Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

The European Physical Journal D

Wigner negativity and nonlocal correlations

Michael E. N. Tschaffon, Matthias Freyberger

Published Nov 1, 2025• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract We investigate whether negative values of Wigner functions purely coming from correlations are sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations. We employ a simple model for superpositions of coherent states and examine how the corresponding Wigner negativity of correlations relates to the violation of a CHSH inequality based on pseudo-spins. We find that a critical amount of this negativity is necessary to violate the inequality, making a nonzero negativity not sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations. Graphical Abstract

DOI
10.1140/epjd/s10053-025-01086-8

Related papers

Wigner negativity and nonlocal correlations

Matthias Freyberger, Michael E. N. Tschaffon

Abstract We investigate whether negative values of Wigner functions purely coming from correlations are sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations. We employ a simple model for superpositions of coherent states and examine how the corresponding Wigner negativity of correlations relates to the violation of a CHSH inequality based on pseudo-spins. We find that a critical amount of this negativity is necessary to violate the inequality, making a nonzero negativity not sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations.

•Nov 10, 2025•0 citations

Operational criterion for Wigner function negativity

Paolo Solinas, Beatrice Donelli, Stefano Gherardini

We introduce an operational criterion to identify Wigner function (WF) negativity for an arbitrary quantum state within the framework of quantum non-demolition measurements. This criterion corresponds to experimentally accessible schemes that enable a direct measurement of the WF, and establishes the coherent-state basis as a privileged basis for determining when the WF exhibits negative regions. We show that the absence (presence) of coherent superpositions in the coherent-state basis provides direct information about the positivity (negativity) of the WF. In particular, the absence of such superpositions constitutes a sufficient condition for WF positivity. Although a general proof of necessity remains elusive, we demonstrate that this condition is also necessary in two relevant cases: Schrödinger-cat states and higher-order cat states on a circle. More precisely, for Schrödinger-cat states we establish a necessary and sufficient condition for the positivity of the WF in full generality, whereas for high-order cat states on a circle we derive an analogous condition in the limit of a large number of densely packed coherent states.

quant-pharXiv:2604.20303•Apr 23, 2026•0 citations

Qudit Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt Inequality and Nonlocality from Wigner Negativity

Uta Isabella Meyer, Ivan Šupić, Damian Markham +1 more

Nonlocality is an essential concept that distinguishes quantum from classical models and has been extensively studied in systems of qubits. For higher-dimensional systems, certain results for their two-level counterpart, like Bell violations with stabilizer states and Clifford operators, do not generalize. On the other hand, similar to continuous variable systems, Wigner negativity is necessary for nonlocality in qudit systems. We propose a new generalization of the CHSH inequality for qudits by inquiring correlations related to the Wigner negativity of stabilizer states under the adjoint action of a generalization of the qubit π / 8 -gate. A specified stabilizer state maximally violates the inequality among all qudit states based on its Wigner negativity. The Bell operator not only serves as a measure for the singlet fraction but also quantifies the volume of Wigner negativity. Additionally, we show how a bipartite entangled qudit state can serve as a witness for contextuality when it exhibits Wigner negativity. Furthermore, we identify rational-phase diagonal unitaries as the key resource that exactly reproduce the CGLMP and SATWAP violation with the maximally entangled state through simple phase-difference alignment.

arXiv:2405.14367•Quantum•Jun 15, 2026•0 citations

Logical Bell Inequalities for Marginal Wigner Negativity

Sanchit Srivastava, Selman Ipek, Cihan Okay +1 more

We construct logical Bell inequalities whose violations are determined by the Wigner function of a reduced quantum state. For odd-prime qudits, each phase-space point of any nonempty proper subsystem defines an inequality, violated precisely when the corresponding Gross Wigner value is negative. This correspondence allows us to quantify the contextuality that a reduced state guarantees for the composite system. The normalized violation gives a lower bound on the contextual fraction in the complete Weyl measurement scenario, valid for every joint state with that marginal, irrespective of its correlations. We identify a family of product states that saturates this bound. For these states, one marginal Wigner value fixes the contextual fraction of the entire system.

quant-pharXiv:2610.42017•Nov 2, 2026

Witnessing Wigner Negativity

Ulysse Chabaud, Pierre-Emmanuel Emeriau, Frédéric Grosshans

Negativity of the Wigner function is arguably one of the most striking non-classical features of quantum states. Beyond its fundamental relevance, it is also a necessary resource for quantum speedup with continuous variables. As quantum technologies emerge, the need to identify and characterize the resources which provide an advantage over existing classical technologies becomes more pressing. Here we derive witnesses for Wigner negativity of single mode and multimode quantum states, based on fidelities with Fock states, which can be reliably measured using standard detection setups. They possess a threshold expectation value indicating whether the measured state has a negative Wigner function. Moreover, the amount of violation provides an operational quantification of Wigner negativity. We phrase the problem of finding the threshold values for our witnesses as an infinite-dimensional linear optimisation. By relaxing and restricting the corresponding linear programs, we derive two hierarchies of semidefinite programs, which provide numerical sequences of increasingly tighter upper and lower bounds for the threshold values. We further show that both sequences converge to the threshold value. Moreover, our witnesses form a complete family – each Wigner negative state is detected by at least one witness – thus providing a reliable method for experimentally witnessing Wigner negativity of quantum states from few measurements. From a foundational perspective, our findings provide insights on the set of positive Wigner functions which still lacks a proper characterisation.

arXiv:2102.06193•Quantum•Jun 8, 2021•47 citations

Quantum nonlocality for entanglement of quasiclassical states

Zhi-Rong Zhong, Jian-Qi Sheng, Li-Hua Lin +1 more

Entanglement of quasiclassical (coherent) states of two harmonic oscillators leads to striking quantum effects and is useful for quantum technologies. These effects and applications are closely related to nonlocal correlations inherent in these states, manifested by the violation of Bell inequalities. With previous frameworks, this violation is limited by the size of the system, which does not approach the maximum, even when the amount of entanglement approaches its maximum. Here, we propose a new version of Bell correlation operators, with which a nearly maximal violation can be obtained, as long as the associated entanglement approximates to the maximum. Consequently, the revealed nonlocality is significantly stronger than those with previous frameworks for a wide range of the system size. We present a new scheme for realizing the gate necessary for measurement of the nonlocal correlations. In addition to the use in test of quantum nonlocality, this gate is useful for quantum information processing with coherent states.

arXiv:1905.04701•Optics Letters•Mar 26, 2019•6 citations
Abstract We investigate whether negative values of Wigner functions purely coming from correlations are sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations. We employ a simple model for superpositions of coherent states and examine how the corresponding Wigner negativity of correlations relates to the violation of a CHSH inequality based on pseudo-spins. We find that a critical amount of this negativity is necessary to violate the inequality, making a nonzero negativity not sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations. Graphical Abstract
Abstract We investigate whether negative values of Wigner functions purely coming from correlations are sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations. We employ a simple model for superpositions of coherent states and examine how the corresponding Wigner negativity of correlations relates to the violation of a CHSH inequality based on pseudo-spins. We find that a critical amount of this negativity is necessary to violate the inequality, making a nonzero negativity not sufficient for observing nonlocal correlations.
We introduce an operational criterion to identify Wigner function (WF) negativity for an arbitrary quantum state within the framework of quantum non-demolition measurements. This criterion corresponds to experimentally accessible schemes that enable a direct measurement of the WF, and establishes the coherent-state basis as a privileged basis for determining when the WF exhibits negative regions. We show that the absence (presence) of coherent superpositions in the coherent-state basis provides direct information about the positivity (negativity) of the WF. In particular, the absence of such superpositions constitutes a sufficient condition for WF positivity. Although a general proof of necessity remains elusive, we demonstrate that this condition is also necessary in two relevant cases: Schrödinger-cat states and higher-order cat states on a circle. More precisely, for Schrödinger-cat states we establish a necessary and sufficient condition for the positivity of the WF in full generality, whereas for high-order cat states on a circle we derive an analogous condition in the limit of a large number of densely packed coherent states.
Nonlocality is an essential concept that distinguishes quantum from classical models and has been extensively studied in systems of qubits. For higher-dimensional systems, certain results for their two-level counterpart, like Bell violations with stabilizer states and Clifford operators, do not generalize. On the other hand, similar to continuous variable systems, Wigner negativity is necessary for nonlocality in qudit systems. We propose a new generalization of the CHSH inequality for qudits by inquiring correlations related to the Wigner negativity of stabilizer states under the adjoint action of a generalization of the qubit π / 8 -gate. A specified stabilizer state maximally violates the inequality among all qudit states based on its Wigner negativity. The Bell operator not only serves as a measure for the singlet fraction but also quantifies the volume of Wigner negativity. Additionally, we show how a bipartite entangled qudit state can serve as a witness for contextuality when it exhibits Wigner negativity. Furthermore, we identify rational-phase diagonal unitaries as the key resource that exactly reproduce the CGLMP and SATWAP violation with the maximally entangled state through simple phase-difference alignment.
We construct logical Bell inequalities whose violations are determined by the Wigner function of a reduced quantum state. For odd-prime qudits, each phase-space point of any nonempty proper subsystem defines an inequality, violated precisely when the corresponding Gross Wigner value is negative. This correspondence allows us to quantify the contextuality that a reduced state guarantees for the composite system. The normalized violation gives a lower bound on the contextual fraction in the complete Weyl measurement scenario, valid for every joint state with that marginal, irrespective of its correlations. We identify a family of product states that saturates this bound. For these states, one marginal Wigner value fixes the contextual fraction of the entire system.
Negativity of the Wigner function is arguably one of the most striking non-classical features of quantum states. Beyond its fundamental relevance, it is also a necessary resource for quantum speedup with continuous variables. As quantum technologies emerge, the need to identify and characterize the resources which provide an advantage over existing classical technologies becomes more pressing. Here we derive witnesses for Wigner negativity of single mode and multimode quantum states, based on fidelities with Fock states, which can be reliably measured using standard detection setups. They possess a threshold expectation value indicating whether the measured state has a negative Wigner function. Moreover, the amount of violation provides an operational quantification of Wigner negativity. We phrase the problem of finding the threshold values for our witnesses as an infinite-dimensional linear optimisation. By relaxing and restricting the corresponding linear programs, we derive two hierarchies of semidefinite programs, which provide numerical sequences of increasingly tighter upper and lower bounds for the threshold values. We further show that both sequences converge to the threshold value. Moreover, our witnesses form a complete family – each Wigner negative state is detected by at least one witness – thus providing a reliable method for experimentally witnessing Wigner negativity of quantum states from few measurements. From a foundational perspective, our findings provide insights on the set of positive Wigner functions which still lacks a proper characterisation.
Entanglement of quasiclassical (coherent) states of two harmonic oscillators leads to striking quantum effects and is useful for quantum technologies. These effects and applications are closely related to nonlocal correlations inherent in these states, manifested by the violation of Bell inequalities. With previous frameworks, this violation is limited by the size of the system, which does not approach the maximum, even when the amount of entanglement approaches its maximum. Here, we propose a new version of Bell correlation operators, with which a nearly maximal violation can be obtained, as long as the associated entanglement approximates to the maximum. Consequently, the revealed nonlocality is significantly stronger than those with previous frameworks for a wide range of the system size. We present a new scheme for realizing the gate necessary for measurement of the nonlocal correlations. In addition to the use in test of quantum nonlocality, this gate is useful for quantum information processing with coherent states.