Operator-valued Measures Research Articles

Extending the quantum tomography of a quasi-photon-number-resolving detector

The ability to discriminate the number of photons in a radiation field has a critical role in the implementation of quantum optical technologies. True photon-number-resolving detectors are rare and complex devices, while a quasi-photon-number-resolving detector (qPNRD) is a practical alternative for real-world applications. Our qPNRD is composed of a fiber demultiplexer and individual non-photon-number-resolving detectors. We perform quantum tomography on our qPNRD based on the positive operator-valued measure and extend the analysis using the Bayesian formalism to uncover how the measurement influences knowledge of the measured photon probability distribution.

Dynamical quantum state tomography with time-dependent channels

Abstract In this paper, we establish a dynamical quantum state tomography framework. Under this framework, it is feasible to obtain complete knowledge of any unknown state of a d-level system via only one operator of a special type of positive operator-valued measure (POVM) in dimension d. We define a new channel, referred to as the time-dependent average channel. Utilizing this channel, we show that we can acquire a collection of projective operators that is informationally complete (IC) and thus obtain the corresponding informationally complete POVMs (IC-POVMs). Zauner conjectured that for any dimension d there exists a fiducial vector, such that all remaining d 2 − 1 elements of the desired symmetric informationally complete POVM (SIC-POVM) can be obtained by acting on said vector with unitary matrices representing elements of the Weyl-Heisenberg group. We show that under certain condition, it is possible to obtain infinite families of projective operators that are IC, and obtain infinite families of corresponding IC-POVMs; otherwise, Zauner’s conjecture is incorrect. We also show how to simulate a SIC-POVM on any unknown quantum state by using the time-dependent average channel.

On positive operator-valued measures generated by a family of one-dimensional projectors

On positive operator-valued measures generated by a family of one-dimensional projectors

Optimal individual and collective measurements for nonorthogonal quantum key distribution signals

We consider how the theory of optimal quantum measurements determines the maximum information available to the receiving party of a quantum key distribution (QKD) system employing linearly independent but nonorthogonal quantum states. Such a setting is characteristic of several practical QKD protocols. Due to nonorthogonality, the receiver is not able to discriminate unambiguously between the signals. To understand the fundamental limits that this imposes, the quantity of interest is the maximum mutual information between the transmitter (Alice) and the receiver, whether legitimate (Bob) or an eavesdropper (Eve). To find the optimal measurement—taken individually or collectively—we use a framework based on operator algebra and general results derived from singular-value decomposition, achieving optimal solutions for von Neumann measurements and positive operator-valued measures (POVMs). The formal proof and quantitative analysis elaborated for two signals allow us to conclude that optimal von Neumann measurements are uniquely defined and provide a higher information gain compared to POVMs. Interestingly, collective measurements not only do not provide additional information gain with respect to individual ones but also suffer from a gain reduction in the case of POVMs. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Robust Classical and Quantum Polarimetry with a Single Nanostructured Metagrating.

We formulate a new conceptual approach for one-shot complete polarization state measurement with nanostructured metasurfaces applicable to classical light and multiphoton quantum states by drawing on the principles of generalized quantum measurements based on positive operator-valued measures. Accurate polarization reconstruction from a combination of photon counts or correlations from several diffraction orders is robust with respect to even strong fabrication inaccuracies, requiring only a single classical calibration of the metasurface transmission. Furthermore, this approach operates with a single metagrating without interleaving, allowing for a reduction in metasurface size while preserving high transmission efficiency and output beam quality. We theoretically obtained original metasurface designs, fabricated the metasurface from amorphous silicon nanostructures deposited on glass, and experimentally confirmed accurate polarization reconstruction of laser beams. We also anticipate robust operation under changes in environmental conditions, opening new possibilities for space-based imaging and satellite optics.

Incompatibility of quantum instruments

Quantum instruments describe outcome probability as well as state change induced by measurement of a quantum system. Incompatibility of two instruments, i. e. the impossibility to realize them simultaneously on a given quantum system, generalizes incompatibility of channels and incompatibility of positive operator-valued measures (POVMs). We derive implications of instrument compatibility for the induced POVMs and channels. We also study relation of instrument compatibility to the concept of non-disturbance. Finally, we prove equivalence between instrument compatibility and postprocessing of certain instruments, which we term complementary instruments. We illustrate our findings on examples of various classes of instruments.

Minimal orthonormal bases for pure quantum state estimation

We present an analytical method to estimate pure quantum states using a minimum of three measurement bases in any finite-dimensional Hilbert space. This is optimal as two bases are insufficient to construct an informationally complete positive operator-valued measurement (IC-POVM) for pure states. We demonstrate our method using a binary tree structure, providing an algorithmic path for implementation. The performance of the method is evaluated through numerical simulations, showcasing its effectiveness for quantum state estimation.

The entanglement criteria based on equiangular tight frames

Finite tight frames play an important role in miscellaneous areas, including quantum information theory. Here we apply a class of tight frames, equiangular tight frames, to address the problem of detecting the entanglement of bipartite states. Here we derive some entanglement criteria based on positive operator-valued measurements built from equiangular tight frames. We also present a class of entanglement witnesses based on the equiangular tight frames. At last, we generalize the entanglement criterion for bipartite systems to multipartite systems.

Quantum retrodiction in Gaussian systems and applications in optomechanics

What knowledge can be obtained from the record of a continuous measurement about the quantum state of the measured system at the beginning of the measurement? The task of quantum state retrodiction, the inverse of the more common state prediction, is rigorously addressed in quantum measurement theory through retrodictive positive operator-valued measures (POVMs). This introduction to this general framework presents its practical formulation for retrodicting Gaussian quantum states using continuous-time homodyne measurements and applies it to optomechanical systems. We identify and characterize achievable retrodictive POVMs in common optomechanical operating modes with resonant or off-resonant driving fields and specific choices of local oscillator frequencies in homodyne detection. In particular, we demonstrate the possibility of a near-ideal measurement of the quadrature of the mechanical oscillator, giving direct access to the position or momentum distribution of the oscillator at a given time. This forms the basis for complete quantum state tomography, albeit in a destructive manner.

A complete and operational resource theory of measurement sharpness

We construct a resource theory of sharpness for finite-dimensional positive operator-valued measures (POVMs), where the sharpness−non−increasing operations are given by quantum preprocessing channels and convex mixtures with POVMs whose elements are all proportional to the identity operator. As required for a sound resource theory of sharpness, we show that our theory has maximal (i.e., sharp) elements, which are all equivalent, and coincide with the set of POVMs that admit a repeatable measurement. Among the maximal elements, conventional non-degenerate observables are characterized as the canonical ones. More generally, we quantify sharpness in terms of a class of monotones, expressed as the EPR–Ozawa correlations between the given POVM and an arbitrary reference POVM. We show that one POVM can be transformed into another by means of a sharpness-non-increasing operation if and only if the former is sharper than the latter with respect to all monotones. Thus, our resource theory of sharpness is complete, in the sense that the comparison of all monotones provides a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a sharpness-non-increasing operation between two POVMs, and operational, in the sense that all monotones are in principle experimentally accessible.

Deterministic remote state preparation with weight graph states in quantum networks

The weight graph states (WGS) usually serve as the imperfect generation of the graph states due to the limitation in experiments. In this paper, we study the deterministic remote state preparation (RSP) protocol by leveraging multiple WGS. First, we introduce the quantum circuit of the entanglement concentration based on the theory of majorization, calculating the entanglement coefficients by applying the Schmidt decomposition onto the bipartite WGS. Then, we establish the positive operator-valued measurement (POVM) that helps to extract available entanglement for the RSP protocol. In three-particle 1D WGS, we demonstrate that the bipartite entanglement between the sender and the receiver depends on the measurement basis selected by the repeater node. Here we find a set of orthogonal bases that retains the entanglement unchanged, which guarantees the robustness of the RSP scheme. In the end, we discuss the performance of our protocol and extend the channel to the multi-particle 1D WGS, illustrating the relationship between the entanglements and the different weights of edges. Our scheme provides a viable method to reuse the imperfect graph states, hoping to contribute to the future study of graph states in quantum networks.

Dilations for operator-valued quantum measures

This paper concerns the dilations of Banach space operator-valued quantum measures. While the recently developed general dilation theory leads to a projection (idempotent) valued dilation for any quantum measure over the projection lattice of a von Neumann algebra that does not contain a Type I2 direct summand, such a dilation does not necessarily guarantee the preservation of countable additivity of the quantum measure. So it remains an open question whether every countably additive B(X)-valued quantum measure can be dilated to a countably additive projection-valued measure. The main purpose of this paper is to prove that such a dilation exists if one of the following two conditions is satisfied: (i) either the underlying Banach space X is ℓp for some 1<p<2 or X has the Schur property, (ii) the quantum measure has bounded p-variation (i.e., the total p-variation is finite) for some 1≤p<∞. These are achieved by establishing a non-commutative version of a minimal dilation theory on the elementary dilation space equipped with an appropriate dilation norm. In particular, we introduce a p-variation norm on the elementary dilation space and prove that every operator-valued quantum measure with bounded p-variation has a projection-valued quantum measure dilation that preserves the boundedness of the p-variation.

Quantum state discrimination with assisted entanglement

State discrimination is one of the key steps in quantum information tasks. This paper introduces the assisted quantum entanglement to achieve this step. For this purpose, the paper introduces some preliminary knowledge to help enter the research topic, such as the matrix rank, Kronecker product, quantum states and the calculation method of Schmidt decomposition and rank. The latter involves the Singular value decomposition in matrix factorization theory. The method of distinguishing orthogonal states in single and many-body systems is also introduced, by using the so-called positive operator-valued measurements. Then the paper proves the fact that single or multipartite system non-orthogonal states are indistinguishable regardless of whether there are auxiliary resources, which may be either separable or entangled states. The paper further illustrates the feasibility of maximum entangled states acting on two-body systems and gives corresponding examples. At the same time, the feasibility of auxiliary resources for smaller entanglement is also investigated.

Quantum detection problem for fusion frames

A quantum injective frame is a frame whose measurements for density operators can be used as a distinguishing feature in a quantum system, and the frame quantum detection problem demands a characterization of all such frames. Very recently, the quantum detection problem for continuous as well as discrete frames in both finite and infinite dimensional Hilbert spaces received significant attention. The quantum detection problem pertaining to the characterization of informationally complete positive operator-valued measures (POVM) can be split into two cases: The quantum injectivity or state separability problem and the rang analysis or quantum state estimation problem. Building upon this notion, this note is aimed at the quantum detection problem for fusion frames. The injectivity of a family of vectors and a family of closed subspaces is characterized in terms of some operator equations in Hilbert–Schmidt and trace classes.

Randomness-Free Test of Nonclassicality: A Proof of Concept.

Quantum correlations and nonprojective measurements underlie a plethora of information-theoretic tasks, otherwise impossible in the classical world. Existing schemes to certify such nonclassical resources in a device-independent manner require seed randomness-which is often costly and vulnerable to loopholes-for choosing the local measurements performed on different parts of a multipartite quantum system. In this Letter, we propose and experimentally implement a semi-device-independent certification technique for both quantum correlations and nonprojective measurements without seed randomness. Our test is semi-device independent in the sense that it requires only prior knowledge of the dimension of the parts. We experimentally show a novel quantum advantage in correlated coin tossing by producing specific correlated coins from pairs of photons entangled in their transverse spatial modes. We establish the advantage by showing that the correlated coin obtained from the entangled photons cannot be obtained from two two-level classical correlated coins. The quantum advantage requires performing qubit trine positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) on each part of the entangled pair, thus also certifying such POVMs in a semi-device-independent manner. This proof of concept firmly establishes a new cost-effective certification technique for both generating nonclassical shared randomness and implementing nonclassical measurements, which will be important for future multiparty quantum communications.

Characterizing the uncertainty relation via a class of measurements

The connection between uncertainty and entanglement is a prevalent topic in quantum information processing. Based on a broad class of informationally complete symmetric measurements, which can be viewed as a common generalization of symmetric, informationally complete positive operator-valued measures and mutually unbiased bases, a conical 2-design is calculated. This design plays a crucial role in quantum measurement theory. Subsequently, the relation between the uncertainty and the entanglement for a set of measurements is portrayed using conditional collision entropy. Furthermore, a tighter lower bound of the uncertainty relation is discussed according to the characterization of the entropic bound. Finally, the relation is applied to entanglement witnesses. It is demonstrated that the present results are unified and comprehensive.

Geometric bloch vector solution to minimum-error discriminations of mixed qubit states

We investigate minimum-error (ME) discrimination for mixed qubit states using a geometric approach. By analyzing positive operator-valued measure (POVM) solutions and introducing Lagrange operator Gamma , we develop a four-step structured instruction to find Gamma for N mixed qubit states. Our method covers optimal solutions for two, three, and four mixed qubit states, including a novel result for four qubit states. We introduce geometric-based POVM classes and non-decomposable subsets for constructing optimal solutions, enabling us to find all possible answers for the general problem of minimum-error discrimination for N mixed qubit states with arbitrary a priori probabilities.

Tomography of Detectors Taking Dead Time into Account

Using numerical simulation methods that take into account the dead time effect, algorithms are developed to calculate the detector’s response for photon fluxes with different photon number distributions, including the Poisson, Fock, and thermal distributions. Based on the results obtained, a detector tomography method is developed, as well as an algorithm for identifying the corresponding elements of a positive operator-valued measure (POVM). Experimental studies using coherent states demonstrate close agreement between the calculation results and experimental data.

Energy cost of localization of relational quantum information

Entanglement of spatially separated quantum states is usually defined with respect to a reference frame provided by some external observer. Thus, if one wishes to localize the quantum information within a spatially separated entangled state, one must enact an entanglement extraction protocol also defined with respect to that external frame. Entanglement extraction for Gaussian ground states in such an external frame construction has been shown to require a minimum energy and is hence an interesting process for gravitational physics, where examinations of localization vs energy cost have a long history. General covariance, however, precludes dependence on external frames. In order to enact an extraction protocol in a generally covariant theory, dependence on the external reference frame must first be removed and the states made relational. We examine the implementation of an extraction protocol for Gaussian states, whose center of mass and relational degrees of freedom are entangled, in a relational toy model where translation invariance stands in for full diffeomorphism invariance. Constructing fully relational states and the corresponding extraction/localization can, in principle, be done in two ways. External frame position information can be removed through $G$-twirling over translations or one can spontaneously break the translation symmetry via the gradient of an auxiliary field, or $Z$-model. We determine the energetics of quantum information localization after the states have been made fully relational via both the $G$-twirl and $Z$-model. We also show one can obtain the $G$-twirl construction from a $Z$-model as a limit of positive operator valued measurements.

On Repeated Measurements of a Quantum Particle in a Harmonic Potential

We study evolution of a quantum particle in a harmonic potential whose position and momentum are repeatedly monitored. A back-action of measuring devices is accounted for. Our model utilizes a generalized measurement corresponding to the Positive Operator-Valued Measure. We assume that upon measurement the particle's wavefunction is projected onto one of possible detector states depending on the observed result. We chose these post-measurement states to be moving Gaussian wavepackets. The Wave Function Quantum Monte-Carlo formalism is used to simulate single quantum trajectories of the particle. We show how classical trajectories emerge in course of observation and study in detail dispersion of position and momentum of the particle.