We analyze the structure of the so called non-signaling theories respecting relativistic causality but allowing correlations violating bounds imposed by quantum mechanics such as CHSH inequality. We discuss relations among such theories, quantum mechanics, and classical physics. In particular we reconstruct the probability theory adequate for the simplest instance of a non-signaling theory, the two non-signaling boxes world, and exhibit its differences in comparison with classical and quantum probabilities. We show that the question whether such a theory can be treated as a kind of "generalization" of the quantum theory of the two-qubit system cannot be answered positively. Some of its features put it closer to the quantum world, for example measurements must be destructive, on the other hand the Heisenberg uncertainty relations are not satisfied. Another interesting property contrasting it from quantum mechanics is that the subset of "classically correlated states," i.e.\ the states with only classical correlations, does not reproduce the classical world of two two-state systems. Our results establish a new link between quantum information theory and the well-developed theory of quantum logics and can shed new light on the problem why quantum mechanics is distinguished among non-signaling theories.
We analyze the structure of the so called non-signaling theories respecting relativistic causality but allowing correlations violating bounds imposed by quantum mechanics such as CHSH inequality. We discuss relations among such theories, quantum mechanics, and classical physics. In particular we reconstruct the probability theory adequate for the simplest instance of a non-signaling theory, the two non-signaling boxes world, and exhibit its differences in comparison with classical and quantum probabilities. We show that the question whether such a theory can be treated as a kind of "generalization" of the quantum theory of the two-qubit system cannot be answered positively. Some of its features put it closer to the quantum world, for example measurements must be destructive, on the other hand the Heisenberg uncertainty relations are not satisfied. Another interesting property contrasting it from quantum mechanics is that the subset of "classically correlated states," i.e.\ the states with only classical correlations, does not reproduce the classical world of two two-state systems. Our results establish a new link between quantum information theory and the well-developed theory of quantum logics and can shed new light on the problem why quantum mechanics is distinguished among non-signaling theories.
We analyze the structure of the so called non-signaling theories respecting relativistic causality but allowing correlations violating bounds imposed by quantum mechanics such as CHSH inequality. We discuss relations among such theories, quantum mechanics, and classical physics. In particular we reconstruct the probability theory adequate for the simplest instance of a non-signaling theory, the two non-signaling boxes world, and exhibit its differences in comparison with classical and quantum probabilities. We show that the question whether such a theory can be treated as a kind of "generalization" of the quantum theory of the two-qubit system cannot be answered positively. Some of its features put it closer to the quantum world, for example measurements must be destructive, on the other hand the Heisenberg uncertainty relations are not satisfied. Another interesting property contrasting it from quantum mechanics is that the subset of "classically correlated states," i.e.\ the states with only classical correlations, does not reproduce the classical world of two two-state systems. Our results establish a new link between quantum information theory and the well-developed theory of quantum logics and can shed new light on the problem why quantum mechanics is distinguished among non-signaling theories.
Starting from logical structures of classical and quantum mechanics we reconstruct the logic of so-called no-signaling theories, where the correlations among subsystems of a composite system are restricted only by a simplest form of causality forbidding an instantaneous communication. Although such theories are, as it seems, irrelevant for the description of physical reality, they are helpful in understanding the relevance of quantum mechanics. The logical structure of each theory has an epistemological flavor, as it is based on analysis of possible results of experiments. In this note we emphasize that not only logical structures of classical, quantum and no-signaling theory may be treated on the same ground but it is also possible to give to all of them a common ontological basis by constructing a “phase space” in all cases. In non-classical cases the phase space is not a set, as in classical theory, but a more general object obtained by means of category theory, but conceptually it plays the same role as the phase space in classical physics.
Quantum mechanics is not the unique no-signaling theory which is endowed with stronger-than-classical correlations, and there exists a broad class of no-signaling theories allowing even stronger-than-quantum correlations. The principle of information causality has been suggested to distinguish quantum theory from these nonphysical theories, together with an elegant information-theoretic proof of the quantum bound of two-particle correlations. In this work, we extend this to genuine N-particle correlations that cannot be reduced to mixtures of states in which a smaller number of particles are entangled. We first express Svetlichny's inequality in terms of multipartite no-signaling boxes, then prove that the strongest genuine multipartite correlations lead to the maximal violation of information causality. The maximal genuine multipartite correlations under the constraint of information causality is found to be equal to the quantum mechanical bound. This result consolidates information causality as a physical principle defining the possible correlations allowed by nature, and provides intriguing insights into the limits of genuine multipartite correlations in quantum theory.
This thesis explores various perspectives on quantum phenomena, and how our understanding of these phenomena is informed by the study of general probabilistic theories. Particular attention is given to quantum nonlocality, and its interaction with areas of physical and mathematical interest such as entropy, reversible dynamics, information-based games and the idea of negative probability. We begin with a review of non-signaling distributions and convex operational theories, including “black box” descriptions of experiments and the mathematics of convex vector spaces. In Chapter 3 we derive various classical and quantum-like quasiprobabilistic representations of arbitrary non-signaling distributions. Previously, results in which the density operator is allowed to become non-positive [1] have proved useful in derivations of quantum theory from physical requirements [2]; we derive a dual result in which the measurement operators instead are allowed to become non-positive, and show that the generation of any non-signaling distribution is possible using a fixed separable state with negligible correlation. We also derive two distinct “quasi-local” models of non-signaling correlations. Chapter 4 investigates non-local games, in particular the game known as Information Causality. By analysing the probability of success in this game, we prove the conjectured tightness of a bound given in [3] concerning how well entanglement allows us to perform the task of random access coding, and introduce a quadratic bias bound which seems to capture a great deal of information about the set of quantum-achievable correlations. By reformulating Information Causality in terms of entropies, we find that a sensible measure of entropy precludes many general probabilistic theories whose non-locality is stronger than that of quantum theory. Chapter 5 explores the role that reversible transitivity (the principle that any two pure states are joined by a reversible transformation) plays as a characteristic feature of quantum theory. It has previously been shown that in Boxworld, the theory allowing for the full set of non-signaling correlations, any reversible transformation on a restricted class of composite systems is merely a composition of relabellings of measurement choices and outcomes, and permutations of subsystems [4]. We develop a tabular description of Boxworld states and effects first introduced in [5], and use this to extend this reversibility result to any composite Boxworld system in which none of the subsystems are classical.
Quantum mechanics is not the unique no-signaling theory which is endowed with stronger-than-classical correlations, and there exists a broad class of no-signaling theories allowing even stronger-than-quantum correlations. The principle of information causality has been suggested to distinguish quantum theory from these nonphysical theories, together with an elegant information-theoretic proof of the quantum bound of two-particle correlations. In this work, we extend this to genuine N-particle correlations that cannot be reduced to mixtures of states in which a smaller number of particles are entangled. We first express Svetlichny's inequality in terms of multipartite no-signaling boxes, then prove that the strongest genuine multipartite correlations lead to the maximal violation of information causality. The maximal genuine multipartite correlations under the constraint of information causality is found to be equal to the quantum mechanical bound. This result consolidates information causality as a physical principle defining the possible correlations allowed by nature, and provides intriguing insights into the limits of genuine multipartite correlations in quantum theory.
Quantum mechanics has achieved unparalleled success as an operational theory, describing a wide range of experiments to remarkable accuracy. However, the physical foundations on which it rests remain as puzzling as they were a century ago, and a concise statement of the physical principles that underlie quantum mechanics is still outstanding. One promising approach holds that these principles should be formulated in terms of information, since many of the counter-intuitive effects in quantum theory concern questions such as what one can know about a quantum system and how the information encoded therein can be processed and distributed between parties. Another challenging feature of quantum theory is its incompatibility with the other cornerstone of modern physics, general relativity. In order to reconcile the two, one must identify and retain only the essential concepts and principles of each theory, and in the case of general relativity, causality has been identified as such a concept. This raises the question of how our classical understanding of causality must change when quantum theory is taken into account. In order to address these questions about information, knowledge and causality, I turn to the framework of causal models. In classical statistics, causal models explain the relations among a set of variables in terms of causal influences, which makes them a powerful tool for structuring our knowledge about complex systems and developing strategies for interacting with them. More importantly, the framework provides the conceptual underpinnings and mathematical methods for addressing questions about causation, information and knowledge in a rigorous manner. In this thesis, I develop a version of the classical causal models framework that is compatible with quantum theory and explore its physical implications. \n \n \nA first step is to define quantum versions of fundamental elements such as variables, conditionals and belief propagation rules. This allows one to consider the question of what one can come to know about a quantum variable from the point of view of causal modelling. The conditionals relating quantum variables are found to have a richer structure than their classical counterparts, which can be exploited for the task of discerning causal relations given limited data -- a central problem in classical causal modelling. The mathematical properties of quantum conditionals also establish a correspondence between various classes of two-party correlations, such as bound and distillable entanglement, and the types of causal structures that can give rise to them, which may become a useful tool for entanglement theory and quantum information processing. In the context of open quantum systems dynamics, quantum causal models provide a clear physical explanation of not completely positive maps and, more broadly, of non-Markovian quantum dynamics. Finally, I consider the possibility of non-classical effects in the way that different causal mechanisms are combined -- that is, non-classical causal structures. For the simple case of two causally ordered variables, I propose indicators that witness different classes of combinations of causal mechanisms, including a non-classical mixture, and describe an experiment realizing examples of the different classes. \n \n \nAs these results illustrate, the framework of quantum causal models provides both greater conceptual clarity and a comprehensive mathematical formalism for studying a diverse set of problems, ranging from foundational questions to applications in open systems dynamics and the exploration of non-classical causal structures, which are likely to feature in a future theory of quantum gravity. The material presented in this thesis is intended as a foundation and inspiration for further applications of quantum causal models.