To derive an optimal quantum detection that minimizes the average probability of detection error is an important problem in quantum information theory. Especially, a study of mixed-state signals is important not only for reliable communications but also for secure communications. To date, the Square-Root Measurement (SRM) has been received much attention because it is the optimal or asymptotically-optimal detection for quantum state signals. The main purpose of this correspondence is to consider the Pseudo-Classicality of the SRM.
To derive an optimal quantum detection that minimizes the average probability of detection error is an important problem in quantum information theory. Especially, a study of mixed-state signals is important not only for reliable communications but also for secure communications. To date, the Square-Root Measurement (SRM) has been received much attention because it is the optimal or asymptotically-optimal detection for quantum state signals. The main purpose of this correspondence is to consider the Pseudo-Classicality of the SRM.
The optimum quantum measurements that minimize the error probability for mixed‐state signals are considered. The square‐root measurement (SRM) is known to be the optimal measurement for many pure‐state signals, e.g., symmetric states, linear codes, etc. However, when the states are mixed, the SRM is no longer guaranteed to be optimal even if the states are symmetric. Here, we define the ‘pure’ square‐root measurement (pure‐SRM) which is the SRM for pure states and its optimality for mixed states. It is shown that the pure‐SRM is satisfied the necessary and sufficient conditions of the quantum Bayes strategy when the signals are mixed by transmission errors, and therefore the pure‐SRM is the optimal measurement.
We consider the problem of constructing measurements optimized to distinguish between a collection of possibly nonorthogonal quantum states. We consider a collection of pure states and seek a positive operator-valued measure (POVM) consisting of rank-one operators with measurement vectors closest in squared norm to the given states. We compare our results to previous measurements suggested by Peres and Wootters (1991) and Hausladen et al. (1996), where we refer to the latter as the square-root measurement (SRM). We obtain a new characterization of the SRM, and prove that it is optimal in a least-squares sense. In addition, we show that for a geometrically uniform state set the SRM minimizes the probability of a detection error. This generalizes a similar result of Ban et al. (see Int. J. Theor. Phys., vol.36, p.1269-88, 1997).
Distinguishing assigned quantum states with assigned probabilities via quantum measurements is a crucial problem for the transmission of classical information through quantum channels. Measurement operators maximizing the probability of correct discrimination have been characterized by Helstrom, Holevo, and Yuen since the 1970s. On the other hand, closed-form solutions are available only for particular situations enjoying high degrees of symmetry. As a suboptimal solution to the problem, measurement operators, directly determined from states and probabilities and known as square-root measurements (SRMs), were introduced by Hausladen and Wootters. These operators were also recognized to be optimal for pure states equipped with geometrical uniform symmetry (GUS). In this paper we discuss the optimality of the SRM and find necessary and sufficient conditions in order that SRM maximize the correct decision probabilities for the set of states formed by several constellations of GUS states. The results are applied to some specific examples concerning double constellations of quantum phase-shift keying and pulse-position modulation states, with possible applications to practical systems of quantum communications.
The closed-form expression of the square- root measurement for the ternary coherent state signal {|0⟩, |�⟩, |−�⟩} is derived. Further, the optimal distribution of the ternary coherent state signal that makes the square- root measurement Bayes-optimal is also derived. From a numerical analysis, it is shown that the average probability of error obtained from the square-root measurement and the corresponding optimal distribution provides a good lower bound of the minimax value for the ternary coherent state signal.
In quantum discrimination, the value of the minimum error probability and the set of measurement operators which achieve this minimum are often difficult to derive. Here we present a comparison of the performance obtained by the optimal solution and by the available bounds, namely the square root measurement (SRM) and the Chernoff bound. Applied to some Gaussian states, namely to coherent states with thermal noise, it is shown that the SRM provides a much tighter bound with respect to the Chernoff bound, with a comparable numerical complexity.