The fundamental nature of causality has been challenged by quantum theory. In particular, recent developments have shown that by relaxing the standard assumption that quantum events are embedded in a fixed background causal structure, a new kind of causal relations, indefinite, can emerge. These indefinite causal structures have been interpreted as causal loops allowing for the violation of a form of causality without paradoxes. On the other hand, quantum contextuality shows that any attempt to extend quantum theory such that classical logic holds in the extended domain fails due to the rise of inconsistent logical loops. There has been increasing evidence that it is a key feature in the understanding quantum paradoxes. This thesis aims at improving our understanding of indefinite causal orders and quantum paradoxes in order to address the question: “Could the non-fundamental nature of causality be related to a form of contextuality ?”The process matrix formalism is a mathematical framework which, in analogy withentanglement and the violation of Bell inequalities (nonlocality), offers new tools - witnesses of causal nonseparability and the violation of causal inequalities with noncausalcorrelations - to study and identify indefinite causal orders. In a bottom-up approach, wehave identified a large class of physically implementable processes, the quantum circuitswith quantum control of causal order (QC-QCs), that includes causally nonseparable processes such as the celebrated “quantum switch”. However these circuits cannot be used to violate causal inequalities. Nevertheless, in another work, I have proposed a significant relaxation of assumptions to certify the causal nonseparability of many processes, showing that it can be done in a semi-device-independent scenario with untrusted local operations and trusted quantum inputs. In particular, I have shown that the quantum switch can generate noncausal correlations in this kind of scenario.In order to refine my understanding of quantum contextuality, I have investigated theorigins of the Kochen-Specker theorem and I have analysed how the Hardy paradox entails a form of logical contextuality. I have identified that the two possible intermediatemeasurements involved in a pre-post-selection version of the paradox differ causally fromeach other. This analysis might be useful to study of the Frauchiger-Renner paradox, a“meta-version” of the Hardy paradox. On a more metaphysical aspect, I have argued fora “Gödelian hunch” from quantum theory, the idea that quantum paradoxes emerge froma lack of distinction between theoretical and metatheoretical objects.Finally, in order to establish a link between indefinite causal orders and contextuality,I have proposed a new causal game, in which the grandfather paradox is formalized interms of a logical inequality. Some process matrices can violate the causal inequalitywithout violating the logical one. I suggest that the emergence of logical inconsistenciesfrom the violation of a logical inequality might be interpreted as a form of contextuality.
The fundamental nature of causality has been challenged by quantum theory. In particular, recent developments have shown that by relaxing the standard assumption that quantum events are embedded in a fixed background causal structure, a new kind of causal relations, indefinite, can emerge. These indefinite causal structures have been interpreted as causal loops allowing for the violation of a form of causality without paradoxes. On the other hand, quantum contextuality shows that any attempt to extend quantum theory such that classical logic holds in the extended domain fails due to the rise of inconsistent logical loops. There has been increasing evidence that it is a key feature in the understanding quantum paradoxes. This thesis aims at improving our understanding of indefinite causal orders and quantum paradoxes in order to address the question: “Could the non-fundamental nature of causality be related to a form of contextuality ?”The process matrix formalism is a mathematical framework which, in analogy withentanglement and the violation of Bell inequalities (nonlocality), offers new tools - witnesses of causal nonseparability and the violation of causal inequalities with noncausalcorrelations - to study and identify indefinite causal orders. In a bottom-up approach, wehave identified a large class of physically implementable processes, the quantum circuitswith quantum control of causal order (QC-QCs), that includes causally nonseparable processes such as the celebrated “quantum switch”. However these circuits cannot be used to violate causal inequalities. Nevertheless, in another work, I have proposed a significant relaxation of assumptions to certify the causal nonseparability of many processes, showing that it can be done in a semi-device-independent scenario with untrusted local operations and trusted quantum inputs. In particular, I have shown that the quantum switch can generate noncausal correlations in this kind of scenario.In order to refine my understanding of quantum contextuality, I have investigated theorigins of the Kochen-Specker theorem and I have analysed how the Hardy paradox entails a form of logical contextuality. I have identified that the two possible intermediatemeasurements involved in a pre-post-selection version of the paradox differ causally fromeach other. This analysis might be useful to study of the Frauchiger-Renner paradox, a“meta-version” of the Hardy paradox. On a more metaphysical aspect, I have argued fora “Gödelian hunch” from quantum theory, the idea that quantum paradoxes emerge froma lack of distinction between theoretical and metatheoretical objects.Finally, in order to establish a link between indefinite causal orders and contextuality,I have proposed a new causal game, in which the grandfather paradox is formalized interms of a logical inequality. Some process matrices can violate the causal inequalitywithout violating the logical one. I suggest that the emergence of logical inconsistenciesfrom the violation of a logical inequality might be interpreted as a form of contextuality.
In quantum mechanics, quantum nonseparability is at the core of philosophical debates regarding its meaning. In the context of the process matrix formalism, causal nonseparability characterises quantum processes (connecting the inputs and outputs of different local quantum operations) that are incompatible with any definite causal structure among interacting parties. One talks about indefinite causal orders. A famous example of causally nonseparable processes is called the quantum switch (QS). It is extensively studied in the literature in virtue of its simple architecture and its various implementations in laboratories.The present work will discuss the possible interpretations of the QS's causal nonseparability under the assumption that causal nonseparability is seen as pointing towards novel objective features of nature.It was first defended that a scientific realist approach towards the process matrix formalism, which is an operational theory generalising quantum mechanics, was as much legitimate as any possible antirealist reading, contrary to certain views found in the literature. The reason is that operational formalisms are ontologically and epistemically neutral.From there, the theoretical concepts of interest, namely causal nonseparability and its model-independent counterpart called noncausality, were analysed in more details, in order to highlight in what sense they are distinct from the standard notions of quantum nonseparability and nonlocality in quantum mechanics.The discussion then focused on noncausality. It was argued that noncausality has a strong connection with a notion of temporal nonlocality. In the same way that Bell nonlocality is given different underlying explanations depending on the details of the chosen quantum mechanics' account, noncausality pointing towards temporal nonlocality can be given a variety of underlying descriptions depending on the exact way to interpret the process matrix formalism.The last chapter focused precisely on this particular point, namely on the various ways to understand process matrices and causal nonseparability in a realist context. In order to explore the potential impact of causal nonseparability on spacetime,we shifted from the notion of (indefinite) causal structure to (indefinite) spatiotemporal ones. This shift was allowed under a set of reasonable assumptions regarding the properties of a physical spacetime manifold and the connection between an operational and relativistic notions of causal relations.While different readings were suggested for indefiniteness of spatiotemporal relations, we insisted in particular on an objective understanding appealing to the concept of metaphysical indeterminacy. It was argued that such an approach could prove useful in a more general theoretical context such as quantum gravity, while being already partly supported in standard quantum mechanics.
In recent years, the investigation of causal relations in quantum theory has attracted a lot of interest. In particular, it has been found that it is possible to conceive of scenarios where some parties perform operations that are compatible with quantum theory locally, but that cannot be embedded into a global background causal structure. Such indefinite causal structures are of interest from a fundamental point of view, but also from the perspective of quantum information processing, since they do not fit into the usual paradigm of quantum circuits, which assumes a definite causal order. The main aim of this thesis is to study indefinite quantum causal relations involving more than two parties. Compared to the bipartite case, there are many new aspects and complications that arise in multipartite situations, which need to be clarified in order to fundamentally understand quantum causal structures, and to shed light on their implications and potential usefulness for quantum information processing.A suitable mathematical framework for the investigation of quantum causal relations is the process matrix formalism. In this framework, the notion of causal nonseparability was introduced in order to qualify scenarios that are incompatible with a definite causal order. In Chapter 2, we study how to generalise this concept to the multipartite case, how to characterise multipartite causally (non)separable quantum processes, and how to certify multipartite causal nonseparability. Another important topic is to determine which quantum scenarios with indefinite causal order are physically implementable, and how they can be realised concretely. In Chapter 3, we introduce two new classes of physically realisable multipartite quantum processes, and characterise them in terms of their process matrix descriptions. In particular, we define the class of quantum circuits with quantum control of causal order. The simplest example of such a circuit is the quantum switch, a protocol in which the order between two operations is controlled by a qubit in a superposition state, and which defines a causally nonseparable process. The class we introduce also contains more general examples of causally nonseparable processes with new features. We then show how the process matrix characterisation of this class allows us to search for new quantum information processing applications of causal nonseparability. In Chapter 4, we investigate a particular quantum communication effect in a scenario involving coherent control between two quantum channels. This leads us to a more general analysis of the notion of a coherently controlled channel, which involves certain subtilities. In Chapter 5, we turn to another problem that arises in multipartite scenarios, namely whether a given phenomenon is genuinely multipartite or not. More particularly, we study genuinely multipartite (non)causal correlations. In Chapter 6, we show that anomalous weak values are possible without post-selection. In Chapter 7, we show that certain tripartite process matrices, namely those that are unitarily extensible, have a realisation on so-called time-delocalised subsystems, i.e., quantum subsystems that are not associated with a definite time. The class of unitarily extensible tripartite process matrices is larger than the class of quantum circuits with quantum control, and in particular contains processes that violate so-called causal inequalities.
Boucles causales et logiques de la théorie quantique La nature fondamentale de la causalité a été remise en cause par la théorie quantique. En particulier, des développements récents ont montré qu’en abandonnant l’hypothèse standard selon laquelle les événements quantiques sont intégrés dans une structure causale fixe, un nouveau type de relations causales, indéterminées, peut émerger. Ces structures causales indéterminées ont parfois été interprétées comme des boucles causales permettant de violer une forme de causalité sans paradoxes. D'autre part, la contextualité quantique montre que toute tentative d’extension de la théorie quantique de sorte que la logique classique s’applique dans le domaine étendu échoue en raison de l’émergence de boucles logiques incohérentes. Il y a de plus en plus de preuves que cette caractéristique constitue un élément clé dans la compréhension des paradoxes quantiques. Cette thèse vise à améliorer notre compréhension des ordres causaux indéterminés et des paradoxes quantiques afin de répondre à la question : “La nature non fondamentale de la causalité pourrait-elle être liée à une forme de contextualité ?”Le formalisme des matrices de processus est un cadre mathématique qui, par analogieavec l’intrication et la violation d’inégalités de Bell (non-localité), offre de nouveaux outils- témoins de non-séparabilité causale et violation d’inégalités causales avec des corrélations non-causales - permettant d’étudier et d’identifier les ordres causaux indéterminés. Dans une approche ascendante (bottom-up), nous avons identifié une grande famille de processus physiquement implémentables, les circuits quantiques avec contrôle quantique d’ordres causaux (QC-QCs), qui incluent des processus causalement non-séparables tels que le célèbre “quantum switch”. Cependant, ces circuits ne peuvent pas être utilisés pour violer des inégalités causales. Néanmoins, dans un autre travail, en assouplissant significativement les hypothèses permettant de certifier la non-séparabilité causale de nombreux processus, j’ai montré que cette certification pouvait être réalisée dans un scénario “semi-device-independent” avec des opérations locales non fiables et des entrées quantiques fiables. En particulier, j’ai montré que le quantum switch peut générer des corrélations non-causales dans ce type de scénario.Afin d’affiner ma compréhension de la contextualité quantique, j’ai enquêté sur lesorigines du théorème de Kochen-Specker et j’ai analysé comment le paradoxe de Hardyimplique une forme de contextualité logique. J’ai identifié que les deux mesures intermédiaires possibles impliquées dans une version “pré-post-sélection” du paradoxe diffèrent causalement l’une de l’autre. Cette analyse pourrait être utile à l’étude du paradoxe de Frauchiger-Renner, une “méta-version” du paradoxe de Hardy. Sur un aspect plus métaphysique, j’ai plaidé en faveur d’une “intuition gödelienne” issue de la théorie quantique, l’idée que les paradoxes quantiques émergent d’un manque de distinction entre objets théoriques et méta-théoriques. Enfin, afin d’établir un lien possible entre les ordres causaux indéterminés et la contextualité, j’ai proposé un jeu causal original, dans lequel le paradoxe du grand-père est formalisé en termes d’inégalité logique. Certaines matrices de processus peuvent violer l’inégalité causale sans violer l’inégalité logique. J’ai suggéré que l’émergence d’incohérences logiques issue de la violation d’une inégalité logique pourrait être interprétée comme une forme de contextualité.
Causality and logic are both fundamental to our understanding of the universe, but our intuitions about these are challenged by quantum phenomena. This thesis reports progress in the analysis of causality and multi-agent logical paradoxes in quantum and post-quantum theories. Both these research areas are highly relevant for the development of quantum technologies such as quantum cryptography and computing. \n \nPart I of this thesis focuses on causality. Firstly, we develop techniques for using generalised entropies \nto analyse distinctions between classical and non-classical causal structures. We derive new properties of classical and quantum Tsallis entropies of systems that follow from the relevant causal structure, and apply these to obtain new necessary constraints for classicality in the Triangle causal structure. Supplementing the method with the post-selection technique, we provide evidence that Shannon and Tsallis entropic constraints are insufficient for detecting non-classicality in Bell scenarios with non-binary outcomes. This points to the need for better methods of characterising correlations in non-classical causal structures. Secondly, we investigate the relationships between causality and space-time by developing a framework for modelling cyclic and fine-tuned influences in non-classical theories. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for such causal models to be compatible with a space-time structure and for ruling out operationally detectable causal loops. In particular, this provides an operational framework for analysing post-quantum theories admitting jamming non-local correlations. \n \nIn Part II of this thesis, we investigate multi-agent logical paradoxes, of which the quantum Frauchiger-Renner paradox has been the only example. We develop a framework for analysing such paradoxes in arbitrary physical theories. Applying this to box world, a post-quantum theory, we derive a stronger paradox that does not rely on post-selection. Our results reveal that reversible, unitary evolution of agents' memories is not necessary for deriving multi-agent logical paradoxes, rather that certain forms of contextuality could be.
In recent years, operational approaches to quantum foundations have been developed as a means of understanding the core principles and distinctive features of quantum theory. Such approaches typically view physical processes as sequences of operations, with earlier operations serving as causes of later effects. However, a growing literature is emerging on the possibility of relaxing this assumption and allowing for quantum indefiniteness in the causal order. This development stems from a variety of motivations, both fundamental and applied, including exploring the role of causality in quantum theory, the interplay between quantum theory and general relativity, and higher-order quantum computing. A prominent offshoot of this development is the emergence of indefinite causal order as a feasible resource for quantum information processing. This review provides an overview of the current state of the art in the field, covering the methodology underlying indefinite quantum causality within the so-called "process matrix formalism", outlining key results and experimental implementations, and discussing recent advances.
This thesis reports progress in the analysis of causality and multi-agent logical paradoxes in quantum and post-quantum theories. These research areas are highly relevant for the foundations of physics as well as the development of quantum technologies. In the first part, focussing on causality, we develop techniques for using generalised entropies to analyse distinctions between classical and non-classical causal structures. We derive new properties of Tsallis entropies of systems that follow from the relevant causal structure, and apply these to obtain new necessary constraints for classicality in the Triangle causal structure. Supplementing the method with the post-selection technique, we provide evidence that Shannon and Tsallis entropic constraints are insufficient for detecting non-classicality in Bell scenarios with non-binary outcomes. This points to the need for better methods of characterising correlations in non-classical causal structures. Further, we investigate the relationships between causality and space-time by developing a framework for modelling cyclic and fine-tuned influences in non-classical theories. We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for such causal models to be compatible with a space-time structure and for ruling out operationally detectable causal loops. In particular, this provides an operational framework for analysing post-quantum theories admitting jamming non-local correlations. In the second part, we investigate multi-agent logical paradoxes such as the Frauchiger-Renner paradox and develop a framework for analysing such paradoxes in arbitrary physical theories. Applying this to box world, a post-quantum theory, we derive a stronger paradox that does not rely on post-selection. Our results reveal that reversible evolution of agents' memories is not necessary for deriving multi-agent paradoxes, and that certain forms of contextuality might be.