Entangling capacity of operators

Given a unitary operator $U$ acting on a composite quantum system what is the entangling capacity of $U$? This question is investigated using a geometric approach. The entangling capacity, defined via metrics on the unitary groups, leads to a \emph{minimax} problem. The dual, a \emph{maximin} problem, is investigated in parallel and yields some familiar entanglement measures. A class of entangling operators, called generalized control operators is defined. The entangling capacities and other properties for this class of operators is studied.