Analytical bounds for non-asymptotic asymmetric state discrimination

Abstract

Two types of errors can occur when discriminating pairs of quantum states. Asymmetric state discrimination involves minimizing the probability of one type of error, subject to a constraint on the other. We give explicit expressions bounding the set of achievable errors, using the trace norm, the fidelity, and the quantum Chernoff bound. The upper bound is asymptotically tight and the lower bound is exact for pure states. Unlike asymptotic bounds, our bounds give error values instead of exponents, so can give more precise results when applied to finite-copy state discrimination problems.