We discuss a theoretical approach to discriminate whether two states of a many-body quantum system belong or not to different topology classes. This approach is based on expressing a strange correlator - a recently established tool for quantum topology discrimination - between the states as a function of Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobabilities (KDQs). KDQs provide a first-principles representation of two-time quantum correlators. The link between strange correlators and KDQs allows to establish that strange correlators are weak values of an observable converting an initial trivial state into a topologically non-trivial one. We thus propose a quantum topology witness that is achievable measuring the prior and subsequent effects on a many-body system of a sudden quench transformation that realizes the transition between trivial and topological phases. The witness is evaluated on a probe quantum state whose main features are detailed within the paper. Finally, directly exploiting schemes that allows for the complete reconstruction of KDQs, we address an interferometric protocol for topology discrimination, along with a general discussion of the main lines and challenges towards its implementation.
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We discuss a theoretical approach to discriminate whether two states of a many-body quantum system belong or not to different topology classes. This approach is based on expressing a strange correlator - a recently established tool for quantum topology discrimination - between the states as a function of Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobabilities (KDQs). KDQs provide a first-principles representation of two-time quantum correlators. The link between strange correlators and KDQs allows to establish that strange correlators are weak values of an observable converting an initial trivial state into a topologically non-trivial one. We thus propose a quantum topology witness that is achievable measuring the prior and subsequent effects on a many-body system of a sudden quench transformation that realizes the transition between trivial and topological phases. The witness is evaluated on a probe quantum state whose main features are detailed within the paper. Finally, directly exploiting schemes that allows for the complete reconstruction of KDQs, we address an interferometric protocol for topology discrimination, along with a general discussion of the main lines and challenges towards its implementation.
Recent work has revealed the central role played by the Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobability (KDQ) as a tool to properly account for non-classical features in the context of condensed matter physics (scrambling, dynamical phase transitions) metrology (standard and post-selected), thermodynamics (power output and fluctuation theorems), foundations (contextuality, anomalous weak values) and more. Given the growing relevance of the KDQ across the quantum sciences, our aim is two-fold: First, we highlight the role played by quasiprobabilities in characterizing the statistics of quantum observables and processes in the presence of measurement incompatibility. In this way, we show how the KDQ naturally underpins and unifies quantum correlators, quantum currents, Loschmidt echoes, and weak values. Second, we provide novel theoretical and experimental perspectives by discussing a wide variety of schemes to access the KDQ and its non-classicality features.
Temporal quantum states generalize the multipartite density operator formalism to the time domain, enabling a unified treatment of quantum systems with both timelike and spacelike correlations. Despite a growing body of temporal state formalisms, their precise operational relationships and conceptual distinctions remain unclear. In this work, we resolve this issue by extending the Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) quasiprobability distribution to arbitrary multi-time quantum processes and, more broadly, to general spatiotemporal settings. We define left, right, and doubled temporal KD quasiprobabilities, together with their real components, which we identify as temporal Margenau-Hill (MH) quasiprobabilities. All of these quantities are experimentally accessible through interferometric measurement schemes. By characterizing their nonclassical features, we show that the generalized KD framework provides a unified operational foundation for a wide class of temporal state approaches and can be directly implemented via temporal or spatiotemporal Bloch tomography.
Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) quasiprobability is a quantum analog of phase space probability of classical statistical mechanics, allowing negative or/and nonreal values. It gives an informationally complete representation of a quantum state. Recent works have revealed the important roles played by the KD quasiprobability in the broad fields of quantum science and quantum technology. In the present work, we use the KD quasiprobability to access the quantum coherence in a quantum state. We show that the l1 norm of the imaginary part of the KD quasiprobability over an incoherent reference basis and a second basis, maximized over all possible choices of the latter, can be used to quantify quantum coherence, satisfying certain desirable properties. It is upper bounded by the quantum uncertainty, i.e., the quantum standard deviation, of the incoherent basis in the state. It gives a lower bound to the l1 norm quantum coherence, and for a single qubit, they are identical. We discuss the measurement of the KD coherence based on the measurement of the KD quasiprobability and an optimization procedure in hybrid quantum-classical schemes, and suggest statistical interpretations. We also discuss its relevance in the physics of linear response regime.
The question of when the Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobability serves as the most appropriate description for quantum measurements has remained unresolved, particularly across different measurement strengths. While known to generate anomalous weak values in the weak measurement regime and to reduce to classical probabilities under projective measurement, the physical mechanism governing its continuous transformation has been lacking. Here we demonstrate that the KD quasiprobability provides a general framework for all measurement regimes by identifying pointer-induced decoherence as the universal mechanism controlling this transition. We show that the decoherence factor F(t) simultaneously quantifies the loss of quantum coherence and interpolates the measurement strength from weak to strong. Within this framework, the KD quasiprobability naturally deforms from its full complex form-governing weak values-to the real, non-negative Wigner formula describing projective measurements, while maintaining informational completeness throughout the transition. Our work resolves the fundamental question of the KD distribution's applicability by establishing it as the universal framework that seamlessly connects all quantum measurement regimes through a physically transparent decoherence pathway.
Abstract The question of when the Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) quasiprobability serves as the most appropriate description for quantum measurements has remained unresolved, particularly across different measurement strengths. While known to generate anomalous weak values in the weak measurement regime and to reduce to classical probabilities under projective measurement, the physical mechanism governing its continuous transformation has been lacking. Here we demonstrate that the KD quasiprobability provides a general framework for all measurement regimes by identifying pointer-induced decoherence as the universal mechanism controlling this transition. We show that the decoherence factor F ( t ) simultaneously quantifies the loss of quantum coherence and interpolates the measurement strength from weak to strong. Within this framework, the KD quasiprobability naturally deforms from its full complex form—governing weak values—to the real, non-negative Wigner formula describing projective measurements, while maintaining informational completeness throughout the transition. Our work resolves the fundamental question of the KD distribution’s applicability by establishing it as the unified framework that seamlessly connects weak and strong measurement regimes through a physically transparent decoherence pathway.
``Strange'' correlators provide a tool to detect topological phases arising in many-body models by computing the matrix elements of suitably defined two-point correlations between the states under investigation and trivial reference states. Their effectiveness depends on the choice of the adopted operators. In this paper, we give a systematic procedure for this choice, discussing the advantages of choosing operators using the bulk-boundary correspondence of the systems under scrutiny. Via the scaling exponents, we directly relate the algebraic decay of the strange correlators with the scaling dimensions of gapless edge modes operators. We begin our analysis with lattice models hosting symmetry-protected topological phases and we analyze the sums of the strange correlators, pointing out that integrating their moduli substantially reduces cancellations and finite-size effects. We also analyze instances of systems hosting intrinsic topological order, as well as strange correlators between states with different nontrivial topologies. Our results for both translational and nontranslational invariant cases, and in the presence of on-site disorder and long-range couplings, extend the validity of the strange correlator approach for the diagnosis of topological phases of matter and indicate a general procedure for their optimal choice.