We investigate the relationship between mixedness and entanglement for Gaussian states of continuous variable systems. We introduce generalized entropies based on Schatten
p norms to quantify the mixedness of a state and derive their explicit expressions in terms of symplectic spectra. We compare the hierarchies of mixedness provided by such measures with the one provided by the purity (defined as $\mathrm{tr}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\ensuremath{\varrho}}^{2}$ for the state $\ensuremath{\varrho}$) for generic
n-mode states. We then review the analysis proving the existence of both maximally and minimally entangled states at given global and marginal purities, with the entanglement quantified by the logarithmic negativity. Based on these results, we extend such an analysis to generalized entropies, introducing and fully characterizing maximally and minimally entangled states for given global and local generalized entropies. We compare the different roles played by the purity and by the generalized
p entropies in quantifying the entanglement and the mixedness of continuous variable systems. We introduce the concept of average logarithmic negativity, showing that it allows a reliable quantitative estimate of continuous variable entanglement by direct measurements of global and marginal generalized
p entropies.
In the framework of the theory of open systems based on completely positive quantum dynamical semigroups, we give a description of the dynamics of entanglement for a system consisting of two uncoupled modes interacting with a thermal environment. Using Peres-Simon necessary and sufficient criterion of separability for two-mode Gaussian states, we describe the evolution of entanglement in terms of the covariance matrix for a Gaussian input state. We determine the asymptotic Gaussian maximally entangled mixed states (GMEMS) and their corresponding asymptotic maximal logarithmic negativity, which characterizes the degree of entanglement. Using the symplectic eigenvalues of the asymptotic covariance matrix, the expressions of von Neumann entropy and mutual information of asymptotic GMEMS are obtained.
Abstract. Quantum entanglement of pure states of a bipartite system is defined as the amount of local or marginal (i.e. referring to the subsystems) entropy. For mixed states this identification vanishes, since the global loss of information about the state makes it impossible to distinguish between quantum and classical correlations. Here we show how the joint knowledge of the global and marginal degrees of information of a quantum state, quantified by the purities or in general by information entropies, provides an accurate characterization of its entanglement. In particular, for Gaussian states of continuous variable systems, we classify the entanglement of two–mode states according to their degree of total and partial mixedness, comparing the different roles played by the purity and the generalized p−entropies in quantifying the mixedness and bounding the entanglement. We prove the existence of strict upper and lower bounds on the entanglement and the existence of extremally (maximally and minimally) entangled states at fixed global and marginal degrees of information. This results allow for a powerful, operative method to measure mixedstate entanglement without the full tomographic reconstruction of the state. Finally, we briefly discuss the ongoing extension of our analysis to the quantification of multipartite entanglement in highly symmetric Gaussian states of arbitrary 1 × N-mode partitions. 1.