Density operators as an arena for differential geometry (Q1340752)

The author considers density operators on a finite dimensional Hilbert space \(H\). The set of these operators contains as extremal set the subset of pure states. They correspond to the elements of the projective space \(\mathbb{P} (H)\). Clearly, a path on \(H\) defines a path on \(\mathbb{P} (H)\). But the length of a path in \(\mathbb{P} (H)\) is not well-defined. The path with minimal length in a fixed projective class is given by certain equations in which the Fubini-Study metric appears. Starting from an arbitrary density operator \(\rho\) on \(H\) one can look for an extended Hilbert space \(H^{\text{ext}}\) such that a pure state of \(H^{\text{ext}}\) reduces to the density operator \(\rho\). Such a pure state is called a purification of \(\rho\). A possible realization of such an extension is the space of all operators \(W\) on \(H\) and \(\rho= WW^*\) is called a standard purification. Now the author studies paths of density operators. Because the purifications are not unique there is an additional degree of gauge freedom (\(W\) can be multiplied by unitary operators). To get a gauge fixing, one obtains again a suitable metric, the projective Bures metric. The geometry of the Bures metric is studied in detail.