Let $V$ be a finite dimensional complex Hilbert space. Let $L(V)$ denote the collection of all linear operators from $V$ to $V$. An operator $\mathcal{E}:L(V)\rightarrow L(V)$ is said to be positive if whenever $A\geq 0$, we have $\mathcal{E}(A)\geq 0$ as well. We say that $\mathcal{E}$ is completely positive if $\mathcal{E}\otimes 1_{L(W)}:L(V\otimes W)\rightarrow L(V\otimes W)$ is positive for each finite dimensional complex Hilbert space $W$. A linear mapping $\mathcal{E}:L(V)\rightarrow L(V)$ is said to be trace preserving if $\text{Tr}(\mathcal{E}(A))=\text{Tr}(A)$ whenever $A\in L(V)$. A channel is a completely positive trace preserving map $\mathcal{E}:L(V)\rightarrow L(V)$. A unital channel is a channel where $\mathcal{E}(1_V)=1_V$.

If $A_1,\dots,A_r\in L(V)$, then define a mapping $\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r):L(V)\rightarrow L(V)$ by $\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r)(X)=A_1XA_1^*+\dots A_rXA_r^*$. Then the mapping $\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r)$ is a completely positive mapping, and every completely positive mapping $\mathcal{E}:L(V)\rightarrow L(V)$ is of this form.

Define $$\rho_{2}(A_1,\dots,A_r)=\rho(\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r))^{1/2}.$$

The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality holds for $\rho_{2}$: $$\rho(A_1\otimes B_1+\dots+A_r\otimes B_r)\leq\rho_2(A_1,\dots,A_r)\rho_2(B_1,\dots,B_r).$$

Define $$\rho_{2,d}(A_1,\dots,A_r)$$ $$=\sup\{\frac{\rho(A_1\otimes X_1+\dots+A_r\otimes X_r)}{\rho_{2}(X_1,\dots,X_r)}\mid X_1,\dots,X_r\in M_n(\mathbb{C}),\rho_{2}(X_1,\dots,X_r)\neq 0\}.$$ Observe that $\rho_{2,d}(A_1,\dots,A_r)\leq\rho_{2,g}(A_1,\dots,A_r)\leq\rho_2(A_1,\dots,A_r)$ whenever $d\leq g$, and $\rho_{2,d}(A_1,\dots,A_r)=\rho_2(A_1,\dots,A_r)$ whenever $d\geq\dim(V).$

Theorem: $\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r)=\Phi(B_1,\dots,B_r)$ if and only if there is an $r\times r$ unitary matrix $(u_{i,j})_{i,j}$ where $B_{i}=\sum_{j=1}^{r}u_{i,j}A_{j}$ for $1\leq i\leq r$.

The $\leftarrow$ direction is easy to prove, and a proof of the direction $\rightarrow$ can be found in the book The Theory of Quantum Information by John Watrous.

Lemma: Suppose that $A_1,\dots,A_r,B_1,\dots,B_r,X_1,\dots,X_r,Y_1,\dots,Y_r$ are matrices over the same field and whose dimensions are proper so that $A_1\otimes X_1+\dots A_r\otimes X_r,B_1\otimes Y_1+\dots B_r\otimes Y_r$ both make sense and have the same dimension. Suppose that $(u_{i,j})_{i,j},(v_{i,j})_{i,j}$ are $r\times r$-matrices over the field $K$ and $(u_{i,j})_{i,j}^{-1}=(v_{i,j})_{i,j}^{T}$. Furthermore, suppose that $A_i=\sum_{j=1}^{r}u_{i,j}B_j,X_i=\sum_{j=1}^{r}v_{i,j}Y_j$ for $1\leq i\leq r$. Then $$A_1\otimes X_1+\dots A_r\otimes X_r=B_1\otimes Y_1+\dots B_r\otimes Y_r.$$

I was able to prove the following fact (it is not too hard to verify that this fact is correct using computer calculations).

Theorem: If $\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r)=\Phi(B_1,\dots,B_r)$, then $\rho_{2,d}(A_1,\dots,A_r)=\rho_{2,d}(B_1,\dots,B_r)$.

Proof: If $\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r)=\Phi(B_1,\dots,B_r)$, then there is a unitary map $(u_{i,j})_{i,j}$ where $A_i=\sum_{j=1}^{r}u_{i,j}\cdot B_j$ for $1\leq i\leq r$. Therefore, set $(v_{i,j})_{i,j}=((u_{i,j})_{i,j}^{-1})^{T}$. Then whenever $X_1,\dots,X_r\in M_n(\mathbb{C})$, and $Y_i=\sum_{j=1}^{r}v_{i,j}X_{j}$, we have $\rho_{2}(X_1,\dots,X_r)=\rho_{2}(Y_1,\dots,Y_r)$, and $\rho(A_1\otimes X_1+\dots+A_r\otimes X_r)=\rho(B_1\otimes Y_1+\dots+B_r\otimes Y_r)$. Therefore, $$\frac{\rho(A_1\otimes X_1+\dots+A_r\otimes X_r)}{\rho_2(X_1,\dots,X_r)}=\frac{\rho(B_1\otimes Y_1+\dots+B_r\otimes Y_r)}{\rho_2(Y_1,\dots,Y_r)}$$ whenever $\rho_2(Y_1,\dots,Y_r)\neq 0$, so $\rho_{2,d}(B_1,\dots,B_r)\leq\rho_{2,d}(A_1,\dots,A_r)$. The reverse inequality is established in a similar manner. Q.E.D.

Therefore, if $\mathcal{E}:L(V)\rightarrow L(V)$ is a completely positive mapping, then we can define $\rho_{2,d}(\mathcal{E})$ by letting $\rho_{2,d}(\mathcal{E})=\rho_{2,d}(A_1,\dots,A_r)^{2}$ where $\mathcal{E}=\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r)$.

If $d\geq\dim(V)$, then $\rho_{2,d}(\mathcal{E})=\rho(\mathcal{E})$.

If $1\leq d<\dim(V)$, then is there a characterization of $\rho_{2,d}(\mathcal{E})$ that does not require us to decompose $\mathcal{E}$ as $\Phi(A_1,\dots,A_r)$? Is there such a characterization of $\rho_{2,d}(\mathcal{E})$ in the special case when $\mathcal{E}$ is a channel? What about when $\mathcal{E}$ is a unital channel or a mixed unitary channel? Can $\rho_{2,d}(\mathcal{E})$ be generalized to the case when $\mathcal{E}$ is no longer necessarily completely positive?

It would be great if there were a quantum algorithm that often efficiently computes $\rho_{2,d}(\mathcal{E})$ when there is a quantum computer that sends the mixed state $D$ to the mixed state $\mathcal{E}(D)$, but perhaps this is too much to ask for.