How `hot' are mixed quantum states?
Abstract
Given a mixed quantum state of a qudit, we consider any observable as a kind of `thermometer' in the following sense. Given a source which emits pure states with these or those distributions, we select such distributions that the appropriate average value of the observable is equal to the average Tr of in the stare . Among those distributions we find the most typical one, namely, having the highest differential entropy. We call this distribution conditional Gibbs ensemble as it turns out to be a Gibbs distribution characterized by a temperature-like parameter . The expressions establishing the liaisons between the density operator and its temperature parameter are provided. Within this approach, the uniform mixed state has the highest `temperature', which tends to zero as the state in question approaches to a pure state.
Cite
@article{arxiv.quant-ph/0606014,
title = {How `hot' are mixed quantum states?},
author = {George Parfionov and Roman R. Zapatrin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:quant-ph/0606014},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Contribution to Quantum 2006: III workshop ad memoriam of Carlo Novero: Advances in Foundations of Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Information with atoms and photons. 2-5 May 2006 - Turin, Italy