Optimal measurements for the discrimination of quantum states with a fixed rate of inconclusive results

Abstract: We study the discrimination of N mixed quantum states in an optimal measurement that maximizes the probability of correct results while the probability of inconclusive results is fixed at a given value. After considering the discrimination of N states in a d-dimensional Hilbert space, we focus on the discrimination of qubit states. We develop a method to determine an optimal measurement for discriminating arbitrary qubit states, taking into account that often the optimal measurement is not unique and the maximum probability of correct results can be achieved by several different measurements. Analytical results are derived for a number of examples, mostly for the discrimination between qubit states which possess a partial symmetry, but also for discriminating N equiprobable qubit states and for the dicrimination between a pure and a uniformly mixed state in d dimensions. In the special case where the fixed rate of inconclusive results is equal to zero, our method provides a treatment for the minimum-error discrimination of arbitrary qubit states which differs from previous approaches.