Mixed State Geometric Phase from Thomas Rotations

Abstract

It is shown that Uhlmann's parallel transport of purifications along a path of mixed states represented by $2\times 2$ density matrices is just the path ordered product of Thomas rotations. These rotations are invariant under hyperbolic translations inside the Bloch sphere that can be regarded as the Poincar\'e ball model of hyperbolic geometry. A general expression for the mixed state geometric phase for an {\it arbitrary} geodesic triangle in terms of the Bures fidelities is derived. The formula gives back the solid angle result well-known from studies of the pure state geometric phase. It is also shown that this mixed state anholonomy can be reinterpreted as the pure state non-Abelian anholonomy of entangled states living in a suitable restriction of the quaternionic Hopf bundle. In this picture Uhlmann's parallel transport is just Pancharatnam transport of quaternionic spinors.