Michael Nielsen Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
Michael Nielsen proved a precise criterion for converting one pure quantum state of a bipartite quantum system into another using LOCC. If and are the eigenvalue lists of their reduced density operators, the deterministic conversion is possible exactly when , a majorization condition. Thus the descending partial sums for the initial list must not exceed those for the target list. For example, permits converting a Bell state into a product state; the reverse conversion is forbidden by this criterion.[ref]
Figure 1.
Portrait of Michael Nielsen
. Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source.