Geometrical concepts in quantum mechanics, such as the Berry phase or quantum metric, have been studied extensively in the case of pure quantum states, but their generalisation to density operators is still undergoing active research. It has become clear that more than one valid approach exists and different definitions of the quantum geometric tensor (QGT) may give inequivalent results. In this report, we cover some of the foundations of quantum geometry for pure states, motivate the need for mixed-state generalisations, and examine some approaches in that direction. The final section analyses more closely a recent proposal, deemed the “Sjöqvist QGT” and argues that its imaginary part does not produce a generalisation of the Berry curvature.
The quantum geometric tensor (QGT) reveals local geometric properties and associated topological information of quantum states. Here a generalization of the QGT to mixed quantum states at finite temperatures based on the Sj\"oqvist distance is developed. The resulting Sj\"oqvist QGT is invariant under gauge transformations of individual spectrum levels of the density matrix. A Pythagorean-like relation connects the distances and gauge transformations, which clarifies the role of the parallel-transport condition. The real part of the QGT naturally decomposes into a sum of the Fisher-Rao metric and Fubini-Study metric, allowing a distinction between different contributions to the quantum distance. The imaginary part of the QGT is proportional to a weighted summation of the Berry curvatures, which leads to a geometric phase for mixed states under certain conditions. We present three examples of different dimensions to illustrate the temperature dependence of the QGT and a discussion on possible implications.
For full-rank density matrices the state space is contractible, the Uhlmann bundle is topologically trivial, and the holonomy admits no quantized invariants; although the Uhlmann phase is genuinely geometric, this topological poverty has kept it from serving as a robust physical diagnostic of mixed-state matter. Mixed states of fixed rank below the Hilbert-space dimension, however, are ubiquitous: reduced states of constrained subsystems, states confined to invariant sectors, and states supported on decoherence-free subspaces can have a support smaller than the Hilbert space, a support that can vary with parameters. Their geometry is far richer: the support carries genuine curvature, non-Abelian holonomy, and Chern topology. We formulate Uhlmann's theory directly on the manifold of rank-
k density matrices: minimal purifications make the fixed-rank stratum the base of a principal
U(k)-bundle whose Uhlmann connection is uniquely determined by a Sylvester equation, and in an eigenframe this connection takes a closed form reducing to the Berry, Wilczek--Zee, and faithful Uhlmann connections at
k=1, at equal weights, and at
k=N. The fixed-rank bundle inherits the topology of the Grassmannian, and non-factorizable higher Chern topology requires failure of the global eigenline splitting, which in the present spectral setting requires degeneracy, minimally realized by a rank-2 Yang monopole whose quantized second Chern number links the geometry to the four-dimensional quantum Hall response. Solvable models, from a genuinely non-Abelian holonomy to a dissipatively driven orbit whose Uhlmann holonomy is steered by the reservoir through an elliptic-integral spectral dressing, illustrate the content: the supporting subspace carries the topology, the spectral weights shape the transport, and Uhlmann holonomy provides a direct geometric probe of the resulting mixed-state structures.
The complete quantum metric of a parametrized quantum system has a real part (usually known as the Provost-Vallee metric) and a symplectic imaginary part (known as the Berry curvature). In this paper, we first investigate the relation between the Riemann curvature tensor of the space described by the metric, and the Berry curvature, by explicit parallel transport of a vector in Hilbert space. Subsequently, we write a generating function from which the complex metric, as well as higher-order geometric tensors (affine connection, Riemann curvature tensor), can be obtained in terms of gauge-invariant cumulants. The generating function explicitly relates the quantities which characterize the geometry of the parameter space to quantum fluctuations. We also show that for a mixed quantum-classical system both real and imaginary parts of the quantum metric contribute to the dynamics, if the mass tensor is Hermitian. A many-operator generalization of the uncertainty principle results from taking the determinant of the complex quantum metric. We also calculate the quantum metric for a number of Lie group coherent states, including several representations of the
SU(1,1) group. In our examples nontrivial complex geometry results for generalized coherent states. A pair of oscillator states corresponding to the
SU(1,1) group gives a double series for its spectrum. The two minimal uncertainty coherent states show trivial geometry, but, again, for generalized coherent states nontrivial geometry results.
The geometric properties of quantum states are crucial for understanding many physical phenomena in quantum mechanics, condensed matter physics, and optics. The central object describing these properties is the quantum geometric tensor, which unifies the Berry curvature and the quantum metric. In this work, we use the differential-geometric framework of vector bundles to analyze the properties of parameter-dependent quantum states and generalize the quantum geometric tensor to this setting. This construction is based on a general connection on a Hermitian vector bundle, which defines a notion of quantum state transport in parameter space, and a sub-bundle projector, which constrains the set of accessible quantum states. We show that the sub-bundle geometry is similar to that of submanifolds in Riemannian geometry and is described by generalized Gauss-Codazzi-Mainardi equations. This leads to a novel definition of the quantum geometric tensor that contains an additional curvature contribution. To illustrate our results, we describe the sub-bundle geometry arising in the semiclassical treatment of Dirac fields propagating in curved spacetime and show how the quantum geometric tensor, with its additional curvature contributions, is obtained in this case. As a concrete example, we consider Dirac fermions confined to a hyperbolic plane and demonstrate how spatial curvature influences the quantum geometry. This work sets the stage for further exploration of quantum systems in curved geometries, with applications in both high-energy physics and condensed matter systems.
Abstract The quantum geometric tensor (QGT) is a fundamental quantity for characterizing the geometric properties of quantum states and plays an essential role in elucidating various physical phenomena. The traditional QGT, defined only for pure states, has limited applicability in realistic scenarios where mixed states are common. To address this limitation, we generalize the definition of the QGT to mixed states using the purification bundle and the covariant derivative. Notably, our proposed definition reduces to the traditional QGT when mixed states approach pure states. In our framework, the real and imaginary parts of this generalized QGT correspond to the Bures metric and the mean gauge curvature, respectively, endowing it with a broad range of potential applications. Additionally, using our proposed mixed-state QGT, we derive the geodesic equation applicable to mixed states. This work establishes a unified framework for the geometric analysis of both pure and mixed states, thereby deepening our understanding of the geometric properties of quantum states.