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Quantum Information Processing

A quantum approach to twice-repeated $$2\times 2$$ game

Katarzyna Rycerz, Piotr Frąckiewicz

Published Jul 29, 2020• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract This work proposes an extension of the well-known Eisert–Wilkens–Lewenstein scheme for playing a twice repeated $$2\times 2$$ 2 × 2 game using a single quantum system with ten maximally entangled qubits. The proposed scheme is then applied to the Prisoner’s Dilemma game. Rational strategy profiles are examined in the presence of limited awareness of the players. In particular, the paper considers two cases of a classical player against a quantum player game: the first case when the classical player does not know that his opponent is a quantum one and the second case, when the classical player is aware of it. To this end, the notion of unawareness was used, and the extended Nash equilibria were determined.

DOI
10.1007/s11128-020-02743-0

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Abstract This work proposes an extension of the well-known Eisert–Wilkens–Lewenstein scheme for playing a twice repeated 2×22\times 22×2 2 × 2 game using a single quantum system with ten maximally entangled qubits. The proposed scheme is then applied to the Prisoner’s Dilemma game. Rational strategy profiles are examined in the presence of limited awareness of the players. In particular, the paper considers two cases of a classical player against a quantum player game: the first case when the classical player does not know that his opponent is a quantum one and the second case, when the classical player is aware of it. To this end, the notion of unawareness was used, and the extended Nash equilibria were determined.
A well-known model in game theory, the Volunteer's Dilemma describes a group of nnn players who decide whether to volunteer for a collective benefit at a personal cost, or to abstain and risk forfeiting the benefit altogether. A quantum version of this dilemma, developed within the Eisert-Wilkens-Lewenstein framework, allows each player to manipulate one qubit of a shared entangled state, leading to symmetric Nash equilibria with higher expected payoffs than in the classical game. Existing analyses, however, assume maximal entanglement, which is experimentally demanding for hardware-constrained quantum systems. Within the same framework, we introduce a generalized Quantum Volunteer's Dilemma with a tunable entanglement parameter γγγ and study the extent to which equilibrium behavior depends on the level of entanglement. We derive explicit conditions relating γγγ, the number of players, and the players' strategies under which symmetric Nash equilibria exist, focusing on two canonical strategy profiles: one for 2≤n≤92\leq n\leq 92≤n≤9, and one for even nnn. We find that maximal entanglement is not required to sustain symmetric equilibria. Instead, equilibrium behavior persists above a threshold value, which we compute analytically in both cases. We also demonstrate that the threshold value directly depends on system size.
A quantized version of the prisoner’s dilemma game based on the Marinatto–Weber quantization scheme is introduced. A four-qubit-basis initial entangled quantum state is assumed. Two domains for Nash equilibria are observed in terms of the degree of entanglement of the game. Each Nash equilibrium point is found to be Pareto optimal in its corresponding domain. Therefore, there is a unique solution to the game dilemma in each domain of the entanglement parameter. The maximally entangled limit is studied, and the players’ payoffs are found to equal the average of the payoff matrix independently of their choices. Consequently, any combination of players’ choices is a solution to the dilemma of the game. The nonentangled limits are also studied and found to coincide with the classical mixed-strategy game. Our results are equivalent to those of the noisy schemes of the quantum prisoner’s dilemma game. In our scheme, entanglement can be interpreted as a noise.
We develop a rigorous mathematical framework for quantum game theory applied to static 2x2 games, extending classical concepts to the quantum setting where players may employ arbitrary unitary operations (pure strategies) or probability measures over the continuous group SU(2) (mixed strategies). The Eisert-Wilkens-Lewenstein protocol is introduced as the standard implementation of quantum 2x2 games. We prove the existence of Nash equilibria for continuous quantum mixed strategies via a fixed-point argument, generalising the classical Nash theorem to the quantum case.
Classic game theory is an important field with a long tradition of useful results. Recently, the quantum versions of classical games, such as the Prisoner's Dilemma (PD), have attracted a lot of attention. Similarly, state machines and specifically finite automata have also been under constant and thorough study for plenty of reasons. The quantum analogues of these abstract machines, like the quantum finite automata, have been studied extensively. In this work, we examine some well-known game conditional strategies that have been studied within the framework of the repeated PD game. Then, we try to associate these strategies to proper quantum finite automata that receive them as inputs and recognize them with probability 1, achieving some interesting results. We also study the quantum version of PD under the Eisert-Wilkens-Lewenstein scheme, proposing a novel conditional strategy for the repeated version of this game.
Abstract The maximally entangled (ME) Eisert–Wilkens–Lewenstein (EWL) quantization scheme efficiently solves the classical prisoner’s dilemma (PD). Despite the intensive research on the EWL scheme, little is known about the role of the arbiter in controlling the scheme properties. We redefine the EWL scheme by introducing an arbitrary phase shift into the ME initial state. Four basic initial states were analyzed in this study. It is found that the arbiter completely controls the characteristics of the arbitrary ME quantum PD. The arbiter can adjust the ME initial state to obtain an efficient symmetric Nash equilibrium. In contrast, the arbiter can nullify the quantization advantages. Moreover, it can preserve/violate the symmetry of the game or even turn it into a potential game.
Games with unawareness model strategic situations in which players' perceptions about the game are limited. They take into account the fact that the players may be unaware of some of the strategies available to them or their opponents as well as the players may have a restricted view about the number of players participating in the game. The aim of the paper is to introduce this notion into theory of quantum games. We focus on games in strategic form and Eisert-Wilkens-Lewenstein type quantum games. It is shown that limiting a player's perception in the game enriches the structure of the quantum game substantially and allows the players to obtain results that are unattainable when the game is played in a quantum way by means of previously used methods.