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QuantumInfo.Entropy.DPI

DPI (Data Processing Inequality)

The Data Processing Inequality (DPI) for the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy, and as a consequence, the quantum relative entropy.

Proof structure (for α > 1)

Following Leditzky–Rouzé–Datta (arXiv:1306.5920), the proof proceeds as follows:

1. Define the **trace functional** `Q̃_α(ρ‖σ) = Tr[(σ^γ ρ σ^γ)^α]` where `γ = (1 - α) / (2α)`. The sandwiched Rényi divergence satisfies `D̃_α(ρ‖σ) = log(Q̃_α(ρ‖σ)) / (α - 1)`.

2. The DPI for `D̃_α` reduces to **monotonicity of `Q̃_α` under partial trace**: `Q̃_α(ρ_AB‖σ_AB) ≥ Q̃_α(ρ_A‖σ_A)` for `α > 1`.

3. This monotonicity is proved via the **twirling argument**: - `Q̃_α` is invariant under joint unitary conjugation. - `Q̃_α` is jointly convex for `α > 1` (Frank–Lieb). - A twirling set of unitaries `{V_i}` averages any state to a product with the maximally mixed state. - `Q̃_α` is invariant under tensoring with a fixed state.

4. The general DPI for CPTP maps follows via **Stinespring dilation**: any CPTP map can be decomposed as ancilla preparation + unitary + partial trace.

The Sandwiched Trace Functional

Properties of the Trace Functional

Unitary Invariance

`Q̃_α(UρU†‖UσU†) = Q̃_α(ρ‖σ)` for any unitary `U`.

Here, `conj U.val A` denotes `U * A * U†`, so "conjugating ρ and σ by the same unitary" means applying `conj U.val` to both.

Joint Convexity for α > 1

The trace functional `Q̃_α` is jointly convex for `α > 1`. This is proved by Frank and Lieb via a variational formula and strict convexity of trace functions.

Trace functions convexity

The following result is used in the proof: for a convex function `g : ℝ → ℝ`, the map `A ↦ Tr[g(A)]` on Hermitian matrices is convex (Carlen, Theorem 2.10).

Variational formula for the trace functional

Twirling Construction Helpers

Twirling Set

A twirling set for a finite-dimensional system `dB` is a set of unitary matrices `{V_i}` on `dB` (indexed by some finite type `κ`) such that the average `(1/|κ|) Σ_i V_i X V_i†` equals `Tr(X) · (1/dim(dB))` for all `X`. When applied as `1_A ⊗ V_i` on a bipartite system `dA × dB`, this gives: `(1/|κ|) Σ_i (1_A ⊗ V_i) ρ_AB (1_A ⊗ V_i)† = ρ_A ⊗ π_B` where `π_B = 1/dim(dB)` is the maximally mixed state.

The standard construction uses the Heisenberg–Weyl (discrete Weyl) operators.

Tensor Invariance

`Q̃_α(ρ ⊗ τ ‖ σ ⊗ τ) = Q̃_α(ρ ‖ σ)` for any state `τ`. This corresponds to equation (2.4) in the paper.

Twirling MState Helpers

Helper lemmas for constructing MStates via the twirling argument.

Monotonicity Under Partial Trace (α > 1)

The main intermediate result: for `α > 1`, the trace functional `Q̃_α` is monotone under partial trace: `Q̃_α(ρ_AB ‖ σ_AB) ≥ Q̃_α(ρ_A ‖ σ_A)`.

The proof uses the twirling argument: 1. By unitary invariance, `Q̃_α(ρ_AB‖σ_AB) = Q̃_α(V_i ρ_AB V_i†‖V_i σ_AB V_i†)` for each `i`. 2. Averaging: `Q̃_α(ρ_AB‖σ_AB) = (1/|κ|) Σ_i Q̃_α(V_i ρ_AB V_i†‖V_i σ_AB V_i†)`. 3. By joint convexity (α > 1): `≥ Q̃_α((1/|κ|) Σ_i V_i ρ_AB V_i†‖(1/|κ|) Σ_i V_i σ_AB V_i†)`. 4. By twirling: `= Q̃_α(ρ_A ⊗ π_B ‖ σ_A ⊗ π_B)`. 5. By tensor invariance: `= Q̃_α(ρ_A ‖ σ_A)`.

DPI for Sandwiched Rényi Divergence Under Partial Trace

DPI via Stinespring Dilation

Joint Convexity of the Relative Entropy

Joint convexity of the (Umegaki) quantum relative entropy is derived from joint convexity of the trace functional `Q̃_α` (`sandwichedTraceFunctional_jointly_convex`) by letting `α → 1⁺`, in the same way that `sandwichedRenyiEntropy_DPI_eq_one` follows from the `α > 1` case.

For `α > 1` and states with compatible kernels, `log x ≤ x - 1` gives `D̃_α(ρ‖σ) = log (Q̃_α(ρ‖σ)) / (α - 1) ≤ (Q̃_α(ρ‖σ) - 1) / (α - 1)`, and the difference quotient on the right is jointly convex in `(ρ, σ)` because `Q̃_α` is. As `α → 1⁺`, the left-hand side tends to `𝐃(ρ‖σ)` (by `sandwichedRelRentropy.continuousOn`), and the difference quotient tends to `𝐃(ρ‖σ)` as well (since `Q̃_α = exp ((α - 1) D̃_α)` and `exp x ≤ 1 + x + x²` for `|x| ≤ 1`), so the convex combination passes to the limit.

51 declarations

definition

Sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma)

The sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) is a real-valued function of a parameter α∈R\alpha \in \mathbb{R} and two quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma. It is defined as: Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}. In this expression, ρ\rho and σ\sigma represent the density matrices of the states, the matrix powers are defined via functional calculus, and Tr\text{Tr} denotes the trace.

definition

Notation for the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma)

This notation represents the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) for two quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma and a parameter α\alpha. It is defined as Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}.

theorem

Dα(ρ∥σ)=1α−1log⁡Q~α(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \frac{1}{\alpha-1} \log \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma)

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states with density matrices MρM_\rho and MσM_\sigma such that the kernel condition ker⁡Mσ⊆ker⁡Mρ\ker M_\sigma \subseteq \ker M_\rho is satisfied. For any α∈(0,1)∪(1,∞)\alpha \in (0, 1) \cup (1, \infty), the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) is related to the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) by the identity: Dα(ρ∥σ)=1α−1log⁡Q~α(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) = \frac{1}{\alpha - 1} \log \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where the trace functional is defined as Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(MσγMρMσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(M_\sigma^\gamma M_\rho M_\sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] with γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}.

theorem

Non-negativity of the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)≥0\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) \ge 0

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (density matrices) on a finite-dimensional Hilbert space. For any real parameter α\alpha, the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) is non-negative, that is, Q~α(ρ∥σ)≥0\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) \ge 0.

theorem

Q~α(ρ∥σ)>0\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) > 0 when ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states. If the kernel of σ\sigma is contained in the kernel of ρ\rho (ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), which is equivalent to the condition that the support of ρ\rho is contained in the support of σ\sigma (supp(ρ)⊆supp(σ)\text{supp}(\rho) \subseteq \text{supp}(\sigma)), then the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) is strictly positive: Q~α(ρ∥σ)>0.\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) > 0.

theorem

Unitary Invariance of the Sandwiched Trace Functional Tr[(BγABγ)α]\text{Tr}[(B^\gamma A B^\gamma)^\alpha]

Let dd be a finite dimension and UU be a d×dd \times d unitary matrix. Let AA and BB be d×dd \times d Hermitian matrices over C\mathbb{C}. For a real parameter α\alpha, let γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}. Then the trace functional Tr[(BγABγ)α]\text{Tr}[(B^\gamma A B^\gamma)^\alpha] is invariant under the simultaneous unitary conjugation of AA and BB, meaning: Tr[((UBU†)γ(UAU†)(UBU†)γ)α]=Tr[(BγABγ)α]. \text{Tr}\left[ \left( (UBU^\dagger)^\gamma (UAU^\dagger) (UBU^\dagger)^\gamma \right)^\alpha \right] = \text{Tr}\left[ \left( B^\gamma A B^\gamma \right)^\alpha \right]. Here, MγM^\gamma and MαM^\alpha denote the powers of a Hermitian matrix defined via functional calculus, and U†U^\dagger denotes the conjugate transpose of UU.

theorem

Unitary Invariance of the Sandwiched Trace Functional: Q~α(UρU†∥UσU†)=Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(U \rho U^\dagger \| U \sigma U^\dagger) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma)

Let dd be a finite dimension. For any real number α\alpha, any d×dd \times d unitary matrix U∈U(d)U \in U(d), and any two mixed quantum states (density matrices) ρ\rho and σ\sigma of dimension dd, the sandwiched trace functional Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha is invariant under simultaneous unitary conjugation. That is, Q~α(UρU†∥UσU†)=Q~α(ρ∥σ), \tilde{Q}_\alpha(U \rho U^\dagger \| U \sigma U^\dagger) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma), where Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] with γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}, and U†U^\dagger denotes the conjugate transpose of UU.

definition

Variational function fα(H,ρ,σ)f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) for the sandwiched trace functional

For a real number α\alpha, a d×dd \times d Hermitian matrix HH, and quantum states (density matrices) ρ\rho and σ\sigma, the variational function fαf_\alpha is defined as fα(H,ρ,σ)=αTr(ρH)−(α−1)Tr[(σ−γHσ−γ)αα−1] f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) = \alpha \text{Tr}(\rho H) - (\alpha - 1) \text{Tr} \left[ \left( \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \right)^{\frac{\alpha}{\alpha - 1}} \right] where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha} and the matrix powers are defined via functional calculus. For α>1\alpha > 1, this function is linear in ρ\rho and convex in σ\sigma for a fixed H≥0H \geq 0, and its supremum over all H≥0H \geq 0 characterizes the sandwiched Rényi trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[ \left( \sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma \right)^\alpha \right].

definition

Optimizer H^=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ\hat{H} = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma for the sandwiched trace functional

Given a real number α\alpha and two quantum states (density matrices) ρ\rho and σ\sigma acting on a dd-dimensional Hilbert space, the Hermitian matrix H^(α,ρ,σ)\hat{H}(\alpha, \rho, \sigma) is defined as H^=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ\hat{H} = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha} and the matrix powers are defined via the functional calculus for Hermitian matrices. This matrix serves as the optimizer in the variational formula for the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}[(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^\alpha].

theorem

H^(α,ρ,σ)≥0\hat{H}(\alpha, \rho, \sigma) \ge 0

For any quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma on a dd-dimensional Hilbert space and a real number α\alpha, the Hermitian matrix H^(α,ρ,σ)=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ\hat{H}(\alpha, \rho, \sigma) = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma, where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha}, is positive semidefinite, written as 0≤H^(α,ρ,σ)0 \le \hat{H}(\alpha, \rho, \sigma).

theorem

σ−γH^σ−γ=(σγρσγ)α−1\sigma^{-\gamma} \hat{H} \sigma^{-\gamma} = (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1}

Let α>1\alpha > 1 be a real number and let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (density matrices) on a dd-dimensional Hilbert space. Let γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha} and define the optimizer matrix H^\hat{H} as H^=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ.\hat{H} = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma. The congruence transformation of H^\hat{H} by σ−γ\sigma^{-\gamma} satisfies the identity: σ−γH^σ−γ=(σγρσγ)α−1.\sigma^{-\gamma} \hat{H} \sigma^{-\gamma} = (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1}. Here, σ−γ\sigma^{-\gamma} is defined via the functional calculus on the support of σ\sigma, and the conjugation operation A↦BAB†A \mapsto B A B^\dagger is applied to the Hermitian matrix H^\hat{H}.

theorem

Inner Product ⟨ρ,H^⟩\langle \rho, \hat{H} \rangle Equals the Sandwiched Trace Functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma)

Let α>1\alpha > 1 be a real number and let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (density matrices) acting on a dd-dimensional Hilbert space. Define γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha} and the Hermitian matrix H^=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ\hat{H} = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma. Then the Hilbert–Schmidt inner product of ρ\rho and H^\hat{H} is equal to the sandwiched trace functional: ⟨ρ,H^⟩R=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\langle \rho, \hat{H} \rangle_{\mathbb{R}} = \text{Tr}[(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^\alpha] where ⟨A,B⟩R=Tr(AB)\langle A, B \rangle_{\mathbb{R}} = \text{Tr}(AB).

theorem

fα(H^,ρ,σ)=Q~α(ρ∥σ)f_\alpha(\hat{H}, \rho, \sigma) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) for α>1\alpha > 1

Let α>1\alpha > 1 be a real number and let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (density matrices) on a dd-dimensional Hilbert space. Let γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha} and define the Hermitian matrix H^\hat{H} as H^=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ.\hat{H} = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma. For the variational function fαf_\alpha defined by fα(H,ρ,σ)=αTr(ρH)−(α−1)Tr[(σ−γHσ−γ)αα−1],f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) = \alpha \text{Tr}(\rho H) - (\alpha - 1) \text{Tr} \left[ \left( \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \right)^{\frac{\alpha}{\alpha - 1}} \right], it holds that fαf_\alpha evaluated at H^\hat{H} equals the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma): fα(H^,ρ,σ)=Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α].f_\alpha(\hat{H}, \rho, \sigma) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right].

theorem

AγA−γ=ΠAA^\gamma A^{-\gamma} = \Pi_A for positive semidefinite AA and γ≠0\gamma \neq 0

Let AA be a d×dd \times d positive semidefinite Hermitian matrix over C\mathbb{C}. For any non-zero real number γ\gamma, the product of the matrix powers AγA^\gamma and A−γA^{-\gamma} (defined via functional calculus) is equal to the orthogonal projection onto the support of AA, denoted ΠA\Pi_A: AγA−γ=ΠAA^\gamma A^{-\gamma} = \Pi_A where the support of AA is the subspace spanned by eigenvectors corresponding to non-zero eigenvalues.

theorem

If ker⁡A⊆ker⁡B\ker A \subseteq \ker B, then PAB=BP_A B = B

Let AA and BB be d×dd \times d Hermitian matrices over C\mathbb{C}. If the kernel of AA is contained in the kernel of BB (ker⁡A⊆ker⁡B\ker A \subseteq \ker B), then PAB=BP_A B = B, where PAP_A is the orthogonal projector onto the support of AA (the subspace (ker⁡A)⊥(\ker A)^\perp).

theorem

⟨ρ,H⟩R=⟨σγρσγ,σ−γHσ−γ⟩R\langle \rho, H \rangle_{\mathbb{R}} = \langle \sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma, \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \rangle_{\mathbb{R}} when ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (mixed states) on a dd-dimensional Hilbert space, and let HH be a d×dd \times d Hermitian matrix. If the kernel of σ\sigma is contained in the kernel of ρ\rho (ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), then for any non-zero real number γ\gamma, the Hilbert-Schmidt inner product satisfies: ⟨ρ,H⟩R=⟨σγρσγ,σ−γHσ−γ⟩R\langle \rho, H \rangle_{\mathbb{R}} = \langle \sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma, \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \rangle_{\mathbb{R}} where σγ\sigma^\gamma is the real power of the density matrix σ\sigma defined via functional calculus, and the inner product is defined as ⟨A,B⟩R=Tr(AB)\langle A, B \rangle_{\mathbb{R}} = \text{Tr}(AB).

theorem

H^\hat{H} Maximizes the Variational Function fαf_\alpha for α>1\alpha > 1

Let α>1\alpha > 1 be a real number and let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (density matrices) acting on a dd-dimensional Hilbert space. Suppose the kernel of σ\sigma is contained in the kernel of ρ\rho (ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), which is equivalent to the support of ρ\rho being contained in the support of σ\sigma. For any positive semidefinite Hermitian matrix H≥0H \geq 0, the variational function fαf_\alpha satisfies the inequality fα(H,ρ,σ)≤fα(H^,ρ,σ) f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) \leq f_\alpha(\hat{H}, \rho, \sigma) where the optimizer H^\hat{H} is defined as H^=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ\hat{H} = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma with γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha}. This shows that H^\hat{H} is a maximizer for the variational formula of the sandwiched trace functional Qα(ρ∥σ)Q_{\alpha}(\rho\|\sigma).

theorem

Variational characterization of Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) as a supremum for α>1\alpha > 1

For any real number α>1\alpha > 1 and quantum states (density matrices) ρ\rho and σ\sigma such that the kernel of σ\sigma is contained in the kernel of ρ\rho (ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] (where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}) is equal to the supremum of the variational function fαf_\alpha over all positive semidefinite Hermitian matrices H≥0H \geq 0: Q~α(ρ∥σ)=sup⁡H≥0(αTr(ρH)−(α−1)Tr[(σ−γHσ−γ)αα−1]). \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \sup_{H \geq 0} \left( \alpha \text{Tr}(\rho H) - (\alpha - 1) \text{Tr} \left[ \left( \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \right)^{\frac{\alpha}{\alpha - 1}} \right] \right). The supremum is achieved by the optimizer H^=σγ(σγρσγ)α−1σγ\hat{H} = \sigma^\gamma (\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma)^{\alpha-1} \sigma^\gamma.

theorem

Convexity of fα(H,ρ,σ)f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) in σ\sigma for α>1\alpha > 1 and H≥0H \geq 0

Let α>1\alpha > 1 be a real number and HH be a d×dd \times d positive semidefinite Hermitian matrix (H≥0H \geq 0). For a fixed quantum state ρ\rho, the variational function fα(H,ρ,σ)f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) is convex with respect to the state σ\sigma. Specifically, for any finite collection of quantum states {σi}\{\sigma_i\} and weights wi≥0w_i \geq 0 such that ∑iwi=1\sum_i w_i = 1, let σmix=∑iwiσi\sigma_{\text{mix}} = \sum_i w_i \sigma_i. Then the function defined by fα(H,ρ,σ)=αTr(ρH)−(α−1)Tr[(σ−γHσ−γ)αα−1] f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) = \alpha \text{Tr}(\rho H) - (\alpha - 1) \text{Tr} \left[ \left( \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \right)^{\frac{\alpha}{\alpha - 1}} \right] where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}, satisfies the inequality: fα(H,ρ,σmix)≤∑iwifα(H,ρ,σi). f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma_{\text{mix}}) \leq \sum_i w_i f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma_i). This convexity arises because for p=αα−1>1p = \frac{\alpha}{\alpha-1} > 1, the map A↦Tr(Ap)A \mapsto \text{Tr}(A^p) is convex on positive semidefinite matrices, and the map σ↦σ−γHσ−γ\sigma \mapsto \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} is concave in σ\sigma (by Lieb concavity, as −γ∈(0,1/2]-\gamma \in (0, 1/2]). Consequently, the second term of fαf_\alpha, which includes a factor of −(α−1)-(\alpha - 1), is convex in σ\sigma.

theorem

Joint Convexity of fα(H,ρ,σ)f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) for α>1\alpha > 1 and H≥0H \ge 0

Let α>1\alpha > 1 be a real number and let HH be a d×dd \times d positive semidefinite Hermitian matrix. For any finite collection of weights wi≥0w_i \ge 0 such that ∑iwi=1\sum_i w_i = 1, and any sequences of density matrices (quantum states) ρi\rho_i and σi\sigma_i, let ρmix=∑iwiρi\rho_{\text{mix}} = \sum_i w_i \rho_i and σmix=∑iwiσi\sigma_{\text{mix}} = \sum_i w_i \sigma_i be their respective convex combinations. Then the variational function fαf_\alpha satisfies the joint convexity inequality: fα(H,ρmix,σmix)≤∑iwifα(H,ρi,σi) f_\alpha(H, \rho_{\text{mix}}, \sigma_{\text{mix}}) \le \sum_i w_i f_\alpha(H, \rho_i, \sigma_i) where fα(H,ρ,σ)=αTr(ρH)−(α−1)Tr[(σ−γHσ−γ)αα−1]f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) = \alpha \text{Tr}(\rho H) - (\alpha - 1) \text{Tr} \left[ \left( \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \right)^{\frac{\alpha}{\alpha - 1}} \right] with γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}.

theorem

fα(H,ρ,σ)f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) is bounded above for H≥0H \ge 0 when α>1\alpha > 1 and ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho

Let α>1\alpha > 1 be a real number and let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (density matrices) represented as d×dd \times d complex Hermitian matrices. If the kernel of σ\sigma is contained in the kernel of ρ\rho (i.e., ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), then the variational function fαf_\alpha defined as fα(H,ρ,σ)=αTr(ρH)−(α−1)Tr[(σ−γHσ−γ)αα−1] f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma) = \alpha \text{Tr}(\rho H) - (\alpha - 1) \text{Tr} \left[ \left( \sigma^{-\gamma} H \sigma^{-\gamma} \right)^{\frac{\alpha}{\alpha - 1}} \right] is bounded above for all positive semidefinite d×dd \times d complex Hermitian matrices H≥0H \ge 0, where γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha} and the matrix powers are defined via functional calculus.

theorem

Joint Convexity of sup⁡H≥0fα(H,ρ,σ)\sup_{H \ge 0} f_\alpha(H, \rho, \sigma)

Let α\alpha be a real number such that α>1\alpha > 1. Let ι\iota be a finite index set, and let {wi}i∈ι\{w_i\}_{i \in \iota} be a collection of non-negative weights such that ∑i∈ιwi=1\sum_{i \in \iota} w_i = 1. Let {ρi}i∈ι\{\rho_i\}_{i \in \iota} and {σi}i∈ι\{\sigma_i\}_{i \in \iota} be families of quantum states (represented by density matrices of dimension dd), and let ρmix=∑i∈ιwiρi\rho_{\text{mix}} = \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \rho_i and σmix=∑i∈ιwiσi\sigma_{\text{mix}} = \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \sigma_i be their respective convex combinations. If for every i∈ιi \in \iota, the kernel of σi\sigma_i is contained in the kernel of ρi\rho_i (ker⁡σi⊆ker⁡ρi\ker \sigma_i \subseteq \ker \rho_i), then the supremum of the variational function fαf_\alpha over positive semidefinite matrices HH satisfies: sup⁡H≥0fα(H,ρmix,σmix)≤∑i∈ιwi(sup⁡H≥0fα(H,ρi,σi)) \sup_{H \ge 0} f_\alpha(H, \rho_{\text{mix}}, \sigma_{\text{mix}}) \le \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \left( \sup_{H \ge 0} f_\alpha(H, \rho_i, \sigma_i) \right) where HH ranges over all d×dd \times d complex positive semidefinite Hermitian matrices.

theorem

∀i,ker⁡σi⊆ker⁡ρi  ⟹  ker⁡(∑wiσi)⊆ker⁡(∑wiρi)\forall i, \ker \sigma_i \subseteq \ker \rho_i \implies \ker(\sum w_i \sigma_i) \subseteq \ker(\sum w_i \rho_i) for positive semidefinite matrices

Let {wi}i∈ι\{w_i\}_{i \in \iota} be a collection of non-negative weights indexed by a finite set ι\iota. Let {ρi}i∈ι\{\rho_i\}_{i \in \iota} and {σi}i∈ι\{\sigma_i\}_{i \in \iota} be families of d×dd \times d complex positive semidefinite Hermitian matrices. If for every i∈ιi \in \iota, the kernel of σi\sigma_i is contained in the kernel of ρi\rho_i (ker⁡σi⊆ker⁡ρi\ker \sigma_i \subseteq \ker \rho_i), then the kernel of the weighted sum of σi\sigma_i is contained in the kernel of the weighted sum of ρi\rho_i: ker⁡(∑i∈ιwiσi)⊆ker⁡(∑i∈ιwiρi)\ker \left( \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \sigma_i \right) \subseteq \ker \left( \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \rho_i \right)

theorem

Joint Convexity of the Sandwiched Trace Functional Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha for α>1\alpha > 1

Let α\alpha be a real number such that α>1\alpha > 1. Let {wi}i∈ι\{w_i\}_{i \in \iota} be a finite collection of non-negative weights that sum to 1. For each i∈ιi \in \iota, let ρi\rho_i and σi\sigma_i be quantum states (density matrices) such that the kernel of σi\sigma_i is contained in the kernel of ρi\rho_i (ker⁡σi⊆ker⁡ρi\ker \sigma_i \subseteq \ker \rho_i). Let ρmix=∑i∈ιwiρi\rho_{\text{mix}} = \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \rho_i and σmix=∑i∈ιwiσi\sigma_{\text{mix}} = \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \sigma_i be the weighted averages of these states. Then the sandwiched trace functional Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha, defined as Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] with γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}, satisfies the joint convexity property: Q~α(ρmix∥σmix)≤∑i∈ιwiQ~α(ρi∥σi)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_{\text{mix}} \| \sigma_{\text{mix}}) \le \sum_{i \in \iota} w_i \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_i \| \sigma_i)

theorem

Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha is multiplicative under tensor products: Q~α(ρ1⊗ρ2∥σ1⊗σ2)=Q~α(ρ1∥σ1)Q~α(ρ2∥σ2)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_1 \otimes \rho_2 \| \sigma_1 \otimes \sigma_2) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_1 \| \sigma_1) \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_2 \| \sigma_2)

Let ρ1,σ1\rho_1, \sigma_1 be quantum mixed states on a Hilbert space HA\mathcal{H}_A and ρ2,σ2\rho_2, \sigma_2 be quantum mixed states on a Hilbert space HB\mathcal{H}_B. The sandwiched trace functional Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha satisfies the following multiplicativity property with respect to the tensor product: Q~α(ρ1⊗ρ2∥σ1⊗σ2)=Q~α(ρ1∥σ1)⋅Q~α(ρ2∥σ2)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_1 \otimes \rho_2 \| \sigma_1 \otimes \sigma_2) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_1 \| \sigma_1) \cdot \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho_2 \| \sigma_2) where Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] and γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}.

theorem

Q~α(ρ∥ρ)=1\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\rho) = 1 for α>0\alpha > 0

For any real number α>0\alpha > 0 and any quantum state ρ\rho, the sandwiched trace functional Q~α(ρ∥ρ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\rho) is equal to 11.

theorem

Q~α(ρ⊗τ∥σ⊗τ)=Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \otimes \tau \| \sigma \otimes \tau) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) for α>0\alpha > 0

For any real number α>0\alpha > 0, mixed states ρ\rho and σ\sigma on a system AA, and a mixed state τ\tau on a system BB, the sandwiched trace functional satisfies Q~α(ρ⊗τ∥σ⊗τ)=Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \otimes \tau \| \sigma \otimes \tau) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where ⊗\otimes denotes the tensor product of mixed states.

definition

Conjugation of a bipartite state by IA⊗VI_A \otimes V

Given a bipartite mixed state ρ\rho on the composite system HA⊗HB\mathcal{H}_A \otimes \mathcal{H}_B and a unitary matrix V∈U(dB)V \in \text{U}(d_B) acting on the second subsystem, this definition produces the mixed state obtained by conjugating ρ\rho with the tensor product of the identity operator IAI_A and the unitary VV. Specifically, the resulting state is (IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger.

theorem

Matrix of a Bipartite State Conjugated by IA⊗VI_A \otimes V

For a bipartite mixed state ρ\rho on the composite system HA⊗HB\mathcal{H}_A \otimes \mathcal{H}_B and a unitary matrix V∈U(dB)V \in \text{U}(d_B) acting on the second subsystem, the matrix representing the conjugated state (IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger is equal to the congruence transformation (IA⊗V)Mρ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) M_\rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger, where MρM_\rho is the Hermitian matrix associated with ρ\rho and IAI_A is the identity matrix on HA\mathcal{H}_A.

theorem

Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha is invariant under conjugation by IA⊗VI_A \otimes V

For any bipartite mixed states ρ\rho and σ\sigma on the composite system HA⊗HB\mathcal{H}_A \otimes \mathcal{H}_B and any unitary matrix V∈U(dB)V \in \text{U}(d_B) acting on the second subsystem, the sandwiched trace functional Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha is invariant under simultaneous conjugation by IA⊗VI_A \otimes V: Q~α((IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†∥(IA⊗V)σ(IA⊗V)†)=Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha((I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger \| (I_A \otimes V) \sigma (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger) = \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where IAI_A is the identity matrix on HA\mathcal{H}_A.

theorem

Matrix entry of (IA⊗V)M(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) M (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger equals entry of VMa1,a2V†V M_{a_1, a_2} V^\dagger

Let MM be a complex matrix of size (dA⋅dB)×(dA⋅dB)(d_A \cdot d_B) \times (d_A \cdot d_B) and VV be a complex matrix of size dB×dBd_B \times d_B. For any indices a1,a2∈{1,…,dA}a_1, a_2 \in \{1, \dots, d_A\} and b1,b2∈{1,…,dB}b_1, b_2 \in \{1, \dots, d_B\}, the ((a1,b1),(a2,b2))((a_1, b_1), (a_2, b_2))-th entry of the matrix (IA⊗V)M(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) M (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger is given by ((IA⊗V)M(IA⊗V)†)(a1,b1),(a2,b2)=(VMa1,a2V†)b1,b2 \left((I_A \otimes V) M (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger\right)_{(a_1, b_1), (a_2, b_2)} = \left(V M_{a_1, a_2} V^\dagger\right)_{b_1, b_2} where IAI_A is the identity matrix of size dA×dAd_A \times d_A, ⊗\otimes denotes the Kronecker product, V†V^\dagger is the conjugate transpose of VV, and Ma1,a2M_{a_1, a_2} is a dB×dBd_B \times d_B matrix defined by (Ma1,a2)b1′,b2′=M(a1,b1′),(a2,b2′)(M_{a_1, a_2})_{b_1', b_2'} = M_{(a_1, b_1'), (a_2, b_2')}.

theorem

Matrix Entry of a Twirled Hermitian Matrix

Let κ\kappa be a finite index set and dBd_B be the dimension of a complex Hilbert space. Let {Vi}i∈κ\{V_i\}_{i \in \kappa} be a collection of unitary matrices of size dB×dBd_B \times d_B such that for any Hermitian matrix XX, the average over the unitaries satisfies 1∣κ∣∑i∈κViXVi†=Tr(X)dBI,\frac{1}{|\kappa|} \sum_{i \in \kappa} V_i X V_i^\dagger = \frac{\text{Tr}(X)}{d_B} I, where II is the identity matrix. Then, for any Hermitian matrix XX and indices b1,b2∈{1,…,dB}b_1, b_2 \in \{1, \dots, d_B\}, the (b1,b2)(b_1, b_2)-th entry of the sum of the transformed matrices is given by ∑i∈κ(ViXVi†)b1,b2=Tr(X)dB⋅∣κ∣⋅δb1,b2,\sum_{i \in \kappa} (V_i X V_i^\dagger)_{b_1, b_2} = \frac{\text{Tr}(X)}{d_B} \cdot |\kappa| \cdot \delta_{b_1, b_2}, where Tr(X)\text{Tr}(X) is the trace of XX and δb1,b2\delta_{b_1, b_2} is the Kronecker delta (which is 11 if b1=b2b_1 = b_2 and 00 otherwise).

theorem

Averaging a General Matrix over a Twirling Set

Let κ\kappa be a finite index set and {Vi}i∈κ\{V_i\}_{i \in \kappa} be a collection of dB×dBd_B \times d_B unitary matrices. Suppose that for every Hermitian matrix H∈HermdB(C)H \in \text{Herm}_{d_B}(\mathbb{C}), the average over the group action satisfies: 1∣κ∣∑i∈κViHVi†=Tr(H)dBI, \frac{1}{|\kappa|} \sum_{i \in \kappa} V_i H V_i^\dagger = \frac{\text{Tr}(H)}{d_B} I, where II is the identity matrix and dBd_B is the dimension of the system. Then, for any arbitrary complex matrix X∈MdB(C)X \in M_{d_B}(\mathbb{C}), the (b1,b2)(b_1, b_2)-th entry of the sum of the transformed matrices is given by: ∑i∈κ(ViXVi†)b1,b2=Tr(X)dB∣κ∣δb1,b2, \sum_{i \in \kappa} \left( V_i X V_i^\dagger \right)_{b_1, b_2} = \frac{\text{Tr}(X)}{d_B} |\kappa| \delta_{b_1, b_2}, where δb1,b2\delta_{b_1, b_2} is the Kronecker delta (equal to 11 if b1=b2b_1 = b_2 and 00 otherwise).

definition

Bipartite unitary conjugation by IA⊗VI_A \otimes V

Given a bipartite mixed state ρ\rho on a system with dimensions dA×dBd_A \times d_B and a unitary matrix VV in the unitary group U(dB)\mathbf{U}(d_B), this function returns the new mixed state obtained by conjugating ρ\rho by the operator IA⊗VI_A \otimes V. Mathematically, the resulting state is: (IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger where IAI_A is the identity matrix on the first subsystem, ⊗\otimes denotes the Kronecker product, and †\dagger denotes the conjugate transpose.

theorem

Matrix Entries of (IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger

Let ρ\rho be a bipartite mixed state on a system with dimensions dA×dBd_A \times d_B and let VV be a unitary matrix acting on the subsystem dBd_B. For any indices a1,a2∈dAa_1, a_2 \in d_A and b1,b2∈dBb_1, b_2 \in d_B, the entry of the conjugated state (IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger at the index ((a1,b1),(a2,b2))((a_1, b_1), (a_2, b_2)) is equal to the (b1,b2)(b_1, b_2)-th entry of the matrix product V⋅X⋅V† V \cdot X \cdot V^\dagger where XX is a dB×dBd_B \times d_B matrix defined by the entries Xb1′,b2′=ρ(a1,b1′),(a2,b2′)X_{b_1', b_2'} = \rho_{(a_1, b_1'), (a_2, b_2')}, and V†V^\dagger denotes the conjugate transpose of VV.

theorem

Matrix Entries of TrB(ρ)⊗πB\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \otimes \pi_B

Let ρ\rho be a quantum mixed state on a bipartite system dA×dBd_A \times d_B. Let TrB(ρ)\text{Tr}_B(\rho) denote the partial trace of ρ\rho over the second subsystem, and let πB=1∣dB∣I\pi_B = \frac{1}{|d_B|} I be the maximally mixed state on dBd_B, where ∣dB∣|d_B| is the dimension (cardinality) of the subsystem BB. For any indices a1,a2∈dAa_1, a_2 \in d_A and b1,b2∈dBb_1, b_2 \in d_B, the entries of the tensor product state TrB(ρ)⊗πB\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \otimes \pi_B are given by: ((TrB(ρ)⊗πB))(a1,b1),(a2,b2)=(TrB(ρ))a1,a2⋅δb1,b2∣dB∣ ((\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \otimes \pi_B))_{(a_1, b_1), (a_2, b_2)} = (\text{Tr}_B(\rho))_{a_1, a_2} \cdot \frac{\delta_{b_1, b_2}}{|d_B|} where δb1,b2\delta_{b_1, b_2} is the Kronecker delta, which is 11 if b1=b2b_1 = b_2 and 00 otherwise.

theorem

Bipartite Twirling Average equals TrB(ρ)⊗πB\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \otimes \pi_B

Let dAd_A and dBd_B be finite-dimensional systems, and assume dBd_B is non-empty. Let {Vi}i∈κ\{V_i\}_{i \in \kappa} be a finite collection of unitary matrices acting on the system dBd_B that satisfies the twirling property: for any Hermitian matrix XX on dBd_B, the average over the collection is 1∣κ∣∑i∈κViXVi†=Tr(X)∣dB∣IB, \frac{1}{|\kappa|} \sum_{i \in \kappa} V_i X V_i^\dagger = \frac{\text{Tr}(X)}{|d_B|} I_B, where ∣dB∣|d_B| is the dimension of the system dBd_B and IBI_B is the identity matrix. For any bipartite mixed state ρ\rho on the system dA⊗dBd_A \otimes d_B, the average of ρ\rho under the local unitaries IA⊗ViI_A \otimes V_i is given by 1∣κ∣∑i∈κ(IA⊗Vi)ρ(IA⊗Vi)†=TrB(ρ)⊗πB, \frac{1}{|\kappa|} \sum_{i \in \kappa} (I_A \otimes V_i) \rho (I_A \otimes V_i)^\dagger = \text{Tr}_B(\rho) \otimes \pi_B, where TrB(ρ)\text{Tr}_B(\rho) is the partial trace of ρ\rho over the second subsystem and πB=1∣dB∣IB\pi_B = \frac{1}{|d_B|} I_B is the maximally mixed state on dBd_B.

theorem

ker⁡A⊆ker⁡B\ker A \subseteq \ker B implies ker⁡(CAC∗)⊆ker⁡(CBC∗)\ker(C A C^*) \subseteq \ker(C B C^*) for positive semidefinite matrices

Let nn be a finite index set. Let AA and BB be n×nn \times n complex Hermitian matrices that are positive semidefinite (A≥0A \ge 0 and B≥0B \ge 0 in the Loewner order). If the kernel of AA is contained in the kernel of BB (ker⁡A⊆ker⁡B\ker A \subseteq \ker B), then for any n×nn \times n complex matrix CC, the kernel of the congruence transformation CAC∗C A C^* is contained in the kernel of CBC∗C B C^*, i.e., ker⁡(CAC∗)⊆ker⁡(CBC∗)\ker(C A C^*) \subseteq \ker(C B C^*).

theorem

ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho implies ker⁡((IA⊗V)σ(IA⊗V)†)⊆ker⁡((IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†)\ker((I_A \otimes V) \sigma (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger) \subseteq \ker((I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger)

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be mixed states on a bipartite quantum system HA⊗HB\mathcal{H}_A \otimes \mathcal{H}_B. For any unitary matrix VV acting on the second subsystem HB\mathcal{H}_B, if the kernel of σ\sigma is contained in the kernel of ρ\rho (ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), then the kernel of the state obtained by local unitary conjugation (IA⊗V)σ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) \sigma (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger is contained in the kernel of (IA⊗V)ρ(IA⊗V)†(I_A \otimes V) \rho (I_A \otimes V)^\dagger.

theorem

Monotonicity of the sandwiched trace functional Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha under partial trace for α>1\alpha > 1

For any real number α>1\alpha > 1 and any mixed states ρ\rho and σ\sigma on a composite quantum system HA⊗HB\mathcal{H}_A \otimes \mathcal{H}_B, if the kernel of σ\sigma is contained in the kernel of ρ\rho (ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), then the sandwiched trace functional Q~α\tilde{Q}_\alpha satisfies: Q~α(TrB(ρ)∥TrB(σ))≤Q~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \| \text{Tr}_B(\sigma)) \leq \tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where TrB\text{Tr}_B denotes the partial trace over the subsystem BB, and the sandwiched trace functional is defined as Q~α(ρ∥σ)=Tr[(σγρσγ)α]\tilde{Q}_\alpha(\rho\|\sigma) = \text{Tr}\left[\left(\sigma^\gamma \rho \sigma^\gamma\right)^\alpha\right] with γ=1−α2α\gamma = \frac{1 - \alpha}{2\alpha}.

theorem

ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ  ⟹  ker⁡(TrBσ)⊆ker⁡(TrBρ)\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho \implies \ker(\text{Tr}_B \sigma) \subseteq \ker(\text{Tr}_B \rho)

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be mixed states (density matrices) on a bipartite Hilbert space HA⊗HB\mathcal{H}_A \otimes \mathcal{H}_B. If the kernel of σ\sigma is a subspace of the kernel of ρ\rho (i.e., ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho), then the kernel of the reduced density matrix of σ\sigma is a subspace of the kernel of the reduced density matrix of ρ\rho after taking the partial trace over the second system (i.e., ker⁡(TrBσ)⊆ker⁡(TrBρ)\ker(\text{Tr}_B \sigma) \subseteq \ker(\text{Tr}_B \rho)). This is equivalent to saying that the condition on the supports of the states, supp(ρ)⊆supp(σ)\text{supp}(\rho) \subseteq \text{supp}(\sigma), is preserved under the partial trace operation.

theorem

Dα(TrB(ρ)∥TrB(σ))≤Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \| \text{Tr}_B(\sigma)) \le D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) for α>1\alpha > 1

For any α>1\alpha > 1 and any two quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma on a bipartite system A⊗BA \otimes B (where the dimension of BB is non-zero) satisfying the kernel condition ker⁡σ⊆ker⁡ρ\ker \sigma \subseteq \ker \rho, the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy DαD_\alpha is monotone under the partial trace over the system BB: Dα(TrB(ρ)∥TrB(σ))≤Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \| \text{Tr}_B(\sigma)) \le D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where TrB\text{Tr}_B denotes the partial trace over the right subsystem.

theorem

DαD_\alpha is invariant under unitary conjugation (Dα(UρU†∥UσU†)=Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(U \rho U^\dagger \| U \sigma U^\dagger) = D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma))

For any real number α>0\alpha > 0 and any two mixed quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma of dimension dd, the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy DαD_\alpha is invariant under simultaneous unitary conjugation by a unitary matrix U∈U(d)U \in U(d): Dα(UρU†∥UσU†)=Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(U \rho U^\dagger \| U \sigma U^\dagger) = D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where UρU†U \rho U^\dagger and UσU†U \sigma U^\dagger denote the states resulting from conjugating ρ\rho and σ\sigma by UU.

theorem

Dα(ρ⊗∣ψ⟩⟨ψ∣∥σ⊗∣ψ⟩⟨ψ∣)=Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\rho \otimes |\psi\rangle\langle\psi| \parallel \sigma \otimes |\psi\rangle\langle\psi|) = D_\alpha(\rho \parallel \sigma) for α>0\alpha > 0

Let α>0\alpha > 0 be a real number. Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states on a Hilbert space of dimension d1d_1, and let ∣ψ⟩|\psi\rangle be a state vector (ket) in a Hilbert space of dimension d2d_2. The sandwiched Rényi relative entropy DαD_\alpha satisfies the following invariance under tensoring with the pure state ∣ψ⟩⟨ψ∣|\psi\rangle\langle\psi|: Dα(ρ⊗∣ψ⟩⟨ψ∣∥σ⊗∣ψ⟩⟨ψ∣)=Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\rho \otimes |\psi\rangle\langle\psi| \parallel \sigma \otimes |\psi\rangle\langle\psi|) = D_\alpha(\rho \parallel \sigma) where ⊗\otimes denotes the tensor product of quantum states.

theorem

Dα(ρSWAP∥σSWAP)=Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\rho_{\text{SWAP}} \| \sigma_{\text{SWAP}}) = D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma)

For any order α∈R\alpha \in \mathbb{R} and any two quantum mixed states ρ\rho and σ\sigma defined on a bipartite system A⊗BA \otimes B, the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy satisfies: Dα(SWAP(ρ)∥SWAP(σ))=Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\text{SWAP}(\rho) \| \text{SWAP}(\sigma)) = D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where SWAP(ρ)\text{SWAP}(\rho) and SWAP(σ)\text{SWAP}(\sigma) denote the states resulting from exchanging the two subsystems AA and BB.

theorem

Monotonicity of Sandwiched Rényi Relative Entropy DαD_\alpha under Partial Trace for α>1\alpha > 1

For any two quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma defined on a bipartite system HA⊗HB\mathcal{H}_A \otimes \mathcal{H}_B, and for any parameter α>1\alpha > 1, the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy DαD_\alpha satisfies the monotonicity property under partial trace: Dα(TrB(ρ)∥TrB(σ))≤Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\text{Tr}_B(\rho) \| \text{Tr}_B(\sigma)) \le D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where TrB\text{Tr}_B denotes the partial trace over the second subsystem BB.

theorem

Dα(TrA(ρ)∥TrA(σ))≤Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\text{Tr}_A(\rho) \| \text{Tr}_A(\sigma)) \le D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) for α>1\alpha > 1

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states on a bipartite system A⊗BA \otimes B. For any parameter α>1\alpha > 1, the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy DαD_\alpha is monotone under the partial trace over the first subsystem AA: Dα(TrA(ρ)∥TrA(σ))≤Dα(ρ∥σ)D_\alpha(\text{Tr}_A(\rho) \| \text{Tr}_A(\sigma)) \le D_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where TrA\text{Tr}_A denotes the partial trace operation over system AA (the "left" subsystem), and system AA is assumed to be non-empty.

theorem

Stinespring Preparation Equals Tensor Product with a Pure State

Let d1d_1 and d2d_2 be finite types, and let ρ\rho be a mixed state (density matrix) on d1d_1. Let ∣ψ0⟩|\psi_0\rangle be the computational basis vector in the product space d2×d2d_2 \times d_2 corresponding to a default element, and let τ=∣ψ0⟩⟨ψ0∣\tau = |\psi_0\rangle\langle\psi_0| be the corresponding pure mixed state. Define the following completely positive trace-preserving (CPTP) maps: 1. Φappend\Phi_{\text{append}}, the map induced by the equivalence d1≃d1×Unitd_1 \simeq d_1 \times \text{Unit} which appends a trivial system. 2. Rτ\mathcal{R}_\tau, the replacement channel from the trivial system to d2×d2d_2 \times d_2 that outputs the state τ\tau. 3. Φprep=idd1⊗Rτ\Phi_{\text{prep}} = \text{id}_{d_1} \otimes \mathcal{R}_\tau, the tensor product of the identity map on d1d_1 and the replacement map. Then the composition of these maps applied to ρ\rho satisfies (Φprep∘Φappend)(ρ)=ρ⊗τ(\Phi_{\text{prep}} \circ \Phi_{\text{append}})(\rho) = \rho \otimes \tau.

theorem

Data Processing Inequality for Sandwiched Rényi Relative Entropy (α>1\alpha > 1)

For any real number α>1\alpha > 1, any two quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma (represented as density matrices), and any completely positive trace-preserving (CPTP) map Φ\Phi, the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy D~α\tilde{D}_\alpha satisfies the Data Processing Inequality: D~α(Φ(ρ)∥Φ(σ))≤D~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{D}_\alpha(\Phi(\rho) \| \Phi(\sigma)) \le \tilde{D}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) where D~α(ρ∥σ)=1α−1log⁡Tr[(σ1−α2αρσ1−α2α)α]\tilde{D}_\alpha(\rho \| \sigma) = \frac{1}{\alpha - 1} \log \text{Tr} \left[ \left( \sigma^{\frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha}} \rho \sigma^{\frac{1-\alpha}{2\alpha}} \right)^\alpha \right].

theorem

Data Processing Inequality: D1(Φ(ρ)∥Φ(σ))≤D1(ρ∥σ)D_1(\Phi(\rho) \| \Phi(\sigma)) \leq D_1(\rho \| \sigma)

Let ρ\rho and σ\sigma be quantum states (density matrices) of dimension d1d_1, and let Φ\Phi be a completely positive trace-preserving (CPTP) map from states of dimension d1d_1 to states of dimension d2d_2. The sandwiched Rényi relative entropy for α=1\alpha = 1, which is equivalent to the standard quantum relative entropy D1(ρ∥σ)=Tr(ρ(log⁡ρ−log⁡σ))D_1(\rho \| \sigma) = \text{Tr}(\rho (\log \rho - \log \sigma)), satisfies the Data Processing Inequality (DPI): D1(Φ(ρ)∥Φ(σ))≤D1(ρ∥σ)D_1(\Phi(\rho) \| \Phi(\sigma)) \leq D_1(\rho \| \sigma)

theorem

lim⁡α→1+D~α(ρ∥σ)=D(ρ∥σ)\lim_{\alpha \to 1^+} \tilde{D}_\alpha(\rho \parallel \sigma) = \mathbf{D}(\rho \parallel \sigma)

For any two quantum states ρ\rho and σ\sigma, the sandwiched Rényi relative entropy D~α(ρ∥σ)\tilde{D}_\alpha(\rho \parallel \sigma) converges to the quantum relative entropy D(ρ∥σ)\mathbf{D}(\rho \parallel \sigma) as α\alpha approaches 11 from above, which is expressed as: lim⁡α→1+D~α(ρ∥σ)=D(ρ∥σ)\lim_{\alpha \to 1^+} \tilde{D}_\alpha(\rho \parallel \sigma) = \mathbf{D}(\rho \parallel \sigma)