I am writing a paper with the following sentence
The coherent information associated with the code subspace C and the noise channel N is another measure of recoverable quantum information after N.
However, my collaborator told me that I should not use "the" in front of "code subspace" and “noise channel". I am confused and can anyone tell me when I should or shouldn't use "the" in a sentence?
Most readers of such formal, technical prose would expect “the code subspace C ” to imply that there exists exactly one code subspace under discussion and that its name is C. By contrast, without the definite article, the noun phrase would most easily be understood as referring to one of several code subspaces, the one named C. To make it more clear that one means the former, one can insert a comma after subspace.
The same goes for “noise channel N.”
The isolated sentence seems to work as well without both instances of the, in which case I would take them out. But crossing stuff out may only take you to a local best solution. Sometimes you have to start afresh. How about...
For a code subspace C and a noise channel N, the coherent information associated with C and N is another measure of the recoverable quantum information after N.
Are C and N used before this sentence? If it is another measure, you don't want to contradict what has gone before. But for me looking at the sentence in isolation, putting the definitions of C and N at the front seems to get over the awkwardness. Choose your C and N, rather than using articles to hint whether they are specific or general.
