New uncertainty relations for tomographic entropy: application to squeezed states and solitons

Using the tomographic probability distribution (symplectic tomogram) describing the quantum state (instead of the wave function or density matrix) and properties of recently introduced tomographic entropy associated with the probability distribution, the new uncertainty relation for the tomographic entropy is obtained. Examples of the entropic uncertainty relation for squeezed states and solitons of the Bose-Einstein condensate are considered.     

Tomographic characteristics of spin states

Spin states are studied in the tomographic-probability representation. The standard probability distribution of spin projection onto a direction in space is used instead of the spinor or the density matrix to identify the quantum state. The Shannon entropy and information are associated with the spin tomographic probability. A short review of the probability-theory notions is presented. Analysis of tomographic entropy and tomographic information for the Werner state is considered. The probability representation is used to describe a spin-3/2 particle and two qubits. The connection of tomographic entropy with the von Neumann entropy is discussed.     

Cosmological dynamics in tomographic probability representation

The probability representation for quantum states of the universe in which the states are described by a fair probability distribution instead of wave function (or density matrix) is developed to consider cosmological dynamics. The evolution of the universe state is described by standard positive transition probability (tomographic transition probability) instead of the complex transition probability amplitude (Feynman path integral) of the standard approach. The latter one is expressed in terms of the tomographic transition probability. Examples of minisuperspaces in the framework of the suggested approach are presented. Possibility of observational applications of the universe tomographs are discussed.     

Factorization of the Wigner distribution in prime power dimensions

There are different techniques that allow us to gain complete knowledge about an unknown quantum state, e.g., to perform full tomography of this state. For instance, quasi-distributions such as the Weyl or Wigner distributions provide complete information about a quantum state which is equivalent to the information contained in the density matrix. In the case of composite systems, of which the subsystems are not necessarily located at the same place, the experimental feasibility of the tomographic process is considerably simplified whenever it can be realized through local operations and classical communications between local observers. This brings us naturally to study the possibility to factorize the (discrete) Wigner distribution of a composite system into the product of local Wigner distributions, which is the subject of the present paper. The discrete Heisenberg-Weyl group is an essential ingredient of our approach.     

Classical-like description of quantum states and propagator for particles in time-independent and dispersing δ potentials

Probability distributions that determine completely the bound state in the problem of a quantum particle in one or two delta-function wells are derived within the recently developed tomographic representation of quantum states, where a state is characterized by a positive probability distribution. The quantum propagator for the Schrödinger equation is obtained for the problem of two dispersing delta-function wells.     

Density Matrix in Quantum Mechanics and Distinctness of Ensembles Having the Same Compressed Density Matrix

We clarify different definitions of the density matrix by proposing the use of different names, the full density matrix for a single-closed quantum system, the compressed density matrix for the averaged single molecule state from an ensemble of molecules, and the reduced density matrix for a part of an entangled quantum system, respectively. We show that ensembles with the same compressed density matrix can be physically distinguished by observing fluctuations of various observables. This is in contrast to a general belief that ensembles with the same compressed density matrix are identical. Explicit expression for the fluctuation of an observable in a specified ensemble is given. We have discussed the nature of nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing. We show that the conclusion that there is no quantum entanglement in the current nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing experiment is based on the unjustified belief that ensembles having the same compressed density matrix are identical physically. Related issues in quantum communication are also discussed.     

Full characterization of a three-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state using quantum state tomography

We have performed the first experimental tomographic reconstruction of a three-photon polarization state. Quantum state tomography is a powerful tool for fully describing the density matrix of a quantum system. We measured 64 three-photon polarization correlations and used a "maximum-likelihood" reconstruction method to reconstruct the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state. The entanglement class has been characterized using an entanglement witness operator and the maximum predicted values for the Mermin inequality were extracted.     

Optical spin orientation of a single manganese atom in a quantum dot

The magnetic state of a single magnetic atom (Mn) embedded in an individual semiconductor quantum dot is optically probed using micro-spectroscopy. A high degree of spin polarization can be achieved for an individual Mn atom localized in a quantum dot using quasi-resonant or fully-resonant optical excitation at zero magnetic field. Optically created spin polarized carriers generate an energy splitting of the Mn spin and enable magnetic moment orientation controlled by the photon helicity and energy. The dynamics and the magnetic field dependence of the optical pumping mechanism shows that the spin lifetime of an isolated Mn atom at zero magnetic field is controlled by a magnetic anisotropy induced by the built-in strain in the quantum dots. The Mn spin distribution prepared by optical pumping is fully conserved for a few microseconds. This opens the way to full optical control of the spin state of an individual magnetic atom in a solid state environment.     

Experimentally witnessing the quantumness of correlations

The quantification of quantum correlations (other than entanglement) usually entails labored numerical optimization procedures also demanding quantum state tomographic methods. Thus it is interesting to have a laboratory friendly witness for the nature of correlations. In this Letter we report a direct experimental implementation of such a witness in a room temperature nuclear magnetic resonance system. In our experiment the nature of correlations is revealed by performing only few local magnetization measurements. We also compared the witness results with those for the symmetric quantum discord and we obtained a fairly good agreement.     

Review: Characterizing and quantifying quantum chaos with quantum tomography

We explore quantum signatures of classical chaos by studying the rate of information gain in quantum tomography. The tomographic record consists of a time series of expectation values of a Hermitian operator evolving under the application of the Floquet operator of a quantum map that possesses (or lacks) time-reversal symmetry. We find that the rate of information gain, and hence the fidelity of quantum state reconstruction, depends on the symmetry class of the quantum map involved. Moreover, we find an increase in information gain and hence higher reconstruction fidelities when the Floquet maps employed increase in chaoticity. We make predictions for the information gain and show that these results are well described by random matrix theory in the fully chaotic regime. We derive analytical expressions for bounds on information gain using random matrix theory for different classes of maps and show that these bounds are realized by fully chaotic quantum systems.     

Probability distribution and Bell’s inequality for the quantum qubit state

The problem of Bell’s inequality violation for a particle with spin 1/2 is studied within the tomographic approach. Two possible methods for constructing the distribution functions associated with the qubit quantum state are presented. The Bell parameter maximum is studied for each proposed distribution.     

量子力学中的密度矩阵与具有相同密度矩阵的系综的可区分性

讨论了密度矩阵的不同定义。建议使用完全密度矩阵、压缩密度矩阵和约化密度矩阵分别描写一个封闭量子体系的、一个系综中平均分子的和一个复合体系中的一个子系统的密度矩阵。强调这与现在人们认为的具有相同压缩密度矩阵的系综是完全等价的结论完全不同,具有相同压缩密度矩阵但是成分不同的系综可以通过系综整体测量来区别。作为一个应用,现在认为现有的核磁共振量子计算中没有纠缠的结论是没有根据的。Density matrix is one important tool in quantum mechanics, and it has very broad applications. However there are different definitions about the density matrix, and they describe quite different systems. There has been some misunderstanding about the density matrix in the community, and these misunderstandings hinder the right application of the density matrix. In this article, we discuss the different definitions of density matrix. We suggest to use the full density matrix, compressed density matrix and the reduced density matrix to describe the state of a complete quantum system, the state of an averaged particle in an ensemble and the state of part of a composite system. We stress that contrary to the wide accepted understanding that ensembles with the same compressed density matrix are physically indistinguishable, they are distinguishable through the so-called ensemble measurement. As an application, we suggest that the present conclusion that the present-day nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computation does not have quantum entanglement is groundless.     

Semigroup of positive maps for qudit states and entanglement in tomographic probability representation

Stochastic and bistochastic matrices providing positive maps for spin states (for qudits) are shown to form semigroups with dense intersection with the Lie groups IGL(n,R) and GL(n,R) respectively. The density matrix of a qudit state is shown to be described by a spin tomogram determined by an orbit of the bistochastic semigroup acting on a simplex. A class of positive maps acting transitively on quantum states is introduced by relating stochastic and quantum stochastic maps in the tomographic setting. Finally, the entangled states of two qubits and Bell inequalities are given in the framework of the tomographic probability representation using the stochastic semigroup properties.     

Standard quantum mechanics featuring probabilities instead of wave functions

A new formulation of quantum mechanics (probability representation) is discussed. In this representation, a quantum state is described by a standard positive definite probability distribution (tomogram) rather than by a wave function. An unambiguous relation (analog of Radon transformation) between the density operator and a tomogram is constructed both for continuous coordinates and for spin variables. A novel feature of a state, tomographic entropy, is considered, and its connection with von Neumann entropy is discussed. A one-to-one map of quantum observables (Hermitian operators) on positive probability distributions is found.     

Unified statistical method for reconstructing quantum states by purification

Mixed-state purification is used as a basis to formulate a general statistical method for reconstructing the density matrix of an arbitrary quantum state. A universal statistical distribution is obtained for the fidelity of the reconstructed quantum state. The proposed theory is supported by results of numerical simulations.     

Quantum critical surface of the XXZ zigzag spin chain with applied magnetic field and its application

We analyze the exact ground state of XXZ zigzag spin chain with applied magnetic field and find the quantum critical surface. Using the theorem of positive semi-definite matrix, we can prove that the ground states for a specific region are fully polarized state and one-magnon state. We also argue that this is the quantum critical surface in all cases. Applied to the superconducting quantum dots array, our result gives the analytical expression of quantum critical surface for the system in the presence of gate voltage.     

Quantum correlations and tomographic representation

We review the probabilistic representation of quantum mechanics within which states are described by the probability distribution rather than by the wavefunction and density matrix. Uncertainty relations have been obtained in the form of integral inequalities containing measurable optical tomograms of quantum states. Formulas for the transition probabilities and purity parameter have been derived in terms of the tomographic probability distributions. Inequalities for Shannon and Rényi entropies associated with quantum tomograms have been obtained. A scheme of the star product of tomograms has been developed.