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Four-dimensional Bloch sphere representation of qutrits using Heisenberg-Weyl Operators

Gautam Sharma, Sibasish Ghosh A

Published Jan 16, 2021• 1 citation
OpenAlex

Abstract

In the Bloch sphere based representation of qudits with dimensions greater than two, the Heisenberg-Weyl operator basis is not preferred because of presence of complex Bloch vector components. We try to address this issue and parametrize a qutrit using the Heisenberg-Weyl operators by identifying eight real parameters and separate them as four weight and four angular parameters each. The four weight parameters correspond to the weights in front of the four mutually unbiased bases sets formed by the eigenbases of Heisenberg-Weyl observables and they form a four-dimensional unit radius Bloch hypersphere. Inside the four-dimensional hypersphere all points do not correspond to a physical qutrit state but still it has several other features which indicate that it is a natural extension of the qubit Bloch sphere. We study the purity, rank of three level systems, orthogonality and mutual unbiasedness conditions and the distance between two qutrit states inside the hypersphere. We also analyze the two and three-dimensional sections centered at the origin which gives a close structure for physical qutrit states inside the hypersphere. Significantly, we have applied our representation to find mutually unbiased bases(MUBs) and to characterize the unital maps in three dimensions. It should also be possible to extend this idea in higher dimensions.

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Abstract We study an analogous Bloch sphere representation of higher-level quantum systems using the Heisenberg-Weyl operator basis. We introduce a parametrization method that will allow us to identify a real-valued Bloch vector for an arbitrary density operator. Before going into arbitrary d-level (d ≥ 3) quantum systems (qudits), we start our analysis with three-level ones (qutrits). It is well known that we need at least eight real parameters in the Bloch vector to describe arbitrary three-level quantum systems (qutrits). However, using our method we can divide these parameters into four weight, and four angular parameters, and find that the weight parameters are inducing a unit sphere in four-dimension. And, the four angular parameters determine whether a Bloch vector is physical. Therefore, unlike its qubit counterpart, the qutrit Bloch sphere does not exhibit a solid structure. Importantly, this construction allows us to define different properties of qutrits in terms of Bloch vector components. We also examine the two and three-dimensional sections of the sphere, which reveal a non-convex yet closed structure for physical qutrit states. Further, we apply our representation to derive mutually unbiased bases (MUBs), characterize unital maps for qutrits, and assess ensembles using the Hilbert-Schmidt and Bures metrics. Moreover, we extend this construction to qudits, showcasing its potential applicability beyond the qutrit scenario.

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The shape of higher-dimensional state space: Bloch-ball analog for a qutrit

Christopher Eltschka, Marcus Huber, Simon Morelli +1 more

Geometric intuition is a crucial tool to obtain deeper insight into many concepts of physics. A paradigmatic example of its power is the Bloch ball, the geometrical representation for the state space of the simplest possible quantum system, a two-level system (or qubit). However, already for a three-level system (qutrit) the state space has eight dimensions, so that its complexity exceeds the grasp of our three-dimensional space of experience. This is unfortunate, given that the geometric object describing the state space of a qutrit has a much richer structure and is in many ways more representative for a general quantum system than a qubit. In this work we demonstrate that, based on the Bloch representation of quantum states, it is possible to construct a three dimensional model for the qutrit state space that captures most of the essential geometric features of the latter. Besides being of indisputable theoretical value, this opens the door to a new type of representation, thus extending our geometric intuition beyond the simplest quantum systems.

•Jan 1, 2021•51 citations
In the Bloch sphere based representation of qudits with dimensions greater than two, the Heisenberg-Weyl operator basis is not preferred because of presence of complex Bloch vector components. We try to address this issue and parametrize a qutrit using the Heisenberg-Weyl operators by identifying eight real parameters and separate them as four weight and four angular parameters each. The four weight parameters correspond to the weights in front of the four mutually unbiased bases sets formed by the eigenbases of Heisenberg-Weyl observables and they form a four-dimensional unit radius Bloch hypersphere. Inside the four-dimensional hypersphere all points do not correspond to a physical qutrit state but still it has several other features which indicate that it is a natural extension of the qubit Bloch sphere. We study the purity, rank of three level systems, orthogonality and mutual unbiasedness conditions and the distance between two qutrit states inside the hypersphere. We also analyze the two and three-dimensional sections centered at the origin which gives a close structure for physical qutrit states inside the hypersphere. Significantly, we have applied our representation to find mutually unbiased bases(MUBs) and to characterize the unital maps in three dimensions. It should also be possible to extend this idea in higher dimensions.
Abstract We study an analogous Bloch sphere representation of higher-level quantum systems using the Heisenberg-Weyl operator basis. We introduce a parametrization method that will allow us to identify a real-valued Bloch vector for an arbitrary density operator. Before going into arbitrary d-level (d ≥ 3) quantum systems (qudits), we start our analysis with three-level ones (qutrits). It is well known that we need at least eight real parameters in the Bloch vector to describe arbitrary three-level quantum systems (qutrits). However, using our method we can divide these parameters into four weight, and four angular parameters, and find that the weight parameters are inducing a unit sphere in four-dimension. And, the four angular parameters determine whether a Bloch vector is physical. Therefore, unlike its qubit counterpart, the qutrit Bloch sphere does not exhibit a solid structure. Importantly, this construction allows us to define different properties of qutrits in terms of Bloch vector components. We also examine the two and three-dimensional sections of the sphere, which reveal a non-convex yet closed structure for physical qutrit states. Further, we apply our representation to derive mutually unbiased bases (MUBs), characterize unital maps for qutrits, and assess ensembles using the Hilbert-Schmidt and Bures metrics. Moreover, we extend this construction to qudits, showcasing its potential applicability beyond the qutrit scenario.
In this research the aim is to analyze quantum qutrit entanglements in a new perspective in terms of the reflection of n-dimensional sphere which can be depicted as the set of points equidistant from a fixed central point in three dimensional Euclidian Space which has also real and imaginary dimensions, that can also be depicted similarly as a two unit spheres having same centre in a dome-shaped projection. In order to analyze quantum qutrit entanglements: i- a new type of n dimensional hyper-sphere which is the extend version of Bloch Sphere to hyper-space, is defined ii- new operators and products such as rotation operator, combining and gluing products in this space are defined, iii-the entangled states are analyzed in terms of those products in order to reach a general formula to depict qutrit entanglements and some new patterns between spheres for the analysis of entanglement for different routes in a more simple way in a four dimensional time independent hypersphere.
Geometric intuition is a crucial tool to obtain deeper insight into many concepts of physics. A paradigmatic example of its power is the Bloch ball, the geometrical representation for the state space of the simplest possible quantum system, a two-level system (or qubit). However, already for a three-level system (qutrit) the state space has eight dimensions, so that its complexity exceeds the grasp of our three-dimensional space of experience. This is unfortunate, given that the geometric object describing the state space of a qutrit has a much richer structure and is in many ways more representative for a general quantum system than a qubit. In this work we demonstrate that, based on the Bloch representation of quantum states, it is possible to construct a three dimensional model for the qutrit state space that captures most of the essential geometric features of the latter. Besides being of indisputable theoretical value, this opens the door to a new type of representation, thus extending our geometric intuition beyond the simplest quantum systems.
We present a surprisingly simple three-dimensional Bloch sphere representation of a qutrit, i.e., a single three-level quantum system. We start with a symmetric state of a two-qubit system and relate it to the spin-1 representation. Using this representation we associate each qutrit state with a three-dimensional vector a\mathbf{a}a and a metric tensor $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}$ which satisfy $\mathbf{a}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathbf{a}\ensuremath{\le}1$. This resembles the well known condition for qubit Bloch vectors in which case $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}=\mathbb{1}$. In our case the vector a\mathbf{a}a corresponds to spin-1 polarization, whereas the tensor $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}$ is a function of polarization uncertainties. Alternatively, a\mathbf{a}a is a local Bloch vector of a symmetric two-qubit state and $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}$ is a function of the corresponding correlation tensor.
Abstract The geometry of the generalized Bloch sphere Ω 3 , the state space of a qutrit, is studied. Closed form expressions for Ω 3 , its boundary ∂Ω 3 , and the set of extremals are obtained by use of an elementary observation. These expressions and analytic methods are used to classify the 28 two-sections and the 56 three-sections of Ω 3 into unitary equivalence classes, completing the works of earlier authors. It is shown, in particular, that there are families of two-sections and of three-sections which are equivalent geometrically but not unitarily, a feature that does not appear to have been appreciated earlier. A family of three-sections of obese-tetrahedral shape whose symmetry corresponds to the 24-element tetrahedral point group T d is examined in detail. This symmetry is traced to the natural reduction of the adjoint representation of SU (3), the symmetry underlying Ω 3 , into direct sum of the two-dimensional and the two (inequivalent) three-dimensional irreducible representations of T d .
Geometric intuition is a crucial tool to obtain deeper insight into many concepts of physics. A paradigmatic example of its power is the Bloch ball, the geometrical representation for the state space of the simplest possible quantum system, a two-level system (or qubit). However, already for a three-level system (qutrit) the state space has eight dimensions, so that its complexity exceeds the grasp of our three-dimensional space of experience. This is unfortunate, given that the geometric object describing the state space of a qutrit has a much richer structure and is in many ways more representative for a general quantum system than a qubit. In this work we demonstrate that, based on the Bloch representation of quantum states, it is possible to construct a three dimensional model for the qutrit state space that captures most of the essential geometric features of the latter. Besides being of indisputable theoretical value, this opens the door to a new type of representation, thus extending our geometric intuition beyond the simplest quantum systems.