Optimal state discrimination with a fixed rate of inconclusive results: Analytical solutions and relation to state discrimination with a fixed error rate

Abstract

We study an optimum measurement for quantum state discrimination, which maximizes the probability of correct results when the probability of inconclusive results is fixed at a given value. The measurement describes minimum-error discrimination if this value is zero, while under certain conditions it corresponds to optimized maximum-confidence discrimination, or to optimum unambiguous discrimination, respectively, when the fixed value reaches a definite minimum. Using operator conditions that determine the optimum measurement, we derive analytical solutions for the discrimination of two mixed qubit states, including the case of two pure states occurring with arbitrary prior probabilities, and for the discrimination of N symmetric states, both pure and mixed. We also consider a case where the given density operators resolve the identity operator, and we specify the optimality conditions for the case of partially symmetric states. Moreover, we show that from the complete solution for arbitrary values of the fixed rate of inconclusive results one can always obtain the optimum measurement in another strategy where the error rate is fixed, and vice versa.