  In this paper we present a simple proof of the strong converse for
identification via discrete memoryless quantum channels, based on a novel
covering lemma. The new method is a generalization to quantum communication
channels of Ahlswede's recently discovered appoach to classical channels. It
involves a development of explicit large deviation estimates to the case of
random variables taking values in selfadjoint operators on a Hilbert space.
This theory is presented separately in an appendix, and we illustrate it by
showing its application to quantum generalizations of classical hypergraph
covering problems.
