CaltechAUTHORS
  A Caltech Library Service

Entanglement theory and the second law of thermodynamics

Brandão, Fernando G. S. L. and Plenio, Martin B. (2008) Entanglement theory and the second law of thermodynamics. Nature Physics, 4 (11). pp. 873-877. ISSN 1745-2473. doi:10.1038/nphys1100. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160526-104927174

[img] PDF - Submitted Version
See Usage Policy.

298kB

Use this Persistent URL to link to this item: https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160526-104927174

Abstract

Entanglement is central both to the foundations of quantum theory and, as a novel resource, to quantum information science. The theory of entanglement establishes basic laws that govern its manipulation, in particular the non-increase of entanglement under local operations on the constituent particles. Such laws aim to draw from them formal analogies to the second law of thermodynamics; however, whereas in the second law the entropy uniquely determines whether a state is adiabatically accessible from another, the manipulation of entanglement under local operations exhibits a fundamental irreversibility, which prevents the existence of such an order. Here, we show that a reversible theory of entanglement and a rigorous relationship with thermodynamics may be established when considering all non-entangling transformations. The role of the entropy in the second law is taken by the asymptotic relative entropy of entanglement in the basic law of entanglement. We show the usefulness of this approach to general resource theories and to quantum information theory.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys1100DOIArticle
http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v4/n11/full/nphys1100.htmlPublisherArticle
http://arxiv.org/abs/0810.2319arXivDiscussion Paper
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Brandão, Fernando G. S. L.0000-0003-3866-9378
Additional Information:© 2008 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Received 29 February 2008; Accepted 10 September 2008; Published online 12 October 2008. We gratefully thank K. Audenaert, J. Eisert, A. Grudka, M. Horodecki, R. Horodecki, S. Virmani and R.F. Werner for useful discussions and correspondence. This work is part of the QIP-IRC supported by EPSRC and the Integrated Project Qubit Applications (QAP) supported by the IST directorate and was supported by the Brazilian agency Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and a Royal Society Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)UNSPECIFIED
IST directorateUNSPECIFIED
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)UNSPECIFIED
Royal SocietyUNSPECIFIED
Issue or Number:11
DOI:10.1038/nphys1100
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20160526-104927174
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20160526-104927174
Official Citation:Entanglement theory and the second law of thermodynamics Fernando G. S. L. Brandão & Martin B. Plenio Nature Physics 4, 873 - 877 (2008) doi:10.1038/nphys1100
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:67388
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Tony Diaz
Deposited On:26 May 2016 19:11
Last Modified:11 Nov 2021 00:31

Repository Staff Only: item control page