The theory of pure operations

K. -E. Hellwig, K. Kraus

Giulio Chiribella, Carlo Maria Scandolo

In quantum theory every state can be diagonalized, i.e. decomposed as a convex combination of perfectly distinguishable pure states. This elementary structure plays an ubiquitous role in quantum mechanics, quantum information theory, and quantum statistical mechanics, where it provides the foundation for the notions of majorization and entropy. A natural question then arises: can we reconstruct these notions from purely operational axioms? We address this question in the framework of general probabilistic theories, presenting a set of axioms that guarantee that every state can be diagonalized. The first axiom is Causality, which ensures that the marginal of a bipartite state is well defined. Then, Purity Preservation states that the set of pure transformations is closed under composition. The third axiom is Purification, which allows to assign a pure state to the composition of a system with its environment. Finally, we introduce the axiom of Pure Sharpness, stating that for every system there exists at least one pure effect occurring with unit probability on some state. For theories satisfying our four axioms, we show a constructive algorithm for diagonalizing every given state. The diagonalization result allows us to formulate a majorization criterion that captures the convertibility of states in the operational resource theory of purity, where random reversible transformations are regarded as free operations.

John van de Wetering

An often used model for quantum theory is to associate to every physical system a C ∗ -algebra. From a physical point of view it is unclear why operator algebras would form a good description of nature. In this paper, we find a set of physically meaningful assumptions such that any physical theory satisfying these assumptions must embed into the category of finite-dimensional C ∗ -algebras. These assumptions were originally introduced in the setting of effectus theory, a categorical logical framework generalizing classical and quantum logic. As these assumptions have a physical interpretation, this motivates the usage of operator algebras as a model for quantum theory.In contrast to other reconstructions of quantum theory, we do not start with the framework of generalized probabilistic theories and instead use effect theories where no convex structure and no tensor product needs to be present. The lack of this structure in effectus theory has led to a different notion of pure maps. A map in an effectus is pure when it is a composition of a compression and a filter. These maps satisfy particular universal properties and respectively correspond to `forgetting' and `measuring' the validity of an effect.We define a pure effect theory (PET) to be an effect theory where the pure maps form a dagger-category and filters and compressions are adjoint. We show that any convex finite-dimensional PET must embed into the category of Euclidean Jordan algebras. Moreover, if the PET also has monoidal structure, then we show that it must embed into either the category of real or complex C ∗ -algebras, which completes our reconstruction.

Salvador Elías Venegas-Andraca

Pranjal Nayak, Julian Sonner, Vielma Blanco, Manuel Vidal

In this paper we provide a universal description of the behavior of the basic operators of the Schwarzian theory in pure states. When the pure states are energy eigenstates, expectation values of non-extensive operators are thermal. On the other hand, in coherent pure states, these same operators can exhibit ergodic or non-ergodic behavior, which is characterized by elliptic, parabolic or hyperbolic monodromy of an auxiliary equation; or equivalently, which coadjoint Virasoro orbit the state lies on. These results allow us to establish an extended version of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) in theories with a Schwarzian sector. We also elucidate the role of FZZT-type boundary conditions in the Schwarzian theory, shedding light on the physics of microstates associated with ZZ branes and FZZT branes in low dimensional holography.