Uncertainty relations are usually stated as bounds on selected combinations of variances, but the full covariance matrix contains substantially richer information about the geometry of quantum state space and about the operational capabilities of quantum systems. Here we characterize the covariance matrices attainable by a finite-dimensional canonical pair of observables related by the discrete Fourier transform, the natural analogue of position and momentum in a finite Hilbert space. We combine analytic arguments with convex-geometric and semidefinite-programming methods based on joint numerical ranges to describe the admissible region through unitary invariants, in particular the trace and determinant of the covariance matrix. This provides a systematic way to identify extremal states, generalizing the notion of minimum-uncertainty states, and to quantify how the discrete uncertainty geometry approaches its continuous counterpart with increasing dimension. We further show that the resulting covariance-matrix characterization has direct consequences for applications: it yields accuracy bounds for multi parameter estimation protocols and separability criteria for finite-dimensional bipartite systems, including discrete analogues of continuous-variable EPR-type witnesses. Our results establish a systematic and versatile platform for connecting uncertainty relations, convex quantum geometry, metrology, and entanglement detection in finite-dimensional systems.
Uncertainty relations are usually stated as bounds on selected combinations of variances, but the full covariance matrix contains substantially richer information about the geometry of quantum state space and about the operational capabilities of quantum systems. Here we characterize the covariance matrices attainable by a finite-dimensional canonical pair of observables related by the discrete Fourier transform, the natural analogue of position and momentum in a finite Hilbert space. We combine analytic arguments with convex-geometric and semidefinite-programming methods based on joint numerical ranges to describe the admissible region through unitary invariants, in particular the trace and determinant of the covariance matrix. This provides a systematic way to identify extremal states, generalizing the notion of minimum-uncertainty states, and to quantify how the discrete uncertainty geometry approaches its continuous counterpart with increasing dimension. We further show that the resulting covariance-matrix characterization has direct consequences for applications: it yields accuracy bounds for multi parameter estimation protocols and separability criteria for finite-dimensional bipartite systems, including discrete analogues of continuous-variable EPR-type witnesses. Our results establish a systematic and versatile platform for connecting uncertainty relations, convex quantum geometry, metrology, and entanglement detection in finite-dimensional systems.
As a foundation of quantum physics, uncertainty relations describe ultimate limit for the measurement uncertainty of incompatible observables. Traditionally, uncertainty relations are formulated by mathematical bounds for a specific state. Here we present a method for geometrically characterizing uncertainty relations as an entire area of variances of the observables, ranging over all possible input states. We find that for the pair of position and momentum operators, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle points exactly to the attainable area of the variances of position and momentum. Moreover, for finite-dimensional systems, we prove that the corresponding area is necessarily semialgebraic; in other words, this set can be represented via finite polynomial equations and inequalities, or any finite union of such sets. In particular, we give the analytical characterization of the areas of variances of (a) a pair of one-qubit observables and (b) a pair of projective observables for arbitrary dimension, and give the first experimental observation of such areas in a photonic system.
We present several inequalities related to the Robertson-Schr\"odinger uncertainty relation. In all these inequalities, we consider a decomposition of the density matrix into a mixture of states, and use the fact that the Robertson-Schr\"odinger uncertainty relation is valid for all these components. By considering a convex roof of the bound, we obtain an alternative derivation of the relation in Fr\"owis et al. [Phys. Rev. A 92, 012102 (2015)], and we can also list a number of conditions that are needed to saturate the relation. We present a formulation of the Cram\'er-Rao bound involving the convex roof of the variance. By considering a concave roof of the bound in the Robertson-Schr\"odinger uncertainty relation over decompositions to mixed states, we obtain an improvement of the Robertson-Schr\"odinger uncertainty relation. We consider similar techniques for uncertainty relations with three variances. Finally, we present further uncertainty relations that provide lower bounds on the metrological usefulness of bipartite quantum states based on the variances of the canonical position and momentum operators for two-mode continuous variable systems. We show that the violation of well-known entanglement conditions in these systems discussed in Duan et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2722 (2000)] and Simon [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 2726 (2000)] implies that the state is more useful metrologically than certain relevant subsets of separable states. We present similar results concerning entanglement conditions with angular momentum operators for spin systems.
We discuss recent findings relating the quantum Fisher information to convex roofs of variances. We present several improvements on the Robertson-Schrodinger uncertainty relation. In all these improvements, we consider a decomposition of the density matrix into a mixture of pure states, and use the fact that the Robertson-Schrodinger uncertainty relation is valid for all these components. By considering a convex roof of the bound, we obtain an alternative derivation of the relation in F. Frowis, R. Schmied, and N. Gisin [Phys. Rev. A 92, 012102 (2015)], and we can also list a number of conditions that are needed to saturate the relations. We also gain new insights about the Cramer-Rao bound. By considering a concave roof of the bound in the Robertson-Schrodinger uncertainty relation, we obtain other type of improvements. We consider similar techniques for uncertainty relations with three variances. Finally, we present further uncertainty relations that provide lower bounds on the metrological usefulness of bipartite quantum states based on the variances of canonical position and momentum operators for two-mode continuous variable systems and angular momentum operators for spin systems.
The interdependence of position and momentum, as highlighted by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, is a cornerstone of quantum physics. Yet, position-momentum correlations have received little systematic attention. Motivated by recent developments in bosonic quantum physics that underscore their relevance in quantum thermodynamics, metrology, and computing, we establish a general framework to study and quantify position-momentum correlations in quantum states. We introduce symplectic coherence, a faithful and easily computable measure defined as the Frobenius norm of the block of the covariance matrix encoding position-momentum correlations, and demonstrate that symplectic coherence is monotone under relevant operations and robust under small perturbations. Furthermore, using a recent mapping by Barthe et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 070604) which relates the covariance matrix of a bosonic state to the density matrix of a finite-dimensional system, we show that position-momentum correlations correspond to beyond-classical correlations in a virtual finite-dimensional quantum state, with symplectic coherence mapping naturally to geometric quantum discord. Taking energy constraints into account, we determine the maximal position-momentum correlations achievable at fixed energy, revealing structural insights about the corresponding optimal states. Finally, we illustrate the operational relevance of symplectic coherence through several examples in quantum information tasks and quantum thermodynamics. In the process, we establish new technical results on matrix norms and quantum covariance matrices, and demonstrate the conceptual significance of viewing covariance matrices as density matrices of virtual quantum states.
Abstract Constructive techniques to establish state-independent uncertainty relations for the sum of variances of arbitrary two observables are presented. We investigate the range of simultaneously attainable pairs of variances, which can be applied to a wide variety of problems including finding exact bound for the sum of variances of two components of angular momentum operator for any total angular momentum quantum number j and detection of quantum entanglement. Resulting uncertainty relations are state-independent, semianalytical, bounded-error and can be made arbitrarily tight. The advocated approach, based on the notion of joint numerical range of a number of observables and uncertainty range, allows us to improve earlier numerical works and to derive semianalytical tight bounds for the uncertainty relation for the sum of variances expressed as roots of a polynomial of a single real variable.
Viewing frames of reference as physical systems, subject to the same laws as the systems they describe, is central to the relational approach in physics. Under the assumption that quantum mechanics universally governs all physical entities, this perspective naturally leads to the concept of quantum reference frames (QRFs). We investigate the perspective-dependence of position and momentum uncertainties, correlations, covariance matrices, and entanglement within the QRF formalism. We show that the Robertson-Schrödinger uncertainty relations are frame-dependent, and so are correlations and variances, which satisfy various constraints described as inequalities. However, the determinant of the total covariance matrix, linked to the uncertainty volume in phase space, as well as variance-based entanglement criteria, remains invariant under changes of reference frame. Under specific conditions, the purities of subsystems are also invariant for different QRFs, but in general, they are perspective-dependent. These invariants suggest fundamental, robust measures of uncertainty and entanglement that persist despite changes in observational perspective, potentially inspiring dedicated quantum information protocols as well as further foundational studies.