Some Properties of Generalized Quantum Operations

Akira Matsumura

We explore a general feature of the interaction mediated by the gravitational fields of spatially superposed masses. For this purpose, based on quantum information theory, we characterize the evolution of two particles each in a superposition state of paths. The evolution is assumed to be given by a completely positive trace-preserving (CPTP) map. We further assume that the probability of a particle being on each path is unchanged during the evolution. This property is called population preserving. We examine when a population-preserving CPTP map can create entanglement in terms of separable operations, which form a large class of local operations and classical communication (LOCC). In general, entanglement is not always generated by inseparable or non-LOCC operations, and one can consider a model of gravity described by an inseparable operation which does not create entanglement. However, we find that a population-preserving CPTP map is inseparable if and only if it can create entanglement. This means that the above model of gravity is incompatible with the possible evolution of spatially superposed masses.

Shen Jun, Wu Junde

Kejia Zhang, Ping Zhu, Fei Gao +3 more

The discrimination of quantum operations plays a key role in quantum information and computation. Unlike discriminating quantum states, it has some special properties which can be carried out in practice. In this paper, we provide a general description of discriminating quantum operations. Concretely speaking, we describe the distinguishability between quantum operations using a measure called operator fidelity. It is shown that, employing the theory of operator fidelity, we can not only verify some previous results to discriminate unitary operations, but also exhibit a more general discrimination condition. We further apply our results to analysing the security of some quantum cryptographic protocols and discuss the realization of our method using well-developed quantum algorithms.

Bartosz Grygielski, Jakub Mielczarek

Spin networks in Loop Quantum Gravity are traditionally described by unitary holonomies corresponding to noiseless transformations. In this work, we extend this framework to incorporate general quantum channels that model effects of environment, which can become significant at the Planck scale. Specifically, we demonstrate that the transformation properties of Kraus operators, which define completely positive trace-preserving (CPTP) maps, are consistent with the gauge invariance of spin networks. This enables the introduction of generalized spin network states that can be expressed in terms of the Kraus operators. Furthermore, the associated notion of an inner product is proposed, allowing for introduction of the Hilbert space. We illustrate these constructions with examples involving a Wilson loop and a dipole network.

Xiu-Hong Sun, Yuan Li

Stanley Gudder