Past exam of the short options paper of the physics Prelims of the University of Oxford / 2022 / S03 / 3 / d / Solution

Expand a normalized product state asThus $\alpha =ac$, $\beta =ad$, $\gamma =bc$, $\delta =bd$, givingConversely the nonzero coefficient matrix $C=\left(\begin{array}{cc}\alpha & \beta \\ \gamma & \delta \end{array}\right)$ has determinant zero precisely when it has rank one, so the condition also suffices for a pure two-qubit state to factor.

For any fixed pair of local measurement settings with operators $E_i,F_j$, the Born rule factorizes:Hence a product state has independent local results in every pair of local bases. This assumes independent settings and local measurements; shared classical randomization of preparations or a subsequent joint interaction can generate correlations. A separable mixture is not necessarily a single product state.