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Investigating the Sjöqvist QGT for Mixed States

Dominik Kuczyński

Published Jan 1, 2026• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Geometrical concepts in quantum mechanics, such as the Berry phase or quantum metric, have been studied extensively in the case of pure quantum states, but their generalisation to density operators is still undergoing active research. It has become clear that more than one valid approach exists and different definitions of the quantum geometric tensor (QGT) may give inequivalent results. In this report, we cover some of the foundations of quantum geometry for pure states, motivate the need for mixed-state generalisations, and examine some approaches in that direction. The final section analyses more closely a recent proposal, deemed the “Sjöqvist QGT” and argues that its imaginary part does not produce a generalisation of the Berry curvature.

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Geometrical concepts in quantum mechanics, such as the Berry phase or quantum metric, have been studied extensively in the case of pure quantum states, but their generalisation to density operators is still undergoing active research. It has become clear that more than one valid approach exists and different definitions of the quantum geometric tensor (QGT) may give inequivalent results. In this report, we cover some of the foundations of quantum geometry for pure states, motivate the need for mixed-state generalisations, and examine some approaches in that direction. The final section analyses more closely a recent proposal, deemed the “Sjöqvist QGT” and argues that its imaginary part does not produce a generalisation of the Berry curvature.
The quantum geometric tensor (QGT) reveals local geometric properties and associated topological information of quantum states. Here a generalization of the QGT to mixed quantum states at finite temperatures based on the Sj\"oqvist distance is developed. The resulting Sj\"oqvist QGT is invariant under gauge transformations of individual spectrum levels of the density matrix. A Pythagorean-like relation connects the distances and gauge transformations, which clarifies the role of the parallel-transport condition. The real part of the QGT naturally decomposes into a sum of the Fisher-Rao metric and Fubini-Study metric, allowing a distinction between different contributions to the quantum distance. The imaginary part of the QGT is proportional to a weighted summation of the Berry curvatures, which leads to a geometric phase for mixed states under certain conditions. We present three examples of different dimensions to illustrate the temperature dependence of the QGT and a discussion on possible implications.
We examine the geometric interpretation of the quantum geometric tensor proposed in [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 110}, 035404 (2024)] for mixed quantum states, focusing on its imaginary part, which is proportional to a weighted sum of the Berry curvatures of the eigenstates of the density operator. While the real part naturally decomposes into Fisher--Rao and weighted Fubini--Study contributions, we show that the imaginary part does not, in general, coincide with the curvature of a connection on a globally defined U(1) line bundle whose holonomy yields a mixed-state geometric phase. Using a two-level system as an explicit example, we demonstrate that its surface integral depends on the choice of surface bounded by the same closed path, with ambiguities that are not integer multiples of 2π2π2π.
Abstract The quantum geometric tensor (QGT) is a fundamental quantity for characterizing the geometric properties of quantum states and plays an essential role in elucidating various physical phenomena. The traditional QGT, defined only for pure states, has limited applicability in realistic scenarios where mixed states are common. To address this limitation, we generalize the definition of the QGT to mixed states using the purification bundle and the covariant derivative. Notably, our proposed definition reduces to the traditional QGT when mixed states approach pure states. In our framework, the real and imaginary parts of this generalized QGT correspond to the Bures metric and the mean gauge curvature, respectively, endowing it with a broad range of potential applications. Additionally, using our proposed mixed-state QGT, we derive the geodesic equation applicable to mixed states. This work establishes a unified framework for the geometric analysis of both pure and mixed states, thereby deepening our understanding of the geometric properties of quantum states.
The gap between the classical and quantum Fisher information matrices (CFIM and QFIM) separates what is operationally accessible through measurements from what is intrinsic to a quantum state. In the multiparameter setting, this quantum obstruction is generically not saturable. Motivated by the recently introduced semiclassical geometric tensor (SCGT), we perform an explicit information-geometric study for a class of pure four-parameter single-qutrit states (FPSQSs). These states are probed by a one-parameter family of measurements that interpolates between an uninformative POVM and a sharp projective measurement. We derive closed-form expressions for the CFIM, the quantum geometric tensor (QGT), and the SCGT. We show that the SCGT reproduces the QGT in the projective limit and vanishes in the trivial limit. The real part of the SCGT splits into two terms: the CFIM and an additional nonnegative measurement-transmitted metric in the phase sector. Its imaginary part provides a semiclassical Berry curvature. Its loss relative to the QGT is quantified by a measurement-dependent gap. Our results provide an exactly solvable four-parameter platform for the semiclassical geometric framework. They also clarify how realistic measurements read out the geometric content of quantum states, and how they partially degrade it.
In this paper, we extend the quantum geometric tensor for parameter-dependent curved spaces to higher dimensions, and introduce an equivalent definition that generalizes the Zanardi, et al, formulation of the tensor. The parameter-dependent metric modifies the behavior of both the quantum metric tensor and Berry curvature in a purely geometric way. Our focus is on understanding the distinctions in higher dimensions that emerge when using the generalized tensor compared to the conventional one. Through a comparative analysis, illustrated with examples in two dimensions, we highlight unique quantum geometric properties for both the quantum metric tensor and the Berry curvature. Additionally, we explore differences between analytical and perturbative approaches in solving the problems.