Quantum secure identification using entanglement and catalysis

Abstract

I consider the use of entanglement between two parties to enable one to authenticate her identity to another over a quantum communication channel. Exploiting the phenomenon of entanglement-catalyzed transformations between pure states gives a potentially reusable entangled identification token. In analyzing this, I consider the independently interesting problem of the best possible approximation to a given pure entangled state realizable using local actions and classical communication by parties sharing a different entangled state.