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arXiv:2405.08914 · Physical Review A

Finite-size catalysis in quantum resource theories

Patryk Lipka-Bartosik, Kamil Korzekwa

Published Feb 24, 2025• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum catalysis, the ability to enable previously impossible transformations by using auxiliary systems without degrading them, has emerged as a powerful tool in various resource theories. Although catalytically enabled state transformations have been formally characterized by the monotonic behavior of entropic quantifiers (e.g., the von Neumann entropy or nonequilibrium free energy), such characterizations often rely on unphysical assumptions, namely, the ability of using catalysts of infinitely large dimension. This approach offers very limited insights into the practical significance of using catalysis for quantum information processing. Here, we address this problem across a broad class of quantum resource theories. Leveraging quantum information tools beyond the asymptotic regime, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of catalytic transformations with finite-size catalysts. We further unveil connections between finite-size catalysis and multicopy transformations. Notably, we discover a phenomenon of catalytic resonance: by carefully tailoring the catalysts's state, one can drastically reduce the required dimension of the catalyst, thus enabling efficient catalytic transformations with minimal resources. Finally, we illustrate our findings with examples from the resource theories of entanglement and thermodynamics, as well in the context of catalytic unitary transformations.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.111.022440

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Quantum catalysis, the ability to enable previously impossible transformations by using auxiliary systems without degrading them, has emerged as a powerful tool in various resource theories. Although catalytically enabled state transformations have been formally characterized by the monotonic behavior of entropic quantifiers (e.g., the von Neumann entropy or nonequilibrium free energy), such characterizations often rely on unphysical assumptions, namely, the ability of using catalysts of infinitely large dimension. This approach offers very limited insights into the practical significance of using catalysis for quantum information processing. Here, we address this problem across a broad class of quantum resource theories. Leveraging quantum information tools beyond the asymptotic regime, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of catalytic transformations with finite-size catalysts. We further unveil connections between finite-size catalysis and multicopy transformations. Notably, we discover a phenomenon of catalytic resonance: by carefully tailoring the catalysts's state, one can drastically reduce the required dimension of the catalyst, thus enabling efficient catalytic transformations with minimal resources. Finally, we illustrate our findings with examples from the resource theories of entanglement and thermodynamics, as well in the context of catalytic unitary transformations.
Understanding the fundamental limits of state convertibility is crucial for establishing the boundaries of quantum information processing and thermodynamic efficiency. While auxiliary systems, catalysts, can facilitate otherwise impossible transformations, standard catalysis rigidly requires the auxiliary system to return to its exact initial state. In this work, we investigate the power of flexible catalysis, where the catalyst evolves through a cycle of states, restoring its initial configuration only after a finite number of steps. Focusing on the regime of fixed, finite dimensions, we analyze the capabilities of flexible catalysis within the resource theories of entanglement and quantum thermodynamics. In the context of entanglement, we derive conditions limiting flexible catalysts, yet show that flexible catalysis can be strictly more powerful than same-dimensional standard catalysis: it enables deterministic transformations achievable by no standard catalyst of the same dimension, and it strictly increases the success probability of stochastic local operations and classical communication. A similar deterministic advantage arises in quantum thermodynamics, where flexible catalysis enables state transformations that are impossible with any standard catalyst of fixed dimension and Hamiltonian but become achievable via flexible catalysis.
Abstract In chemistry, a catalyst is a substance which enables a chemical reaction or increases its rate, while remaining unchanged in the process. Instead of chemical reactions, quantum catalysis enhances our ability to convert quantum states into each other under physical constraints. The nature of the constraints depends on the problem under study and can arise, e.g. from energy preservation. This article reviews the most recent developments in quantum catalysis and gives a historical overview of this research direction. We focus on the catalysis of quantum entanglement and coherence, and also discuss this phenomenon in quantum thermodynamics and general quantum resource theories. We review applications of quantum catalysis and also discuss the recent efforts on universal catalysis, where the quantum state of the catalyst does not depend on the states to be transformed. Catalytic embezzling is also considered, a phenomenon that occurs if the catalyst’s state can change in the transition.
Quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource in quantum information science, commonly consumed to perform tasks like quantum teleportation and quantum key distribution. Entanglement concentration converts partially entangled pure states into nearly perfect Bell pairs. While its efficiency is well understood in the asymptotic limit, practical protocols must operate with finite systems. In this finite regime, and at the low error levels relevant in practice, performance is penalized by corrections that reduce the achievable yield. We investigate whether this fundamental finite-size penalty can be mitigated by an entanglement catalyst: an auxiliary state that aids the transformation but is returned exactly and uncorrupted. Although such a catalyst cannot increase the leading-order asymptotic yield, we show that it fundamentally alters the finite-size scaling. For every bipartite pure state with nonuniform Schmidt coefficients, we exactly determine the optimal second-order correction to the yield and show that catalysis completely overcomes this finite-size penalty.
Quantum catalysts can overcome otherwise impossible quantum state transformations without being consumed, and allowing them to become correlated with the output makes this assistance substantially more powerful. This raises a fundamental question for entanglement theory: which limitations on state manipulation remain when such correlated catalysts are freely available? We answer this question in the positive-partial-transpose (PPT) resource theory, which allows a substantially broader class of operations than local operations and classical communication (LOCC). We identify general conditions under which regularized relative-entropy measures become strongly superadditive, and use them to construct monotones that constrain correlated catalytic PPT transformations without any knowledge of the catalyst. In particular, we prove that the regularized PPT relative entropy is fully additive and strongly superadditive, resolving an open problem in entanglement theory. Most importantly, these constraints show that even arbitrary correlated catalysts cannot restore asymptotic reversibility: for an explicit state, the optimal entanglement distillation rate remains strictly smaller than the entanglement cost. Thus, substantial catalytic assistance does not remove some of the fundamental limitations of mixed-state entanglement manipulation.
Catalysis refers to the possibility of enabling otherwise inaccessible quantum state transitions by supplying an auxiliary system, provided that the auxiliary is returned to its initial state at the end of the protocol. We show that previous studies on catalysis are largely impractical, because even small errors in the system's initial state can irreversibly degrade the catalyst. To overcome this limitation, we introduce "robust catalytic transformations" and explore the fundamental extent of their capabilities. We demonstrate that robust catalysis is closely tied to the property of resource broadcasting. In particular, in completely resource nongenerating theories, robust catalysis is possible if and only if resource broadcasting is possible. We develop a no-go theorem under a set of general axioms, demonstrating that robust catalysis is unattainable for a broad class of quantum resource theories. However, surprisingly, we also identify thermodynamical scenarios where maximal robust catalytic advantage can be achieved. Our approach clarifies the practical prospects of catalytic advantage for a wide range of quantum resources, including entanglement, coherence, thermodynamics, nonstabilizerness, and imaginarity.
In quantum information and computation, a central challenge is to determine which quantum states can be transformed into which others under restricted sets of free operations. While many transformations are impossible directly, catalytic processes can enable otherwise forbidden conversions: an auxiliary quantum state (the catalyst) facilitates the transformation while remaining unchanged. In this work, we introduce flexible catalysis, a generalization in which the catalyst is allowed to transform into a different auxiliary state, provided it remains a valid catalyst. We show that this framework subsumes both standard catalytic and multicopy transformations, and we analyse its advantages across several classes of free operations. In particular, we prove that when the free operations are local unitaries or permutation matrices, flexible catalysis enables state extractions that are unattainable with standard catalysis alone.