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arXiv:2202.07251 · Physical Review Research

Uncertainty-disturbance relations and applications

Liang-Liang Sun, Kishor Bharti, Xiang Zhou, L. C. Kwek, Jingyun Fan, Sixia Yu

Published Feb 2, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Uncertainty and intrinsic measurement disturbance, two fundamental concepts in quantum measurement, have conventionally been viewed as distinct and studied separately. In this work, we establish a fundamental connection between them, proving that uncertainty not only serves as a prerequisite for intrinsic disturbance but also bounds it from above. We formalize this connection via uncertainty-disturbance relations (UDRs) with direct applications in quantum information science. We show that for rank-one projective measurements, these UDRs effectively function as uncertainty relations by bounding the uncertainties of incompatible measurements. They also enable the experimental estimation of key quantum resources—including von Neumann entropy, purity, coherence, and genuine randomness. Our findings thus unify the understanding of uncertainty and disturbance and provide a versatile framework for quantum resource detection.

DOI
10.1103/q9c1-nnqj

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The uncertainty relation usually is one of the most important features in quantum mechanics and is the backbone of quantum theory, which distinguishes it from the rule in its classical counterpart. Specifically, entropy-based uncertainty relations are of fundamental importance in the region of quantum information theory, offering one nontrivial bound of key rate towards quantum key distribution. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate the entropic uncertainty relations and coherence-based uncertainty relations in an all-optics platform. By means of preparing two kinds of bipartite initial states with high fidelity, i.e., Bell-like states and Bell-like diagonal states, we carry out local projective measurements over a complete set of mutually unbiased bases on the measured subsystem. In terms of quantum tomography, the density matrices of the initial states and the postmeasurement states are reconstructed. It shows that our experimental results coincide with the theoretical predictions very well. Additionally, we also verify that the lower bounds of both the entropy-based and coherence-based uncertainty can be tightened by imposing the Holevo quantity and mutual information, and the entropic uncertainty is inversely correlated with the coherence. Our demonstrations might offer an insight into their uncertainty relations and their connection to quantum coherence in quantum information science, which might be applicable to the security analysis of quantum key distributions.
We present a universal formulation of uncertainty relation valid for any conceivable quantum measurement and the resultant observation (observer) effect of statistical nature. Owing to its simplicity and operational tangibility, our general relation is also experimentally verifiable. Our relation violates the traditional na{ï}ve bound ℏ/2\hbar/2ℏ/2 for the position-momentum measurement while respecting Heisenberg's original philosophy of the uncertainty principle. Our error-disturbance relation admits a parallel formulation to our relation for errors, which also embraces the standard Kennard--Robertson (Schr{ö}dinger) relation as a special case; this attains a unified picture of the three orthodox realms of uncertainty regarding quantum indeterminacy, measurement, and observation effect within a single framework.
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