We introduce the concept of assemblage moment matrices, i.e., a collection of matrices of expectation values, each associated with a conditional quantum state obtained in a steering experiment. We demonstrate how it can be used for quantum states and measurements characterization in a device-independent manner, i.e., without invoking any assumption about the measurement or the preparation device. Specifically, we show how the method can be used to lower bound the steerability of an underlying quantum state directly from the observed correlation between measurement outcomes. Combining such device-independent quantifications with earlier results established by Piani and Watrous [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 060404 (2015)], our approach immediately provides a device-independent lower bound on the generalized robustness of entanglement, as well as the usefulness of the underlying quantum state for a type of subchannel discrimination problem. In addition, by proving a quantitative relationship between steering robustness and the recently introduced incompatibility robustness, our approach also allows for a device-independent quantification of the incompatibility between various measurements performed in a Bell-type experiment. Explicit examples where such bounds provide a kind of self-testing of the performed measurements are provided.
We introduce the concept of assemblage moment matrices, i.e., a collection of matrices of expectation values, each associated with a conditional quantum state obtained in a steering experiment. We demonstrate how it can be used for quantum states and measurements characterization in a device-independent manner, i.e., without invoking any assumption about the measurement or the preparation device. Specifically, we show how the method can be used to lower bound the steerability of an underlying quantum state directly from the observed correlation between measurement outcomes. Combining such device-independent quantifications with earlier results established by Piani and Watrous [Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 060404 (2015)], our approach immediately provides a device-independent lower bound on the generalized robustness of entanglement, as well as the usefulness of the underlying quantum state for a type of subchannel discrimination problem. In addition, by proving a quantitative relationship between steering robustness and the recently introduced incompatibility robustness, our approach also allows for a device-independent quantification of the incompatibility between various measurements performed in a Bell-type experiment. Explicit examples where such bounds provide a kind of self-testing of the performed measurements are provided.
In a recent work [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 240401 (2016)], a framework known by the name of assemblage moment matrices (AMMs) has been introduced for the device-independent quantification of quantum steerability and measurement incompatibility. In other words, even with no assumption made on the preparation device nor the measurement devices, one can make use of this framework to certify, directly from the observed data, the aforementioned quantum features. Here, we further explore the framework of AMM and provide improved device-independent bounds on the generalized robustness of entanglement, the incompatibility robustness, and the incompatibility weight. We compare the tightness of our device-independent bounds against those obtained from other approaches. Along the way, we also provide an analytic form for the generalized robustness of entanglement for an arbitrary two-qudit isotropic state. When considering a Bell-type experiment in a tripartite or more-partite scenario, we further show that the framework of AMM provides a natural way to characterize a superset to the set of quantum correlations, namely, one which also allows post-quantum steering.
Quantum steering captures the ability of one party, through local measurements on a shared entangled state, to affect the conditional states held by distant parties in a way that admits no local explanation. Its device-independent (DI) quantification -- requiring no characterization of any state or measurement -- has been developed in the bipartite setting, notably through the framework of assemblage moment matrices (AMMs) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 240401 (2016)], but has remained largely unexplored beyond it. Here, we extend the AMM framework to tripartite steering, covering both the scenario in which two parties jointly steer a third one (2-steer-1) and that in which a single party steers the remaining two (1-steer-2). For each scheme, we construct a semidefinite program that, from the observed correlations -- or merely from the violation of a Bell inequality -- yields lower bounds on the steering robustness of the underlying assemblage. As a by-product, our bounds also certify, in a DI manner, the incompatibility of the measurements performed by the steering parties.
Given a Bell inequality, if its maximal quantum violation can be achieved only by a single set of measurements for each party or a single quantum state, up to local unitaries, one refers to such a phenomenon as self-testing. For instance, the maximal quantum violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality certifies that the underlying state contains the two-qubit maximally entangled state and the measurements of one party contains a pair of anti-commuting qubit observables. As a consequence, the other party automatically verifies the set of states remotely steered, namely the "assemblage", is in the eigenstates of a pair of anti-commuting observables. It is natural to ask if the quantum violation of the Bell inequality is not maximally achieved, or if one does not care about self-testing the state or measurements, are we capable of estimating how close the underlying assemblage is to the reference one? In this work, we provide a systematic device-independent estimation by proposing a framework called "robust self-testing of steerable quantum assemblages". In particular, we consider assemblages violating several paradigmatic Bell inequalities and obtain the robust self-testing statement for each scenario. Our result is device-independent (DI), i.e., no assumption is made on the shared state and the measurement devices involved. Our work thus not only paves a way for exploring the connection between the boundary of quantum set of correlations and steerable assemblages, but also provides a useful tool in the areas of DI quantum certification. As two explicit applications, we show 1) that it can be used for an alternative proof of the protocol of DI certification of all entangled two-qubit states proposed by Bowles et al., and 2) that it can be used to verify all non-entanglement-breaking qubit channels with fewer assumptions compared with the work of Rosset et al.
The fact that nonlocality implies steering enables one to certify steerability by using a Bell inequality violation. Such a certification is device-independent (DI), i.e., one makes no assumption neither on the underlying state nor on the measurements. However, not all steerable states can violate a Bell inequality. Here, we systematically construct a collection of witnesses for steerable resources, defined by assemblages, in a measurement-device-independent (MDI) scenario. The inputs driving the measurement are replaced by a set of tomographically complete quantum states, and neither the detectors nor the underlying state is characterized. We show that all steerable assemblages can be detected by properly chosen witnesses. Furthermore, we introduce the first measure of steerability in an MDI scenario and show that such a measure is a standard one, i.e., a steering monotone, by proving that it is equivalent to the steering robustness.
Abstract Robust self-testing provides a framework for certifying quantum resources under experimental imperfections. Improving robustness bounds for quantum resources such as quantum states, steering assemblages, and measurements is a constant effort that ensures relevance in the experimental realm. Despite progress in analytic self-testing methods for quantum states and measurements, extending these techniques to device-independent certification of steering assemblages has remained an open challenge, with previous work relying primarily on numerical approaches. We address this gap by developing operator inequalities for robust self-testing of quantum steering assemblages. Specifically, we consider the assemblage that achieves maximal violation of the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt inequality and obtain explicit lower bounds on its certification fidelity. Our analytic approach yields results that significantly improve upon previous numerical bounds, representing the first analytic treatment of device-independent assemblage self-testing. This work demonstrates a new application of operator inequalities beyond quantum state certification and contributes to the foundational understanding of device-independent certification in steering scenarios, potentially guiding future theoretical and experimental developments.
Self-testing is a phenomenon where the use of specific quantum states or measurements can be inferred solely from the correlations they generate. We introduce a universal method for conducting robustness analysis in the self-testing of various quantum resources. Unlike previous numerical approaches, which rely on selecting specific isometries, our method optimizes over equivalence transformations, thereby leading to tighter robustness bounds. This optimization employs the well-established technique of semidefinite programming relaxations for non-commuting polynomial optimization. Our method can be universally applied to diverse self-testing settings, including steerable assemblages in the Bell scenario, constellations of quantum states in the prepare-and-measure scenario, and entangled states in the steering scenario. We demonstrate the method's capability to surpass previously reported robustness bounds across a range of concrete examples.