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arXiv:2212.08088 · PRX Quantum

From Time-Reversal Symmetry to Quantum Bayes’ Rules

Arthur J. Parzygnat, James Fullwood

Published Jun 2, 2023• 51 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Bayes' rule, P(B|A)P(A) = P(A|B)P(B), is one of the simplest yet most profound, ubiquitous, and farreaching results of classical probability theory, with applications in any field utilizing statistical inference.Many attempts have been made to extend this rule to quantum systems, the significance of which we are only beginning to understand.In this work, we develop a systematic framework for defining Bayes' rule in the quantum setting, and we show that a vast majority of the proposed quantum Bayes' rules appearing in the literature are all instances of our definition.Moreover, our Bayes' rule is based upon a simple relationship between the notions of state over time and a time-reversal-symmetry map, both of which are introduced here.

DOI
10.1103/prxquantum.4.020334

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Bayes' rule, P(B|A)P(A) = P(A|B)P(B), is one of the simplest yet most profound, ubiquitous, and farreaching results of classical probability theory, with applications in any field utilizing statistical inference.Many attempts have been made to extend this rule to quantum systems, the significance of which we are only beginning to understand.In this work, we develop a systematic framework for defining Bayes' rule in the quantum setting, and we show that a vast majority of the proposed quantum Bayes' rules appearing in the literature are all instances of our definition.Moreover, our Bayes' rule is based upon a simple relationship between the notions of state over time and a time-reversal-symmetry map, both of which are introduced here.
The traditional Bayes' rule lays the foundation for causal reasoning and finding relations between cause (input) and effect (output). This causal reasoning is universally applied to all physical processes to establish causal relations. Here we show that it does not establish correct causal correspondence between quantum causes and effects in general. In fact, there are instances within the framework of quantum mechanics where the use of the traditional Bayes' rule leads to inconsistencies in quantum measurement inferences. We consider two such cases, inspired by Frauchiger-Renner's and Hardy's setups, where the traditional Bayes' rule results in paradoxical situations even after assuming quantum mechanics as a nonlocal theory. As a remedy, we introduce an input-output causal relation using the reasoning based on a quantum Bayes' rule. It applies to general quantum processes even when a cause (or effect) is in coherent superposition with other causes (or effects), involves nonlocal correlations as allowed by quantum mechanics, and applies in the cases where causes belonging to one system induce effects in some other system as happens in quantum measurement processes. This enables us to propose a resolution to the contradictions that appear in the context of Frauchiger-Renner's and Hardy's setups. Our results thereby affirm that quantum mechanics, equipped with a quantum Bayes' rule, can indeed consistently describe the use of itself.
Reversibility lies at the heart of physics and information theory, linking entropy, efficiency and information recovery. Yet, definitions of a “reverse process” have been context-specific, relying on physical assumptions rather than a general framework. This thesis develops a universal recipe for reverse processes using Bayesian inference, formalized through Bayes’ rule and the Petz recovery map. We first show how these tools recover conventional notions of reversal while yielding new insights, and justify the Petz transpose as the quantum analog of Bayes’ rule via quasiprobability representations. We then compare Bayesian reversibility with dilation-based approaches, proving their equivalence through the role of correlations. This motivates the notion of tabletop time-reversible processes, special cases where correlations can be neglected with respect to reversal. Beyond the core results, we apply these methods to fluctuation relations, quantum thermal operations, and the Loschmidt paradox, and reflect on implications for the philosophy of time. In sum, Bayesian inference provides a regime-independent foundation for defining and analyzing (ir)reversibility across physics and information theory.
It was repeatedly underlined in literature that quantum mechanics cannot be considered a closed theory if the Born Rule is postulated rather than derived from the first principles. In this work the Born Rule is derived from the time-reversal symmetry of quantum equations of motion. The derivation is based on a simple functional equation that takes into account properties of probability, as well as the linearity and time-reversal symmetry of quantum equations of motion. The derivation presented in this work also allows to determine certain limits to applicability of the Born Rule.
Classical Bayes' rule lays the foundation for the classical causal relation between cause (input) and effect (output). This causal relation is believed to be universally true for all physical processes. Here we show, on the contrary, that it is inadequate to establish correct correspondence between cause and effect in quantum mechanics. In fact, there are instances within the framework of quantum mechanics where the use of classical Bayes' rule leads to inconsistencies in quantum measurement inferences, such as Frauchiger-Renner's paradox. Similar inconsistency also appears in the context of Hardy's setup even after assuming quantum mechanics as a non-local theory. As a remedy, we introduce an input-output causal relation based on quantum Bayes' rule. It applies to general quantum processes even when a cause (or effect) is in coherent superposition with other causes (or effects), involves nonlocal correlations as allowed by quantum mechanics, and in the cases where causes belonging to one system induce effects in some other system as it happens in quantum measurement processes. This enables us to propose a resolution to the contradictions that appear in the context of Frauchiger-Renner's and Hardy's setups. Our results thereby affirm that quantum mechanics, equipped with quantum Bayes' rule, can indeed consistently explain the use of itself.
In the context of irreversible dynamics, associating to a physical process its intuitive reverse can result to be a quite ambiguous task. It is a standard choice to define the reverse process using Bayes' theorem, but, in general, this choice is not optimal. In this work we explore whether it is possible to characterise an optimal reverse map building from the concept of state retrieval maps. In doing so, we propose a set of principles that state retrieval maps should satisfy. We find out that the Bayes inspired reverse is just one case in a whole class of possible choices, which can be optimised to give a map retrieving the initial state more precisely than the Bayes rule. Our analysis has the advantage of naturally extending to the quantum regime. In fact, we find a class of reverse transformations containing the Petz recovery map as a particular case, corroborating its interpretation as quantum analogue of the Bayes retrieval. Finally, we present numerical evidences that by adding a single extra axiom one can isolate the usual reverse process derived from Bayes' theorem.