New lower bounds to the output entropy of multi-mode quantum Gaussian channels

We prove that quantum thermal Gaussian input states minimize the output entropy of the multi-mode quantum Gaussian attenuators and amplifiers that are entanglement breaking and of the multi-mode quantum Gaussian phase contravariant channels among all the input states with a given entropy. This is the first time that this property is proven for a multi-mode channel without restrictions on the input states. A striking consequence of this result is a new lower bound on the output entropy of all the multi-mode quantum Gaussian attenuators and amplifiers in terms of the input entropy. We apply this bound to determine new upper bounds to the communication rates in two different scenarios. The first is classical communication to two receivers with the quantum degraded Gaussian broadcast channel. The second is the simultaneous classical communication, quantum communication and entanglement generation or the simultaneous public classical communication, private classical communication and quantum key distribution with the Gaussian quantum-limited attenuator

Uncertainty relations with quantum memory for the Wehrl entropy

We prove two new fundamental uncertainty relations with quantum memory for the Wehrl entropy. The first relation applies to the bipartite memory scenario. It determines the minimum conditional Wehrl entropy among all the quantum states with a given conditional von Neumann entropy and proves that this minimum is asymptotically achieved by a suitable sequence of quantum Gaussian states. The second relation applies to the tripartite memory scenario. It determines the minimum of the sum of the Wehrl entropy of a quantum state conditioned on the first memory quantum system with the Wehrl entropy of the same state conditioned on the second memory quantum system and proves that also this minimum is asymptotically achieved by a suitable sequence of quantum Gaussian states. The Wehrl entropy of a quantum state is the Shannon differential entropy of the outcome of a heterodyne measurement performed on the state. The heterodyne measurement is one of the main measurements in quantum optics and lies at the basis of one of the most promising protocols for quantum key distribution. These fundamental entropic uncertainty relations will be a valuable tool in quantum information and will, for example, find application in security proofs of quantum key distribution protocols in the asymptotic regime and in entanglement witnessing in quantum optics

The Entropy Power Inequality with quantum conditioning

The conditional entropy power inequality is a fundamental inequality in information theory, stating that the conditional entropy of the sum of two conditionally independent vector-valued random variables each with an assigned conditional entropy is minimum when the random variables are Gaussian. We prove the conditional entropy power inequality in the scenario where the conditioning system is quantum. The proof is based on the heat semigroup and on a generalization of the Stam inequality in the presence of quantum conditioning. The entropy power inequality with quantum conditioning will be a key tool of quantum information, with applications in distributed source coding protocols with the assistance of quantum entanglement

Linear growth of the entanglement entropy for quadratic Hamiltonians and arbitrary initial states

We prove that the entanglement entropy of any pure initial state of a bipartite bosonic quantum system grows linearly in time with respect to the dynamics induced by any unstable quadratic Hamiltonian. The growth rate does not depend on the initial state and is equal to the sum of certain Lyapunov exponents of the corresponding classical dynamics. This paper generalizes the findings of [Bianchi et al., JHEP 2018, 25 (2018)], which proves the same result in the special case of Gaussian initial states. Our proof is based on a recent generalization of the strong subadditivity of the von Neumann entropy for bosonic quantum systems [De Palma et al., arXiv:2105.05627]. This technique allows us to extend our result to generic mixed initial states, with the squashed entanglement providing the right generalization of the entanglement entropy. We discuss several applications of our results to physical systems with (weakly) interacting Hamiltonians and periodically driven quantum systems, including certain quantum field theory models

Gaussian optimizers for entropic inequalities in quantum information

We survey the state of the art for the proof of the quantum Gaussian optimizer conjectures of quantum information theory. These fundamental conjectures state that quantum Gaussian input states are the solution to several optimization problems involving quantum Gaussian channels. These problems are the quantum counterpart of three fundamental results of functional analysis and probability: the Entropy Power Inequality, the sharp Young's inequality for convolutions, and the theorem "Gaussian kernels have only Gaussian maximizers." Quantum Gaussian channels play a key role in quantum communication theory: they are the quantum counterpart of Gaussian integral kernels and provide the mathematical model for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the quantum regime. The quantum Gaussian optimizer conjectures are needed to determine the maximum communication rates over optical fibers and free space. The restriction of the quantum-limited Gaussian attenuator to input states diagonal in the Fock basis coincides with the thinning, which is the analog of the rescaling for positive integer random variables. Quantum Gaussian channels provide then a bridge between functional analysis and discrete probability