Maximally entangled mixed states: creation and concentration

Phys Rev Lett. 2004 Apr 2;92(13):133601. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.133601. Epub 2004 Apr 2.

Abstract

Using correlated photons from parametric down-conversion, we extend the boundaries of experimentally accessible two-qubit Hilbert space. Specifically, we have created and characterized maximally entangled mixed states that lie above the Werner boundary in the linear entropy-tangle plane. In addition, we demonstrate that such states can be efficiently concentrated, simultaneously increasing both the purity and the degree of entanglement. We investigate a previously unsuspected sensitivity imbalance in common state measures, i.e., the tangle, linear entropy, and fidelity.