Strong subadditivity of quantum entropy

In quantum information theory, strong subadditivity of quantum entropy (SSA) is the relation among the von Neumann entropies of various quantum subsystems of a larger quantum system consisting of three subsystems (or of one quantum system with three degrees of freedom). It is a basic theorem in modern quantum information theory. It was conjectured by D. W. Robinson and D. Ruelle in 1966 and O. E. Lanford III and D. W. Robinson in 1968 and proved in 1973 by E.H. Lieb and M.B. Ruskai, building on results obtained by Lieb in his proof of the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson conjecture.

The classical version of SSA was long known and appreciated in classical probability theory and information theory. The proof of this relation in the classical case is quite easy, but the quantum case is difficult because of the non-commutativity of the reduced density matrices describing the quantum subsystems.

Some useful references here include:

Definitions

We use the following notation throughout the following: A Hilbert space is denoted by ℋ, and ℬ(ℋ) denotes the bounded linear operators on ℋ. Tensor products are denoted by superscripts, e.g., ℋ12=ℋ1⊗ℋ2. The trace is denoted by Tr.

Density matrix

A density matrix is a Hermitian, positive semi-definite matrix of trace one. It allows for the description of a quantum system in a mixed state. Density matrices on a tensor product are denoted by superscripts, e.g., ρ12 is a density matrix on ℋ12.

Entropy

The von Neumann quantum entropy of a density matrix ρ is

S(ρ):=−Tr(ρlog⁡ρ).

Relative entropy

Umegaki's quantum relative entropy of two density matrices ρ and σ is

S(ρ||σ)=Tr(ρlog⁡ρ−ρlog⁡σ)≥0.

Joint concavity

A function g of two variables is said to be jointly concave if for any 0≤λ≤1 the following holds

g(λA1+(1−λ)A2,λB1+(1−λ)B2)≥λg(A1,B1)+(1−λ)g(A2,B2).

Subadditivity of entropy

Ordinary subadditivity concerns only two spaces ℋ12 and a density matrix ρ12. It states that

S(ρ12)≤S(ρ1)+S(ρ2)

This inequality is true, of course, in classical probability theory, but the latter also contains the theorem that the conditional entropies S(ρ12|ρ1)=S(ρ12)−S(ρ1) and S(ρ12|ρ2)=S(ρ12)−S(ρ2) are both non-negative. In the quantum case, however, both can be negative, e.g. S(ρ12) can be zero while S(ρ1)=S(ρ2)>0. Nevertheless, the subadditivity upper bound on S(ρ12) continues to hold. The closest thing one has to S(ρ12)−S(ρ1)≥0 is the Araki–Lieb triangle inequality

S(ρ12)≥|S(ρ1)−S(ρ2)|

which is derived in from subadditivity by a mathematical technique known as purification.

Strong subadditivity (SSA)

Suppose that the Hilbert space of the system is a tensor product of three spaces: ℋ=ℋ1⊗ℋ2⊗ℋ3.. Physically, these three spaces can be interpreted as the space of three different systems, or else as three parts or three degrees of freedom of one physical system.

Given a density matrix ρ123 on ℋ, we define a density matrix ρ12 on ℋ1⊗ℋ2 as a partial trace: ρ12=Trℋ3ρ123. Similarly, we can define density matrices: ρ23, ρ13, ρ1, ρ2, ρ3.

Statement

For any tri-partite state ρ123 the following holds

S(ρ123)+S(ρ2)≤S(ρ12)+S(ρ23),

where S(ρ12)=−Trℋ12ρ12log⁡ρ12, for example.

Equivalently, the statement can be recast in terms of conditional entropies to show that for tripartite state ρABC,

S(A∣BC)≤S(A∣B).

This can also be restated in terms of quantum mutual information,

I(A:BC)≥I(A:B).

These statements run parallel to classical intuition, except that quantum conditional entropies can be negative, and quantum mutual informations can exceed the classical bound of the marginal entropy.

The strong subadditivity inequality was improved in the following way by Carlen and Lieb

S(ρ12)+S(ρ23)−S(ρ123)−S(ρ2)≥2max⁡{S(ρ1)−S(ρ13),S(ρ3)−S(ρ13),0},

with the optimal constant 2.

J. Kiefer proved a peripherally related convexity result in 1959, which is a corollary of an operator Schwarz inequality proved by E.H.Lieb and M.B.Ruskai. However, these results are comparatively simple, and the proofs do not use the results of Lieb's 1973 paper on convex and concave trace functionals. It was this paper that provided the mathematical basis of the proof of SSA by Lieb and Ruskai. The extension from a Hilbert space setting to a von Neumann algebra setting, where states are not given by density matrices, was done by Narnhofer and Thirring .

The theorem can also be obtained by proving numerous equivalent statements, some of which are summarized below.

Wigner–Yanase–Dyson conjecture

E. P. Wigner and M. M. Yanase proposed a different definition of entropy, which was generalized by Freeman Dyson.

The Wigner–Yanase–Dyson p-skew information

The Wigner–Yanase–Dyson p-skew information of a density matrix ρ. with respect to an operator K is

Ip(ρ,K)=12Tr[ρp,K∗][ρ1−p,K],

where [A,B]=AB−BA is a commutator, K∗ is the adjoint of K and 0≤p≤1 is fixed.

Concavity of p-skew information

It was conjectured by E. P. Wigner and M. M. Yanase in that p- skew information is concave as a function of a density matrix ρ for a fixed 0≤p≤1.

Since the term −12TrρKK∗ is concave (it is linear), the conjecture reduces to the problem of concavity of TrρpK∗ρ1−pK. As noted in, this conjecture (for all 0≤p≤1) implies SSA, and was proved for p=12 in, and for all 0≤p≤1 in in the following more general form: The function of two matrix variables

is jointly concave in A and B, when 0≤r≤1 and p+r≤1.

This theorem is an essential part of the proof of SSA in.

In their paper E. P. Wigner and M. M. Yanase also conjectured the subadditivity of p-skew information for p=12, which was disproved by Hansen by giving a counterexample.

First two statements equivalent to SSA

It was pointed out in that the first statement below is equivalent to SSA and A. Ulhmann in showed the equivalence between the second statement below and SSA.

Both of these statements were proved directly in.

Joint convexity of relative entropy

As noted by Lindblad and Uhlmann, if, in equation (1), one takes K=1 and r=1−p,A=ρ and B=σ and differentiates in p at p=0, one obtains the joint convexity of relative entropy: i.e., if ρ=∑kλkρk, and σ=∑kλkσk, then

where λk≥0 with ∑kλk=1.

Monotonicity of quantum relative entropy

The relative entropy decreases monotonically under completely positive trace preserving (CPTP) operations 𝒩 on density matrices,

S(𝒩(ρ)‖𝒩(σ))≤S(ρ‖σ).

This inequality is called Monotonicity of quantum relative entropy. Owing to the Stinespring factorization theorem, this inequality is a consequence of a particular choice of the CPTP map - a partial trace map described below.

The most important and basic class of CPTP maps is a partial trace operation T:ℬ(ℋ12)→ℬ(ℋ1), given by T=1ℋ1⊗Trℋ2. Then

which is called Monotonicity of quantum relative entropy under partial trace.

To see how this follows from the joint convexity of relative entropy, observe that T can be written in Uhlmann's representation as

T(ρ12)=N−1∑j=1N(1ℋ1⊗Uj)ρ12(1ℋ1⊗Uj∗),

for some finite N and some collection of unitary matrices on ℋ2 (alternatively, integrate over Haar measure). Since the trace (and hence the relative entropy) is unitarily invariant, inequality (3) now follows from (2). This theorem is due to Lindblad and Uhlmann, whose proof is the one given here.

SSA is obtained from (3) with ℋ1 replaced by ℋ12 and ℋ2 replaced ℋ3. Take ρ=ρ123, σ=ρ1⊗ρ23, T=1ℋ12⊗Trℋ3. Then (3) becomes

S(ρ12||ρ1⊗ρ2)≤S(ρ123||ρ1⊗ρ23).

Therefore,

S(ρ123||ρ1⊗ρ23)−S(ρ12||ρ1⊗ρ2)=S(ρ12)+S(ρ23)−S(ρ123)−S(ρ2)≥0,

which is SSA. Thus, the monotonicity of quantum relative entropy (which follows from (1) implies SSA.

Relationship among inequalities

All of the above important inequalities are equivalent to each other, and can also be proved directly. The following are equivalent:

The following implications show the equivalence between these inequalities.

ρ12↦S(ρ1)−S(ρ12) is convex. In it was observed that this convexity yields MPT;

S(ρ4)+S(ρ2)≤S(ρ12)+S(ρ14).

Moreover, if ρ124 is pure, then S(ρ2)=S(ρ14) and S(ρ4)=S(ρ12), so the equality holds in the above inequality. Since the extreme points of the convex set of density matrices are pure states, SSA follows from JC;

See, for a discussion.

The case of equality

Equality in monotonicity of quantum relative entropy inequality

In, Dénes Petz showed that the only case of equality in the monotonicity relation is to have a proper "recovery" channel:

For all states ρ and σ on a Hilbert space ℋ and all quantum operators T:ℬ(ℋ)→ℬ(𝒦),

S(Tρ||Tσ)=S(ρ||σ),

if and only if there exists a quantum operator T̂ such that

T̂Tσ=σ, and T̂Tρ=ρ.

Moreover, T̂ can be given explicitly by the formula

T̂ω=σ1/2T∗((Tσ)−1/2ω(Tσ)−1/2)σ1/2,

where T∗ is the adjoint map of T.

D. Petz also gave another condition when the equality holds in Monotonicity of quantum relative entropy: the first statement below. Differentiating it at t=0 we have the second condition. Moreover, M.B. Ruskai gave another proof of the second statement.

For all states ρ and σ on ℋ and all quantum operators T:ℬ(ℋ)→ℬ(𝒦),

S(Tρ||Tσ)=S(ρ||σ),

if and only if the following equivalent conditions are satisfied:

  • T∗(T(ρ)itT(σ)it)=ρitσ−it for all real t.
  • log⁡ρ−log⁡σ=T∗(log⁡T(ρ)−log⁡T(σ)).

where T∗ is the adjoint map of T.

Equality in strong subadditivity inequality

P. Hayden, R. Jozsa, D. Petz and A. Winter described the states for which the equality holds in SSA.

A state ρABC on a Hilbert space ℋA⊗ℋB⊗ℋC satisfies strong subadditivity with equality if and only if there is a decomposition of second system as

ℋB=⨁jℋBjL⊗ℋBjR

into a direct sum of tensor products, such that

ρABC=⨁jqjρABjL⊗ρBjRC,

with states ρABjL on ℋA⊗ℋBjL and ρBjRC on ℋBjR⊗ℋC, and a probability distribution {qj}.

Carlen-Lieb Extension

E. H. Lieb and E.A. Carlen have found an explicit error term in the SSA inequality, namely,

S(ρ12)+S(ρ23)−S(ρ123)−S(ρ2)≥2max⁡{0,S(ρ1)−S(ρ13),S(ρ3)−S(ρ13)}

If S(ρ1)−S(ρ13)≤0 and S(ρ3)−S(ρ13)≤0, as is always the case for the classical Shannon entropy, this inequality has nothing to say. For the quantum entropy, on the other hand, it is quite possible that the conditional entropies satisfy −S(ρ13|ρ1)=S(ρ1)−S(ρ13)>0 or −S(ρ13|ρ3)=S(ρ3)−S(ρ13)>0 (but never both!). Then, in this "highly quantum" regime, this inequality provides additional information.

The constant 2 is optimal, in the sense that for any constant larger than 2, one can find a state for which the inequality is violated with that constant.

Operator extension of strong subadditivity

In his paper I. Kim studied an operator extension of strong subadditivity, proving the following inequality:

For a tri-partite state (density matrix) ρ123 on ℋ1⊗ℋ2⊗ℋ3,

Tr12(ρ123(−log⁡(ρ12)−log⁡(ρ23)+log⁡(ρ2)+log⁡(ρ123)))≥0.

The proof of this inequality is based on Effros's theorem, for which particular functions and operators are chosen to derive the inequality above. M. B. Ruskai describes this work in details in and discusses how to prove a large class of new matrix inequalities in the tri-partite and bi-partite cases by taking a partial trace over all but one of the spaces.

Extensions of strong subadditivity in terms of recoverability

A significant strengthening of strong subadditivity was proved in 2014 by Omar Fawzi and Renato Renner, which was subsequently improved by Mark Wilde and coworkers. In 2017, it was shown that the recovery channel can be taken to be the original Petz recovery map. These improvements of strong subadditivity have physical interpretations in terms of recoverability, meaning that if the conditional mutual information I(A;B|E)=S(AE)+S(BE)−S(E)−S(ABE) of a tripartite quantum state ρABE is nearly equal to zero, then it is possible to perform a recovery channel ℛE→AE (from system E to AE) such that ρABE≈ℛE→AE(ρBE). These results thus generalize the exact equality conditions mentioned above.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Robinson, Derek W.; Ruelle, David (1967). "Mean entropy of states in classical statistical mechanics". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 5 (4). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 288–300. Bibcode:1967CMaPh...5..288R. doi:10.1007/bf01646480. ISSN 0010-3616. S2CID 115134613.
  2. ↑ Lanford, Oscar E.; Robinson, Derek W. (1968). "Mean Entropy of States in Quantum‐Statistical Mechanics". Journal of Mathematical Physics. 9 (7). AIP Publishing: 1120–1125. Bibcode:1968JMP.....9.1120L. doi:10.1063/1.1664685. ISSN 0022-2488.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Lieb, Elliott H.; Ruskai, Mary Beth (1973). "Proof of the strong subadditivity of quantum‐mechanical entropy" (PDF). Journal of Mathematical Physics. 14 (12). AIP Publishing: 1938–1941. Bibcode:1973JMP....14.1938L. doi:10.1063/1.1666274. ISSN 0022-2488.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lieb, Elliott H (1973). "Convex trace functions and the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson conjecture". Advances in Mathematics. 11 (3): 267–288. doi:10.1016/0001-8708(73)90011-X. ISSN 0001-8708.
  5. ↑ M. Nielsen, I. Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information, Cambr. U. Press, (2000)
  6. ↑ M. Ohya, D. Petz, Quantum Entropy and Its Use, Springer (1993)
  7. ↑ E. Carlen, Trace Inequalities and Quantum Entropy: An Introductory Course, Contemp. Math. 529 (2009).
  8. ↑ Umegaki, Hisaharu (1962). "Conditional expectation in an operator algebra. IV. Entropy and information". Kodai Mathematical Seminar Reports. 14 (2). Tokyo Institute of Technology, Department of Mathematics: 59–85. doi:10.2996/kmj/1138844604. ISSN 0023-2599.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Araki, Huzihiro; Lieb, Elliott H. (1970). "Entropy inequalities". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 18 (2): 160–170. Bibcode:1970CMaPh..18..160A. doi:10.1007/BF01646092. ISSN 0010-3616. S2CID 189832417.
  10. 1 2 Carlen, Eric A.; Lieb, Elliott H. (2012). "Bounds for Entanglement via an Extension of Strong Subadditivity of Entropy". Letters in Mathematical Physics. 101 (1): 1–11. arXiv:1203.4719. Bibcode:2012LMaPh.101....1C. doi:10.1007/s11005-012-0565-6. S2CID 119317605.
  11. ↑ Kiefer, J. (July 1959). "Optimum Experimental Designs". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B (Methodological). 21 (2): 272–310. doi:10.1111/j.2517-6161.1959.tb00338.x.
  12. ↑ Ruskai, Mary Beth. "Evolution of a Fundemental [sic] Theorem on Quantum Entropy". youtube.com. World Scientific. Retrieved 20 August 2020. Invited talk at the Conference in Honour of the 90th Birthday of Freeman Dyson, Institute of Advanced Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 26–29 August 2013. The note on Kiefer (1959) is at the 26:40 mark.
  13. ↑ Narnhofer, H. (1985). "From Relative Entropy to Entropy". Fizika. 17: 258–262.
  14. ↑ Wigner, E. P.; Yanase, M. M. (1 May 1963). "Information Content of Distributions". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 49 (6): 910–918. Bibcode:1963PNAS...49..910W. doi:10.1073/pnas.49.6.910. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 300031. PMID 16591109.
  15. 1 2 3 Wigner, Eugene P.; Yanase, Mutsuo M. (1964). "On the Positive Semidefinite Nature of a Certain Matrix Expression". Canadian Journal of Mathematics. 16. Canadian Mathematical Society: 397–406. doi:10.4153/cjm-1964-041-x. ISSN 0008-414X.
  16. ↑ Hansen, Frank (18 January 2007). "The Wigner-Yanase Entropy is not Subadditive". Journal of Statistical Physics. 126 (3). Springer Nature: 643–648. arXiv:math-ph/0609019. Bibcode:2007JSP...126..643H. doi:10.1007/s10955-006-9265-x. ISSN 0022-4715. S2CID 119667187.
  17. 1 2 A. Ulhmann, Endlich Dimensionale Dichtmatrizen, II, Wiss. Z. Karl-Marx-University Leipzig 22 Jg. H. 2., 139 (1973).
  18. 1 2 Lindblad, Göran (1974). "Expectations and entropy inequalities for finite quantum systems". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 39 (2): 111–119. Bibcode:1974CMaPh..39..111L. doi:10.1007/BF01608390. ISSN 0010-3616. S2CID 120760667.
  19. ↑ Uhlmann, A. (1977). "Relative entropy and the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson-Lieb concavity in an interpolation theory". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 54 (1): 21–32. Bibcode:1977CMaPh..54...21U. doi:10.1007/BF01609834. ISSN 0010-3616. S2CID 15800519.
  20. ↑ Lindblad, Göran (1975). "Completely positive maps and entropy inequalities". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 40 (2). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 147–151. Bibcode:1975CMaPh..40..147L. doi:10.1007/bf01609396. ISSN 0010-3616. S2CID 121650206.
  21. 1 2 Lieb, E. H. (1975). "Some Convexity and Subadditivity Properties of Entropy". Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 81: 1–13. doi:10.1090/s0002-9904-1975-13621-4.
  22. ↑ Ruskai, Mary Beth (2002). "Inequalities for quantum entropy: A review with conditions for equality". Journal of Mathematical Physics. 43 (9). AIP Publishing: 4358–4375. arXiv:quant-ph/0205064. Bibcode:2002JMP....43.4358R. doi:10.1063/1.1497701. ISSN 0022-2488. S2CID 3051292. erratum 46, 019901 (2005)
  23. 1 2 Petz, D. (1986). "Sufficient subalgebras and the relative entropy of states of a von Neumann algebra". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 105 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 123–131. Bibcode:1986CMaPh.105..123P. doi:10.1007/bf01212345. ISSN 0010-3616. S2CID 18836173.
  24. ↑ Petz, D. (1986). "Sufficiency of Channels over von Neumann Algebras". Quart. J. Math. Oxford. 35: 475–483. doi:10.1093/qmath/39.1.97.
  25. ↑ P. Hayden, R. Jozsa, D. Petz, A. Winter, Structure of States which Satisfy Strong Subadditivity of Quantum Entropy with Equality, Comm. Math. Phys. 246, 359–374 (2003).
  26. ↑ I. Kim, Operator Extension of Strong Subadditivity of Entropy, arXiv:1210.5190 (2012).
  27. ↑ Effros, E. G. (2009). "A Matrix Convexity Approach to Some Celebrated Quantum Inequalities". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 106 (4): 1006–1008. arXiv:0802.1234. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106.1006E. doi:10.1073/pnas.0807965106. PMC 2633548. PMID 19164582.
  28. ↑ M. B. Ruskai, Remarks on Kim’s Strong Subadditivity Matrix Inequality: Extensions and Equality Conditions, arXiv:1211.0049 (2012).
  29. ↑ Fawzi, O.; Renner, R. (2015). "Quantum conditional mutual information and approximate Markov chains". Communications in Mathematical Physics. 340 (2): 575–611. arXiv:1410.0664. doi:10.1007/s00220-015-2466-x.
  30. ↑ Wilde, M. M. (2015). "Recoverability in quantum information theory". Proceedings of the Royal Society A. 471 (2182): 338. arXiv:1505.04661. doi:10.1098/rspa.2015.0338.
  31. ↑ Junge, Marius; Renner, Renato; Sutter, David; Wilde, Mark M.; Winter, Andreas (2018). "Universal recovery maps and approximate sufficiency of quantum relative entropy". Annales Henri Poincaré. 19 (10): 2955–2978. arXiv:1509.07127. doi:10.1007/s00023-018-0716-0.
  32. ↑ Carlen, Eric A.; Vershynina, Anna (2020). "Recovery map stability for the Data Processing Inequality". J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 53: 035204. arXiv:1710.02409. doi:10.1088/1751-8121/ab5ab7.