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arXiv:0910.2401 · Cambridge University Press eBooks

No-Cloning in Categorical Quantum Mechanics

Samson Abramsky

Published Nov 30, 2009• 59 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The no-cloning theorem is a basic limitative result for quantum mechanics, with particular significance for quantum information. It says that there is no unitary operation that makes perfect copies of an unknown (pure) quantum state. We re-examine this foundational result from the perspective of the categorical formulation of quantum mechanics recently introduced by the author and Bob Coecke. We formulate and prove a novel version of the result, as an incompatibility between having a “natural” copying operation and the structural features required for modeling quantum entanglement coexisting in the same category. This formulation is strikingly similar to a well-known limitative result in categorical logic, Joyal's lemma, which shows that a “Boolean cartesian closed category” trivializes and hence provides a major roadblock to the computational interpretation of classical logic. This shows a heretofore unsuspected connection between limitative results in proof theory and no-go theorems in quantum mechanics. The argument is of a robust, topological character and uses the graphical calculus for monoidal categories to advantage. 1.1 Introduction The no-cloning theorem (Dieks 1982; Wootters and Zurek 1982) is a basic limitative result for quantum mechanics, with particular significance for quantum information. It says that there is no unitary operation that makes perfect copies of an unknown (pure) quantum state. A stronger form of this result is the no-broadcasting theorem (Barnum et al. 1996), which applies to mixed states. There is also a no-deleting theorem (Pati and Braunstein 2000).

DOI
10.1017/cbo9781139193313.002

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Muhammad Suhail Zubairy

Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation and Bohr’s principle of complementarity form the foundations of quantum mechanics. If these are violated then the edifice of quantum mechanics can come crashing down. In this chapter, it is shown how cloning or perfect copying of a quantum state can potentially lead to a violation of these sacred principles. A no-cloning theorem is proven showing that the cloning of an arbitrary quantum state is not allowed. The foundation of quantum mechanics is therefore protected. It is also shown how quantum cloning can lead to superluminal communication. It is also discussed that, if making a perfect copy of a quantum state is forbidden, how best a copy of a state can be made.

Oxford University Press eBooks•May 7, 2020•2 citations
The no-cloning theorem is a basic limitative result for quantum mechanics, with particular significance for quantum information. It says that there is no unitary operation that makes perfect copies of an unknown (pure) quantum state. We re-examine this foundational result from the perspective of the categorical formulation of quantum mechanics recently introduced by the author and Bob Coecke. We formulate and prove a novel version of the result, as an incompatibility between having a “natural” copying operation and the structural features required for modeling quantum entanglement coexisting in the same category. This formulation is strikingly similar to a well-known limitative result in categorical logic, Joyal's lemma, which shows that a “Boolean cartesian closed category” trivializes and hence provides a major roadblock to the computational interpretation of classical logic. This shows a heretofore unsuspected connection between limitative results in proof theory and no-go theorems in quantum mechanics. The argument is of a robust, topological character and uses the graphical calculus for monoidal categories to advantage. 1.1 Introduction The no-cloning theorem (Dieks 1982; Wootters and Zurek 1982) is a basic limitative result for quantum mechanics, with particular significance for quantum information. It says that there is no unitary operation that makes perfect copies of an unknown (pure) quantum state. A stronger form of this result is the no-broadcasting theorem (Barnum et al. 1996), which applies to mixed states. There is also a no-deleting theorem (Pati and Braunstein 2000).
It is known that the classical information like strings of bits can be copied. In 1982, Wootters and Zurek proposed the quantum no-cloning principle. No-cloning principle says that it is impossible to make an identical copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum pure state by using unitary evolution. In this paper, we call U ∣ψ>|ψ>∣ψ>, where U is any unitary operator, a U-copy of the state ∣ψ>|ψ>∣ψ> and show it is impossible to make a U-copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum pure state by using unitary evolution.
Quantum mechanics put restriction on performing some task which we can do classically. One such restriction is that we cannot copy an arbitrary quantum state. This is known as No-cloning theorem. Although quantum mechanics forbid us to construct a perfect cloner, there is no restriction to construct an imperfect cloner. Therefore, we have constructed and studied a special kind of quantum cloning machine named as Hybrid quantum cloning machine which is nothing but a different combination of pre-existing quantum cloning machines. We showed that this hybrid quantum cloning machine sometime gives better quality copy than the pre-existing quantum cloners. Quantum entanglement is a very astonishing property in a multi-partite system and it is a very useful ingredient of quantum information theory. Therefore broadcasting (cloning) of entanglement is a very important subject to study. In this regard we have studied the broadcasting of entanglement using state dependent quantum cloning machine. Further, we have investigated the problem of secretly broadcasting of three-qubit entangled state between two distant partners. Linearity of quantum mechanics put another restriction on deletion of an arbitrary quantum state i.e. an arbitrary quantum state against a copy cannot be perfectly deleted. Like cloning machine one can construct an approximate deletion machine also. Therefore, we have constructed an universal deletion machine in the sense that the fidelity of deletion does not depend on the input state and showed that the fidelity of deletion is 3/4 . Further we showed that the fidelity of deletion depends on the blank state at the output and it can be improved from the value 3/4 for certain blank state. Moreover, we have studied the case where two cloned copies are given at the input of the deletion machine.
Why did it take us 50 years since the birth of the quantum mechanical formalism to discover that unknown quantum states cannot be cloned? Yet, the proof of the ‘no-cloning theorem’ is easy, and its consequences and potential for applications are immense. Similarly, why did it take us 60 years to discover the conceptually intriguing and easily derivable physical phenomenon of ‘quantum teleportation’? We claim that the quantum mechanical formalism doesn't support our intuition, nor does it elucidate the key concepts that govern the behaviour of the entities that are subject to the laws of quantum physics. The arrays of complex numbers are kin to the arrays of 0s and 1s of the early days of computer programming practice. Using a technical term from computer science, the quantum mechanical formalism is ‘low-level’. In this review we present steps towards a diagrammatic ‘high-level’ alternative for the Hilbert space formalism, one which appeals to our intuition. The diagrammatic language as it currently stands allows for intuitive reasoning about interacting quantum systems, and trivialises many otherwise involved and tedious computations. It clearly exposes limitations such as the no-cloning theorem, and phenomena such as quantum teleportation. As a logic, it supports ‘automation’: it enables a (classical) computer to reason about interacting quantum systems, prove theorems, and design protocols. It allows for a wider variety of underlying theories, and can be easily modified, having the potential to provide the required step-stone towards a deeper conceptual understanding of quantum theory, as well as its unification with other physical theories. Specific applications discussed here are purely diagrammatic proofs of several quantum computational schemes, as well as an analysis of the structural origin of quantum non-locality. The underlying mathematical foundation of this high-level diagrammatic formalism relies on so-called monoidal categories, a product of a fairly recent development in mathematics. Its logical underpinning is linear logic, an even more recent product of research in logic and computer science. These monoidal categories do not only provide a natural foundation for physical theories, but also for proof theory, logic, programming languages, biology, cooking, … So the challenge is to discover the necessary additional pieces of structure that allow us to predict genuine quantum phenomena. These additional pieces of structure represent the capabilities nature has provided us with to manipulate entities subject to the laws of quantum theory.
The no-cloning theorem is a cornerstone result in quantum mechanics that forbids copying of general quantum information. More quantitatively, even given NNN copies of an unknown state, any channel producing an (N+1)(N+1)(N+1)-copy state incurs a nonzero trace-distance error on some inputs. Turning this around, one can ask about the sample complexity of approximate N→N+1N\rightarrow N+1N→N+1 cloning: for a desired small error εεε, what NNN suffices? For arbitrary pure states on a Hilbert space HHH, the answer is N≃dim⁡H/εN\simeq \dim H/εN≃dimH/ε - astronomically large for most HHH of interest. What if the input is promised to lie in a structured family? We examine a range of families fundamental to many-body physics and quantum information: nnn-mode fermionic Gaussian and Slater states, nnn-mode bosonic Gaussian states, and qudit phase states. For fermions, we construct optimal cloning channels, reducing the complexity from exponential to polynomial in nnn. For bosonic Gaussian states, we construct an explicit cloner that certifies polynomial complexity, without any constraint on the energy of the state; this channel, however, is not optimal in general. The fermionic and bosonic results follow from a single representation-theoretic framework, which generalizes previous work by Werner and by Chiribella and Yang; it also yields the cloners' unitary implementation. Furthermore, we explain why for many families the cloning complexity is linear in the dimension of the family manifold, via a controlled saddle-point evaluation of the frame potential at high NNN. The same calculation accounts for the analogous scaling of tomography complexity. The above framework does not cover phase states; for these we give an independent construction of a channel with optimal cloning fidelity. Our work complements recent results on cloning stabilizer states.
Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation and Bohr’s principle of complementarity form the foundations of quantum mechanics. If these are violated then the edifice of quantum mechanics can come crashing down. In this chapter, it is shown how cloning or perfect copying of a quantum state can potentially lead to a violation of these sacred principles. A no-cloning theorem is proven showing that the cloning of an arbitrary quantum state is not allowed. The foundation of quantum mechanics is therefore protected. It is also shown how quantum cloning can lead to superluminal communication. It is also discussed that, if making a perfect copy of a quantum state is forbidden, how best a copy of a state can be made.