1993Physical Review LettersOpen access

Average entropy of a subsystem

Don Nelson Page

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Abstract

If a quantum system of Hilbert space dimension mn is in a random pure state, the average entropy of a subsystem of dimension m\ensuremath{\le}n is conjectured to be ${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{m},\mathit{n}}$= ${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{k}=\mathit{n}+1}^{\mathit{mn}}$ 1/k-m-1/2n and is shown to be \ensuremath{\simeq}lnm-m/2n for 1\ensuremath{\ll}m\ensuremath{\le}n. Thus there is less than one-half unit of information, on average, in the smaller subsystem of a total system in a random pure state.

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If a quantum system of Hilbert space dimension mn is in a random pure state, the average entropy of a subsystem of dimension m\ensuremath{\le}n is conjectured to be ${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{m},\mathit{n}}$= ${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{k}=\mathit{n}+1}^{\mathit{mn}}$ 1/k-m-1/2n and is shown to be \ensuremath{\simeq}lnm-m/2n for 1\ensuremath{\ll}m\ensuremath{\le}n. Thus there is less than one-half unit of information, on average, in the smaller subsystem of a total system in a random pure state.

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Available abstract

If a quantum system of Hilbert space dimension mn is in a random pure state, the average entropy of a subsystem of dimension m\ensuremath{\le}n is conjectured to be ${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{m},\mathit{n}}$= ${\mathit{S}}_{\mathit{k}=\mathit{n}+1}^{\mathit{mn}}$ 1/k-m-1/2n and is shown to be \ensuremath{\simeq}lnm-m/2n for 1\ensuremath{\ll}m\ensuremath{\le}n. Thus there is less than one-half unit of information, on average, in the smaller subsystem of a total system in a random pure state.

Key concepts: Physics, Hilbert space, Combinatorics, Dimension (graph theory), Entropy (arrow of time), Mathematical physics, Quantum mechanics, Mathematics

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