Renyi relative entropies of quantum Gaussian states (1706.09885v2)

Abstract: The quantum Renyi relative entropies play a prominent role in quantum information theory, finding applications in characterizing error exponents and strong converse exponents for quantum hypothesis testing and quantum communication theory. On a different thread, quantum Gaussian states have been intensely investigated theoretically, motivated by the fact that they are more readily accessible in the laboratory than are other, more exotic quantum states. In this paper, we derive formulas for the quantum Renyi relative entropies of quantum Gaussian states. We consider both the traditional (Petz) Renyi relative entropy as well as the more recent sandwiched Renyi relative entropy, finding formulas that are expressed solely in terms of the mean vectors and covariance matrices of the underlying quantum Gaussian states. Our development handles the hitherto elusive case for the Petz--Renyi relative entropy when the Renyi parameter is larger than one. Finally, we also derive a formula for the max-relative entropy of two quantum Gaussian states, and we discuss some applications of the formulas derived here.