nt - p h / 01 06 10 9 v 2 2 5 Ju n 20 01 Wigner - function description of quantum teleportation in arbitrary dimensions and continuous limit

We present a unified approach to quantum teleportation in arbitrary dimensions based on the Wigner-function formalism. This approach provides us with a clear picture of all manipulations performed in the telepor-tation protocol. In addition within the framework of the Wigner-function formalism all the imperfections of the manipulations can be easily taken into account. All quantum mechanical phenomena may be described in terms of quasiprob-ability distributions, as an alternative to the direct application of density matrices. Wigner functions are especially frequently applied, as they behave similarly to classical probability distributions from several points of view. For quantum states with infinite dimensional Hilbert-spaces, the application of Wigner functions has become a standard part of considerations. For finite dimensional Hilbert-spaces, the Wigner-function formalism was first investigated by Woot-ters [1]. The discrete Wigner functions have shown to be useful in investigating coherent states in a finite-dimensional basis [2], definition of Q-functions and 1