Retrodiction of measurement outcomes on a single quantum system reveals entanglement with its environment

Abstract

The density matrix yields probabilistic information about the outcome of measurements on a quantum system, but it does not distinguish between classical randomness in the preparation of the system and entanglement with its environment. Here, we show that retrodiction, employing both prior and posterior knowledge, gives rise to conditional probabilities for measurements on a single system, that can witness if it is part of a larger composite system. The degree of certainty with which one can retrodict the outcomes of multiple measurements on a system can witness both the existence and the quantitative nature of its entanglement with the environment.