Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Communication games measure preparation contextuality

Alley Hameedi, Armin Tavakoli, Breno Marques, Mohamed Bourennane

Published Apr 26, 2017• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

A communication game consists of distributed parties attempting to jointly complete a task with restricted communication. Such games are useful tools for studying limitations of physical theories. A theory exhibits preparation contextuality whenever its predictions cannot be explained by a preparation noncontextual model. Here, we show that the ability of an operational theory to perform communication games is a measure of the degree of preparation contextuality in that theory. For statistics obtained in a paritcular family of communication games, we show a one-to-one correspondance with correlations in space-like separated events obeying the no-signaling principle. Using this, we prove that all mixed quantum states of any finite dimension are preparation contextual. We present an experimental realization of a communication game involving three-level quantum systems from which we observe a strong violation of the constraints of preparation noncontextuality.

Related papers

Communication Games Reveal Preparation Contextuality

Alley Hameedi, Armin Tavakoli, Breno Marques +1 more

A communication game consists of distributed parties attempting to jointly complete a task with restricted communication. Such games are useful tools for studying limitations of physical theories. A theory exhibits preparation contextuality whenever its predictions cannot be explained by a preparation noncontextual model. Here, we show that communication games performed in operational theories reveal the preparation contextuality of that theory. For statistics obtained in a particular family of communication games, we show a direct correspondence with correlations in spacelike separated events obeying the no-signaling principle. Using this, we prove that all mixed quantum states of any finite dimension are preparation contextual. We report on an experimental realization of a communication game involving three-level quantum systems from which we observe a strong violation of the constraints of preparation noncontextuality.

arXiv:1704.08223•Physical Review Letters•Nov 29, 2017•50 citations

Quantum communication games manifest preparation contextuality

Armin Tavakoli

Communication games are collaborative information processing tasks involving a number of players with limited communication. Such games are useful tools for studying physical theories. A physical theory exhibits preparation contextuality whenever observed behaviour cannot be explained by a preparation noncontextual model. Here we show that there is a fundamental connection between the performance in communication games and the degree of preparation (non)contextuality. For this purpose, we present a general framework that allows us to construct communication games such that the game performance corresponds to a measure of preparation (non)contextuality. We illustrate the power of this framework by, 1) deriving many examples of tests of preparation contextuality, 2) showing that quantum violations of Bell inequalities can be derived from quantum violations of preparation noncontextuality, 3) qualitatively and quantitatively explaining related previous results on preparation contextuality in quantum communication games, and 4) solving the open problem of revealing the preparation contextuality of the maximally mixed quantum state in any dimension.

arXiv:1609.09301•Sep 29, 2016•0 citations

Revealing universal quantum contextuality through communication games

A. K. Pan

An ontological model of an operational theory is considered to be universally noncontextual if both preparation and measurement noncontextuality assumptions are satisfied in that model. In this report, we first generalize the logical proofs of quantum preparation and measurement contextuality for qubit system for any odd number of preparations and measurements. Based on the logical proof, we derive testable universally non-contextual inequalities violated by quantum theory. We then propose a class of two-party communication games and show that the average success probability of winning such games is solely linked to suitable Bell expression whose local bound is greater than universal non-contextual bound. Thus, for a given state, even if quantum theory does not exhibit non-locality, it may still reveal non-classicality by violating the universal non-contextual bound. Further, we consider a different communication game to demonstrate that for a given choices of observables in quantum theory, even if there is no logical proof of preparation and measurement contextuality exist, the universal quantum contextuality can be revealed through that communication game. Such a game thus test a weaker form of universal non-contextuality with minimal assumption.

arXiv:1912.10972•Scientific Reports•Nov 26, 2019•21 citations

Limited preparation contextuality in quantum theory leads to Cirel'son bound

Manik Banik, Some Sankar Bhattacharya, Amit Mukherjee +3 more

Kochen-Specker (KS) theorem lies at the heart of the foundations of quantum mechanics. It establishes impossibility of explaining predictions of quantum theory by any noncontextual ontological model. The notion of KS contextuality has been generalized for arbitrary experimental procedures (preparation, measurement, and transformation procedure). Interestingly, it has been shown that preparation contextuality powers parity-oblivious multiplexing, a two party information theoretic game. Thus, using resources of a given operational theory, the maximum success probability achievable in such a game suffices as a \emph{bona-fide} measure of preparation contextuality for the underlying theory. In this work we show that preparation contextuality in quantum theory is more restricted compared to a general operational theory known as \emph{box world}. Moreover, we find that this limitation of quantum theory implies the quantitative bound on quantum nonlocality as depicted by the Cirel'son bound.

•Jun 17, 2015•0 citations

Bounding and Simulating Contextual Correlations in Quantum Theory

Armin Tavakoli, Emmanuel Zambrini Cruzeiro, Roope Uola +1 more

We introduce a hierarchy of semidefinite relaxations of the set of quantum correlations in generalized contextuality scenarios.This constitutes a simple and versatile tool for bounding the magnitude of quantum contextuality.To illustrate its utility, we use it to determine the maximal quantum violation of several noncontextuality inequalities whose maximum violations were previously unknown.We then go further and use it to prove that certain preparation-contextual correlations cannot be explained with pure states, thereby showing that mixed states are an indispensable resource for contextuality.In the second part of the paper, we turn our attention to the simulation of preparation-contextual correlations in general operational theories.We introduce the information cost of simulating preparation contextuality, which quantifies the additional, otherwise forbidden, information required to simulate contextual correlations in either classical or quantum models.In both cases, we show that the simulation cost can be efficiently bounded using a variant of our hierarchy of semidefinite relaxations, and we calculate it exactly in the simplest contextuality scenario of parity-oblivious multiplexing.

arXiv:2010.04751•PRX Quantum•Jun 4, 2021•18 citations

Limited preparation contextuality in quantum theory and its relation to the Cirel'son bound

Manik Banik, Some Sankar Bhattacharya, Amit Mukherjee +3 more

The Kochen--Specker (KS) theorem lies at the heart of the foundations of quantum mechanics. It establishes the impossibility of explaining predictions of quantum theory by any noncontextual ontological model. Spekkens generalized the notion of KS contextuality in [Phys. Rev. A 71, 052108 (2005)] for arbitrary experimental procedures (preparation, measurement, and transformation procedures). Interestingly, later on it was shown that preparation contextuality powers parity-oblivious multiplexing [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 010401 (2009)], a two-party information theoretic game. Thus, using resources of a given operational theory, the maximum success probability achievable in such a game suffices as a bona fide measure of preparation contextuality for the underlying theory. In this work we show that preparation contextuality in quantum theory is more restricted compared to a general operational theory known as box world. Moreover, we find that this limitation of quantum theory implies the quantitative bound on quantum nonlocality as depicted by the Cirel'son bound.

arXiv:1506.05174•Physical Review A•Sep 24, 2015•29 citations
A communication game consists of distributed parties attempting to jointly
complete a task with restricted communication. Such games are useful tools for
studying limitations of physical theories. A theory exhibits preparation
contextuality whenever its predictions cannot be explained by a preparation
noncontextual model. Here, we show that the ability of an operational theory to
perform communication games is a measure of the degree of preparation
contextuality in that theory. For statistics obtained in a paritcular family of
communication games, we show a one-to-one correspondance with correlations in
space-like separated events obeying the no-signaling principle. Using this, we
prove that all mixed quantum states of any finite dimension are preparation
contextual. We present an experimental realization of a communication game
involving three-level quantum systems from which we observe a strong violation
of the constraints of preparation noncontextuality.
A communication game consists of distributed parties attempting to jointly complete a task with restricted communication. Such games are useful tools for studying limitations of physical theories. A theory exhibits preparation contextuality whenever its predictions cannot be explained by a preparation noncontextual model. Here, we show that communication games performed in operational theories reveal the preparation contextuality of that theory. For statistics obtained in a particular family of communication games, we show a direct correspondence with correlations in spacelike separated events obeying the no-signaling principle. Using this, we prove that all mixed quantum states of any finite dimension are preparation contextual. We report on an experimental realization of a communication game involving three-level quantum systems from which we observe a strong violation of the constraints of preparation noncontextuality.
Communication games are collaborative information processing tasks involving a number of players with limited communication. Such games are useful tools for studying physical theories. A physical theory exhibits preparation contextuality whenever observed behaviour cannot be explained by a preparation noncontextual model. Here we show that there is a fundamental connection between the performance in communication games and the degree of preparation (non)contextuality. For this purpose, we present a general framework that allows us to construct communication games such that the game performance corresponds to a measure of preparation (non)contextuality. We illustrate the power of this framework by, 1) deriving many examples of tests of preparation contextuality, 2) showing that quantum violations of Bell inequalities can be derived from quantum violations of preparation noncontextuality, 3) qualitatively and quantitatively explaining related previous results on preparation contextuality in quantum communication games, and 4) solving the open problem of revealing the preparation contextuality of the maximally mixed quantum state in any dimension.
An ontological model of an operational theory is considered to be universally noncontextual if both preparation and measurement noncontextuality assumptions are satisfied in that model. In this report, we first generalize the logical proofs of quantum preparation and measurement contextuality for qubit system for any odd number of preparations and measurements. Based on the logical proof, we derive testable universally non-contextual inequalities violated by quantum theory. We then propose a class of two-party communication games and show that the average success probability of winning such games is solely linked to suitable Bell expression whose local bound is greater than universal non-contextual bound. Thus, for a given state, even if quantum theory does not exhibit non-locality, it may still reveal non-classicality by violating the universal non-contextual bound. Further, we consider a different communication game to demonstrate that for a given choices of observables in quantum theory, even if there is no logical proof of preparation and measurement contextuality exist, the universal quantum contextuality can be revealed through that communication game. Such a game thus test a weaker form of universal non-contextuality with minimal assumption.
Kochen-Specker (KS) theorem lies at the heart of the foundations of quantum mechanics. It establishes impossibility of explaining predictions of quantum theory by any noncontextual ontological model. The notion of KS contextuality has been generalized for arbitrary experimental procedures (preparation, measurement, and transformation procedure). Interestingly, it has been shown that preparation contextuality powers parity-oblivious multiplexing, a two party information theoretic game. Thus, using resources of a given operational theory, the maximum success probability achievable in such a game suffices as a \emph{bona-fide} measure of preparation contextuality for the underlying theory. In this work we show that preparation contextuality in quantum theory is more restricted compared to a general operational theory known as \emph{box world}. Moreover, we find that this limitation of quantum theory implies the quantitative bound on quantum nonlocality as depicted by the Cirel'son bound.
We introduce a hierarchy of semidefinite relaxations of the set of quantum correlations in generalized contextuality scenarios.This constitutes a simple and versatile tool for bounding the magnitude of quantum contextuality.To illustrate its utility, we use it to determine the maximal quantum violation of several noncontextuality inequalities whose maximum violations were previously unknown.We then go further and use it to prove that certain preparation-contextual correlations cannot be explained with pure states, thereby showing that mixed states are an indispensable resource for contextuality.In the second part of the paper, we turn our attention to the simulation of preparation-contextual correlations in general operational theories.We introduce the information cost of simulating preparation contextuality, which quantifies the additional, otherwise forbidden, information required to simulate contextual correlations in either classical or quantum models.In both cases, we show that the simulation cost can be efficiently bounded using a variant of our hierarchy of semidefinite relaxations, and we calculate it exactly in the simplest contextuality scenario of parity-oblivious multiplexing.
The Kochen--Specker (KS) theorem lies at the heart of the foundations of quantum mechanics. It establishes the impossibility of explaining predictions of quantum theory by any noncontextual ontological model. Spekkens generalized the notion of KS contextuality in [Phys. Rev. A 71, 052108 (2005)] for arbitrary experimental procedures (preparation, measurement, and transformation procedures). Interestingly, later on it was shown that preparation contextuality powers parity-oblivious multiplexing [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 010401 (2009)], a two-party information theoretic game. Thus, using resources of a given operational theory, the maximum success probability achievable in such a game suffices as a bona fide measure of preparation contextuality for the underlying theory. In this work we show that preparation contextuality in quantum theory is more restricted compared to a general operational theory known as box world. Moreover, we find that this limitation of quantum theory implies the quantitative bound on quantum nonlocality as depicted by the Cirel'son bound.