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arXiv:1606.01848 · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

Quantum state-independent contextuality requires 13 rays

Adán Cabello, Matthias Kleinmann, José R. Portillo

Published Aug 30, 2016• 50 citations
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Abstract

Abstract We show that, regardless of the dimension of the Hilbert space, there exists no set of rays revealing state-independent contextuality with less than 13 rays. This implies that the set proposed by Yu and Oh in dimension three (2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 108 030402 ) is actually the minimal set in quantum theory. This contrasts with the case of Kochen–Specker sets, where the smallest set occurs in dimension four.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8113/49/38/38lt01

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Abstract We show that, regardless of the dimension of the Hilbert space, there exists no set of rays revealing state-independent contextuality with less than 13 rays. This implies that the set proposed by Yu and Oh in dimension three (2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 108 030402 ) is actually the minimal set in quantum theory. This contrasts with the case of Kochen–Specker sets, where the smallest set occurs in dimension four.
It has been recently shown that state-independent contextuality (SIC) is a fundamental resource linked with a type of nonlocality which cannot be improved by nonsignaling resources. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to identify the simplest sets of quantum observables needed to prove SIC. We show that d+10 rank-1 projectors are sufficient to prove SIC for any physical system in dimension d>2. This result outperforms both the best Kochen-Specker proofs and the results presented by Yu and Oh in arXiv:1112.5513v1.
Quantum contextuality, a more general quantum correlation, is an important resource for quantum computing and quantum information processing. Meanwhile, quantum contextuality plays an important role in fundamental quantum physics. Yu and Oh (YO) proposed a proof of the Kochen–Specker theorem for a qutrit with only 13 rays. Here, we further study quantum contextuality of YO-13 rays using the inequality approach. The maximum quantum violation value of the optimal noncontextuality inequality constructed by YO-13 rays is increased to 11.9776 in the four-dimensional system, which is larger than 11.6667 in the qutrit system. The result shows that the set of YO-13 rays has stronger quantum contextuality in the four-dimensional system. Moreover, we provide an all-versus-nothing proof (i.e. Hardy-like proof) to study YO-13 rays without using any inequality, which is easily applied to experimental tests. Our results will further deepen the understanding of YO-13 rays.
Recently, Yu and Oh [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 030402 (2012)] have conjectured that the simplest set of vectors needed to prove state-independent contextuality on a qutrit requires 13 vectors. Here we first prove that a necessary and sufficient condition for a set of vectors in any dimension d≥3d \ge 3d≥3 to prove contextuality for a system prepared in a maximally mixed state is that the graph GCG_CGC​ in which vertices represent vectors and edges link orthogonal ones has chromatic number χ(GG)χ(G_G)χ(GG​) larger than ddd. Then, we prove Yu and Oh's conjecture. Finally, we prove that any set satisfying χ(GG)>dχ(G_G)>dχ(GG​)>d assisted with ddd-party maximum entanglement generates nonlocality which cannot be improved without violating the no-signalling principle. This shows that any set satisfying χ(GG)>dχ(G_G)>dχ(GG​)>d is a valuable resource for quantum information processing.
In Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 190203 (2025) a discovery of the simplest 3D contextual set with 33 vertices, 50 bases, and 14 complete bases is claimed. In this paper, we show that it was previously generated in Quantum 7, 953 (2023) and analyze the meaning, origin, and significance of the simplest contextual sets in any dimension. In particular, we prove that there is no ground to consider the aforementioned set as fundamental since there are many 3D contextual sets with a smaller number of complete bases. We also show that automatic generation of contextual sets from basic vector components automatically yields all known minimal contextual sets of any kind in any dimension and therefore also the aforementioned set in no CPU-time. In the end, we discuss varieties of contextual sets, in particular Kochen-Specker (KS), extended KS, and non-KS sets as well as ambiguities in their definitions.
Since the enlightening proofs of quantum contextuality first established by Kochen and Specker, and also by Bell, various simplified proofs have been constructed to exclude the noncontextual hidden variable theory of our nature at the microscopic scale. The conflict between the noncontextual hidden variable theory and quantum mechanics is commonly revealed by Kochen-Specker sets of yes-no tests, represented by projectors (or rays), via either logical contradictions or noncontextuality inequalities in a state-(in)dependent manner. Here we propose a systematic and programmable construction of a state-independent proof from a given set of nonspecific rays in C3{\mathbb{C}}^{3}C3 according to their Gram matrix. This approach brings us a greater convenience in the experimental arrangements. Besides, our proofs in C3{\mathbb{C}}^{3}C3 can also be generalized to any higher-dimensional systems by a recursive method.