Phenomena induced by the existence of entanglement, such as nonlocal correlations, exhibit characteristic properties of quantum mechanics distinguishing from classical theories. When entanglement is accompanied by classical communication, it enhances the power of quantum operations jointly performed by two spatially separated parties. Such a power has been analyzed by the gap between the performances of joint quantum operations implementable by local operations at each party connected by classical communication with and without the assistance of entanglement. In this work, we present a formulation for joint quantum operations connected by classical communication beyond special relativistic causal order but without entanglement and still within quantum mechanics. Using the formulation, we show that entanglement-assisting classical communication necessary for implementing a class of joint quantum operations called separable operations can be interpreted to simulate ``classical communication'' that does not respect causal order. Our results reveal a counterintuitive aspect of entanglement related to space-time.
Phenomena induced by the existence of entanglement, such as nonlocal correlations, exhibit characteristic properties of quantum mechanics distinguishing from classical theories. When entanglement is accompanied by classical communication, it enhances the power of quantum operations jointly performed by two spatially separated parties. Such a power has been analyzed by the gap between the performances of joint quantum operations implementable by local operations at each party connected by classical communication with and without the assistance of entanglement. In this work, we present a formulation for joint quantum operations connected by classical communication beyond special relativistic causal order but without entanglement and still within quantum mechanics. Using the formulation, we show that entanglement-assisting classical communication necessary for implementing a class of joint quantum operations called separable operations can be interpreted to simulate ``classical communication'' that does not respect causal order. Our results reveal a counterintuitive aspect of entanglement related to space-time.
The weird phenomenon of "quantum nonlocality without entanglement" means that local quantum operations assisted by classical communication constitute a proper subset of the class of separable quantum operations. Despite considerable recent advances, little is known to what extent the class of separable operations differs from local quantum operations and classical communication. In this Letter we show that separable operations are generally stronger than local quantum operations and classical communication when distilling a mixed state into a pure entangled state and thus confirm the existence of entanglement monotones that can increase under separable operations. Our finding can also be interpreted as confirming the ability of separable operations to enhance the entanglement of mixed states relative to certain measures, a sensible but important fact that has never been rigorously proven before.
Quantum theory admits ensembles of quantum nonlocality without entanglement (QNLWE). These ensembles consist of seemingly classical states (they are perfectly distinguishable and nonentangled) that cannot be perfectly discriminated with local operations and classical communication (LOCC). Here, we analyze QNLWE from a causal perspective, and show how to perfectly discriminate some of these ensembles using local operations and classical communication without definite causal order. Specifically, three parties with access to an instance of indefinite causal order-the Araújo-Feix-Baumeler-Wolf process-can perfectly discriminate the states in a QNLWE ensemble-the SHIFT ensemble-with local operations. Hence, this type of quantum nonlocality disappears at the expense of definite causal order while retaining classical communication. Our results thereby leverage the fact that LOCC is a conjunction of three constraints: local operations, classical communication, and definite causal order. Moreover, we show how multipartite generalizations of the Araújo-Feix-Baumeler-Wolf process are transformed into multiqubit ensembles that exhibit QNLWE. Such ensembles are of independent interest for cryptographic protocols and for the study of separable quantum operations unachievable with LOCC.
Quantum theory is in principle compatible with scenarios where physical processes occur in an indefinite order, potentially yielding advantages in a broad range of information processing tasks. However, advantages in communication, the most basic form of information processing, have so far remained controversial and hard to prove. Here we provide a framework for assessing the role of causal order in communication, by comparing different causal structures under the constraint that the allowed operations must not generate signaling from signaling-incapable devices. Using this framework, we establish a clear-cut advantage of indefinite causal order, and, at the same time, we identify a series of fundamental limits to the communication power of causal structures in quantum mechanics. Notably, we find that a special form of indefinite causal order, obtained by coherently controlling the order of two processes, enhances the transmission of classical messages in a one-shot scenario, but no quantum operation with indefinite order can offer advantages over shared entanglement when asymptotically many uses of the same communication device are employed. Overall, our results unveil non-trivial relations between communication, causal order, entanglement, and no-signaling quantum processes.
The idea that events obey a definite causal order is deeply rooted in our understanding of the world and at the basis of the very notion of time. But where does causal order come from, and is it a necessary property of nature? Here, we address these questions from the standpoint of quantum mechanics in a new framework for multipartite correlations that does not assume a pre-defined global causal structure but only the validity of quantum mechanics locally. All known situations that respect causal order, including space-like and time-like separated experiments, are captured by this framework in a unified way. Surprisingly, we find correlations that cannot be understood in terms of definite causal order. These correlations violate a 'causal inequality' that is satisfied by all space-like and time-like correlations. We further show that in a classical limit causal order always arises, which suggests that space-time may emerge from a more fundamental structure in a quantum-to-classical transition. Causal order is a concept that is engrained in the standard understanding of time, both in classical and quantum mechanics. Oreshkovet al.generalize the standard formalism of quantum theory to a framework with no pre-existing causal order, and find a new class of correlations that have no analogue in the classical world.
In theories of communication, it is usually presumed that the involved parties perform actions in a fixed causal order. However, practical and fundamental reasons can induce uncertainties in the causal order. Here we show that a maximal uncertainty in the causal order forbids asymptotic quantum communication, while still enabling the noisy transfer of classical information. Therefore causal order, like shared entanglement, is an additional resource for communication. The result is formulated within an asymptotic setting for processes with no fixed causal order, which sets a basis for a quantum information theory in general quantum causal structures.
Bell's theorem states that quantum mechanics is not a locally causal theory. This state is often interpreted as nonlocality in quantum mechanics. Toner and Bacon [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 187904 (2003)] have shown that a shared random-variable theory augmented by one bit of classical communication exactly simulates the Bell correlation in a singlet state. In this paper, we show that in Toner and Bacon protocol, one of the parties (Bob) can deduce another party's (Alice) measurement outputs, if she only informs Bob of one of her own outputs. Afterwards, we suggest a nonlocal version of Toner and Bacon protocol wherein classical communications is replaced by nonlocal effects, so that Alice's measurements cause instantaneous effects on Bob's outputs. In the nonlocal version of Toner and Bacon's protocol, we get the same result again. We also demonstrate that the same approach is applicable to Svozil's protocol.