A continuum of coupled oscillators is considered, described by a continuous tensor product of Hilbert spaces. The mode position Ux and the mode momentum Up are operators which act collectively on all oscillators. They obey equations of motion which are very similar to those of a harmonic oscillator. Q‐functionals are used to introduce entropic quantities that describe correlations among the oscillators. If the system is in an entangled state, the formalism can be used to quantify concepts like the location of entanglement; and the speed with which the entanglement propagates.
A continuum of coupled oscillators is considered, described by a continuous tensor product of Hilbert spaces. The mode position Ux and the mode momentum Up are operators which act collectively on all oscillators. They obey equations of motion which are very similar to those of a harmonic oscillator. Q‐functionals are used to introduce entropic quantities that describe correlations among the oscillators. If the system is in an entangled state, the formalism can be used to quantify concepts like the location of entanglement; and the speed with which the entanglement propagates.
The exponential Hilbert space approach is used to link quantum mechanics in a small system with d -dimensional Hilbert space , with the collective quantum behaviour in a large system comprised of d coupled oscillators with Hilbert space H . In the large system, the expectation value of the mode position operator describes the location of a quantum state within the chain of d oscillators, and the expectation value of the mode momentum operator describes the change of the mode position with time. A continuum of modes ( d → ∞ ) is also considered and in this case these operators obey the commutation relation . A consequence of this is that uncertainties in the location of a state and in its momentum obey an uncertainty relation. Displacements and squeezing in the mode phase space are discussed. For a certain Hamiltonian, the obey equations of motion which are very similar to those of a harmonic oscillator. If the system is in an entangled state, the formalism can be used to quantify concepts like the location of entanglement, and the speed with which the entanglement propagates.
Quantum computing is fundamentally based on the mathematical structure of complex Hilbert spaces, linear operators, tensor products, and unitary transformations. Among these concepts, tensor products provide the formal mechanism for constructing the state space of composite quantum systems, whereas linear and unitary operators describe quantum transformations, measurements, and computational gates. This article examines the mathematical relationship between linear operators and tensor products and analyzes their role in the formation, manipulation, and characterization of quantum entanglement. Particular attention is given to two-qubit systems, separable and entangled states, Schmidt decomposition, controlled operations, and the role of non-factorizable operators in quantum circuits. The analysis demonstrates that tensor products perform a dual function: they provide the mathematical representation of composite systems and enable the construction of local operations acting on individual subsystems. At the same time, genuinely entangling transformations, such as the controlled-NOT operation, cannot in general be represented as a single tensor product of independent local operators. Recent research further demonstrates that tensor-product and operator-Schmidt decompositions can be used to characterize operator entanglement, reduce circuit complexity, and construct efficient representations of quantum processes. The results establish that linear algebra and tensor-product structures are not merely formal tools but constitute the mathematical foundation connecting quantum entanglement with quantum computation.
Abstract Quantum Mechanics and classical optics feature similar phenomena such as superposition, interference and even entanglement. Hence, techniques from optics can be used in quantum mechanics and vice versa. In this article I address the question: What can we learn from formulating optics in the language of quantum mechanics? It is argued that the solutions of the wave equations for the electromagnetic field form a tensor product of Hilbert spaces corresponding to the degrees of freedom of classical light. Therefore, it comprises non-separable solutions reminiscent of entanglement. Moreover, the two spatial degrees of freedom each carry non-commuting position and momentum variables forming a Heisenberg algebra like quantum particles moving in a two dimensional space. An analogy between the dynamics of a quantum harmonic oscillator and paraxial light propagating through a converging lens is drawn. This article presents a modern formulation of optics in the language of state vectors and operators (based on Dirac’s notation) along the lines of an earlier contribution [1], specifying and explaining its results.
We apply the continuous variable approach to study entangled dynamics of coupled harmonic oscillators interacting with a thermal reservoir and to a deterministic creation of entanglement in an atomic ensemble located inside a high-Q ring cavity. In the case of harmonic oscillators, we show that a suitable unitary transformation of the position and momentum operators transforms the system to a set of independent harmonic oscillators with only one of them coupled to the reservoir. Working in the Wigner representation of the density operator, we find that the covariance matrix has a block diagonal form of smaller size matrices. This simple property allows to treat the problem to some extend analytically. We analyze the time evolution of an initial entanglement and find that the entanglement can persists for long times due to presence of constants of motion for the covariance matrix elements. In the case of an atomic ensemble located inside the cavity, the attention is focused on creation of one and two-mode continuous variable entangled states from the vacuum by applying laser pulses of a suitably adjusted amplitudes and phases. The pulses together with the cavity dissipation prepare the collective modes of the atomic ensemble in a desired entangled state.
Abstract Continuous frames and tensor products are important topics in theoretical physics. This paper combines those concepts. We derive fundamental properties of continuous frames for tensor product of Hilbert spaces. This includes, for example, the consistency property, i.e. preservation of the frame property under the tensor product, and the description of the canonical dual tensors by those on the Hilbert space level. We show the full characterization of all dual systems for a given continuous frame, a result interesting by itself, and apply this to dual tensor frames. Furthermore, we discuss the existence on non-simple tensor product (dual) frames. Continuous frame multipliers and their Schatten class properties are considered in the context of tensor products. In particular, we give sufficient conditions for obtaining partial trace multipliers of the same form, which is illustrated with examples related to short-time Fourier transform and wavelet localization operators. As an application, we offer an interpretation of a class of tensor product continuous frame multipliers as density operators for bipartite quantum states, and show how their structure can be restricted to the corresponding partial traces.
Hilbert spaces provide the fundamental mathematical framework for describing quantum mechanical systems. Their structure, characterized by an inner product and completeness, allows for the representation of quantum states as vectors and physical observables as self-adjoint operators. Key quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement find natural expression within this formalism. Superposition, where a quantum system can exist in multiple states simultaneously, is represented by linear combinations of basis vectors in the Hilbert space. Entanglement, a non-classical correlation between quantum systems, is described by non-separable state vectors in a tensor product of Hilbert spaces. These concepts are pivotal in quantum computing, where the unit of information, the qubit, is a two-level quantum system whose state is a vector in a two-dimensional complex Hilbert space (ℂ²). Quantum gates, which perform operations on qubits, are represented by unitary operators acting on these state vectors. The power of quantum computation, particularly in algorithms like Shor's or Grover's, stems from the ability to exploit superposition and entanglement, processes intrinsically described within the Hilbert space framework. Thus, a thorough understanding of Hilbert spaces is indispensable for grasping the principles of quantum mechanics and for advancing the field of quantum information and computation [1, 7]. The transition from classical bits to quantum qubits, and from classical logic gates to quantum unitary operations, is entirely predicated on the mathematical properties endowed by Hilbert spaces.