Optimal local discrimination of two multipartite pure states

in a recent paper, Walgate, et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (2000) 4972) demonstrated that any two orthogonal multipartite pure states can be optimally distinguished using only local operations. We utilise their result to show that this is true for any two multipartite pure states, in the sense of inconclusive discrimination. There are also certain regimes of conclusive discrimination for which the same also applies, although we can only conjecture that the result is true for all conclusive regimes. We also discuss a class of states that can be distinguished locally according to any discrimination measure, as they can be locally recreated in the possession of one party. A consequence of this is that any two maximally entangled states can always be optimally discriminated locally, according to any figure of merit. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.