Causality and the nature of information

Ali Ahanj, Samir Kunkri, Ashutosh Rai +2 more

Recently, the principle of nonviolation of information causality [Nature 461, 1101 (2009)] has been proposed as one of the foundational properties of nature. We explore the Hardy's nonlocality theorem for two-qubit systems, in the context of generalized probability theory, restricted by the principle of nonviolation of information causality. Applying a sufficient condition for information causality violation, we derive an upper bound on the maximum success probability of Hardy's nonlocality argument. We find that the bound achieved here is higher than that allowed by quantum mechanics but still much less than what the no-signaling condition permits. We also study the Cabello type nonlocality argument (a generalization of Hardy's argument) in this context.

Marcin Pawłowski, Valerio Scarani

Ciarán M. Lee, John H. Selby

To date, there has been no experimental evidence that invalidates quantum theory. Yet it may only be an effective description of the world, in the same way that classical physics is an effective description of the quantum world. We ask whether there exists an operationally defined theory superseding quantum theory, but which reduces to it via a decoherence-like mechanism. We prove that no such post-quantum theory exists if it is demanded that it satisfy two natural physical principles: causality and purification . Causality formalizes the statement that information propagates from present to future, and purification that each state of incomplete information arises in an essentially unique way due to lack of information about an environment. Hence, our result can be viewed either as evidence that the fundamental theory of Nature is quantum or as showing in a rigorous manner that any post-quantum theory must abandon causality, purification or both.

Geoff Beck

B. F. McGuinness, Friedrich Waismann

Ciarán M. Lee, John H. Selby

To date, there has been no experimental evidence that invalidates quantum theory. Yet it may only be an effective description of the world, in the same way that classical physics is an effective description of the quantum world. We ask whether there exists an operationally defined theory superseding quantum theory, but which reduces to it via a decoherence-like mechanism. We prove that no such post-quantum theory exists if it is demanded that it satisfy two natural physical principles: causality and purification. Causality formalizes the statement that information propagates from present to future, and purification that each state of incomplete information arises in an essentially unique way due to lack of information about an environment. Hence, our result can be viewed either as evidence that the fundamental theory of Nature is quantum or as showing in a rigorous manner that any post-quantum theory must abandon causality, purification or both.