On quantum operations as quantum states

Abstract

We formalize Jamiolkowski’s correspondence between quantum states and quantum operations isometrically, and harness its consequences. This correspondence was already implicit in Choi’s proof of the operator sum representation of Completely Positive-preserving linear maps; we go further and show that all of the important theorems concerning quantum operations can be derived directly from those concerning quantum states. As we do so the discussion first provides an elegant and original review of the main features of quantum operations. Next (in the second half of the paper) we find more results stemming from our formulation of the correspondence. Thus, we provide a factorizability condition for quantum operations, and give two novel Schmidt-type decompositions of bipartite pure states. By translating the composition law of quantum operations, we define a group structure upon the set of totally entangled states. The question whether the correspondence is merely mathematical or can be given a physical interpretation is addressed throughout the text: we provide formulae which suggest quantum states inherently define a quantum operation between two of their subsystems, and which turn out to have applications in quantum cryptography.