Quantum Discord — Correlations Beyond Entanglement

Discord D = I(A:B) − J(A:B) measures quantum correlations in separable states. For ρ = p|Φ⁺⟩⟨Φ⁺| + (1−p)|00⟩⟨00|, discord persists even when entanglement vanishes.

State Parameters

Mutual Info I
Classical J
Discord D
Concurrence C
Separability boundary: p = 1/3
Discord > 0 for all p > 0
Entanglement C > 0 only for p > 1/3

Key insight: Quantum advantage in computation can come from discord alone — no entanglement needed.