Abstract The extension of point-to-point communication to multi-node configurations has significant applications in internet and telecommunication networks. Quantum resources promise notable advantages in such settings. Here, we demonstrate a novel quantum advantage in simulating multiple access channels (MACs)-a common network configuration where multiple distant senders transmit messages to a single receiver (e.g. the uplink from several mobile phones to a server). Specifically, we show that qubit transmission outperforms its classical counterpart, even when the latter is supplemented with classical shared randomness. Remarkably, unlike the seminal quantum superdense coding protocol, this advantage is achieved without any pre-shared entanglement between the senders and the receiver-a feat prohibited by Holevo and Frenkel–Weiner no-go theorems in the one-sender-one-receiver scenario. The receiver’s ability to simultaneously decode quantum systems from multiple senders underpins this distinct advantage in the MAC setup. Some of our MAC designs are inspired by constructs in quantum foundations, such as the Pusey–Barrett–Rudolph theorem and ‘quantum nonlocality without entanglement’. Beyond network applications, this quantum advantage reveals a deeper connection to ‘quantum nonlocality without inputs’ phenomenon and suggests potential for semi-device-independent certification of entangled measurements.
Abstract The extension of point-to-point communication to multi-node configurations has significant applications in internet and telecommunication networks. Quantum resources promise notable advantages in such settings. Here, we demonstrate a novel quantum advantage in simulating multiple access channels (MACs)-a common network configuration where multiple distant senders transmit messages to a single receiver (e.g. the uplink from several mobile phones to a server). Specifically, we show that qubit transmission outperforms its classical counterpart, even when the latter is supplemented with classical shared randomness. Remarkably, unlike the seminal quantum superdense coding protocol, this advantage is achieved without any pre-shared entanglement between the senders and the receiver-a feat prohibited by Holevo and Frenkel–Weiner no-go theorems in the one-sender-one-receiver scenario. The receiver’s ability to simultaneously decode quantum systems from multiple senders underpins this distinct advantage in the MAC setup. Some of our MAC designs are inspired by constructs in quantum foundations, such as the Pusey–Barrett–Rudolph theorem and ‘quantum nonlocality without entanglement’. Beyond network applications, this quantum advantage reveals a deeper connection to ‘quantum nonlocality without inputs’ phenomenon and suggests potential for semi-device-independent certification of entangled measurements.
Extension of point-to-point communication model to the realm of multi-node configurations finds a plethora of applications in internet and telecommunication networks. Here, we establish a novel advantage of quantum communication in a commonly encountered network configuration known as the Multiple Access Channel (MAC). A MAC consists of multiple distant senders aiming to send their respective messages to a common receiver. Unlike the quantum superdense coding protocol, the advantage reported here is realized without invoking entanglement between the senders and the receiver. Notably, such an advantage is unattainable in traditional point-to-point communication involving one sender and one receiver, where the limitations imposed by the Holevo and Frankel Weiner no-go theorems come into play. Within the MAC setup, this distinctive advantage materializes through the receiver's unique ability to simultaneously decode the quantum systems received from multiple senders. Intriguingly, some of our MAC designs draw inspiration from various other constructs in quantum foundations, such as the Pusey-Barrett-Rudolph theorem and the concept of `nonlocality without entanglement', originally explored for entirely different purposes. Beyond its immediate applications in network communication, the presented quantum advantage hints at a profound connection with the concept of `quantum nonlocality without inputs' and holds the potential for semi-device-independent certification of entangled measurements.
We implement an experiment on a photonic quantum processor establishing efficacy of the elementary quantum system in classical information storage. The advantage is established by considering a class of simple bipartite games played with the communication resource qubit and classical bit (c bit), respectively. Conventional wisdom, supported by the no-go theorems of Holevo and Frenkel-Weiner, suggests that such a quantum advantage is unattainable when the sender and receiver share randomness or classical correlations. However, our results reveal a quantum advantage in a scenario devoid of any shared randomness. Our experiment involves the development of a variational triangular polarimeter, enabling the realization of positive operator value measurements crucial for establishing the targeted quantum advantage. Beyond showcasing a robust communication advantage with a single qubit, our work paves the way for immediate applications in near-term quantum technologies. It provides a semi-device-independent certification scheme for quantum encoding-decoding systems and offers an efficient method for information loading and transmission in quantum networks.
Quantum communication can outperform classical communication in a variety of information-processing tasks, but such advantages are typically established for a fixed communication network. Here we introduce topology-independent quantum advantage, in which a quantum protocol outperforms every classical protocol subject to the same communication constraint, irrespective of how the classical communication resource is distributed among the parties or which communication topology is employed, even when the parties may share unlimited classical randomness. We first demonstrate this phenomenon through a simple three-party equality task: two senders receive ternary classical inputs, while an input-free receiver determines whether the inputs are equal. We then formulate a general framework for topology-independent communication and completely characterize the corresponding classical correlation polytope in the minimal three-party scenario. Its facet inequalities reveal several instances of topology-independent quantum advantage. Remarkably, one of these inequalities enables the semi-device-independent certification of a nonunitary quantum channel, while another certifies a sequential quantum network topology without any prior assumption about the network configuration. Finally, we extend the framework to four-party networks, characterize the relevant classical communication structures, and identify a communication task exhibiting quantum advantages against all admissible classical topologies. Our results establish topology independence as a genuine and robust form of quantum advantage in communication networks.
Communication networks have multiple users, each sending and receiving messages. A multiple access channel (MAC) models multiple senders transmitting to a single receiver, such as the uplink from many mobile phones to a single base station. The optimal performance of a MAC is quantified by a capacity region of simultaneously achievable communication rates. We study the two-sender classical MAC, the simplest and best-understood network, and find a surprising richness in both a classical and quantum context. First, we find that quantum entanglement shared between senders can substantially boost the capacity of a classical MAC. Second, we find that optimal performance of a MAC with bounded-size inputs may require unbounded amounts of entanglement. Third, determining whether a perfect communication rate is achievable using finite-dimensional entanglement is undecidable. Finally, we show that evaluating the capacity region of a two-sender classical MAC is in fact NP-hard.
A central problem in quantum information theory is understanding how quantum resources can be used to communicate information more efficiently than classical resources. We introduce quantum dense network coding -- a protocol that transmits the output of a non-Boolean function to a receiver using provably half as many qubits as bits for each sender by not transmitting the entirety of the function inputs. We show this advantage requires both shared entanglement and quantum communication, is robust to noise, and the gap in success probability between quantum and classical communication can be amplified exponentially in the number of senders. Finally, we show that dense network coding gives rise to a novel, information-theoretically secure, quantum cryptographic protocol, which we call measurement-device-independent quantum key growing.
Abstract Can quantum processes be simulated using only classical resources? This question delineates the boundary between classical and quantum models and clarifies the origin of quantum advantage in information processing. We address this question through the task of quantum channel simulation, where a sender (Alice) holds the classical description of a quantum state and wishes to transmit it to a receiver (Bob) for measurement. Prior work has shown that, for qubit channels, 2 bits of forward communication with shared randomness suffice to reproduce the statistics of any single-qubit measurement. We argue, however, that true channel simulation requires reproducing statistics of joint measurements—including entangled effects—on Alice’s state and an auxiliary system held by Bob. Such scenarios naturally arise in network communication, where some nodes know the state, while others do not. We prove that a perfect qubit channel cannot be simulated with any finite amount of classical communication, even using the most general multi-round, bidirectional protocols. We further show that this no-go result is rooted in the necessity of reproducing statistics associated with entangled effects. On the other hand, we show that noisy qubit channels, such as depolarizing channels, admit classical simulation, though the required communication diverges as noise decreases.