- #1
normvcr
- 28
- 2
The short question: For the current state of a given system, is there a way to determine whether the state is pure or mixed?
Of course, one can take as many ensembles as you need, do as many experiments as you need, and determine where the state sits in the entire state space. However, I find this brute force approach unappealing, as it requires knowledge of the entire state space.
The refined question: Is there a way to determine whether the state is pure or mixed, without knowing the structure of the entire state space? i.e. Is there some intrinsic property of a state that will tell you whether it is pure or mixed?
Of course, one can take as many ensembles as you need, do as many experiments as you need, and determine where the state sits in the entire state space. However, I find this brute force approach unappealing, as it requires knowledge of the entire state space.
The refined question: Is there a way to determine whether the state is pure or mixed, without knowing the structure of the entire state space? i.e. Is there some intrinsic property of a state that will tell you whether it is pure or mixed?