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On the necessary and sufficient conditions for separability of quantum mixed states

Michał Horodecki, Ryszard Horodecki, Paweł Horodecki

Published May 28, 1996• 6 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A state acting on Hilbert space {\\cal H}_1\\otimes{\\cal H}_2 is called separable if it can be approximated in trace norm by convex combinations of product states. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for separability of mixed states in terms of functionals and positive maps. As a result we obtain a complete characterization of separable states for 2\\times2 and 2\\times3 systems. Here, the positivity of the partial transposition of a state is necessary and sufficient for its separability.

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A state acting on Hilbert space {\cal H}_1\otimes{\cal H}_2 is called separable if it can be approximated in trace norm by convex combinations of product states. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for separability of mixed states in terms of functionals and positive maps. As a result we obtain a complete characterization of separable states for 2\times2 and 2\times3 systems. Here, the positivity of the partial transposition of a state is necessary and sufficient for its separability.
Recently, a new and powerful separability criterion was introduced in [O. Rudolph, quant-ph/0202121] and [Chen {\it et al.}, quant-ph/0205017]. Composing the main idea behind the above criterion and the necessary and sufficient condition in terms of positive maps, we provide a characterization of separable states by means of linear contractions. The latter need not be positive maps. We extend the idea to multipartite systems, and find that, somewhat suprisingly, partial realigment (unlike partial transposition) can detect genuinely triparite entanglement. We also show that for multipartite system any permutation of indices of density matrix leads to separability criterion.
We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for separability of mixed states of n-particle systems. The conditions are formulated in terms of maps which are positive on product states of n−1n-1n−1 particles. The method of providing of the maps on the basis of unextendable product bases is provided. The three qubit state problem is reformulated in the form suggesting possibility of explicite characterisation of all maps needed for separability condition.
Recently, a powerful separability criterion was introduced by O. Rudolf in [5] and by K. Chen et al. in [6] — basing on realignment of elements of density matrix. Composing the main idea behind the above criterion and the necessary and sufficient condition in terms of positive maps, we provide a characterization of separable states by means of linear contractions. The latter need not be positive maps. We extend the idea to multipartite systems, and find that, somewhat suprisingly, partial realigment (unlike partial transposition) can detect genuinely tri-parite entanglement. We generalize it by introducing a family of so called permutation separability criteria for multipartite states. Namely, any permutation of indices of density matrix written in product basis leads to a separability criterion. Partial transpose and realignment criterion are special cases of permutation criteria.