Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2005 / iii / Paper 59 (Quantum Information Science)

Apply the Schmidt decomposition to the bipartite pure state. Local unitary operators put it in the form $|{\psi }_{\theta }⟩=\cos \theta |00⟩+\sin \theta |11⟩$, with $0<\theta \le \pi /4$ after interchanging basis vectors. Both Schmidt coefficients are nonzero because the state is entangled. Put $s=\sin 2\theta >0$.

For this state, direct application of the Pauli operators givesFor example ${\sigma }_x\otimes {\sigma }_x$ interchanges $|00⟩$ and $|11⟩$, giving $2\cos \theta \sin \theta$; the crossed products take these two kets into their orthogonal complement.

Choose the CHSH axes for an entangled pure two-qubit state:Their associated Bloch vectors have unit length, so each is a valid two-outcome projective measurement with projectors $(I\pm A_i)/2$ or $(I\pm B_j)/2$. The correlation combination isA local hidden-variable assignment with outcomes $\pm 1$ gives absolute value at most two: exactly one of $b_0+b_1$ and $b_0-b_1$ vanishes, while the other is $\pm 2$. Averaging these assignments preserves that bound, which is the CHSH inequality.

Therefore $\boxed{\mathcal{S}=2\sqrt{1+{\sin }^{2}2\theta }>2}$. For the original state $(U\otimes V)|{\psi }_{\theta }⟩$, conjugate Alice's observables by $U$ and Bob's by $V$. These conjugations rotate their measurement axes and preserve all the displayed correlations. Thus every entangled pure two-qubit state has the requested violating axes. The maximally entangled case gives $2\sqrt{2}$, while the unentangled limit merely saturates two.

The Schrödinger–Jaynes–Hughston–Jozsa–Wootters theorem classifies all finite quantum state ensembles of a density matrix. Write its nonzero spectral decomposition as $\rho ={\sum }_{a=1}^r{\lambda }_a|e_a⟩⟨e_a|$, with ${\lambda }_a>0$ and orthonormal eigenvectors. An ensemble with subnormalized vectors $|w_j⟩=\sqrt{p_j}|{\varphi }_j⟩$, $j=1,\dots ,m$, represents $\rho$ exactly whenHere $U$ is an $m\times r$ column linear isometry. Zero-weight vectors may be included or discarded. Equivalently, any two ensembles represent the same density matrix if and only if, after padding the shorter list with zero vectors, their subnormalized vectors are related by a unitary matrix acting on the ensemble index. This is the isometry parametrization of a density-matrix ensemble.

For necessity, if $|v⟩$ lies in the kernel of $\rho$, thenEvery $w_j$ therefore lies in the support of $\rho$. Define $U_{ja}=⟨e_a|w_j⟩/\sqrt{{\lambda }_a}$. The ensemble identity givesso these columns are orthonormal and the displayed parametrization follows.

Conversely, start with any such isometry and define $w_j$ by the boxed equation. ThenThe weights are $p_j=\Vert w_j{\Vert }^2={\sum }_a{\lambda }_a|U_{ja}{|}^2\ge 0$ and sum to $\mathrm{Tr}\rho =1$. Normalize every nonzero $w_j$ to obtain its pure state. This proves both directions and includes degenerate eigenvalues without any preferred choice of basis in their eigenspaces.

To prove the unitary-mixing version, pad two ensembles to a common length $L$. Their matrices $U$ and $V$ have $r$ orthonormal columns in ${\mathbb{C}}^L$. Extend each column family to an orthonormal basis, obtaining square unitaries $\tilde{U}$ and $\tilde{V}$. Then $W=\tilde{V}{\tilde{U}}^{†}$ is unitary and $V=WU$, so the second ensemble vectors satisfy $v_k={\sum }_j{W}_{kj}{w}_j$. Conversely this unitary mixing preserves ${\sum }_j|w_j⟩⟨w_j|$, because ${\sum }_k{W}_{ki}{W}_{kj}^{\ast }={\delta }_{ij}$. Independent phase choices for ensemble kets are absorbed in the row phases of these matrices.

The classification also has a measurement interpretation. Purify $\rho$ as $|\Psi ⟩={\sum }_a\sqrt{{\lambda }_a}|e_a⟩|a⟩$. On the ancillary system define $|{\eta }_j⟩={\sum }_a{U}_{ja}^{\ast }|a⟩$. The effects $E_j=|{\eta }_j⟩⟨{\eta }_j|$ sum to $I_r$, hence form a POVM. The conditional unnormalized system ket is $(I\otimes ⟨{\eta }_j|)|\Psi ⟩=w_j$, with probability $p_j$. Thus every ensemble can be realized by measuring a purifying system; with a sufficiently enlarged ancilla the measurement can be projective. The density matrix specifies the common statistics without selecting one particular ensemble decomposition.

Perfect identification on every trial is impossible, because the family contains a nonorthogonal pair. Any physical identification device induces a POVM whose effect $E_i$ corresponds to its declaration of label $i$. Certainty of correct identification would require $⟨{\psi }_i|E_i|{\psi }_i⟩=1$ and $⟨{\psi }_j|E_i|{\psi }_j⟩=0$ for every $j\ne i$.

Since $0\le E_i\le I$, the first identity gives $(I-E_i)|{\psi }_i⟩=0$, while positivity and the second identity give $E_i|{\psi }_j⟩=0$. For example these conclusions follow by writing the zero expectations as squared norms of $(I-E_i{)}^{1/2}{\psi }_i$ and $E_i^{1/2}{\psi }_j$. ThusPerfect identification would force the entire family to be orthogonal, contrary to the hypothesis. This argument permits ancillas, general measurements and disturbance of the input; it does not assume that the device must preserve the state.

Unambiguous identification with a nonzero success probability for every input is possible. Normalize the given kets and let $G_{ij}=⟨{\psi }_i|{\psi }_j⟩$ be their Gram matrix. Their linear independence makes $G$ positive definite. Define reciprocal vectors within their span byThen $⟨{\psi }_k|{\chi }_i⟩={\sum }_j{G}_{kj}(G^{-1}{)}_{ji}={\delta }_{ki}$, and hence also $⟨{\chi }_i|{\psi }_k⟩={\delta }_{ik}$. Put $R={\sum }_i|{\chi }_i⟩⟨{\chi }_i|$. It is positive and has finite operator norm. Choosing $ϵ=1/(2\Vert R\Vert )>0$, setAll these effects are positive, and $E_{?}\ge I/2$, so they sum to the identity and define a POVM. The Born rule givesThus every label is correct whenever it occurs and every input has the strictly positive success probability $p_k=ϵ$. This is the reciprocal-state construction of unambiguous discrimination.

For an explicit success constant, collect the input kets into a matrix $\Psi$, so ${\Psi }^{†}\Psi =G$. Its polar factorization is $\Psi =U{G}^{1/2}$ with $U^{†}U=I_N$. The reciprocal columns are $\Psi G^{-1}=U{G}^{-1/2}$, and therefore $R=U{G}^{-1}{U}^{†}$. Its largest eigenvalue is $1/{\lambda }_{\min }(G)$, so one can take $ϵ={\lambda }_{\min }(G)/2$. Since the normalized Gram matrix has trace $N$, this is at most $1/2$.

To realize the device, use measurement operators $M_i=\sqrt{E_i}$ and $M_{?}=\sqrt{E_{?}}$. The map $|v⟩\mapsto {\sum }_i{M}_i|v⟩|i⟩+M_{?}|v⟩|?⟩$ preserves inner products because the effects sum to $I$. Extend this linear isometry to a unitary on the input and an initially blank ancilla, then projectively measure the ancilla's orthogonal outcome labels. Its outcome probabilities are precisely those above. This gives a physical unambiguous quantum state discrimination device rather than only a formal set of effects.

Let $P_{\varphi }=|\varphi ⟩⟨\varphi |$. An arbitrary deterministic strategy, including auxiliary systems, intermediate measurements, adaptive actions and discarded records, is a quantum channel $\mathcal{E}$ from the two input qubits to the three returned qubits. Its output is $R_{\varphi }=\mathcal{E}(P_{\varphi }^{\otimes 2})$. The three local tests commute, and their joint all-pass projector is $P_{\varphi }^{\otimes 3}$. Thusis exactly the probability of at least one failed test. No independence of the three returned qubits is assumed.

We prove a uniform positive obstruction using trace distance, $D(\rho ,\sigma )=\Vert \rho -\sigma {\Vert }_1/2$. Two normalized pure kets obeyIndeed their projector difference is supported on their two-dimensional span, has trace zero, and has eigenvalues $\pm \sqrt{1-|⟨u|v⟩{|}^2}$.

Two further estimates will cover even mixed outputs. First, trace distance contracts under a quantum channel. To see this directly, the positive spectral projector of the trace-zero difference gives $D(\rho ,\sigma )={\max }_{0\le A\le I}\mathrm{Tr}[A(\rho -\sigma )]$. The adjoint of a channel is positive and unital, so it takes any output effect into an input effect. Maximizing over this subset cannot exceed the input maximum, proving contraction.

Second, for a mixed state $R={\sum }_j{q}_j|u_j⟩⟨u_j|$ and a pure target $P=|v⟩⟨v|$, the trace-norm triangle inequality and weighted Cauchy-Schwarz inequality give the pure-target upper bound on trace distance:In particular $D(R_{\varphi },P_{\varphi }^{\otimes 3})\le \sqrt{{ϵ}_{\varphi }}$.

Now take $|{\varphi }_0⟩=|0⟩$ and $|{\varphi }_1⟩=|+⟩=(|0⟩+|1⟩)/\sqrt{2}$. The two-copy input distance is $D_2=\sqrt{1-1/4}=\sqrt{3}/2$, whereas the ideal three-copy distance is $D_3=\sqrt{1-1/8}=\sqrt{7/8}$. Writing $R_j=R_{{\varphi }_j}$, contraction and the triangle inequality yieldLet $\delta =D_3-D_2>0$. Then $\sqrt{{ϵ}_0}+\sqrt{{ϵ}_1}\ge \delta$, and squaring givesThis is the copy-number trace-distance obstruction. It applies to every Bob strategy, irrespective of its internal complexity. If Alice chooses these two possible inputs with equal probabilities, the left side is her unconditional failure probability. For every device, at least one of the two inputs also has failure probability at least ${\delta }^2/4$, establishing the worst-case guarantee.

The same positive bound holds if Alice chooses a uniformly random pure-qubit state. Apply the preceding inequality to $U|0⟩$ and $U|+⟩$ for every single-qubit unitary $U$, since their overlap is unchanged. Average over normalized Haar measure. Both rotated kets have the same uniform distribution on the Bloch sphere, so each of the two average failures is the uniform-input average. Consequently that average is also at least ${\delta }^2/4$. A constant satisfying the strict requested inequality in either this average or the worst-case interpretation isThe proven bound is $2p$, hence strictly greater than $p$. This proof establishes a quantitative gap, rather than relying only on the impossibility of exact quantum cloning.

There is a necessary quantifier qualification because the PDF does not specify Alice's input distribution. A positive lower bound for every fixed state against every strategy would be false: a device hardwired to return $|000⟩$ never fails when the input is $|0{⟩}^{\otimes 2}$. The unknown-state assertion is therefore meaningful as a worst-case guarantee over possible inputs, or as an average for a specified hidden input ensemble. Both the equal-prior example and the uniform-input version have been proved here, with a constant independent of Bob's strategy.