Multipartite entanglement groups

Abstract: We propose to define multipartite entanglement of pure states as transformations acting on some parts of a system that can be undone by transformations acting on other parts. This leads to a definition of multipartite entanglement in terms of groups, namely certain quotients of the stabilizer group and its subgroups. We analyze properties of these entanglement groups and show that they lead to restrictions which give a precise meaning to monogamy of entanglement. We use these groups to propose a finite classification of entanglement types in multi-partite quantum systems and we show that this characterization of entanglement underlies several well-known quantum tasks.