On the volume of the set of mixed entangled states

A natural measure in the space of density matrices describing N-dimensional quantum systems is proposed. We study the probability P that a quantum state chosen randomly with respect to the natural measure is not entangled (is separable). We find analytical lower and upper bounds for this quantity. Numerical calculations give P = 0.632 for N=4 and P=0.384 for N=6, and indicate that P decreases exponentially with N. Analysis of a conditional measure of separability under the condition of fixed purity shows a clear dualism between purity and separability: entanglement is typical for pure states, while separability is connected with quantum mixtures. In particular, states of sufficiently low purity are necessarily separable.Comment: 10 pages in LaTex - RevTex + 4 figures in eps. submitted to Phys. Rev.

Efficient algorithm for multi-qudit twirling for ensemble quantum computation

We present an efficient algorithm for twirling a multi-qudit quantum state. The algorithm can be used for approximating the twirling operation in an ensemble of physical systems in which the systems cannot be individually accessed. It can also be used for computing the twirled density matrix on a classical computer. The method is based on a simple non-unitary operation involving a random unitary. When applying this basic building block iteratively, the mean squared error of the approximation decays exponentially. In contrast, when averaging over random unitary matrices the error decreases only algebraically. We present evidence that the unitaries in our algorithm can come from a very imperfect random source or can even be chosen deterministically from a set of cyclically alternating matrices. Based on these ideas we present a quantum circuit realizing twirling efficiently.Comment: 11 pages including 6 figures, revtex4; v2: presentation improved, sections VI and VII added; v3: small changes before publicatio

How often is a random quantum state k-entangled?

The set of trace preserving, positive maps acting on density matrices of size d forms a convex body. We investigate its nested subsets consisting of k-positive maps, where k=2,...,d. Working with the measure induced by the Hilbert-Schmidt distance we derive asymptotically tight bounds for the volumes of these sets. Our results strongly suggest that the inner set of (k+1)-positive maps forms a small fraction of the outer set of k-positive maps. These results are related to analogous bounds for the relative volume of the sets of k-entangled states describing a bipartite d X d system.Comment: 19 pages in latex, 1 figure include

Almost all quantum channels are equidistant

In this work we analyze properties of generic quantum channels in the case of large system size. We use random matrix theory and free probability to show that the distance between two independent random channels converges to a constant value as the dimension of the system grows larger. As a measure of the distance we use the diamond norm. In the case of a flat Hilbert-Schmidt distribution on quantum channels, we obtain that the distance converges to $\frac12 + \frac{2}{\pi}$, giving also an estimate for the maximum success probability for distinguishing the channels. We also consider the problem of distinguishing two random unitary rotations.Comment: 30 pages, commets are welcom

Geometry of sets of quantum maps: a generic positive map acting on a high-dimensional system is not completely positive

We investigate the set a) of positive, trace preserving maps acting on density matrices of size N, and a sequence of its nested subsets: the sets of maps which are b) decomposable, c) completely positive, d) extended by identity impose positive partial transpose and e) are superpositive. Working with the Hilbert-Schmidt (Euclidean) measure we derive tight explicit two-sided bounds for the volumes of all five sets. A sample consequence is the fact that, as N increases, a generic positive map becomes not decomposable and, a fortiori, not completely positive. Due to the Jamiolkowski isomorphism, the results obtained for quantum maps are closely connected to similar relations between the volume of the set of quantum states and the volumes of its subsets (such as states with positive partial transpose or separable states) or supersets. Our approach depends on systematic use of duality to derive quantitative estimates, and on various tools of classical convexity, high-dimensional probability and geometry of Banach spaces, some of which are not standard.Comment: 34 pages in Latex including 3 figures in eps, ver 2: minor revision