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Tobias Fünke
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Here are my thoughts: If you write $c_0 \equiv |c_0|\, e^{i\phi_0}$ and $c_1 \equiv |c_1|\, e^{i\phi_1}$, then you can write the wave function as

$$|\Psi\rangle = e^{i\phi_0}\left(|c_0| \,|0\rangle + |c_1|\,e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}\,|1\rangle\right)\quad . $$

The associated density operator is then given by $\rho_{\Psi}\equiv |\Psi\rangle\langle \Psi|$. The diagonal elements will yield $|c_0|$ and $|c_1|$ and from the off-diagonal terms you can reconstruct $|c_1| \, e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}$. However, you can only reconstruct the wave function up to the global phase, which is also intuitive, since two wave functions $|\Psi\rangle$ and $|\psi\rangle$ which differ only by a global phase will yield the same density operator.

Here are my thoughts: If you write $c_0 \equiv |c_0|\, e^{i\phi_0}$ and $c_1 \equiv |c_1|\, e^{i\phi_1}$, then you can write the wave function as

$$|\Psi\rangle = e^{i\phi_0}\left(|c_0| \,|0\rangle + |c_1|\,e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}\,|1\rangle\right)\quad . $$

The associated density operator is then given by $\rho_{\Psi}\equiv |\Psi\rangle\langle \Psi|$. The diagonal elements will yield $|c_0|$ and $|c_1|$ and from the off-diagonal terms you can reconstruct $|c_1| \, e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}$. However, you can only reconstruct the wave function up to the global phase, which is also intuitive, since two wave functions $|\Psi\rangle$ and $|\psi\rangle$ which differ only by a global phase will yield the same density operator.

If you write $c_0 \equiv |c_0|\, e^{i\phi_0}$ and $c_1 \equiv |c_1|\, e^{i\phi_1}$, then you can write the wave function as

$$|\Psi\rangle = e^{i\phi_0}\left(|c_0| \,|0\rangle + |c_1|\,e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}\,|1\rangle\right)\quad . $$

The associated density operator is then given by $\rho_{\Psi}\equiv |\Psi\rangle\langle \Psi|$. The diagonal elements will yield $|c_0|$ and $|c_1|$ and from the off-diagonal terms you can reconstruct $|c_1| \, e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}$. However, you can only reconstruct the wave function up to the global phase, which is also intuitive, since two wave functions $|\Psi\rangle$ and $|\psi\rangle$ which differ only by a global phase will yield the same density operator.

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Tobias Fünke
  • 8.4k
  • 2
  • 16
  • 46

Here are my thoughts: If you write $c_0 \equiv |c_0|\, e^{i\phi_0}$ and $c_1 \equiv |c_1|\, e^{i\phi_1}$, then you can write the wave function as

$$|\Psi\rangle = e^{i\phi_0}\left(|c_0| \,|0\rangle + |c_1|\,e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}\,|1\rangle\right)\quad . $$

The associated density operator is then given by $\rho_{\Psi}\equiv |\Psi\rangle\langle \Psi|$. The diagonal elements will yield $|c_0|$ and $|c_1|$ and from the off-diagonal terms you can reconstruct $|c_1| \, e^{i(\phi_1-\phi_0)}$. However, you can only reconstruct the wave function up to the global phase, which is also intuitive, since two wave functions $|\Psi\rangle$ and $|\psi\rangle$ which differ only by a global phase will yield the same density operator.