A fidelity measure for quantum states based on the matrix geometric mean

Abstract

Uhlmann's fidelity function is one of the most widely used similarity measures in quantum theory. One definition of this function is that it is the minimum classical fidelity associated with a quantum-to-classical measurement procedure of two quantum states. In 2010, Matsumoto introduced another fidelity function which is dual to Uhlmann's in the sense that it is the maximimum classical fidelity associated with a classical-to-quantum preparation procedure for two quantum states. Matsumoto's fidelity can also be defined using the well-established notion definition of the matrix geometric mean. In this work, we examine Matsumoto's fidelity through the lens of semidefinite programming to give simple proofs that it possesses many desirable properties for a similarity measure, including monotonicity under quantum channels, joint concavity, and unitary invariance. Finally, we provide a geometric interpretation of this fidelity in terms of the Riemannian space of positive definite matrices, and show how this picture can be useful in understanding some of its peculiar properties.