Entangling power of multipartite unitary gates

Abstract

We study the entangling properties of multipartite unitary gates with respect to the measure of entanglement called one-tangle. Putting special emphasis on the case of three parties, we derive an analytical expression for the entangling power of an n-partite gate as an explicit function of the gate, linking the entangling power of gates acting on the n-partite Hilbert space of dimension to the entanglement of pure states in the Hilbert space of dimension. Furthermore, we evaluate its mean value averaged over the unitary and orthogonal groups, analyze the maximal entangling power and relate it to the absolutely maximally entangled (AME) states of a system with 2n parties. Finally, we provide a detailed analysis of the entangling properties of the three-qubit unitary and orthogonal gates.