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arXiv:2211.17165 · Physical Review A

Detecting continuous-variable entanglement in phase space with the Q distribution

Martin Gärttner, Tobias Haas, Johannes Noll

Published Oct 12, 2023• 11 citations
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Abstract

We prove a general class of continuous variable entanglement criteria based on the Husimi $Q$ distribution, which represents a quantum state in canonical phase space, by employing a theorem by Lieb and Solovej. We discuss their generality, which roots in the possibility to optimize over the set of concave functions, from the perspective of continuous majorization theory and show that with this approach families of entropic as well as second moment criteria follow as special cases. All derived criteria are compared with corresponding marginal based criteria, and the strength of the phase-space approach is demonstrated for a family of prototypical example states where only our criteria flag entanglement. Furthermore, we explore their optimization prospects in two experimentally relevant scenarios characterized by sparse data: Finite detector resolution and finite statistics. In both scenarios optimization leads to clear improvements enlarging the class of detected states and the signal-to-noise ratio of the detection, respectively.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.108.042410

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We prove a general class of continuous variable entanglement criteria based on the Husimi QQQ distribution, which represents a quantum state in canonical phase space, by employing a theorem by Lieb and Solovej. We discuss their generality, which roots in the possibility to optimize over the set of concave functions, from the perspective of continuous majorization theory and show that with this approach families of entropic as well as second moment criteria follow as special cases. All derived criteria are compared with corresponding marginal based criteria, and the strength of the phase-space approach is demonstrated for a family of prototypical example states where only our criteria flag entanglement. Furthermore, we explore their optimization prospects in two experimentally relevant scenarios characterized by sparse data: Finite detector resolution and finite statistics. In both scenarios optimization leads to clear improvements enlarging the class of detected states and the signal-to-noise ratio of the detection, respectively.
We present a general class of entanglement criteria for continuous variable systems. Our criteria are based on the Husimi Q distribution and allow for optimization over the set of all concave functions rendering them extremely general and versatile. We show that several entropic criteria and second moment criteria are obtained as special cases. Our criteria reveal entanglement of families of states undetected by any commonly used criteria and provide clear advantages under typical experimental constraints such as finite detector resolution and measurement statistics.
We explore the advantages of a class of entanglement criteria for continuous variable systems based on the Husimi QQQ-distribution in scenarios with sparse experimental data. The generality of these criteria allows optimizing them for a given entangled state and experimental setting. We consider the scenario of coarse grained measurements, or finite detector resolution, where the values of the Husimi QQQ-distribution are only known on a grid of points in phase space, and show how the entanglement criteria can be adapted to this case. Further, we examine the scenario where experimental measurements amount to drawing independent samples from the Husimi distribution. Here, we customize our entanglement criteria to maximize the statistical significance of the detection for a given finite number of samples. In both scenarios optimization leads to clear improvements enlarging the class of detected states and the signal-to-noise ratio of the detection, respectively.
We derive entropic inseparability criteria for the phase-space representation of quantum states. In contrast to criteria involving differential entropies of marginal phase-space distributions, our criteria are based on a joint distribution known as the Husimi QQQ distribution. This distribution is experimentally accessible in cold atoms, circuit QED architectures, and photonic systems, and bears practical advantages compared to the detection of marginals. We exemplify the strengths of our entropic approach by considering several classes of non-Gaussian states where second-order criteria fail. We show that our criteria certify entanglement in previously undetectable regions, highlighting the strength of using the Husimi QQQ distribution for entanglement detection.
We formulate an infinite hierarchy of continuous-variable separability criteria in terms of quasiprobability distributions and their derivatives evaluated at individual points in phase space. Our approach is equivalent to the Peres--Horodecki criterion and sheds light on how distillable entanglement manifests in the phase-space picture. We demonstrate that already the lowest-order variant constitutes a powerful method for detecting the elusive non-Gaussian entanglement of relevant state families. Further, we devise a simple measurement scheme that relies solely on passive linear transformations and coherent ancillas. By strategically probing specific phase-space regions, our method offers clear advantages over existing techniques that rely on access to the full phase-space distributions.
The characterisation of quantum correlations, also known as entanglement, is central to quantum information theory. Operationally, entanglement gives rise to the notion of quantum non-locality, which challenges the ‘reality’ of quantum mechanics (adopting the terminology of Einstein, Podolski and Rosen) and arguably represents its most distinctive feature, in the sense that it calls for a departure from certain foundational tenets of classical physics. It should thus not come as a surprise that entanglement turns out to be a key resource for the implementation of a number of quantum communication protocols and also necessary to achieve computational speed-ups with quantum hardware, in the sense that accessing regions of the Hilbert space with entangled states allows one to shorten the computational depth of certain algorithms. Not surprisingly, generating and maintaining entanglement is generally difficult in practice, as it requires strong interactions between selected components of a system that must at the same time be isolated from the environment. Thanks to the techniques developed in quantum optical set-ups to achieve squeezed light, entanglement is, however, comparatively accessible with optical quantum continuous variables. As we shall see, in fact, continuous variable entanglement is closely related to the notion of squeezing. It is therefore of the utmost importance to be able to qualify and quantify the entanglement of quantum continuous variables, which is the subject matter of the present chapter. The first part of the chapter is devoted to techniques and criteria based on second moments to detect the entanglement of Gaussian states and also to the description of possible ways to quantify such quantum correlations, bearing in mind that the determination of entanglement monotones of clear operational significance is still an open problem, even in the restricted arena of Gaussian states. Although the criteria based on second moments are sufficient, but not necessary, for the detection of non-Gaussian entanglement too, we will push our analysis further by introducing more general criteria based on higher order statistical moments, which will be put to use to detect, on paper, the quantum correlations of an entangled cat-like state. We will also address the issues of entanglement distillation and quantum non-locality tests, in whose contexts we shall encounter other non-Gaussian operations and states, such as photon-subtracted states.
The characterisation of quantum correlations, also known as entanglement, is central to quantum information theory. This chapter devotes to techniques and criteria based on second moments to detect the entanglement of Gaussian states. It also devotes to the description of possible ways to quantify such quantum correlations, bearing in mind that the determination of entanglement monotones of clear operational significance is still an open problem, even in the restricted arena of Gaussian states. The chapter addresses the issues of entanglement distillation and quantum non-locality tests, in whose contexts we shall confront other non-Gaussian operations and states, such as photon subtracted states. It introduces a general criteria based on higher order statistical moments, which will be put to use to detect the quantum correlations of an entangled cat-like state and addresses the issues of entanglement distillation and quantum non-locality tests.