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The Schumacher compression theorem concerns a memoryless quantum information source with average density matrix $\rho$ on a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. For $n$ uses the average state is ${\rho }_n={\rho }^{\otimes n}$. Compression consists of an encoding quantum channel into a space of dimension $D_n$ and a decoding channel back to the original block space, with asymptotic rate $n^{-1}{\log }_2{D}_n$ qubits per source use. The optimal reliable rate is $S(\rho )$: every larger rate is achievable, and no smaller rate is reliable. This holds for average pure-source fidelity; the direct construction also preserves a purification reference, and the converse for that stronger entanglement fidelity criterion holds with fidelity tending to zero below the threshold. The encoding and decoding are deterministic channels; no free classical transmission of the source label is allowed.

Diagonalize $\rho ={\sum }_j{\lambda }_j|j⟩⟨j|$ and omit zero-probability eigenvalues when sampling. Define the quantum typical subspace projector $P_{n,\delta }$ by retaining product eigenvectors withThe sampled random variable $-{\log }_2{\lambda }_j$ has expectation $S=S(\rho )$. The weak law of large numbers gives $w_n=\mathrm{Tr}({\rho }_n{P}_{n,\delta })\to 1$. Every retained eigenvalue is at least $2^{-n(S+\delta )}$, and the total probability is at most one, soThis proves the two typical subspace theorem estimates used in the direct part.

Write $P=P_{n,\delta }$. Encode its range isometrically into a compressed space and reserve one orthogonal failure flag. Decode the range back isometrically and the failure flag to a fixed pure state $|\phi ⟩$. This typical-subspace compression with a failure flag is a physical channel whose composite action isIndeed its Kraus operators are $P$ and $|\phi ⟩⟨e_a|$, where the $e_a$ form an orthonormal basis of $\ker P$, and their adjoint products sum to $I$. The Kraus formula for entanglement fidelity givesFor any pure-state ensemble of ${\rho }_n$, the average squared quantum fidelity is at least this number: apply convexity of $|z{|}^2$ separately to the amplitudes $⟨{\psi }_x|K_{\alpha }|{\psi }_x⟩$ with their source probabilities. Thus average fidelity also tends to one. The compressed dimension is at most $2^{n(S+\delta )}+1$, and its rate is at most $S+\delta +o(1)$. Choose $\delta <R-S$ for any prescribed $R>S$. One may also take ${\delta }_n=n^{-1/4}$: the finite spectral information variance and Chebyshev's inequality still give $w_n\to 1$, with rate tending to $S$. A pure source, $S=0$, can simply be re-prepared exactly without sending any qubits.

For the coherent converse, we prove the finite-dimensional quantum compression converse. If the compressed space has dimension $D$, the state of reference plus compressed system has a pure-state decomposition with Schmidt rank at most $D$. Applying decoder Kraus operators locally cannot increase the Schmidt rank of those vectors, so the final reference–output state has Schmidt number at most $D$. Let $|{\Psi }_{{\rho }_n}⟩$ purify the source, with squared Schmidt coefficients equal to the decreasing eigenvalues ${\mu }_1\ge {\mu }_2\ge \cdots$ of ${\rho }_n$. For any normalized vector $|v⟩$ of Schmidt rank at most $D$, its reference support lies in a rank-at-most-$D$ projector $Q$. HenceThe last bound follows by maximizing ${\sum }_j{\mu }_j⟨j|Q|j⟩$ subject to $0\le ⟨j|Q|j⟩\le 1$ and their sum at most $D$. Average over a Schmidt-rank-bounded decomposition of the final state to obtain $F_e\le {\sum }_{j=1}^D{\mu }_j$.

At rate $R<S$, choose $0<\delta <S-R$. The total source probability outside the quantum typical subspace tends to zero, while every eigenvalue inside it is at most $2^{-n(S-\delta )}$. Therefore for $D_n\le 2^{nR}$,This argument allows arbitrary encoding and decoding channels, not only subspace projection.

For completeness, average pure-source reliability also forces the same rate, even though it is a weaker criterion than entanglement fidelity. Here is a separate converse for that formulation. Let the emitted block pure states be ${\psi }_x$, with probabilities $p_x$, and let ${\sigma }_x$ be the decoded states. If their mean squared fidelity tends to one, then their mean trace distance ${\bar{\delta }}_n$ tends to zero, since $\frac{1}{2}\Vert {\sigma }_x-{\psi }_x{\Vert }_1\le \sqrt{1-⟨{\psi }_x|{\sigma }_x|{\psi }_x⟩}$. This inequality follows by choosing a purification with that overlap and using contraction of trace distance under a partial trace.

We need only an elementary entropy continuity from Jordan decomposition bound, derivable from Question 4. If $\delta =\frac{1}{2}\Vert \sigma -\tau {\Vert }_1$, write the positive and negative parts of $\sigma -\tau$ as $\delta {\omega }_{+},\delta {\omega }_{-}$. The common density matrixand the two mixture bounds giveHere $g$ is increasing and concave, $g(0)=0$. Apply this in block dimension $d^n$, both to the average states and to individual outputs, using convexity of trace distance and concavity of $g$. Since the original ensemble is pure, its Holevo quantity is $S({\rho }_n)=nS$. The decoded ensemble hasThe Holevo quantity under a quantum channel cannot increase. To specify the entropy ingredient, Strong subadditivity of Von Neumann entropy states $S(XB)+S(BE)\ge S(B)+S(XBE)$. Attach the classical source label $X$, dilate the decoder isometrically to $BE$, and trace out $E$. The displayed inequality says $I(X:B)\le I(X:BE)$; the isometry preserves the input mutual information. Since $I(X:B)$ of a labelled ensemble is its Holevo quantity, this proves the needed decoder monotonicity. Before decoding, the system has dimension $D_n$, so its Holevo quantity is at most ${\log }_2{D}_n$. Thus ${\log }_2{D}_n\ge nS-o(n)$ and the rate cannot be below $S$. Both operational fidelity formulations therefore have the claimed noiseless coding threshold.

For a block with nonzero typical dimension, write $P=P_{\epsilon }^{(n)}$ and $Q=I-P$. Let the compressed register be a copy of the typical space plus a one-dimensional orthogonal failure flag. Choose an isometry $V:P{\mathcal{H}}^{\otimes n}\to {\mathcal{K}}_n$ onto the successful code sector, extended by zero on $Q$, and a normalized flag $|f⟩$ orthogonal to its range. Choose any normalized vector $|\phi ⟩$ in the source Hilbert space. DefineThese are CPTP maps: the first performs the projective test and either encodes or prepares a flag; the second embeds the successful sector and prepares a fixed state on failure. Their trace identities follow from $V^{†}V=P$ and $V{V}^{†}+|f⟩⟨f|=I_{{\mathcal{K}}_n}$. Thus typical-subspace compression with a failure flag implementsFor a source vector $|{\Psi }_k⟩$, let $a_k=⟨{\Psi }_k|P|{\Psi }_k⟩={\alpha }_k^2$. Its overlap with the decoded state iswhere the final step is $(1-a_k{)}^2\ge 0$. Averaging proves average pure-source fidelity after typical projection:No orthogonality of the emitted vectors was used. The code dimension is $\dim {\mathcal{T}}_{\epsilon }^{(n)}+1$; the extra flag has vanishing asymptotic rate cost. Exceptional small block lengths with empty typical space can use any channel, since they do not affect reliability.

Diagonalize the source average $\pi ={\sum }_j{\lambda }_j|j⟩⟨j|$, using its positive eigenvalues. For fixed $\delta >0$, let ${\Pi }_{n,\delta }$ project onto product eigenvectors whose eigenvalues obeyThe typical subspace theorem states that, for every $ϵ>0$ and all sufficiently large $n$,The probability statement is the weak law of large numbers applied to $-{\log }_2{\lambda }_j$; the dimension bounds follow by summing the typical eigenvalue bounds. This explains why the quantum typical subspace retains almost all probability using about $nS(\pi )$ qubits.

For $R>S(\pi )$ choose $0<\delta <R-S(\pi )$. Measure $\{{\Pi }_{n,\delta },I-{\Pi }_{n,\delta }\}$. On success, encode the projected state isometrically into a space of dimension $\dim {\mathcal{T}}_{n,\delta }$; on failure, output a separate fixed flag. Decode the successful sector by the inverse isometry, and map the flag to a fixed state $|{\phi }_0⟩$. The compressed dimension is at most $2^{n(S(\pi )+\delta )}+1$, hence fits within rate $R$ for all sufficiently large $n$. Both maps are trace-preserving quantum channels, not merely successful postselected operations.

Writing $\Pi ={\Pi }_{n,\delta }$, the composite channel isFor a pure source signal $|{\Psi }_k⟩$, set $a_k=⟨{\Psi }_k|\Pi |{\Psi }_k⟩$. Its squared quantum fidelity after the composite channel is at least $a_k^2$. Since the source is memoryless, its average state on $n$ uses is ${\pi }^{\otimes n}$. Convexity of the square givesThe Kraus formula for entanglement fidelity gives the same lower bound for $F_e({\pi }^{\otimes n},{\mathcal{N}}_n)$, because one Kraus operator is $\Pi$ and the other terms are nonnegative. Taking $ϵ\to 0$ proves reliable compression at every $R>S(\pi )$, in both average pure-signal fidelity and the stronger entanglement-fidelity sense. This is typical-subspace compression with a failure flag.