The framework of generalized probabilistic theories (GPT) is a widely-used approach for studying the physical foundations of quantum theory. The standard GPT framework assumes the no-restriction hypothesis, in which the state space of a physical theory determines the set of measurements. However, this assumption is not physically motivated. In Janotta and Lal [Phys. Rev. A 87, 052131 (2013)], it was shown how this assumption can be relaxed, and how such an approach can be used to describe new classes of probabilistic theories. This involves introducing a new, more general, definition of maximal joint state spaces, which we call the generalised maximal tensor product. Here we show that the generalised maximal tensor product recovers the standard maximal tensor product when at least one of the systems in a bipartite scenario obeys the no-restriction hypothesis. We also show that, under certain conditions, relaxing the no-restriction hypothesis for a given state space does not allow for stronger non-locality, although the generalized maximal tensor product may allow new joint states.
The framework of generalized probabilistic theories (GPT) is a widely-used approach for studying the physical foundations of quantum theory. The standard GPT framework assumes the no-restriction hypothesis, in which the state space of a physical theory determines the set of measurements. However, this assumption is not physically motivated. In Janotta and Lal [Phys. Rev. A 87, 052131 (2013)], it was shown how this assumption can be relaxed, and how such an approach can be used to describe new classes of probabilistic theories. This involves introducing a new, more general, definition of maximal joint state spaces, which we call the generalised maximal tensor product. Here we show that the generalised maximal tensor product recovers the standard maximal tensor product when at least one of the systems in a bipartite scenario obeys the no-restriction hypothesis. We also show that, under certain conditions, relaxing the no-restriction hypothesis for a given state space does not allow for stronger non-locality, although the generalized maximal tensor product may allow new joint states.
The framework of generalized probabilistic theories is a popular approach for studying the physical foundations of quantum theory. The standard framework assumes the no-restriction hypothesis, in which the state space of a physical theory determines the set of measurements. However, this assumption is not physically motivated. We generalize the framework to account for systems that do not obey the no-restriction hypothesis. We then show how our framework can be used to describe certain classes of probabilistic theories, for example, those which include intrinsic noise. Relaxing the restriction hypothesis also allows us to introduce a ``self-dualization'' procedure, which yields a class of theories that share many features of quantum theory. We then characterize joint states, generalizing the maximal tensor product. We show how this tensor product can be used to describe the convex closure of the Spekkens toy theory, and in doing so we obtain an analysis of why it is local in terms of the geometry of its state space. We show that the unrestricted version of the Spekkens toy theory is the theory known as ``boxworld'' that allows maximal nonlocal correlations.
Quantum theory is considered to be the most fundamental and most accurate physical theory of today. Although quantum theory is conceptually difficult to understand, its mathematical structure is quite simple. What determines this particularly simple and elegant mathematical structure? In short: Why is quantum theory as it is? Addressing such questions is the aim of investigating the foundations of quantum theory. In the past this field of research was sometimes considered as an academic subject without much practical impact. However, with the emergence of quantum information theory this perception has changed significantly and both fields started to fruitfully influence each other. Today fundamental aspects of quantum theory attract increasing attention and the field belongs to the most exciting subjects of theoretical physics. This thesis is concerned with a particular branch in this field, namely, with so-called Generalized Probabilistic Theories (GPTs), which provide a unified theoretical framework in which classical and quantum theory emerge as special cases. This is used to examine nonlocal features that help to distinguish quantum theory from alternative toy theories. In order to extend the scope of theories that can be examined with the framework, we also introduce several generalizations to the framework itself. We start in Chapter 1 with introducing the standard GPT framework and summarize previous results, based on a review paper of the author [New J. Phys. 13, 063024 (2011)]. To keep the introduction accessible to a broad readership, we follow a constructive approach. Starting from few basic physically motivated assumptions we show how a given set of observations can be manifested in an operational theory. Furthermore, we characterize consistency conditions limiting the range of possible extensions. We point out that non-classical features of single systems can equivalently result from higher dimensional classical theories that have been restricted. Entanglement and non-locality, however, are shown to be genuine non-classical features. We review features that have been found to be specific for quantum theory separably or single and joint systems. Chapter 2 incorporates results published in [J. Phys. A 47(32), pp. 1-32 (2014)] and [Proc. QPL 2011 via EPTCS vol. 95, pp. 183–192 (2012)]. The GPT framework is applied to show how the structure of local state spaces indirectly affects possible nonlocal correlations, which are global properties of a theory. These correlations are stronger than those possible in a classical theory, but happen to show different restrictions that can be linked to the structure of subsystems. We first illustrate the phenomenon with toy theories with particular local state spaces. We than show that a particular class of joint states (inner product states), whose existence depends on geometrical properties of the local subsystems, can only have correlations for a known limited set called Q1. All bipartite correlations of both, quantum and classical correlations, can be mapped to measurement statistics from such joint states. Chapter 3 shows unpublished results on entanglement swapping in GPTs. This protocol, which is well known in quantum information theory, allows to nonlocally transfer entanglement to initially unentangled parties with the help of a third party that shares entanglement with each. We review our approach published in [Proc. QPL 2011 via EPTCS vol. 95, pp. 183–192 (2012)], which mimics the joint systems' structure of quantum theory by modifying a popular toy theory known as boxworld. However, it is illustrated that this approach fails for bigger multipartite systems due to inconsistencies evoked by entanglement swapping. It turns out that the GPT framework does not allow entanglement swapping for general subsystems with two-dimensional state spaces with transitive pure states. Altering the GPT framework to allow completely globally degrees of freedom, however, enables us to construct consistent entanglement swapping for these subsystems. This construction resembles the situation in quantum theory on a real Hilbert space. A questionable assumption usually taken in the standard GPT framework is the so-called no-restriction hypothesis. It states that the measurement that are possible in a theory can be derived from the state space. In fact, this assumption seems to exist for reasons of mathematical convenience, but it seems to lack physical motivation. We generalize the GPT framework to also account for systems that do not obey the no-restriction hypothesis in Chapter 4, which presents results published in [Phys. Rev. A 87, 052131 (2013)] and [Proc. QPL 2013, to be published in EPTCS]. The extended framework includes new classes of probabilistic theories. As an example, we show how to construct theories that include intrinsic noise. We also provide a "self-dualization" procedure that requires the violation of the no-restriction hypothesis. This procedure restricts the measurement of arbitrary theories such that the theories act as if they were self-dual. Self-duality has recently gathered lots of interest, since such theories share many features of quantum theory. For example Tsirelson’s bound holds for correlations on the maximally entangled state in these theories. Finally, we characterize the maximal set of joint states that can be consistently defined for given subsystems. This generalizes the maximal tensor product of the standard GPT framework.
The framework of generalized probabilistic theories is a powerful tool for studying the foundations of quantum physics. It provides the basis for a variety of recent findings that significantly improve our understanding of the rich physical structure of quantum theory. This review paper tries to present the framework and recent results to a broader readership in an accessible manner. To achieve this, we follow a constructive approach. Starting from few basic physically motivated assumptions we show how a given set of observations can be manifested in an operational theory. Furthermore, we characterize consistency conditions limiting the range of possible extensions. In this framework classical and quantum theory appear as special cases, and the aim is to understand what distinguishes quantum mechanics as the fundamental theory realized in nature. It turns out non-classical features of single systems can equivalently result from higher dimensional classical theories that have been restricted. Entanglement and non-locality, however, are shown to be genuine non-classical features.
Gleason-type theorems for quantum theory allow one to recover the quantum state space by assuming that (i) states consistently assign probabilities to measurement outcomes and that (ii) there is a unique state for every such assignment. We identify the class of general probabilistic theories which also admit Gleason-type theorems. It contains theories satisfying the no-restriction hypothesis as well as others which can simulate such an unrestricted theory arbitrarily well when allowing for post-selection on measurement outcomes. Our result also implies that the standard no-restriction hypothesis applied to effects is not equivalent to the dual no-restriction hypothesis applied to states which is found to be less restrictive.
Is entanglement an exclusive feature of quantum systems, or is it common to all non-classical theories? And if this is the case, how strong is quantum mechanical entanglement as compared to that exhibited by other theories? The first part of this thesis deals with these questions by considering quantum theory as part of a wider landscape of physical theories, collectively called general probabilistic theories (GPTs). Among the other things, this manuscript contains a detailed introduction to the abstract state space formalism for GPTs. We start with a comprehensive review of the proof of a famous theorem by Ludwig that constitutes one of its cornerstones (Ch. 1). After explaining the basic rules of the game, we translate our questions into precise conjectures and present our progress toward a full solution (Ch. 2). In Ch. 3 we consider entanglement at the level of measurements instead of states, focusing on one of its main implications, i.e. data hiding. We determine the maximal data hiding strength that a quantum mechanical system can exhibit, and also the maximum value among all GPTs, finding that the former scales as the square root of the latter. In the second part of this manuscript we look into quantum entanglement. In Ch. 4 we discuss the entanglement transformation properties of a class of maps that model white noise acting either locally or globally on a bipartite system. In Ch. 5 we employ matrix analysis tools to develop a unified approach to Gaussian entanglement. The third part of this thesis concerns more general forms of non-classical correlations in bipartite continuous variable systems. In Ch. 6 we devise a general scheme that allows to consistently classify correlations of bipartite Gaussian states into classical and quantum ones. Finally, Ch. 7 explores some problems connected with a certain strong subadditivity matrix inequality.
Generalized contextuality refers to our inability of explaining measurement statistics using a contextindependent probabilistic and ontological model.On the other hand, measurement statistics can also be modeled using the framework of general probabilistic theories (GPTs).Here, starting from a construction of GPTs based on a Gleason-type theorem, we fully characterize these structures with respect to their permission and rejection of generalized (non)contextual ontological models.It follows that in any GPT construction the three insistence of (i) the no-restriction hypothesis, (ii) the ontological noncontextuality, and (iii) multiple nonrefinable measurements for any fixed number of outcomes are incompatible.Hence, any GPT satisfying the no-restriction hypothesis is ontologically noncontextual if and only if it is simplicial.We give a detailed discussion of GPTs for which the no-restriction hypothesis is violated, and show that they can always be considered as subtheories (subGPTs) of GPTs satisfying the hypothesis.It is shown that subGPTs are ontologically noncontextual if and only if they are subtheories of simplicial GPTs of the same dimensionality.Finally, we establish as a corollary the necessary and sufficient condition for a single resourceful measurement or state to promote an ontologically noncontextual (i.e., classical) general probabilistic theory to an ontologically contextual (i.e., nonclassical) one under the no-restriction hypothesis.