Separable states and positive maps (Q2426510)

An operator system \(A\) is a norm-closed self-adjoint space of bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space \(K\) containing the identity operator \(\text{id}_K\). There is a bi-positive isometric linear isomorphism \(\phi\mapsto\widetilde\phi\) from the Banach space \(B(A, H)\) of bounded linear mappings from \(A\) into the \(W^*\)-algebra \(B(H)\) of bounded linear operators on \(H\) onto the dual space \((A\widehat\otimes L_1(H))^*\) of the projective tensor product \(A\widehat\otimes L_1(H)\) of \(A\) and the Banach space \(L_1(H)\) of trace class operators on \(H\), defined, for elements \(a\) in \(A\) and \(b\) in \(L_1(H)\), by \[ \widetilde\phi(a\otimes b)= \text{Tr}(\phi(a)b^t), \] where \(b^t\) is the transpose of \(b\). A positive linear functional on the norm-closure \(A\otimes B(H)\) of the algebraic tensor product of \(A\) is said to be separable if it lies in the norm closure of the set of positive sums of states of the form \(\sigma\otimes\omega\), where \(\sigma\) is a state of \(A\) and \(\omega\) is a normal state of \(B(H)\). The first main result of the paper shows that separability of the positive linear functional \(\widetilde\phi\) is equivalent to \(\phi\) being the limit in the topology of bounded pointwise weak convergence of maps of the form \(a\mapsto\sum^n_{j= 1}\omega_j(a) b_j\), with \(\omega_j\) a state of \(A\) and \(b_j\) a positive element of \(B(H)\). A necessary condition for a state \(\rho\) on \(A\widehat\otimes L_1(H)\) to be separable is the Peres condition that the functional \(\rho\circ(\text{id}_A\otimes t)\), where \(t\) denotes the transpose mapping, is positive. The author observes that \(\widetilde\phi\) satisfies the Peres condition if and only if both \(\phi\) and \(t\circ\phi\) are completely positive. In the second section of the paper, the author goes on to consider the case in which \(A\) coincides with \(B(K)\), first when \(K\) is finite-dimensional, and, subsequently, in general. In particular, he gives criteria for the separability of a normal state \(\rho\) on \(B(K)\otimes B(H)\) and for it to satisfy the Peres condition. The final section is devoted to the description of the so-called definite set \(D_\phi\), defined by \[ D_\phi= \{a\in A_{\text{sa}}: \phi(a^2)= \phi(a)^2\}, \] corresponding to a positive identity-preserving positive linear contraction \(\phi\) from a unital \(C^*\)-algebra \(A\) into \(B(H)\), when \(\phi\) is defined, for \(a\) in \(A\), by \[ \phi(a)= \sum^n_{j=1} \omega_j(a) b_j, \] with \(\omega_j\) a state of \(A\) and \(b_j\) a positive element of \(B(H)\). This pleasant paper happily ties up several loose ends in the subject and gives indications as to how the results may be generalized.