arXiv subjects

Massimiliano F. Sacchi

Publications and source records attributed to Massimiliano F. Sacchi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Sparse anisotropic positive maps for qutrit entanglement: exact indecomposability and PPT geometry

Positive but not completely positive maps provide one of the most direct ways to detect entanglement beyond the positive-partial-transpose (PPT) criterion. We introduce and analyze an exactly solvable two-parameter family of sparse bistochastic positive maps on qutrits, in which two coherence channels are independently tuned by parameters $w$ and $z$. The sparse structure makes the full phase diagram analytic: positivity holds exactly on the square $0\le w,z\le2/3$, complete positivity on the smaller square $0\le w,z\le1/3$, and decomposability is lost precisely outside a quarter circle in the corner $w,z\ge1/3$. The indecomposable region is certified by explicit PPT entangled state adapted to the same witness geometry. At the endpoint $W_*=W(2/3,2/3)$ we construct a four-parameter family of PPT edge states of rank type $(5,5)$, derive their analytic detection region, and show that the corresponding rays are exposed faces of the PPT cone. Finally, although $W_*$ is not optimal, we give an explicit optimal refinement whose detection region on this family is strictly larger. The result is an analytically tractable qutrit setting in which positivity, indecomposability, PPT entanglement, optimality, and exposed convex geometry can be studied in a single framework.

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arXiv2026

Full-state information-disturbance tradeoff for direction estimation with antiparallel spin-coherent pairs

We determine the optimal information--disturbance tradeoff for estimating an unknown spatial direction encoded in two antiparallel spins. Rotational covariance reduces the optimization over all instruments to a finite-dimensional Choi problem: a positive seed operator obeys one trace constraint for each irreducible sector of the input representation, while both the directional score and the operation fidelity are linear functionals of this seed. For two antiparallel spin-$1/2$ particles, whose physical representation decomposes as $0\oplus1$, we derive the two-multiplier dual problem and characterize the optimal instrument from the kernel vectors of the dual slack operator. The optimal operation is a covariant filter with scalar--vector coherence and is generally not a convex interpolation between the identity channel and a measure-and-reprepare strategy. At maximum information we recover the Gisin--Popescu score, but the least disturbing output state is optimized independently, giving a smaller disturbance than both the parallel-spin benchmark and antiparallel measure-and-reprepare. We also formulate the parallel benchmark and, as a central extension of the method, treat antiparallel spin-coherent states of arbitrary spin $j$. In this case the signal coherently occupies all sectors $\ell=0,\ldots,2j$ of $j\otimes j$, the endpoint information is governed by nearest-neighbor sector coherences, and the endpoint disturbance is obtained from an explicit finite block-diagonal eigenvalue problem.

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arXiv2026

Entanglement-Assisted Timing Optimization for Discriminating Amplitude-Damping Dynamics

We analyze minimum-error discrimination of two qubit dynamical processes generated by phase-covariant amplitude-damping Lindbladians in a single-use scenario. The optimization involves both the input probe, possibly entangled with an isolated ancilla, and the interrogation time. For unassisted probes we obtain a closed expression for the optimal trace-norm distinguishability at fixed time, with distinct interior and boundary branches. For entanglement-assisted probes, the common phase covariance of the two channels reduces the diamond-norm optimization to a one-parameter Schmidt family. The resulting formula gives transparent sufficient conditions for fixed-time entanglement advantage and separates this local advantage from advantage after global optimization over time. We exhibit examples in which the best unassisted strategy is approached only asymptotically, whereas an entangled probe achieves a strictly smaller error probability at finite time.

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arXiv2026

Sparse positive maps on qutrits with exact nondecomposability thresholds and PPT-entanglement transitions

We study a family of sparse positive maps on qutrits for which positivity, decomposability, and PPT entanglement can all be analysed explicitly. The block structure of the associated Choi matrices reduces positivity to a Hermitian biquadratic form and leads to exact positivity boundaries for three representative parametric families. For the same families we determine the exact transition between decomposable and non-decomposable maps and construct associated PPT states of two classes. The first consists of witness-adapted deformations naturally tied to the non-decomposability analysis. The second consists of analytically tractable families whose full PPT-entangled branch is detected by fixed positive maps, yielding exact thresholds between separability and bound entanglement. For the trace-preserving subclass, we further compare positivity with a recent eigenvalue bound for 2-positive maps, thereby making the gap between positivity and higher-order positivity fully explicit within this family.

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arXiv2026

Generating Non-Decomposable Maps with Differentiable Semidefinite Programming

Positive maps that are not decomposable are a key resource in entanglement theory because they can detect bound entangled states, yet systematic methods for constructing them remain limited. We introduce an optimization framework based on differentiable semidefinite programming (SDP) for generating positive non-decomposable maps under flexible structural constraints on their Choi matrices. The method combines SDP-based certificates of non-decomposability and positivity with gradient-based optimization, enabling a systematic search over maps with different input and output dimensions. Within this framework, we generate previously unknown numerical examples, identify a parametrized family of maps arising from masked Choi matrices, and construct real non-decomposable maps. We further show that the same approach can be adapted to explore open questions in quantum information theory, including the PPT square conjecture and recently proposed eigenvalue bounds for 2-positive trace-preserving maps.

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arXiv2025

Entanglement and Optimal Timing in Discriminating Quantum Dynamical Processes

I investigate the problem of optimally discriminating between two open quantum dynamical processes in a single-shot scenario, with the goal of minimizing the error probability of identification. This task involves optimising both the input state -- potentially entangled with an ancillary system that remains isolated from the dynamics -- and the time at which the resulting time-dependent quantum channels, induced by the two distinct dynamical maps, becomes most distinguishable. To illustrate the complexity and richness of this problem, I focus on Pauli dynamical maps and their associated families of time-dependent Pauli channels. I identify a regime in which separable strategies require waiting indefinitely for the dynamics to reach the stationary state, whereas entangled input states enable optimal discrimination at a finite time, with a strict reduction in error probability. These results highlight the crucial interplay between entanglement and timing in enhancing the distinguishability of quantum dynamical processes.

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arXiv2025

Learning Time-Varying Gaussian Quantum Lossy Channels

Time-varying quantum channels are essential for modeling realistic quantum systems with evolving noise properties. Here, we consider Gaussian lossy channels varying from one use to another and we employ neural networks to classify, regress, and forecast the behavior of these channels from their Choi-Jamiolkowski states. The networks achieve at least 87% of accuracy in distinguishing between non-Markovian, Markovian, memoryless, compound, and deterministic channels. In regression tasks, the model accurately reconstructs the loss parameter sequences, and in forecasting, it predicts future values, with improved performance as the memory parameter approaches 1 for Markovian channels. These results demonstrate the potential of neural networks in characterizing and predicting the dynamics of quantum channels.

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arXiv2025

Detecting Markovianity of Quantum Processes via Recurrent Neural Networks

We present a novel methodology utilizing Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to classify Markovian and non-Markovian quantum processes, leveraging time series data derived from Choi states. The model exhibits exceptional accuracy, surpassing 95%, across diverse scenarios, including dephasing and Pauli channels in an arbitrary basis, generalized amplitude damping dynamics, and even in the presence of noise. Additionally, the developed model shows efficient forecasting capabilities for the analyzed time series data. These results suggest the potential of RNNs in discerning and predicting the Markovian nature of quantum processes.

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arXiv2021

Multilevel quantum thermodynamic swap engines

We study energetic exchanges and fluctuations in two-stroke quantum thermodynamic engines where the working fluid is represented by two multilevel quantum systems, i.e. qudits, the heat flow is allowed by relaxation with two thermal reservoirs at different temperatures, and the work exchange is operated by a partial-swap unitary interaction. We identify three regimes of operation (heat engine, refrigerator, and thermal accelerator), present the thermodynamic uncertainty relations between the entropy production and the signal-to-noise ratio of work and heat, and derive the full joint probability of the stochastic work and heat. Our results bridge the gap between two-qubit and two-mode bosonic swap engines, and show which properties are maintained (e.g., a non fluctuating Otto efficiency) and which are lost for increasing dimension (e.g., small violations of the standard thermodynamic uncertainty relations or the possibility of beating the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency).

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arXiv2021

Experimental Lower Bounds to the Classical Capacity of Quantum Channels

We show an experimental procedure to certify the classical capacity for noisy qubit channels. The method makes use of a fixed bipartite entangled state, where the system qubit is sent to the channel input and the set of local measurements $σ_{x}\otimesσ_{x}$, $σ_{y}\otimesσ_{y}$ and $σ_{z}\otimesσ_{z}$ is performed at the channel output and the ancilla qubit, thus without resorting to full quantum process tomography. The witness to the classical capacity is then achieved by reconstructing sets of conditional probabilities, noise deconvolution, and classical optimization of the pertaining mutual information. The performance of the method to provide lower bounds to the classical capacity is tested by a two-photon polarization entangled state in Pauli channels and amplitude damping channels. The measured lower bounds to the channels are in high agreement with the simulated data, which take into account both the experimental entanglement fidelity $F=0.979\pm 0.011$ of the input state and the systematic experimental imperfections.

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arXiv2020

Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relations for Bosonic Otto Engines

We study two-mode bosonic engines undergoing an Otto cycle. The energy exchange between the two bosonic systems is provided by a tunable unitary bilinear interaction in the mode operators modeling frequency conversion, whereas the cyclic operation is guaranteed by relaxation to two baths at different temperature after each interacting stage. By means of a two-point-measurement approach we provide the joint probability of the stochastic work and heat. We derive exact expressions for work and heat fluctuations, identities showing the interdependence among average extracted work, fluctuations and efficiency, along with thermodynamic uncertainty relations between the signal-to-noise ratio of observed work and heat and the entropy production. We outline how the presented approach can be suitably applied to derive thermodynamic uncertainty relations for quantum Otto engines with alternative unitary strokes.

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arXiv2020

Experimental witnessing of the quantum channel capacity in the presence of correlated noise

We present an experimental method to detect lower bounds to the quantum capacity of two-qubit communication channels. We consider an implementation with polarisation degrees of freedom of two photons and report on the efficiency of such a method in the presence of correlated noise for varying values of the correlation strength. The procedure is based on the generation of separable states of two qubits and local measurements at the output. We also compare the performance of the correlated two-qubit channel with the single-qubit channels corresponding to the partial trace on each of the subsystems, thus showing the beneficial effect of properly taking into account correlations to achieve a larger quantum capacity.

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arXiv2020

Quantum thermodynamics of two bosonic systems

We study the energy exchange between two bosonic systems that interact via bilinear transformations in the mode operators. The first mode is considered as the thermodynamic system, while the second is regarded as the bath. This work finds its roots in a very recent formulation of quantum thermodynamics [1] which allows to consider baths that are not described by the usual Boltzmann-Gibbs canonical form. Baths can possess quantum properties, such as squeezing or coherence, and can be initially correlated with the system, even through entanglement. We focus mainly on the case of Gaussian states, by quantifying the relation between their defining parameters, namely the mean values of the quadratures and the covariance matrix, and relevant thermodynamical quantities such as the heat exchanged and the work performed during the interaction process. We fully solve the case of initially uncorrelated Gaussian states and provide the most general form of the first law of thermodynamics in this case. We also discuss the case of initially correlated states by considering a number of relevant examples, studying how correlations can assist some phenomena, e.g. work extraction or anomalous heat flows. Finally, we present an information-theoretic approach based on the Renyi entropy of order two for clarifying more generally the role of correlations on heat exchanges.

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arXiv2020

Bounding the Classical Capacity of Multilevel Damping Quantum Channels

A recent method to certify the classical capacity of quantum communication channels is applied for general damping channels in finite dimension. The method compares the mutual information obtained by coding on the computational and a Fourier basis, which can be obtained by just two local measurement settings and classical optimization. The results for large representative classes of different damping structures are presented.

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arXiv2019

Efficient accessible bounds to the classical capacity of quantum channels

We present a method to detect lower bounds to the classical capacity of quantum communication channels by means of few local measurements (i.e. without complete process tomography), reconstruction of sets of conditional probabilities, and classical optimisation. The method does not require any a priori information about the channel. We illustrate its performance for significant forms of noisy channels.

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arXiv2019

Optimal convex approximations of quantum states

We consider the problem of optimally approximating an unavailable quantum state $ρ$ by the convex mixing of states drawn from a set of available states $\{ ν_i\}$. The problem is recast to look for the least distinguishable state from $ρ$ among the convex set $\sum_i p_i ν_i$, and the corresponding optimal weights $\{ p_i \}$ provide the optimal convex mixing. We present the complete solution for the optimal convex approximation of a qubit mixed state when the set of available states comprises the three bases of the Pauli matrices.

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arXiv2017

Mixed-state certification of quantum capacities for noisy communication channels

We extend a recent method to detect lower bounds to the quantum capacity of quantum communication channels by considering realistic scenarios with general input probe states and arbitrary detection procedures at the output. Realistic certification relies on a new bound for the coherent information of a quantum channel that can be applied with arbitrary bipartite mixed input states and generalized output measurements.

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arXiv2017

Detection of properties and capacities of quantum channels

We review in a unified way a recently proposed method to detect properties of unknown quantum channels and lower bounds to quantum capacities, without resorting to full quantum process tomography. The method is based on the preparation of a fixed bipartite entangled state at the channel input or, equivalently, an ensemble of an overcomplete set of single-system states, along with few local measurements at the channel output.

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