A framework for a quantum mechanical information theory is introduced that is
based entirely on density operators, and gives rise to a unified description of
classical correlation and quantum entanglement. Unlike in classical (Shannon)
information theory, quantum (von Neumann) conditional entropies can be negative
when considering quantum entangled systems, a fact related to quantum
non-separability. The possibility that negative (virtual) information can be
carried by entangled particles suggests a consistent interpretation of quantum
informational processes.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX, 2 figures. Expanded discussion of quantum
teleportation and superdense coding, and minor corrections. To appear in
Phys. Rev. Let
