The ubiquitous no-signaling constraints state that the probability distributions of outputs of any subset of parties in a Bell experiment are independent of remaining parties' inputs. These constraints are considered to form ultimate limits for physical correlations and led to the fields of post-quantum cryptography, randomness generation besides identifying information-theoretic principles underlying quantum theory. Here we show that while these constraints are sufficient, they are not necessary to enforce relativistic causality in multi-party correlations, i.e., the rule that correlations do not allow casual loops. Depending on the space-time coordinates of the measurement events, causality only imposes a subset of no-signaling conditions. We first consider the n-party Bell experiment (n > 2) and identify all configurations where subsets of the constraints suffice. Secondly, we examine the implications for device-independent cryptography against an eavesdropper constrained only by relativity, detailing among other effects explicit attacks on well-known randomness amplification and key distribution protocols.
The ubiquitous no-signaling constraints state that the probability distributions of outputs of any subset of parties in a Bell experiment are independent of remaining parties' inputs. These constraints are considered to form ultimate limits for physical correlations and led to the fields of post-quantum cryptography, randomness generation besides identifying information-theoretic principles underlying quantum theory. Here we show that while these constraints are sufficient, they are not necessary to enforce relativistic causality in multi-party correlations, i.e., the rule that correlations do not allow casual loops. Depending on the space-time coordinates of the measurement events, causality only imposes a subset of no-signaling conditions. We first consider the n-party Bell experiment (n > 2) and identify all configurations where subsets of the constraints suffice. Secondly, we examine the implications for device-independent cryptography against an eavesdropper constrained only by relativity, detailing among other effects explicit attacks on well-known randomness amplification and key distribution protocols.
The no-signaling constraints state that the probability distribution of the outputs of any subset of parties is independent of the inputs of the complementary set; here we re-examine these to see how they arise from relativistic causality. We show that while the usual no-signaling constraints are sufficient, in general they are not necessary to ensure that a theory does not violate causality. Depending on the exact space-time coordinates of the measurement events in a multi-party Bell experiment, causality only imposes a subset of the usual no-signaling conditions. After revisiting the derivation of the two-party no-signaling constraints, we consider the three-party Bell scenario and characterise a space-time region in which a subset of the no-signaling conditions is sufficient to preserve causality. Secondly, we examine the implications for device-independent cryptography against an eavesdropper constrained only by the laws of relativity. We show an explicit attack in certain measurement configurations on a family of protocols based on the n-party Mermin inequalities that were previously proven secure under the old no-signaling conditions. We then show that security of two-party protocols can also be compromised when the eavesdropper's measurement configuration is not constrained. The monogamy of non-local correlations that underpin their use in secrecy can also be broken in certain space-time configurations. Thirdly, we inspect the notion of free-choice and propose a definition of free-choice in the multi-party Bell experiment. We then re-examine the question whether quantum correlations may admit explanations by finite speed superluminal influences. Finally, we study genuine multiparty non-locality and present a new class of causal bilocal models. We propose a new Svetlichny-type inequality that is satisfied by the causal bilocal model and show its violation within quantum theory.
A fundamental question in device-independent quantum cryptography is to determine the minimal physical principle upon which the security of such a cryptographic protocol (such as for key distribution or for randomness generation) may be based. Since the seminal work on device-independent quantum key distribution by J. Barrett, L. Hardy, and A. Kent [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 010503 (2005)], a conjectured candidate for certification of device-independent security has been the principle of relativistic causality, namely the disallowance of causal loops. While this principle has thus far been equated with the no-signaling constraints, it has been shown recently that in multiparty Bell scenarios, the no-signaling constraints are sufficient but not necessary for relativistic causality, and a refined set of constraints has been proposed that more precisely capture the notion of relativistic causality. In this paper, we build upon this finding to show that, in contrast to the no-signaling constraints, the constraints of relativistic causality are not sufficient for certification of device-independent security. More specifically, we show that there exist correlations allowed by the causality principle that allow an adversary to gain complete information about the measurement outcomes of honest parties in any device-independent cryptographic protocol, thereby rendering the protocol completely insecure. As a tool to develop this adversarial attack strategy, we fully characterize the set of correlations allowed by relativistic causality in the tripartite Bell scenario of three parties, each performing two binary measurements, that may be of independent interest. We also demonstrate the difference between the relativistic causal correlations and those allowed by the usual no-signaling constraints by presenting explicit communication tasks wherein the two sets exhibit striking difference in their respective winning probabilities.
Relativistic causality in certain spacetime configurations permits jamming - superluminal causal influences that nevertheless do not enable superluminal signaling. We fully characterize the correlations compatible with relativistic causality (RC) by extending the operator framework of PRL 104, 140404. When the underlying state is required to be quantum, we prove that any nontrivial jamming - whether state-independent or state-dependent - necessarily leads to hidden superluminal signaling. Thus, the only consistent possibilities are standard quantum correlations without jamming or the full relativistically causal correlation set, with intermediate jamming extensions of quantum correlations leading to signaling. As an application of our characterization, we investigate the security of device-independent (DI) cryptographic primitives against adversaries constrained only by relativistic causality. We construct explicit RC attacks that break DI bit commitment and DI secret sharing in jamming geometries, even when these protocols remain secure against no-signaling adversaries. Our results show that security against relativistic adversaries requires behaviors to be specified together with the spacetime locations of their measurement events; input-output statistics alone are insufficient.
Non-classical correlations resulting from entangled quantum systems have sparked debates about the compatibility of quantum theory and relativity, and about the right way to think about causation. Key to a causal theory is that superluminal signalling is forbidden, which holds in quantum theory. In Bell scenarios, relativistic causality principles like no superluminal signalling are often assumed to follow from the standard no-signalling constraints on correlations. We explore the connections between a range of relativistic principles, including no superluminal signalling and no causal loops, and constraints on correlations that can arise with arbitrary interventions, within multi-party Bell scenarios. This includes standard no-signalling conditions and proposed relaxations allowing phenomena like jamming, where it was suggested that superluminal signalling and causal loops remain impossible. Using our recent framework combining relativistic principles with causal modelling, we show that any theory (classical or non-classical) allowing jamming must rely on causal fine-tuning and superluminal causal influences. Additionally, we show that jamming theories can lead to superluminal signalling in certain situations, highlighting limitations for their physicality. However, we identify cases where jamming correlations avoid superluminal signalling under general interventions, demonstrating that standard no-signalling constraints are not necessary for this purpose. We also show that these constraints are insufficient to rule out superluminal signalling and are neither necessary nor sufficient for ensuring no causal loops under general interventions. Finally, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for ruling out superluminal signalling and operationally detectable causal loops, solidifying our understanding of relativistic causality principles in information processing tasks in space-time.
The no-signalling principle lies at the heart of Bell-type experiments involving spacelike-separated parties. Although not all no-signalling correlations can be realized within quantum theory, the no-sinalling principle itself remains fundamental even for post-quantum theories, since its violation would imply superluminal signalling. In the spirit of device independent nature of the Bell inequalities, there has recently been growing interest in causal inequalities, which identify correlations admitting no causal explanation. Such correlations have been rigorously studied within the process-matrix formalism, which is built upon a constraint analogous to spacelike separation in Bell scenarios. We refer to this constraint as the single-interaction constraint, whereby each party interacts with the environment only once. Despite considerable effort, no fundamental guiding principle is currently known that characterizes the restrictions this constraint imposes on the correlations generated by Process Matrices. In this work, we address this gap by proposing a generalized causality principle for the bipartite case. We show that for certain cases, the generalised causality principle defines a strict subset of the set of all signalling correlations. This principle thus provides a fundamental limit on quantum and even post-quantum theories subject to the single-interaction constraint. By analogy with no-signalling, whose violation excludes certain causal structures among the parties, a violation of the generalised causality principle rules out a corresponding class of causal structures(causal structures with the single interaction constraint). More broadly, our techniques provide a general framework for deriving generalised causal constraints, applicable to a wide class of indefinite-causal-order scenarios.
Information causality (IC) was introduced as a physical principle that imposes constraints on the non-local correlations between two parties (Alice and Bob) in a Bell scenario. Specifically, it states that the information that Bob can gain about an n-bit database held by Alice is bounded by the information she communicates to him. To date, the question whether IC for any n∈N singles out the set of quantum correlations remains open, meaning that it is unknown whether for any number of inputs m and outputs d of the two parties the set of correlations that satisfy IC exactly coincides with the quantum correlations. In this work, we answer this question in the negative. Firstly, we show that for any finite database length n≥2, there is a bipartite set of correlations that satisfies IC for all compatible protocols and that exhibits post-quantum correlations in the Bell scenario with n+1 inputs and 2 outcomes per party. This result relies on constructing an entropic proof of IC for GPTs that may be of independent interest. We further show that in the Bell scenario with n+1 inputs and 2 outcomes per party, our constructed sets of correlations lead to neither a superset nor a subset of the quantum correlations. Secondly, we construct a set of correlations in the Bell scenario with 3 inputs and 2 outputs per party that satisfies IC (for all database sizes n∈N) and that includes post-quantum points. Consequently, all known formulations of information causality fail to fully characterize the bipartite set of quantum correlations, already in the 3-input, 2-outcome Bell scenario.