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arXiv:0810.0812 · Mathematical Structures in Computer Science

A new description of orthogonal bases

BOB COECKE, Duško Pavlović, JAMIE VICARY

Published Nov 9, 2012• 65 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We show that an orthogonal basis for a finite-dimensional Hilbert space can be equivalently characterised as a commutative †-Frobenius monoid in the category FdHilb, which has finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces as objects and continuous linear maps as morphisms, and tensor product for the monoidal structure. The basis is normalised exactly when the corresponding commutative †-Frobenius monoid is special. Hence, both orthogonal and orthonormal bases are characterised without mentioning vectors, but just in terms of the categorical structure: composition of operations, tensor product and the †-functor. Moreover, this characterisation can be interpreted operationally, since the †-Frobenius structure allows the cloning and deletion of basis vectors. That is, we capture the basis vectors by relying on their ability to be cloned and deleted. Since this ability distinguishes classical data from quantum data, our result has important implications for categorical quantum mechanics.

DOI
10.1017/s0960129512000047

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We show that an orthogonal basis for a finite-dimensional Hilbert space can be equivalently characterised as a commutative †-Frobenius monoid in the category FdHilb, which has finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces as objects and continuous linear maps as morphisms, and tensor product for the monoidal structure. The basis is normalised exactly when the corresponding commutative †-Frobenius monoid is special. Hence, both orthogonal and orthonormal bases are characterised without mentioning vectors, but just in terms of the categorical structure: composition of operations, tensor product and the †-functor. Moreover, this characterisation can be interpreted operationally, since the †-Frobenius structure allows the cloning and deletion of basis vectors. That is, we capture the basis vectors by relying on their ability to be cloned and deleted. Since this ability distinguishes classical data from quantum data, our result has important implications for categorical quantum mechanics.
A certain class of Frobenius algebras has been used to characterize orthonormal bases and observables on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The presence of units in these algebras means that they can only be realized finite-dimensionally. We seek a suitable generalization, which will allow arbitrary bases and observables to be described within categorical axiomatizations of quantum mechanics. We develop a definition of H*-algebra that can be interpreted in any symmetric monoidal dagger category, reduces to the classical notion from functional analysis in the category of (possibly infinite-dimensional) Hilbert spaces, and hence provides a categorical way to speak about orthonormal bases and quantum observables in arbitrary dimension. Moreover, these algebras reduce to the usual notion of Frobenius algebra in compact categories. We then investigate the relations between nonunital Frobenius algebras and H*-algebras. We give a number of equivalent conditions to characterize when they coincide in the category of Hilbert spaces. We also show that they always coincide in categories of generalized relations and positive matrices.
A certain class of Frobenius algebras has been used to characterize orthonormal bases and observables on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. The presence of units in these algebras means that they can only be realized finite-dimensionally. We seek a suitable generalization, which will allow arbitrary bases and observables to be described within categorical axiomatizations of quantum mechanics. We develop a definition of H*-algebra that can be interpreted in any symmetric monoidal dagger category, reduces to the classical notion from functional analysis in the category of (possibly infinite-dimensional) Hilbert spaces, and hence provides a categorical way to speak about orthonormal bases and quantum observables in arbitrary dimension. Moreover, these algebras reduce to the usual notion of Frobenius algebra in compact categories. We then investigate the relations between nonunital Frobenius algebras and H*algebras. We give a number of equivalent conditions to characterize when they coincide in the category of Hilbert spaces. We also show that they always coincide in categories of generalized relations and positive matrices.
Abstract The tensor product of a monoidal category allows us to consider multiplications on its objects, leading to an abstract notion of monoid. This chapter investigates monoids and their relation to dual objects, as well as comonoids, which axiomatize copying and deleting operations. These play a major role in the categorical description of classical information, since classical information can be copied and deleted, while quantum information cannot. We prove categorical no-deleting and no-cloning theorems, showing that if these structures are able to copy and delete every state of the system, then the category collapses. We also characterize when a tensor product is a categorical product.
We use non-standard analysis to define a category ⋆ ⁣Hilb⁡^\star\!\operatorname{Hilb}⋆Hilb suitable for categorical quantum mechanics in arbitrary separable Hilbert spaces, and we show that standard bounded operators can be suitably embedded in it. We show the existence of unital special commutative †\dagger†-Frobenius algebras, and we conclude ⋆ ⁣Hilb⁡^\star\!\operatorname{Hilb}⋆Hilb to be compact closed, with partial traces and a Hilbert-Schmidt inner product on morphisms. We exemplify our techniques on the textbook case of 1-dimensional wavefunctions with periodic boundary conditions: we show the momentum and position observables to be well defined, and to give rise to a strongly complementary pair of unital commutative †\dagger†-Frobenius algebras.
In recent work, several researchers including the authors have developed a categorical formalization of quantum mechanics in terms of symmetric monoidal dagger categories. In this framework, classical data turned out to be represented by an algebraic structure, that of special commutative dagger Frobenius algebras. This structure captures the distinct capabilities that apply to classical data – that they can be copied and deleted. In the present paper, we provide categorical semantics and diagrammatic representations of deterministic, nondeterministic, and probabilistic operations over classical data represented in this way. Moreover, a combination of some fundamental categorical constructions (the Kleisli construction of the category of free algebras and the Grothendieck construction of the total category of an indexed category) with the specific categorical presentations of pure and mixed quantum states provides a resource-sensitive categorical account of classical control of quantum data and of classical data resulting from quantum measurements, as well as of the classical data processing that may happen in between measurements and controls. Along the way we also discover some apparently novel quantum typing structures. One of the salient features of categorical quantum mechanics is still its graphic calculus, which allows succinct presentations of diverse quantum protocols. The elements of an abstract stochastic calculus are beginning to emerge from it, pointing toward convenient refinements of resource-sensitive logics that are hoped to capture the probabilistic content and limited observability of quantum data.
This paper explores the application of category theory to provide a semantic framework for quantum vector spaces, which are fundamental to quantum mechanics and quantum information. We move beyond the traditional algebraic and analytical descriptions of Hilbert spaces to adopt a more abstract, compositional, and graphical approach rooted in monoidal categories. This categorical perspective allows for a unified understanding of quantum phenomena, including superposition, entanglement, and measurement, by representing quantum systems as objects and processes as morphisms. We delve into the concept of compact closed categories and dagger symmetric monoidal categories as the appropriate mathematical structures to capture the essential features of quantum theory, such as duality, adjoints, and the tensor product for composite systems. Furthermore, the paper discusses how graphical calculi, arising from these categorical structures, offer an intuitive and rigorous method for reasoning about quantum protocols and computations, facilitating the design and verification of quantum algorithms. By providing a high-level, axiomatic framework, categorical semantics clarifies the foundational principles of quantum mechanics and opens new avenues for developing quantum programming languages and understanding the interplay between quantum information and computation.