Quantum coherence has recently emerged as a key candidate for use as a resource in various quantum information processing tasks. One of the main problems in any quantum resource theory is the characterization of the conversions between resources by means of the free operations of the theory. In this work, we ask if coherence, already present in a reference system, can be broadcast to the auxiliary system via incoherent operations. We prove that it is impossible for a weaker form of broadcasting via incoherent operations. This shows that broadcasting of coherence is forbidden via incoherent operations in every finite-dimensional system. We also prove that a generalized form of broadcasting via incoherent quantum operations can occur if and only if the state of system is coherent. In this case, we are able to give a method for constructing an incoherent quantum operation to broadcast coherence.
Quantum coherence has recently emerged as a key candidate for use as a resource in various quantum information processing tasks. One of the main problems in any quantum resource theory is the characterization of the conversions between resources by means of the free operations of the theory. In this work, we ask if coherence, already present in a reference system, can be broadcast to the auxiliary system via incoherent operations. We prove that it is impossible for a weaker form of broadcasting via incoherent operations. This shows that broadcasting of coherence is forbidden via incoherent operations in every finite-dimensional system. We also prove that a generalized form of broadcasting via incoherent quantum operations can occur if and only if the state of system is coherent. In this case, we are able to give a method for constructing an incoherent quantum operation to broadcast coherence.
Quantum coherence has recently emerged as a key candidate for use as a resource in various quantum information processing tasks. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to explore the possibility of creating a greater number of coherent states from an existing coherent pair. In other words, we start with an initial incoherent pair and induce coherence via quantum cloning. More specifically, we start with a genuinely incoherent state that remains incoherent with the change of basis and make it a coherent state at the end. This process is known as broadcasting of coherence via cloning, which can either be optimal or nonoptimal. Interestingly, in this work, we are able to give a method by which we can introduce coherence in the genuinely incoherent state. We use the computational basis representation of the most general two-qubit mixed state, shared between Alice and Bob, as the input state for the universal symmetric optimal Buzek-Hillery cloner. First of all we show that it is impossible to ensure optimal broadcast of coherence. Second, in the case of nonoptimal broadcasting, we show that the coherence introduced in the output states of the cloner will always be lesser than the initial coherence of the input state. Finally, we take the examples of statistical mixture of the most coherent state and most incoherent state, and then the Bell-diagonal states, to obtain their respective ranges of nonoptimal broadcasting in terms of their input state parameters.
We generalize the recently proposed resource theory of coherence (or superposition) [T. Baumgratz et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 140401 (2014); A. Winter and D. Yang, Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 120404 (2016)] to the setting where not just the free (``incoherent'') resources, but also the manipulated objects, are quantum operations rather than states. In particular, we discuss an information theoretic notion of the coherence capacity of a quantum channel and prove a single-letter formula for it in the case of unitaries. Then we move to the coherence cost of simulating a channel and prove achievability results for unitaries and general channels acting on a d-dimensional system; we show that a maximally coherent state of rank d is always sufficient as a resource if incoherent operations are allowed, and one of rank d2 for ``strictly incoherent'' operations. We also show lower bounds on the simulation cost of channels that allow us to conclude that there exists bound coherence in operations, i.e., maps with nonzero cost of implementing them but zero coherence capacity; this is in contrast to states, which do not exhibit bound coherence.
In the presence of conservation laws, superpositions of eigenstates of the corresponding conserved quantities cannot be generated by quantum dynamics. Thus, any such coherence represents a potentially valuable resource of asymmetry, which can be used, for example, to enhance the precision of quantum metrology or to enable state transitions in quantum thermodynamics. Here we ask if such superpositions, already present in a reference system, can be broadcast to other systems, thereby distributing asymmetry indefinitely at the expense of creating correlations. We prove a no-go theorem showing that this is forbidden by quantum mechanics in every finite-dimensional system. In doing so, we also answer some open questions in the quantum information literature concerning the sharing of timing information of a clock and the possibility of catalysis in quantum thermodynamics. We also prove that even weaker forms of broadcasting, of which Åberg's "catalytic coherence" is a particular example, can only occur in the presence of infinite-dimensional reference systems. Our results set fundamental limits on the creation and manipulation of quantum coherence and shed light on the possibilities and limitations of quantum reference frames to act catalytically without being degraded.
Abstract Quantum coherence and quantum correlation are two fundamental resources in quantum information and computation. Quantum correlated states in a bipartite system are the same as the states that are coherent with respect to any product basis, while a coherent state with respect to some given product basis may not be quantum correlated. In this work, we focus on the question of creating quantum correlation from a coherent state via incoherent quantum operations. We compare characterizations of incoherent operations (IOs), maximally incoherent operations, genuinely incoherent operations and coherence-breaking operations and then explicit interrelations among these operations. Moreover, we give the specific forms of states in two-qubit systems, called super-coherent ones, that can be mapped to quantum correlated ones via some genuinely incoherent operation. We find that there exist some coherent states that are not super-coherent. Furthermore, we prove that a state can be mapped to a quantum correlated state via an incoherent operation if and only if it is coherent. Lastly, we prove that any maximally entangled state can be mapped to an incoherent one via some one-side coherence-breaking operation.
Quantum coherence is an essential ingredient in quantum information processing and plays a central role in emergent fields such as nanoscale thermodynamics and quantum biology. However, our understanding and quantitative characterization of coherence as an operational resource are still very limited. Here we show that any degree of coherence with respect to some reference basis can be converted to entanglement via incoherent operations. This finding allows us to define a novel general class of measures of coherence for a quantum system of arbitrary dimension, in terms of the maximum bipartite entanglement that can be generated via incoherent operations applied to the system and an incoherent ancilla. The resulting measures are proven to be valid coherence monotones satisfying all the requirements dictated by the resource theory of quantum coherence. We demonstrate the usefulness of our approach by proving that the fidelity-based geometric measure of coherence is a full convex coherence monotone, and deriving a closed formula for it on arbitrary single-qubit states. Our work provides a clear quantitative and operational connection between coherence and entanglement, two landmark manifestations of quantum theory and both key enablers for quantum technologies.
Any quantum resource theory is based on free states and free operations, i.e., states and operations which can be created and performed at no cost. In the resource theory of coherence free states are diagonal in some fixed basis, and free operations are those which cannot create coherence for some particular experimental realization. Recently, some problems of this approach have been discussed, and new sets of operations have been proposed to resolve these problems. As an example for such a problem, a quantum operation can be incoherent in one particular experimental realization, but it still can create large amount of coherence in another. This problem is resolved by the framework of genuine quantum coherence. Here, we investigate this concept further and study other more general sets of operations which cannot create coherence in any experimental realization. We analyze in detail the mathematical structure of this class of maps and use this to study possible state transformations under these operations. We show that deterministic manipulation is severely limited, even in the asymptotic settings. In particular, this framework does not have a unique golden unit, i.e., there is no single state from which all other states can be created deterministically with the free operations. On the other hand, we show that these theories allow for a richer structure in what comes to stochastic manipulation of states. In particular, we determine the optimal probability of conversion among pure states with genuinely incoherent operations. Still, the aforementioned limitations suggest that any reasonably powerful resource theory of coherence must contain free operations which can potentially create coherence in some experimental realization.