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Results in Physics

Optimal Superposition Enhancement of a Mixed State by Stochastic Diagonal Superposition-Free Operations

Hai‐Bo Xing

Published Jan 1, 2022• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

The resource theory of superposition is a generalization of coherence theory. A rigorous framework for quantifying superposition of linear independent states has been given by previous studies. In this paper, the optimal superposition enhancement of a mixed state is studied. Based on the $l_{1}$ measure of superposition the optimal superposition enhancement value of a mixed state can be obtained under the stochastic diagonal superposition-free operations(or incomplete diagonal superposition-free operations). In addition, the optimal probability corresponding to the optimal superposition enhancement value of a mixed state is also discussed. The results show that although the superposition-free operations can decrease the superposition of a state, the superposition enhancement of a state is possible, a single mixed state can be probabilistically transformed into another state with higher superposition than before by superposition-free operations. These studies will give us a better understanding of the superposition manipulation and the resource theory of superposition.

DOI
10.1016/j.rinp.2022.106087

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The resource theory of superposition is a generalization of coherence theory. A rigorous framework for quantifying superposition of linear independent states has been given by previous studies. In this paper, the optimal superposition enhancement of a mixed state is studied. Based on the l1l_{1}l1​ measure of superposition the optimal superposition enhancement value of a mixed state can be obtained under the stochastic diagonal superposition-free operations(or incomplete diagonal superposition-free operations). In addition, the optimal probability corresponding to the optimal superposition enhancement value of a mixed state is also discussed. The results show that although the superposition-free operations can decrease the superposition of a state, the superposition enhancement of a state is possible, a single mixed state can be probabilistically transformed into another state with higher superposition than before by superposition-free operations. These studies will give us a better understanding of the superposition manipulation and the resource theory of superposition.
Abstract The resource theory of coherence studies the operational value of superpositions in quantum technologies. A key question in this theory concerns the efficiency of manipulation and interconversion of the resource. Here, we solve this question completely for qubit states by determining the optimal probabilities for mixed-state conversions via stochastic incoherent operations. Extending the discussion to distributed scenarios, we introduce and address the task of assisted incoherent state conversion, where the process is enhanced by making use of correlations with a second party. Building on these results, we demonstrate experimentally that the optimal state-conversion probabilities can be achieved in a linear optics setup. This paves the way towards real world applications of coherence transformations in current quantum technologies.
The resource theory of coherence studies the operational value of superpositions in quantum technologies. A key question in this theory concerns the efficiency of manipulation and interconversion of this resource. Here we solve this question completely for mixed states of qubits by determining the optimal probabilities for mixed state conversions via stochastic incoherent operations. This implies new lower bounds on the asymptotic state conversion rate between mixed single-qubit states which in some cases is proven to be tight. Furthermore, we obtain the minimal distillable coherence for given coherence cost among all single-qubit states, which sheds new light on the irreversibility of coherence theory.
The superposition principle lies at the heart of many nonclassical properties of quantum mechanics. Motivated by this, we introduce a rigorous resource theory framework for the quantification of superposition of a finite number of linear independent states. This theory is a generalization of resource theories of coherence. We determine the general structure of operations which do not create superposition, find a fundamental connection to unambiguous state discrimination, and propose several quantitative superposition measures. Using this theory, we show that trace decreasing operations can be completed for free which, when specialized to the theory of coherence, resolves an outstanding open question and is used to address the free probabilistic transformation between pure states. Finally, we prove that linearly independent superposition is a necessary and sufficient condition for the faithful creation of entanglement in discrete settings, establishing a strong structural connection between our theory of superposition and entanglement theory.
Any quantum resource theory is based on free states and free operations, i.e., states and operations which can be created and performed at no cost. In the resource theory of coherence free states are diagonal in some fixed basis, and free operations are those which cannot create coherence for some particular experimental realization. Recently, some problems of this approach have been discussed, and new sets of operations have been proposed to resolve these problems. As an example for such a problem, a quantum operation can be incoherent in one particular experimental realization, but it still can create large amount of coherence in another. This problem is resolved by the framework of genuine quantum coherence. Here, we investigate this concept further and study other more general sets of operations which cannot create coherence in any experimental realization. We analyze in detail the mathematical structure of this class of maps and use this to study possible state transformations under these operations. We show that deterministic manipulation is severely limited, even in the asymptotic settings. In particular, this framework does not have a unique golden unit, i.e., there is no single state from which all other states can be created deterministically with the free operations. On the other hand, we show that these theories allow for a richer structure in what comes to stochastic manipulation of states. In particular, we determine the optimal probability of conversion among pure states with genuinely incoherent operations. Still, the aforementioned limitations suggest that any reasonably powerful resource theory of coherence must contain free operations which can potentially create coherence in some experimental realization.
An important problem in the coherent resource theory is the convertibility of coherent states by free operations. In this paper we consider such a problem from a mixed coherent state into a pure one by using both stochastic incoherent operations and incoherent operations. We prove that stochastic incoherent operations can transform a mixed coherent state into a pure coherent state if and only if the density matrix of the initial state contains a singular principal submatrix. Then we provide two sufficient conditions with explicit expressions for the probabilistic transformation and the deterministic transformation. These two sufficient conditions facilitate the construction of concrete operators of stochastic incoherent operations and incoherent operations. These results demonstrate that incoherent operations are strictly more powerful than strictly incoherent operations within the probabilistic transformation as well as the deterministic transformation.
Quantum state transformation under free operations plays a central role in the resource theory of coherence. In this paper, we investigate the transformation from a mixed coherent state into a pure one by using both incoherent operations and stochastic incoherent operations. We show that contrary to the strictly incoherent operations and the stochastic strictly incoherent operations, both the incoherent operations and the stochastic incoherent operations can increase the dimension of the maximal pure coherent subspace of a state. This means that the incoherent operations are generally stronger than the strictly incoherent operations when we want to transform a mixed coherent state into a pure coherent one. Our findings can also be interpreted as confirming the ability of incoherent operations to enhance the coherence of mixed states relative to certain coherence monotones under strictly incoherent operations.