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A selective measurement in quantum mechanics conditions on a known outcome. For Kraus operator $A_i$, the Born rule gives $p_i=\mathrm{Tr}(A_i^{†}{A}_i\rho )$ and the conditional density operator is $A_i\rho A_i^{†}/p_i$ when $p_i>0$. Conditioning changes the state and can change the conditional reduced density matrix of a correlated remote system. That conditional state is available as such only to an observer with the outcome information.

Use the unnormalized Choi matrix $J(\Phi )=(\Phi \otimes \mathrm{id})(|\tilde{\Psi }⟩⟨\tilde{\Psi }|)$, which has trace $d$ for a channel. A positive such matrix has a spectral decomposition with vectors $v_k=\sqrt{{\lambda }_k}{u}_k$. In paired bases define the Kraus operator $A_k$ by $(A_k{)}_{ij}=(v_k{)}_{ij}$, so $v_k=(A_k\otimes I){\sum }_j|j⟩|j⟩$. Partial contraction with a conjugate index vector gives $A_k|\varphi ⟩$, hence $\Phi (|\varphi ⟩⟨\varphi |)={\sum }_k{A}_k|\varphi ⟩⟨\varphi |A_k^{†}$. Rank-one projectors span the operator space, proving the Kraus representation on all inputs. Trace preservation is equivalent to ${\sum }_k{A}_k^{†}{A}_k=I$. This construction needs at most $\mathrm{rank}J$ nonzero Kraus operators.

Measure the commuting stabilizer generators $g_1=Z_1{Z}_2$ and $g_2=Z_2{Z}_3$ in that order. Use error syndrome bit $0$ for eigenvalue $+1$ and bit $1$ for eigenvalue $-1$. For $X_j$ the Pauli X gate on physical qubit $j$, every row holds for arbitrary normalized $\alpha ,\beta$. This ordered parity-check convention follows ^[ref]:

Each pair of computational basis words within a row has the same two parities. Consequently the projective measurement reveals the row without distinguishing its two amplitudes. For example, $|{\psi }_L⟩=(\sqrt{3}/2)|000⟩+(i/2)|111⟩$ becomes $(\sqrt{3}/2)|010⟩+(i/2)|101⟩$ under $X_2$. Both checks give $-1$ with probability one, and applying $X_2$ restores both coefficients exactly, including the relative phase $i$.

One implementation uses two quantum ancillas initialized to $|00⟩$. Two controlled-NOT gates from data qubits 1 and 2 to the first quantum ancilla write their parity; two more from data qubits 2 and 3 to the second quantum ancilla write the other parity. Measuring only the quantum ancillas in the computational basis gives $(s_1,s_2)$. Measuring the individual data qubits instead would reveal the encoded computational basis value and destroy the unknown quantum superposition. The existing coherent syndrome extraction for the three-qubit repetition code uses the alternative ordered checks $(Z_2{Z}_3,Z_1{Z}_3)$, so its bit labels differ from this table.

The recovery also handles coherent errors. Put $E_0=I,E_1=X_1,E_2=X_2,E_3=X_3$. Their images of the code are mutually orthogonal, giving $P{E}_a^{†}{E}_{b}P={\delta }_{ab}P$, the Knill--Laflamme condition for this family. For any linear combination $E={\sum }_{a=0}^3{c}_a{E}_a$, its component in sector $s(E_a)$ is $c_a{E}_a|{\psi }_L⟩$. Measuring that error syndrome has probability $|c_a{|}^2/{\sum }_b|c_b{|}^2$ on the normalized erroneous state, and recovery $E_a$ returns $|{\psi }_L⟩$. More generally one recovery quantum channel corrects every noise quantum channel whose Kraus operators belong to this span. The assumption concerns the whole jointly correctable family; it does not extend to the span of arbitrary single-site Pauli errors. ^[ref].

A fully computed coherent example is the unitary operator $U=\exp (-i\theta X_2)=\cos \theta I-i\sin \theta X_2$. At $\theta =\pi /6$ it givesThe error syndromes $00$ and $11$ occur with probabilities $3/4$ and $1/4$, independently of $\alpha ,\beta$. Doing nothing for $00$ and applying $X_2$ for $11$ restores the same logical qubit in both branches; the scalar $-i$ in the second branch is an irrelevant global phase. This is an example of linearity of coherent quantum error correction, rather than an assumption that the original error was a classical random bit flip.

For $\sqrt{p}|000⟩+\sqrt{1-p}|111⟩$, a projective measurement of the number of ones in one party's $n$ local qubits gives a common type class of size $d_k=\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{n}{k}\right)$. The conditional pure state is $d_k^{-1/2}{\sum }_{|x|=k}|x,x,x⟩$. It can be converted exactly and deterministically to a uniform common-label state of any dimension $m\le d_k$: one party measures an $m$-element subset $S$ with Kraus operator ${\Pi }_S/\sqrt{\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{d_k-1}{m-1}\right)}$, and all parties relabel their common retained labels after receiving $S$. Choosing $m=2^f$ gives $f$ independent GHZ states. Stirling's formula and the weak law of large numbers give $f/n\to h_2(p)$ in probability. Measuring every local bit separately would instead destroy the coherence and leave a product state.

Let $c,s\ge 0$ and $c^2+s^2=1$. Starting from the Bell state $(|00⟩+|11⟩)/\sqrt{2}$, Alice applies the measurement in quantum mechanics with Kraus operators $M_0,M_1$ displayed above. Completeness follows from $M_0^{†}{M}_0+M_1^{†}{M}_1=I$. Each outcome has probability $1/2$. The normalized outputs are $c|00⟩+s|11⟩$ and $s|00⟩+c|11⟩$. Communicating the outcome allows both parties to apply a Pauli X gate in the second branch, making both outputs equal to the first. Thus this LOCC protocol deterministically converts one Bell pair into any two-qubit pure state with these Schmidt coefficients, after appropriate local unitary operations. It includes the product state endpoint without postselection.

For Kraus operators satisfying ${\sum }_i{A}_i^{†}{A}_i=I$, the map $V|\varphi ⟩={\sum }_i{A}_i|\varphi ⟩\otimes |i⟩$ is an isometry. Implement it by a unitary operator on the system and a quantum ancilla, initially in an extra unused state $|0⟩$. Projecting the output quantum ancilla onto $|i⟩$ gives joint unnormalized state $A_i\rho A_i^{†}\otimes |i⟩⟨i|$. The outcome probability is $\mathrm{Tr}(A_i\rho A_i^{†})$, and the conditional system state is $A_i\rho A_i^{†}$ divided by this probability. The unused level can be merged into the first orthogonal projection without changing any outcome on the prepared state, giving a complete projective measurement with exactly the original outcome labels.

// Target: quantum-theory.bigb

With the environment initially in $|0⟩$, take $U$ to fix $|00⟩$ and $|11⟩$, and rotate the span of $|10⟩,|01⟩$ by the displayed action and $U|01⟩=\sqrt{1-p}|01⟩-\sqrt{p}|10⟩$. This is a unitary operator. Its environment matrix elements $⟨0{|}_{E}U|0{⟩}_E$ and $⟨1{|}_{E}U|0{⟩}_E$ are the Kraus operators of the amplitude damping channel. Tracing out the environment multiplies the excited population by $1-p$, transfers the remainder to the ground state, and multiplies off-diagonal entries by $\sqrt{1-p}$.