Mixed state

A mixed state is a density operator that is not a rank-one orthogonal projection. In finite dimension it is characterized by $\mathrm{Tr}({\rho }^2)<1$, so its purity of a density operator distinguishes it from a pure state.

Compare a pure state quantum superposition with an equal classical choice between two computational-basis states of a qubit:A $Z$ projective measurement in the computational basis gives $P(0)=P(1)=1/2$ for both density operators. An $X$ projective measurement in the Hadamard basis $|\pm ⟩=(|0⟩\pm |1⟩)/\sqrt{2}$ distinguishes them: the Born rule gives $P(+)=1$ for ${\rho }_{+}$ and $P(+)=1/2$ for ${\rho }_{\mathrm{mix}}$. These comparisons use separate copies of each preparation; measuring $Z$ first changes the state tested by a subsequent $X$ measurement.

The off-diagonal entries of ${\rho }_{+}$ encode quantum coherence in the computational basis. Such quantum coherence depends on the basis: ${\rho }_{+}$ is diagonal in the Hadamard basis but remains a pure state. Mixedness is independent of the basis, because a unitary change of basis preserves the eigenvalues and the purity of a density operator.

Even the quantum state ensemble is not unique:The off-diagonal entries of the two Hadamard basis projectors cancel. Thus the density operator retains precisely what measurements on the system can reveal, while an accessible preparation label carries additional information. A mixed state can also be the reduced density matrix of an entangled state, even when the whole system is in a pure state; classical ignorance about a selected component is not its only physical origin. ^[ref]