Minimum-error State Discrimination Research Articles

Minimum-error quantum state discrimination: Extremely tight upper and lower bounds with application in digital quantum communication

Minimum-error quantum state discrimination: Extremely tight upper and lower bounds with application in digital quantum communication

Quantum vs Noncontextual Semi-Device-Independent Randomness Certification.

We compare the power of quantum and classical physics in terms of randomness certification from devices which are only partially characterized. We study randomness certification based on state discrimination and take noncontextuality as the notion of classicality. A contextual advantage was recently shown to exist for state discrimination. Here, we develop quantum and noncontextual semi-device independent protocols for random-number generation based on maximum-confidence discrimination, which generalizes unambiguous and minimum-error state discrimination. We show that, for quantum eavesdroppers, quantum devices can certify more randomness than noncontextual ones whenever none of the input states are unambiguously identified. That is, a quantum-over-classical advantage exists.

Experimental Test of Contextuality Based on State Discrimination with a Single Qubit

Exploring quantum phenomena beyond predictions of any classical model has fundamental importance to understand the boundary of classical and quantum descriptions of nature. As a typical property that a quantum system behaves distinctively from a classical counterpart, contextuality has been studied extensively and verified experimentally in systems composed of at least three levels (qutrit). Here we extend the scope of experimental test of contextuality to a minimal quantum system of only two states (qubit) by implementing the minimum error state discrimination on a single 171Yb+ ion. We observe a substantial violation of a no-go inequality derived by assuming non-contextuality, and firmly conclude that the measured results of state discrimination cannot be reconciled with any non-contextual description. We also quantify the contextual advantage of state discrimination and the tolerance against quantum noises.

General lower and upper bounds under minimum-error quantum state discrimination

For the optimal success probability under minimum-error discrimination between $r\geq2$ arbitrary quantum states prepared with any a priori probabilities, we find new general analytical lower and upper bounds and specify the relations between these new general bounds and the general bounds known in the literature. We also present the example where the new general analytical bounds, lower and upper, on the optimal success probability are tighter than most of the general analytical bounds known in the literature. The new upper bound on the optimal success probability explicitly generalizes to $r>2$ the form of the Helstrom bound. For $r=2$, each of our new bounds, lower and upper, reduces to the Helstrom bound.

Testing complementarity on a transmon quantum processor

We propose quantum circuits to test interferometric complementarity using symmetric two-way interferometers coupled to a which-path detector. First, we consider the two-qubit setup in which the controlled transfer of path information to the detector subsystem depletes interference on the probed subspace, testing the visibility-distinguishability tradeoff via minimum-error state discrimination measurements. Next, we consider the quantum eraser setup, in which reading out path information in the right basis recovers an interference pattern. These experiments are then carried out in an IBM superconducting transmon processor. A detailed analysis of the results is provided. Despite finding good agreement with theory at a coarse level, we also identify small but persistent systematic deviations preventing the observation of full particlelike and wavelike statistics. We understand them by carefully modeling two-qubit gates, showing that even small coherent errors in their implementation preclude the observation of Bohr's strong formulation of complementarity.

Mutual Information and Quantum Discord in Quantum State Discrimination with a Fixed Rate of Inconclusive Outcomes.

We studied the mutual information and quantum discord that Alice and Bob share when Bob implements a discrimination with a fixed rate of inconclusive outcomes (FRIO) onto two pure non-orthogonal quantum states, generated with arbitrary a priori probabilities. FRIO discrimination interpolates between minimum error (ME) and unambiguous state discrimination (UD). ME and UD are well known discrimination protocols with several applications in quantum information theory. FRIO discrimination provides a more general framework where the discrimination process together with its applications can be studied. In this setting, we compared the performance of optimum probability of discrimination, mutual information, and quantum discord. We found that the accessible information is obtained when Bob implements the ME strategy. The most (least) efficient discrimination scheme is ME (UD), from the point of view of correlations that are lost in the initial state and remain in the final state, after Bob’s measurement.

Quantum state discrimination via repeated measurements and the rule of three

The task of state discrimination for a set of mutually orthogonal pure states is trivial if one has access to the corresponding sharp (projection-valued) measurement, but what if we are restricted to an unsharp measurement? Given that any realistic measurement device will be subject to some noise, such a problem is worth considering. In this paper, we consider minimum error state discrimination for mutually orthogonal states with a noisy measurement. We show that by considering repetitions of commutative Lüders measurements on the same system we are able to increase the probability of successfully distinguishing states. In the case of binary Lüders measurements, we provide a full characterisation of the success probabilities for any number of repetitions. This leads us to identify a ‘rule of three’, where no change in probability is obtained from a second measurement but there is noticeable improvement after a third. We also provide partial results for N-valued commutative measurements where the rule of three remains, but the general pattern present in binary measurements is no longer satisfied.

Minimum-error state discrimination and quantitative wave particle duality

We establish the link between minimum-error discrimination of two pure states and wave particle duality in two-path interferometers. In particular, the upper bound of the probability of success discrimination is derived directly from the corresponding duality relation. It is already known that quantum state discrimination can produce wave particle duality relations, here we show the converse is also true: Wave particle duality can be used to obtain information about state discrimination.

Helstrom measurement: A nondestructive implementation

We discuss an implementation of the minimum error state discrimination measurement, originally introduced by Helstrom [Quantum Detection and Estimation Theory (Academic Press, New York, 1976)]. In this implementation, instead of performing the optimal projective measurement directly on the system, it is first entangled to an ancillary system and the measurement is performed on the ancilla. We show that, by an appropriate choice of the entanglement transformation, the Helstrom bound can be attained. The advantage of this approach is twofold. First, it provides an implementation when the optimal projective measurement cannot be directly performed. For example, in the case of continuous variable states (binary and $N$ phase-shifted coherent signals), the available detection methods, photon counting and homodyning, are insufficient to perform the required cat-state projection. In the case of symmetric states, the square-root measurement is optimal, but it is not easy to perform directly for more than two states. Our approach provides a feasible alternative in both cases. Second, the measurement is nondestructive from the point of view of the original system and one has a certain amount of freedom in designing the post-measurement state, which can then be processed further.

Experimental test of the relation between coherence and path information

Quantum coherence stemming from the superposition behaviour of a particle beyond the classical realm, serves as one of the most fundamental features in quantum mechanics. The wave-particle duality phenomenon, which shares the same origin, has a strong relationship with quantum coherence. Recently, an elegant relation between quantum coherence and path information has been theoretically derived. Here, we experimentally test such new duality by l1-norm measure and the minimum-error state discrimination. We prepare three classes of two-photon states encoded in polarisation degree of freedom, with one photon serving as the target and the other photon as the detector. We observe that wave-particle-like complementarity and Bagan’s equality, defined by the duality relation between coherence and path information, is well satisfied. Our results may shed new light on the original nature of wave-particle duality and on the applications of quantum coherence as a fundamental resource in quantum technologies.

State discrimination with postmeasurement information and incompatibility of quantum measurements

We discuss the following variant of the standard minimum error state discrimination problem: Alice picks the state she sends to Bob among one of several disjoint state ensembles, and she communicates him the chosen ensemble only at a later time. Two different scenarios then arise: either Bob is allowed to arrange his measurement set-up after Alice has announced him the chosen ensemble, or he is forced to perform the measurement before of Alice's announcement. In the latter case, he can only post-process his measurement outcome when Alice's extra information becomes available. We compare the optimal guessing probabilities in the two scenarios, and we prove that they are the same if and only if there exist compatible optimal measurements for all of Alice's state ensembles. When this is the case, post-processing any of the corresponding joint measurements is Bob's optimal strategy in the post-measurement information scenario. Furthermore, we establish a connection between discrimination with post-measurement information and the standard state discrimination. By means of this connection and exploiting the presence of symmetries, we are able to compute the various guessing probabilities in many concrete examples.

Contextual Advantage for State Discrimination

Finding quantitative aspects of quantum phenomena which cannot be explained by any classical model has foundational importance for understanding the boundary between classical and quantum theory. It also has practical significance for identifying information processing tasks for which those phenomena provide a quantum advantage. Using the framework of generalized noncontextuality as our notion of classicality, we find one such nonclassical feature within the phenomenology of quantum minimum error state discrimination. Namely, we identify quantitative limits on the success probability for minimum error state discrimination in any experiment described by a noncontextual ontological model. These constraints constitute noncontextuality inequalities that are violated by quantum theory, and this violation implies a quantum advantage for state discrimination relative to noncontextual models. Furthermore, our noncontextuality inequalities are robust to noise and are operationally formulated, so that any experimental violation of the inequalities is a witness of contextuality, independently of the validity of quantum theory. Along the way, we introduce new methods for analyzing noncontextuality scenarios, and demonstrate a tight connection between our minimum error state discrimination scenario and a Bell scenario.

Optimal discrimination of single-qubit mixed states

We consider the problem of minimum-error quantum state discrimination for single-qubit mixed states. We present a method which uses the Helstrom conditions constructively and analytically; this algebraic approach is complementary to existing geometric methods, and solves the problem for any number of arbitrary signal states with arbitrary prior probabilities.

Security of two-state and four-state practical quantum bit-commitment protocols

We study cheating strategies against a practical four-state quantum bit-commitment protocol and its two-state variant when the underlying quantum channels are noisy and the cheating party is constrained to using single-qubit measurements only. We show that simply inferring the transmitted photons' states by using the Breidbart basis, optimal for ambiguous (minimum-error) state discrimination, does not directly produce an optimal cheating strategy for this bit-commitment protocol. We introduce a new strategy, based on certain post-measurement processes, and show it to have better chances at cheating than the direct approach. We also study to what extent sending forged geographical coordinates helps a dishonest party in breaking the binding security requirement. Finally, we investigate the impact of imperfect single-photon sources in the protocols. Our study shows that, in terms of the resources used, the four-state protocol is advantageous over the two-state version. The analysis performed can be straightforwardly generalised to any finite-qubit measurement, with the same qualitative results.

Relations between Coherence and Path Information.

We find two relations between coherence and path information in a multipath interferometer. The first builds on earlier results for the two-path interferometer, which used minimum-error state discrimination between detector states to provide the path information. For visibility, which was used in the two-path case, we substitute a recently defined l_{1} measure of quantum coherence. The second is an entropic relation in which the path information is characterized by the mutual information between the detector states and the outcome of the measurement performed on them, and the coherence measure is one based on relative entropy.

Discriminating single-photon states unambiguously in high dimensions.

The ability to uniquely identify a quantum state is integral to quantum science, but for nonorthogonal states, quantum mechanics precludes deterministic, error-free discrimination. However, using the nondeterministic protocol of unambiguous state discrimination enables the error-free differentiation of states, at the cost of a lower frequency of success. We discriminate experimentally between nonorthogonal, high-dimensional states encoded in single photons; our results range from dimension d=2 to d=14. We quantify the performance of our method by comparing the total measured error rate to the theoretical rate predicted by minimum-error state discrimination. For the chosen states, we find a lower error rate by more than 1 standard deviation for dimensions up to d=12. This method will find immediate application in high-dimensional implementations of quantum information protocols, such as quantum cryptography.

Structure of minimum-error quantum state discrimination

Distinguishing different quantum states is a fundamental task having practical applications in information processing. Despite the effort devoted so far, however, strategies for optimal discrimination are known only for specific examples. In this paper we consider the problem of minimum-error quantum state discrimination where one attempts to minimize the average error. We show the general structure of minimum-error state discrimination as well as useful properties to derive analytic solutions. Based on the general structure, we present a geometric formulation of the problem, which can be applied to cases where quantum state geometry is clear. We also introduce equivalent classes of sets of quantum states in terms of minimum-error discrimination: sets of quantum states in an equivalent class that share the same guessing probability. In particular, for qubit states where the state geometry is found with the Bloch sphere, we illustrate that for an arbitrary set of qubit states, the minimum-error state discrimination with equal prior probabilities can be analytically solved, that is, optimal measurement and the guessing probability are explicitly obtained.

Complete analysis for three-qubit mixed-state discrimination

In this article, by treating minimum error state discrimination as a complementarity problem, we obtain the geometric optimality conditions. These can be used as the necessary and sufficient conditions to determine whether every optimal measurement operator can be nonzero. Using these conditions and an inductive approach, we demonstrate a geometric method and the intrinsic polytope for $N$-qubit mixed-state discrimination. When the intrinsic polytope becomes a point, a line segment, or a triangle, the guessing probability, the necessary and sufficient condition for the exact solution, and the optimal measurement are analytically obtained. We apply this result to the problem of discrimination to arbitrary three-qubit mixed states with given a priori probabilities and obtain the complete analytic solution to the guessing probability and optimal measurement.

Quantum lost property: A possible operational meaning for the Hilbert-Schmidt product

Minimum error state discrimination between two mixed states \rho and \sigma can be aided by the receipt of "classical side information" specifying which states from some convex decompositions of \rho and \sigma apply in each run. We quantify this phenomena by the average trace distance, and give lower and upper bounds on this quantity as functions of \rho and \sigma. The lower bound is simply the trace distance between \rho and \sigma, trivially seen to be tight. The upper bound is \sqrt{1 - tr(\rho\sigma)}, and we conjecture that this is also tight. We reformulate this conjecture in terms of the existence of a pair of "unbiased decompositions", which may be of independent interest, and prove it for a few special cases. Finally, we point towards a link with a notion of non-classicality known as preparation contextuality.

No-Signaling Principle Can Determine Optimal Quantum State Discrimination

We provide a general framework of utilizing the no-signaling principle in derivation of the guessing probability in the minimum-error quantum state discrimination. We show that, remarkably, the guessing probability can be determined by the no-signaling principle. This is shown by proving that, in the semidefinite programing for the discrimination, the optimality condition corresponds to the constraint that quantum theory cannot be used for a superluminal communication. Finally, a general bound to the guessing probability is presented in a closed form.