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arXiv:1905.06766

No-cloning implies unalterability of the past

Arkady Bolotin

Published May 16, 2019• 0 citations

Abstract

A common way of stating the non-cloning theorem -- one of distinguishing characteristics of quantum theory -- is that one cannot make a copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state. Even though this theorem is an important part of the ongoing discussion of the nature of a quantum state, the role of the theorem in the logical-algebraic approach to quantum theory has not yet been systematically studied. According to the standard point of view (which is in line with the logical tradition), quantum cloning amounts to two classical rules of inference, namely, monotonicity and idempotency of entailment. One can conclude then that the whole of quantum theory should be described through a logic wherein these rules do not hold, which is linear logic. However, in accordance with a supervaluational semantics (that allows one to retain all the theorems of classical logic while admitting `truth-value gaps'), quantum cloning necessitates the permanent loss of the truth values of experimental quantum propositions which violates the unalterability of the past. The present paper demonstrates this.

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1905.06766

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A common way of stating the non-cloning theorem -- one of distinguishing characteristics of quantum theory -- is that one cannot make a copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state. Even though this theorem is an important part of the ongoing discussion of the nature of a quantum state, the role of the theorem in the logical-algebraic approach to quantum theory has not yet been systematically studied. According to the standard point of view (which is in line with the logical tradition), quantum cloning amounts to two classical rules of inference, namely, monotonicity and idempotency of entailment. One can conclude then that the whole of quantum theory should be described through a logic wherein these rules do not hold, which is linear logic. However, in accordance with a supervaluational semantics (that allows one to retain all the theorems of classical logic while admitting `truth-value gaps'), quantum cloning necessitates the permanent loss of the truth values of experimental quantum propositions which violates the unalterability of the past. The present paper demonstrates this.

This paper discusses the no-cloning theorem in a logicoalgebraic approach. In this approach, an orthoalgebra is considered as a general structure for propositions in a physical theory. We proved that an orthoalgebra admits cloning operation if and only if it is a Boolean algebra. That is, only classical theory admits the cloning of states. If unsharp propositions are to be included in the theory, then a notion of effect algebra is considered. We proved that an atomic Archimedean effect algebra admitting cloning operation is a Boolean algebra. This paper also presents a partial result, indicating a relation between the cloning on effect algebras and hidden variables.

Quantum theory fundamentally forbids the perfect copying of an arbitrary unknown quantum state, according to a principle known as the no-cloning theorem. Nevertheless, it is possible to construct a deterministic quantum map that produces multiple approximate copies of an unknown quantum state. This task is referred to as universal quantum cloning, further facilitating numerous quantum technologies such as quantum cryptography and quantum communication. In this work, we theoretically verify that the universal quantum cloning cannot be realized within a noncontextual theory, highlighting its intrinsically nonclassical nature. Our verification first {focuses on revealing that}

1\rightarrow2

cloning scenario {is fully contextual}, and {further covers general examples to observe the contextual behavior of}

N\rightarrow M

scenario. We believe that our results regarding quantum cloning serve a key role for understanding both quantum foundation and application.

The quantum mechanical no-cloning theorem for pure states is generalized and transfered to the quantum logics with a conditional probability calculus. This is, on the one hand, an extension of the classical probability calculus and, on the other hand, a mathematical generalization of the Lueders - von Neumann quantum measurement process. In the non-classical case, a very special type of conditional probability emerges, describing the probability for the transition from a past event to a future event independently of any underlying state. This probability results from the algebraic structure of the quantum logic only and is invariant under algebraic morphisms, which is used to prove the generalized no-cloning theorem in a rather abstract, though simple and basic fashion without relying on a tensor product construction as required in other approaches.

A number of noncontextual models exist which reproduce different subsets of quantum theory and admit a no-cloning theorem. Therefore, if one chooses noncontextuality as one's notion of classicality, no-cloning cannot be regarded as a nonclassical phenomenon. In this work, however, we show that there are aspects of the phenomenology of quantum state cloning which are indeed nonclassical according to this principle. Specifically, we focus on the task of state-dependent cloning and prove that the optimal cloning fidelity predicted by quantum theory cannot be explained by any noncontextual model. We derive a noise-robust noncontextuality inequality whose violation by quantum theory not only implies a quantum advantage for the task of state-dependent cloning relative to noncontextual models, but also provides an experimental witness of noncontextuality.

As it is known, neither classical logical conjunction “and” nor classical logical alternative “either…or” can replace “+” representing a linear superposition of two quantum states. Therefore, to provide a logical account of the quantum superposition, one must either reconsider the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics (making it fit for classical bivalent logic) or replace the standard logic with a deviant logic suitable for describing the superposition. In this paper, a supervaluation approach to the description of the quantum superposition is considered. In accordance with this approach, the indefinite propositions, which correspond to the superposition states, lack truth-values of any kind, even granting that their compounds (such as logical alternative “either…or”) can have truth-values. As an illustration, the supervaluationist account of the superposition of spin states is presented.