Understand the Outer Product of two qubits

In summary, the outer product |1>_a<1| is an operator that maps a ket to the ket |1>_a<1|<gamma>. It can be expressed as an operator using the general form |alpha><beta| and can also be expressed in terms of Pauli matrices like any other operator.
  • #1
safes007
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Homework Statement
Understanding |1>_a<1|
Relevant Equations
|1>_a<1|
Hi, I'm trying to understand an outer product |1>_a<1| where |1>_a is the ket for one qubit (a) and <1| is the bra for another qubit. Does this make sense and is it possible to express it in terms of tensor products or pauli matrices?
 
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  • #2
I'm not sure about qubits specifically but in general the outer product of bra and a ket is an operator. E.g

##|\alpha \rangle \langle \beta |##

Is an operator that maps a ket ##|\gamma \rangle## to the ket ##|\alpha \rangle \langle \beta | \gamma \rangle##.

In that sense, you can express the operator in terms of Pauli matrices, as you can for any operator.
 

FAQ: Understand the Outer Product of two qubits

1. What is the Outer Product of two qubits?

The Outer Product of two qubits is a mathematical operation that combines two quantum states to form a composite state. It is represented by the symbol "⊗" and is also known as the tensor product.

2. How is the Outer Product of two qubits calculated?

To calculate the Outer Product of two qubits, you simply multiply each element of one qubit with every element of the other qubit. This results in a new matrix with dimensions equal to the product of the two original matrices.

3. What is the significance of the Outer Product in quantum computing?

The Outer Product is a fundamental operation in quantum computing and is used to represent quantum states and operations. It allows for the representation of entanglement between qubits and is essential in performing quantum algorithms.

4. Can the Outer Product of two qubits be visualized?

Yes, the Outer Product of two qubits can be visualized as a matrix with the first qubit's elements as columns and the second qubit's elements as rows. The resulting matrix will have a total of n x m elements, where n and m are the dimensions of the two original qubits.

5. How is the Outer Product different from the Inner Product in quantum computing?

The Outer Product combines two quantum states to form a composite state, while the Inner Product measures the similarity between two quantum states. The Outer Product results in a matrix, while the Inner Product gives a scalar value. Additionally, the Outer Product is non-commutative, while the Inner Product is commutative.

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