“Classical” quantum states

Marek Kuś and Ingemar Bengtsson
Phys. Rev. A 80, 022319 – Published 13 August 2009

Abstract

We show that several classes of mixed quantum states in finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces which can be characterized as being, in some respect, “most classical” can be described and analyzed in a unified way. Among the states we consider are separable states of distinguishable particles, uncorrelated states of indistinguishable fermions and bosons, as well as mixed spin states decomposable into probabilistic mixtures of pure coherent states. The latter was the subject of the recent paper by Giraud et al. [Phys. Rev. A 78, 042112 (2008)], who showed that in the lowest-dimensional nontrivial case of spin 1, each such state can be decomposed into a mixture of eight pure states. Using our method, we prove that in fact four pure states always suffice.

  • Received 8 May 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.80.022319

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Marek Kuś1 and Ingemar Bengtsson2

  • 1Center for Theoretical Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/44, 02-668 Warszawa, Poland
  • 2Stockholm University, AlbaNova, Fysikum, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden

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Issue

Vol. 80, Iss. 2 — August 2009

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