When two density operators are commuting elements, choose a common orthonormal eigenbasis and write , . Their quantum fidelity becomes the classical overlap of the two probability distributions, while their trace distance becomes total variation distance:
This follows by computing the positive square root of an operator entry by entry in the common eigenbasis. For the qubit mixed states and ,
The two contributions to quantum fidelity are about and . In contrast, the chance that two independent computational basis measurements, one on each preparation, print the same label is . That particular event has a specified probability; neither nor is that probability.
Figure 1.
Commuting mixed-state probabilities, square-root overlap contributions to unsquared fidelity F, squared fidelity Fsq, and trace distance D
. Details.
Here trace distance means an equal-prior quantum state discrimination success of by the Holevo–Helstrom theorem. Measuring in the common computational basis and guessing on outcome zero and on outcome one achieves . Also : the pure-state trace distance and fidelity identity is an equality for pure states, rather than a formula for arbitrary mixed states.