The fundamental concepts and operations of quantum information theory are considered in the framework of a phase space formulation of quantum mechanics, where the states of one or several qubits are represented by a specific continuous quasiprobability distribution function on the Bloch sphere or on its generalizations. The function we use is the spherical Wigner function. It is shown that the usual transformations of quantum information theory are certain rotations or more general transformations of this Wigner function. We show that the standard teleportation and dense coding protocols can be appropriately formulated in terms of the Wigner function.The fundamental concepts and operations of quantum information theory are considered in the framework of a phase space formulation of quantum mechanics, where the states of one or several qubits are represented by a specific continuous quasiprobability distribution function on the Bloch sphere or on its generalizations. The function we use is the spherical Wigner function. It is shown that the usual transformations of quantum information theory are certain rotations or more general transformations of this Wigner function. We show that the standard teleportation and dense coding protocols can be appropriately formulated in terms of the Wigner function.

International Journal of Quantum InformationSep 1, 20051 citation

Using an SU(3)/U(2) Wigner Function to Represent Noisy Spin Ensembles

Andrew Kolmer Forbes

The SU(2) Wigner function represents a quantum state of a spin- $J$ as a real-valued function on the surface of a 2-sphere. For an ensemble of $N$ spin-1/2 particles, this representation is useful when the dynamics is restricted to a single SU(2) irrep, e.g., the symmetric subspace with $J=N/2$ . Physically relevant noise sources tend to be local, such as spontaneous emission, depolarizing, and incoherent optical pumping, all of which transfer the state outside of the initial irrep, and as such the SU(2) Wigner function is no longer a useful representation. In this work, we address this issue by encoding a noisy spin ensemble in an SU(3) irrep, and evaluating the SU(3) Wigner function for that irrep. We find that physical constraints enforced by the noise eliminate all but three real parameters from the input to the Wigner function, which can then be interpreted as a polar, azimuthal, and radial component. This interpretation leads us to refer to the resulting Wigner function as the solid spin Wigner function, visualized on a solid ball rather than a hollow sphere.The SU(2) Wigner function represents a quantum state of a spin-$J$ as a real-valued function on the surface of a 2-sphere. For an ensemble of $N$ spin-1/2 particles, this representation is useful when the dynamics is restricted to a single SU(2) irrep, e.g., the symmetric subspace with $J=N/2$. Physically relevant noise sources tend to be local, such as spontaneous emission, depolarizing, and incoherent optical pumping, all of which transfer the state outside of the initial irrep, and as such the SU(2) Wigner function is no longer a useful representation. In this work, we address this issue by encoding a noisy spin ensemble in an SU(3) irrep, and evaluating the SU(3) Wigner function for that irrep. We find that physical constraints enforced by the noise eliminate all but three real parameters from the input to the Wigner function, which can then be interpreted as a polar, azimuthal, and radial component. This interpretation leads us to refer to the resulting Wigner function as the solid spin Wigner function, visualized on a solid ball rather than a hollow sphere.

quant-pharXiv:2603.15387Mar 17, 20260 citations

The SU(2) Wigner function represents a quantum state of a spin-

J

as a real-valued function on the surface of a 2-sphere. For an ensemble of

N

spin-1/2 particles, this representation is useful when the dynamics is restricted to a single SU(2) irrep, e.g., the symmetric subspace with

J=N/2

. Physically relevant noise sources tend to be local, such as spontaneous emission, depolarizing, and incoherent optical pumping, all of which transfer the state outside of the initial irrep, and as such the SU(2) Wigner function is no longer a useful representation. In this work, we address this issue by encoding a noisy spin ensemble in an SU(3) irrep, and evaluating the SU(3) Wigner function for that irrep. We find that physical constraints enforced by the noise eliminate all but three real parameters from the input to the Wigner function, which can then be interpreted as a polar, azimuthal, and radial component. This interpretation leads us to refer to the resulting Wigner function as the solid spin Wigner function, visualized on a solid ball rather than a hollow sphere.