Two-spinors, oscillator algebras, and qubits: aspects of manifestly covariant approach to relativistic quantum information

Dirac equation EPR states Minkowski space Pauli-Lubanski vector Peres-Scudo-Terno problem Poincaré group relativistic quantum information theory second quantized electromagnetic field two-spinors

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Relativistic dynamics for problems in Hamiltonian and Lagrangian mechanics (70H40) Quantum information, communication, networks (quantum-theoretic aspects) (81P45) Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Spinor and twistor methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81R25) Special relativity (83A05)

Abstract: The first part of the paper reviews applications of 2-spinor methods to relativistic qubits (analogies between tetrads in Minkowski space and 2-qubit states, qubits defined by means of null directions and their role for elimination of the Peres-Scudo-Terno phenomenon, advantages and disadvantages of relativistic polarization operators defined by the Pauli-Lubanski vector, manifestly covariant approach to unitary representations of inhomogeneous SL(2,C)). The second part deals with electromagnetic fields quantized by means of harmonic oscillator Lie algebras (not necessarily taken in irreducible representations). As opposed to non-relativistic singlets one has to distinguish between maximally symmetric and EPR states. The distinction is one of the sources of `strange' relativistic properties of EPR correlations. As an example, EPR averages are explicitly computed for linear polarizations in states that are antisymmetric in both helicities and momenta. The result takes the familiar form

independently of the choice of representation of harmonic oscillator algebra. Parameter

p

is determined by spectral properties of detectors and the choice of EPR state, but is unrelated to detector efficiencies. Brief analysis of entanglement with vacuum and vacuum violation of Bell's inequality is given. The effects are related to inequivalent notions of vacuum states. Technical appendices discuss details of the representation I employ in field quantization. In particular, M-shaped delta-sequences are used to define Dirac deltas regular at zero.

Review text

The author considers several aspects of relativistic quantum information theory. Large parts of the material presented here are, basically, not new but rediscussed (partly in an unusual way) in a new context (i.e., within quantum information theory). The first part starts with a short review of known relations between two-spinors and Minkowski space, which are applied then to a discussion of the first quantized Dirac equation. Based on the idea to realize qubits in terms of the spin degree of freedom, several ways to define the spin relativistically are considered in this context. This concerns in particular the Pauli-Lubanski vector. Other, related topics are an unorthodox approach to unitary representations of the Poincaré group, which are regarded as passive versions of active spinor representations, and a discussion of the Peres-Scudo-Terno problem (i.e., the observation that entropy defined in terms of reduced spin density matrices; [cf. \textit{A. Peres, P. F. Scudo} and \textit{D. R. Terno}, Quantum entropy and special relativity, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 230402 (2002)]). The second part deals with the second quantized electromagnetic field. Here an unusual quantization approach in terms of reducible representations of harmonic oszillator Lie algebras is used [cf. the author and \textit{K. Wrzask}, Int. J. Theor. Phys. 48, No. 9, 2511--2549 (2009; Zbl 1252.81137)]. The setup derived so far is then used to discuss EPR states and EPR correlations. In this context it is shown in particular that the reducible representations used for quantization predict essentially the same formula for EPR averages as the usual formalism.

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