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arXiv:2211.14102 · Quantum

On Quantum Steering and Wigner Negativity

Mattia Walschaers

Published Jun 7, 2023• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum correlations and Wigner negativity are two important signatures of nonclassicality in continuous-variable quantum systems. In this work, we investigate how both are intertwined in the context of the conditional generation of Wigner negativity. It was previously shown that when Alice and Bob share a Gaussian state, Bob can perform some measurement on his system to create Wigner negativity on Alice's side if and only if there is Gaussian steering from Alice to Bob. In this work, we attempt to generalise these findings to a much broader class of scenarios on which Alice and Bob share a non-Gaussian state. We show that if Alice can initially steer Bob's system with Wigner-positive measurements, Bob can remotely create Wigner negativity in Alice's subsystem. Even though this shows that quantum steering is sufficient, we also show that quantum correlations are in general not necessary for the conditional generation of Wigner negativity.

DOI
10.22331/q-2023-06-07-1038

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Quantum correlations and Wigner negativity are two important signatures of nonclassicality in continuous-variable quantum systems. In this work, we investigate how both are intertwined in the context of the conditional generation of Wigner negativity. It was previously shown that when Alice and Bob share a Gaussian state, Bob can perform some measurement on his system to create Wigner negativity on Alice's side if and only if there is Gaussian steering from Alice to Bob. In this work, we attempt to generalise these findings to a much broader class of scenarios on which Alice and Bob share a non-Gaussian state. We show that if Alice can initially steer Bob's system with Wigner-positive measurements, Bob can remotely create Wigner negativity in Alice's subsystem. Even though this shows that quantum steering is sufficient, we also show that quantum correlations are in general not necessary for the conditional generation of Wigner negativity.
Recent developments, such as the experimental realization of large-scale cluster states, have built a valid case for continuous-variable quantum optics as a promising platform for quantum information processing. The capability of creating non-Gaussian states is key to building a universal quantum computer and achieving a quantum computational advantage. On the other hand, quantum correlations are also at the core of current developments in quantum technologies. Yet, quantum correlations in non-Gaussian states are still poorly understood for continuous-variable systems. In this contribution we will focus on quantum steering, where Alice and Bob each share a part of bipartite quantum state and perform local measurements on their respective subsystem. Quantum steering from Alice to Bob occurs when Bob can exploit information from Alice’s measurements to infer the outcome of his observables’ measurement more precisely than allowed by classical correlations. The paradigmatic example for this phenomenon is found when Alice and Bob both measure field quadratures. In this case, Bob can construct conditional variances that violate Heisenberg’s inequality. This violation, known as Reid’s criterion, is a signature of quantum steering that relies purely on Gaussian features of the state. More generally, we speak of Gaussian steering when we can violate steering inequality using only information from the state’s covariance matrix. For non-Gaussian states, the covariance matrix only offers limited information about the state, and many properties remain under the radar. Therefore, certification protocols of quantum steering for non-Gaussian states are scarce and generally highly demanding from an experimental point of view. In this contribution, we use a recently established connection between quantum steering and the (quantum) Fisher information to develop a new protocol for detection of quantum steering in non-Gaussian. This protocol relies exclusively on homodyne measurements.
Non-Gaussian states with Wigner negativity are of particular interest in quantum technology due to their potential applications in quantum computing and quantum metrology. However, how to create such states at a remote location remains a challenge, which is important for efficiently distributing quantum resource between distant nodes in a network. Here, we experimentally prepare an optical non-Gaussian state with negative Wigner function at a remote node via local non-Gaussian operation and shared Gaussian entangled state existing quantum steering. By performing photon subtraction on one mode, Wigner negativity is created in the remote target mode. We show that the Wigner negativity is sensitive to loss on the target mode, but robust to loss on the mode performing photon subtraction. This experiment confirms the connection between the remotely created Wigner negativity and quantum steering. As an application, we present that the generated non-Gaussian state exhibits metrological power in quantum phase estimation.
Wigner negativity, as a well-known indicator of nonclassicality, plays an essential role in quantum computing and simulation using continuous-variable systems. Recently, it has been proven that Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering is a prerequisite to generate Wigner negativity between two remote modes. Motivated by the demand of real-world quantum network, here we investigate the shareability of generated Wigner negativity in the multipartite scenario from a quantitative perspective. By establishing a monogamy relation akin to the generalized Coffman-Kundu-Wootters inequality, we show that the amount of Wigner negativity cannot be freely distributed among different modes. Moreover, for photon subtraction -- one of the main experimentally realized non-Gaussian operation -- we provide a general method to quantify the remotely generated Wigner negativity. With this method, we find that there is no direct quantitative relation between the Gaussian steerability and the amount of generated Wigner negativity. Our results pave the way for exploiting Wigner negativity as a valuable resource for numerous quantum information protocols based on non-Gaussian scenario.
Quantum steering is an asymmetric correlation which occupies a place between entanglement and Bell nonlocality. In the paradigmatic scenario involving the protagonists Alice and Bob, the entangled state shared between them is said to be steerable from Alice to Bob if the steering assemblage on Bob's side does not admit a local hidden state (LHS) description. Quantum conditional entropies, on the other hand, provide for another characterization of quantum correlations. Contrary to our common intuition, conditional entropies for some entangled states can be negative, marking a significant departure from the classical realm. Quantum steering and quantum nonlocality, in general, share an intricate relation with quantum conditional entropies. In the present contribution, we investigate this relationship. For a significant class, namely the two-qubit Weyl states, we show that negativity of conditional R\'enyi 2-entropy and conditional Tsallis 2-entropy is a necessary and sufficient condition for the violation of a suitably chosen three settings steering inequality. With respect to the same inequality we find an upper bound for the conditional R\'enyi 2-entropy, such that the general two-qubit state is steerable. Moving from a particular steering inequality to local hidden-state descriptions, we show that some two-qubit Weyl states which admit a LHS model possess nonnegative conditional R\'enyi 2-entropy. However, the same does not hold true for some non-Weyl states. Our study further investigates the relation between nonnegativity of conditional entropy and LHS models in two-qudits for the isotropic and Werner states. There we find that, whenever these states admit a LHS model, they possess a nonnegative conditional R\'enyi 2-entropy. We then observe that the same holds true for a noisy variant of the two-qudit Werner state.
Negativity of the Wigner function is seen as a crucial resource for reaching a quantum computational advantage with continuous variable systems. However, these systems, while they allow for the deterministic generation of large entangled states, require an extra element such as photon subtraction to obtain such negativity. Photon subtraction is known to affect modes beyond the one where the photon is subtracted, an effect which is governed by the correlations of the state. In this Letter, we build upon this effect to remotely prepare states with Wigner negativity. More specifically, we show that photon subtraction can induce Wigner negativity in a correlated mode if and only if that correlated mode can perform Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering in the mode of subtraction.
Nonclassicality, defined through nonpositivity of quasiprobability distributions such as the Wigner and Kirkwood-Dirac distributions, underlies key quantum advantages. We show that it can be remotely activated: local measurements by a correlated partner alone can drive a party whose reduced state is classical into a genuinely nonclassical conditional state. For two-qubit systems we obtain closed forms for the maximal single-branch effect and for its probability-weighted average under the best two-outcome projective measurement, the latter proven optimal over all measurements when the shared state carries no local bias. Local noise on the steered party, evaluated relative to its own noise-updated reference basis, can enhance the effect when non-unital and misaligned with that party's axis, whereas no unital channel ever helps. This nonclassicality is shown to unlock, for the same reference observable, anomalous weak values unavailable to the unsteered state under arbitrary postselection. An exactly solvable hybrid qubit-oscillator model shows the same mechanism generates Wigner negativity. These results identify measurement-induced steering as an operational resource for remotely activating nonclassicality.