , New J Phys 6:134.1–134.40, 2004) explored the idea of understanding quantum entanglement (the non-local correlation of certain properties of particles) topologically by viewing unitary entangling operators as braiding operators. In Alagic et al. (Yang–Baxter operators need quantum entanglement to distinguish knots, 2015. arXiv:1507.05979v1 ), it is shown that entanglement is a necessary condition for forming non-trivial invariants of knots from braid closures via solutions to the Yang–Baxter equation. We show that the arguments used by Alagic et al. (2015) generalize to essentially the same results for quantum invariant state summation models of knots. In one case (the unoriented swap case) we give an example of a Yang–Baxter operator, and associated quantum invariant, that can detect the Hopf link. Again this is analogous to the results of Alagic et al. (2015). We also give a class of R matrices that are entangling and are weak invariants of classical knots and links yet strong invariants of virtual knots and links. We also give an example of an SU(2) representation of the three-strand braid group that models the Jones polynomial for closures of three-strand braids. This invariant is a quantum model for the Jones polynomial restricted to three-strand braids, and it does not involve quantum entanglement. These relationships between topological braiding and quantum entanglement can be used as a framework for future work in understanding the properties of entangling gates in topological quantum computing. The paper ends with a discussion of the Aravind hypothesis about the direct relationship of knots and quantum entanglement and the ER=EPRER = EPRER=EPR E R = E P R hypothesis about the relationship of quantum entanglement with the connectivity of space. We describe how, given a background space and a quantum tensor network, to construct a new topological space that welds the network and the background space together. This construction embodies the principle that quantum entanglement and topological connectivity are intimately related.