Recovering Quantum Properties of Continuous-Variable States in the Presence of Measurement Errors.

We present two results which combined enable one to reliably detect multimode, multipartite entanglement in the presence of measurement errors. The first result leads to a method to compute the best (approximated) physical covariance matrix given a measured non-physical one. The other result states that a widely used entanglement condition is a consequence of negativity of partial transposition. Our approach can quickly verify entanglement of experimentally obtained multipartite states, which is demonstrated on several realistic examples. Compared to existing detection schemes, ours is very simple and efficient. In particular, it does not require any complicated optimizations.

Generalized conditions for genuine multipartite continuous-variable entanglement

We derive a hierarchy of continuous-variable multipartite entanglement conditions in terms of second-order moments of position and momentum operators that generalizes existing criteria. Each condition corresponds to a convex optimization problem which, given the covariance matrix of the state, can be numerically solved in a straightforward way. The conditions are independent of partial transposition and thus are also able to detect bound entangled states. Our approach can be used to obtain an analytical condition for genuine multipartite entanglement. We demonstrate that even a special case of our conditions can detect entanglement very efficiently. Using multi-objective optimization it is …

Higher-order EPR correlations and inseparability conditions for continuous variables

We derive two types of sets of higher-order conditions for bipartite entanglement in terms of continuous variables. One corresponds to an extension of the well-known Duan inequalities from second to higher moments describing a kind of higher-order Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) correlations. Only the second type, however, expressed by powers of the mode operators leads to tight conditions with a hierarchical structure. We start with a minimization problem for the single-partite case and, using the results obtained, establish relevant inequalities for higher-order moments satisfied by all bipartite separable states. A certain fourth-order condition cannot be violated by any Gaussian state and…

Higher-order Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations and inseparability conditions for continuous variables

We derive two types of sets of higher-order conditions for bipartite entanglement in terms of continuous variables. One corresponds to an extension of the well-known Duan inequalities from second to higher moments describing a kind of higher-order Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) correlations. Only the second type, however, expressed by powers of the mode operators leads to tight conditions with a hierarchical structure. We start with a minimization problem for the single-partite case and, using the results obtained, establish relevant inequalities for higher-order moments satisfied by all bipartite separable states. We give an explicit example of a non-Gaussian state that exhibits fourth-orde…

Entanglement Theory with Continuous Variables

Tripartite separability conditions exponentially violated by Gaussian states

Starting with a set of conditions for bipartite separability of arbitrary quantum states in any dimension and expressed in terms of arbitrary operators whose commutator is a $c$-number, we derive a hierarchy of conditions for tripartite separability of continuous-variable three-mode quantum states. These conditions have the form of inequalities for higher-order moments of linear combinations of the mode operators. They enable one to distinguish between all possible kinds of tripartite separability, while the strongest violation of these inequalities is a sufficient condition for genuine tripartite entanglement. We construct Gaussian states for which the violation of our conditions grows exp…

Waiting time in quantum repeaters with probabilistic entanglement swapping

The standard approach to realize a quantum repeater relies upon probabilistic but heralded entangled state manipulations and the storage of quantum states while waiting for successful events. In the literature on this class of repeaters, calculating repeater rates has typically depended on approximations assuming sufficiently small probabilities. Here we propose an exact and systematic approach including an algorithm based on Markov chain theory to compute the average waiting time (and hence the transmission rates) of quantum repeaters with arbitrary numbers of links. For up to four repeater segments, we explicitly give the exact rate formulae for arbitrary entanglement swapping probabiliti…