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arXiv:2510.26290 · Physical Review Letters

Entanglement Superactivation in Multiphoton Distillation Networks

Rui Zhang, Yue-Yang Fei, Zhenhuan Liu, Xingjian Zhang, Xu-Fei Yin, Yingqiu Mao, Li Li, Nai-Le Liu, Otfried Gühne, Xiongfeng Ma, Yu-Ao Chen, Jian-Wei Pan

Published Feb 10, 2026• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In quantum networks, after passing through noisy channels or information processing, residual states may lack sufficient entanglement for further tasks, yet they may retain hidden quantum resources that can be recycled. Efficiently recycling these states to extract entanglement resources, such as genuine multipartite entanglement or Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen pairs, is essential for optimizing network performance. Here, we develop a tripartite entanglement distillation scheme using an eight-photon quantum platform, demonstrating entanglement superactivation phenomena which are unique to multipartite systems. We successfully generate a three-photon genuinely entangled state from two biseparable states via local operations and classical communication, demonstrating superactivation of genuine multipartite entanglement. Furthermore, we extend our scheme to generate a three-photon state capable of extracting an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen pair from two initial states lacking this capability, revealing a previously unobserved entanglement superactivation phenomenon. Our methods and findings offer not only practical applications for quantum networks, but also lead to a deeper understanding of multipartite entanglement structures.

DOI
10.1103/zkd3-4gmx

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Abstract In quantum networks, residual states remaining after information processing can be valuable resources. Efficiently recycling these states to extract resources such as genuine multipartite entanglement and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen pairs is essential for optimizing network performance. Our work demonstrates a tripartite entanglement distillation scheme using an eight-photon quantum platform, showcasing entanglement activation phenomena unique to multipartite systems. We successfully generate a three-photon genuinely entangled state from two bi-separable states through local operations and classical communication, illustrating multipartite entanglement activation. Furthermore, we extend our scheme to generate a three-photon state capable of extracting Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen pairs from two initial states lacking this capability, revealing a new entanglement activation phenomenon. Our findings offer not only practical applications for quantum networks but also a deeper theoretical understanding of multipartite entanglement structures.
Quantum correlations in the form of entanglement, quantum steering or Bell nonlocality are resources for various information-processing tasks, but their detailed quantification and characterization remains complicated. One counter-intuitive effect is the phenomenon of superactivation, meaning that two copies of a quantum state may exhibit forms of correlations which are absent on the single-copy level. We develop a systematic approach towards a full understanding of this phenomenon using the paradigm of genuine multipartite entanglement. We introduce systematic methods for studying superactivation of entanglement based on symmetries and generalized notions of multipartite distillability. With this, we present novel criteria for superactivation as well as a quantitative theory of it. Moreover, we present evidence for incompressible entanglement on multi-copy systems, which cannot be reduced to the single-copy level.
Sharing genuine multipartite entanglement by considering collective use of copies of biseparable states, which are entangled across all bipartitions but lack genuine multipartite entanglement at the single-copy level, plays a central role in several quantum information processing protocols, and has been referred as genuine multipartite entanglement activation. We present a protocol for three-qutrit systems showing that two copies of rank-two biseparable states, entangled across every bipartition, are sufficient to generate a genuinely multipartite entangled state with nonzero probability. This contrasts with the three-qubit scenario where many copies of biseparable states might be required for sharing genuine multipartite entanglement. We subsequently generalize our protocols to the case of an arbitrary number of parties. Interestingly, the proposed construction naturally leads to the activation of genuinely nonlocal correlations, yielding a result that is stronger than genuine multipartite entanglement activation alone.
The superactivation of multipartite bound entanglement (BE) is a special protocol proposed by Shor et al. in 2003, which can distill Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entanglement states between two subsystems of two multipartite BE states. Here we present the first experimental realization of the superactivation of the BE state, in which two copies of the four-partite unlockable BE state in a continuous-variable regime are used. Coupling two thermal states with Gaussian noises into two submodes of an EPR entangled state on two 50-50 beam splitters respectively, the four output optical modes form a four-partite unlocklable BE state. Using two EPR entangled states, we experimentally produce two BE states first. Then through a superactivation operation involving measurements and feedback on the two BE states, an EPR entangled state is distilled out between two designated parties of the two four-partite BE states. The experiment demonstrates the superadditivity of quantum entanglement as the individual BE state cannot be distilled, only two BE states together can be distilled.
Characterizing the relation between entanglement and Bell nonlocality is a long-standing open problem, notably challenging in the multipartite case. Here we investigate the effect of superactivation of genuine multipartite nonlocality. Specifically, we show that starting from multipartite states that feature only two-party entanglement (hence almost fully separable), it is possible to obtain GMNL in the many-copy regime. This represents the weakest possible resource for GMNL superactivation. On the technical side, we develop an efficient and practical criterion for certifying GMNL superactivation based on network entangled states, as well as a perfect parallel repetition result for the Khot-Vishnoi Bell game, which are of independent interest.
One of the most counterintuitive effects in the examination of quantum states is the phenomenon of superactivation, which describes the fact that a quantum state, which is useless for a specific task, may become useful when one considers multiple copies of it. This effect can be observed in the case of genuine multipartite entanglement, where local projections from multiple copies to the single-copy Hilbert space could significantly simplify the practical accessibility of its superactivation. We investigate how such projections behave in the limit of many copies, using the Hadamard map as an example, and studying different state families. We show that, in this scheme, for a fixed map, an optimal number of copies exists, beyond which the obtained entanglement decreases, highlighting the differences between entanglement distillation and local projection schemes.