Entanglement, projection operator and partial trace

Therefore, the state of Bob's marble is $|1\rangle$.In summary, in the experiment where Alice and Bob blindly draw marbles from a vase, the state of Bob's marble is determined by tracing out Alice's system and is found to be |1〉.
  • #1
Matt atkinson
116
1

Homework Statement


Consider the following experiment: Alice and Bob each blindly draw a marble from a vase that contains one black and one white marble. Let’s call the state of the write marble [itex]|0〉[/itex] and the state of the black marble [itex]|1〉[/itex].
Consider what the state of Bob’s marble is when Alice finds a white marble

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


So I found the mixed state of Bob and alice's particle to be:
[tex] \rho=\frac{1}{2}|0,1\rangle \langle0,1|+\frac{1}{2}|1,0\rangle \langle1,0|[/tex]
And i know that finding a white marble can be described in the following way:
[tex] \rho^B=\frac{Tr_A(|0\rangle_A\langle0|\rho)}{Tr(|0\rangle_A\langle0|\rho)} [/tex]
where [itex]Tr_A [/itex] is the partial trace w.r.t Alice's system.
And just by reasoning i know the answer should be [itex]|1\rangle\langle1|[/itex] but I am struggling to prove that by solving the above equation.
Here's my attempt:
[tex] \rho^B=\frac{Tr_A(|0\rangle_A\langle0|(|0,1\rangle \langle0,1|+|1,0\rangle \langle1,0|))}{Tr(|0\rangle_A\langle0|(|0,1\rangle \langle0,1|+|1,0\rangle \langle1,0|))} [/tex]
[tex] \rho^B=\frac{Tr_A(|0\rangle_A\langle0|(|0\rangle \langle0| \otimes |1\rangle \langle1|+|1\rangle \langle1|\otimes|0\rangle \langle0|))}{Tr(|0\rangle_A\langle0|(|0\rangle \langle0| \otimes |1\rangle \langle1|+|1\rangle \langle1|\otimes|0\rangle \langle0|))} [/tex]
But I am not quite sure where to go from there, I am a little inexperienced using Braket notation so any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
 
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  • #2
A:If Alice finds a white marble, this means that the two-particle state in Bob's vase is $|0\rangle_A\otimes |1\rangle_B$. Tracing out Alice's system just gives you the state of Bob's marble, which is $|1\rangle_B \langle 1|$.
 

FAQ: Entanglement, projection operator and partial trace

What is entanglement?

Entanglement is a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where two or more particles become connected in such a way that the state of one particle cannot be described without taking into account the state of the other particles. This means that even if the particles are separated by great distances, they still share a strong correlation and any changes to one particle will affect the other particle instantaneously.

What is a projection operator?

A projection operator is a mathematical tool used in quantum mechanics to project a quantum state onto a subspace of a larger state space. It is represented by a Hermitian operator, which means it is equal to its own conjugate transpose, and it has the property that when it acts on a state, it projects out the components of the state that lie in the subspace it represents.

What is a partial trace?

A partial trace is a mathematical operation used in quantum mechanics to calculate the reduced density matrix of a subsystem of a larger quantum system. It involves tracing over the degrees of freedom of the subsystem that are not of interest, leaving behind the degrees of freedom that are relevant to the subsystem. The resulting reduced density matrix can then be used to calculate properties of the subsystem.

How is entanglement related to projection operators and partial trace?

Entanglement can be described using projection operators and partial trace. When two or more particles are entangled, their quantum state is described by a single state vector that represents the combined state of all the particles. This state can be projected onto the individual state spaces of each particle using projection operators, and the reduced density matrix of each particle can be calculated using partial trace.

What are some potential applications of entanglement, projection operators, and partial trace?

Entanglement, projection operators, and partial trace have a wide range of potential applications in quantum information processing, quantum cryptography, and quantum computing. They can be used to create secure communication channels, perform quantum teleportation, and manipulate qubits in quantum algorithms. They also have potential applications in quantum simulations and quantum metrology.

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