This paper studies finite-copy limits of quantum resource transformations under probabilistic protocols. It derives explicit bounds on how fast transformation rates approach asymptotic reversibility, clarifies consequences of the unresolved generalized quantum Stein’s lemma, and provides unconditional results for coherence and restricted entanglement theories.
This paper studies finite-copy limits of quantum resource transformations under probabilistic protocols. It derives explicit bounds on how fast transformation rates approach asymptotic reversibility, clarifies consequences of the unresolved generalized quantum Stein’s lemma, and provides unconditional results for coherence and restricted entanglement theories.
Among the most fundamental questions in the manipulation of quantum resources such as entanglement is the possibility of reversibly transforming all resource states. The key consequence of this would be the identification of a unique entropic resource measure that exactly quantifies the limits of achievable transformation rates. Remarkably, previous results claimed that such asymptotic reversibility holds true in very general settings; however, recently those findings have been found to be incomplete, casting doubt on the conjecture. Here we show that it is indeed possible to reversibly interconvert all states in general quantum resource theories, as long as one allows protocols that may only succeed probabilistically. Although such transformations have some chance of failure, we show that their success probability can be ensured to be bounded away from zero, even in the asymptotic limit of infinitely many manipulated copies. As in previously conjectured approaches, the achievability here is realised through operations that are asymptotically resource non-generating, and we show that this choice is optimal: smaller sets of transformations cannot lead to reversibility. Our methods are based on connecting the transformation rates under probabilistic protocols with strong converse rates for deterministic transformations, which we strengthen into an exact equivalence in the case of entanglement distillation.
Quantum resource theories provide a mathematically rigorous way of understanding the nature of various quantum resources. An important problem in any quantum resource theory is to determine how quantum states can be converted into each other within the physical constraints of the theory. The standard approach to this problem is to study approximate or probabilistic transformations. Here, we investigate the intermediate regime, providing limits on both, the fidelity and the probability of state transformations. We derive limitations on the transformations, which are valid in all quantum resource theories, by providing bounds on the maximal transformation fidelity for a given transformation probability. As an application, we show that these bounds imply an upper bound on the asymptotic rates for various classes of states under probabilistic transformations. We also show that the deterministic version of the single copy bounds can be applied for drawing limitations on the manipulation of quantum channels, which goes beyond the previously known bounds of channel manipulations. Furthermore, we completely solve the question of stochastic-approximate state conversion via local operations and classical communication in the following two cases: (i) Both initial and target states are pure bipartite entangled states of arbitrary dimensions. (ii) The target state is a two-qubit entangled state and the initial state is a pure bipartite state.
Quantum resource testing is a fundamental primitive of quantum information processing, profoundly connected to resource manipulation. Its goal is to discriminate n copies of a given resourceful state ρ from all free (i.e., resourceless) states; key instances for applications are entanglement testing and quantum magic testing. The asymptotic characterisation relies on the recently proven Generalised Quantum Stein's Lemma (GQSL), which establishes the rate of decay of the false negative error probability for a fixed false positive error probability. This result, however, is intrinsically asymptotic and thus can provide no finite-resource guarantees, which makes its practical implications unclear. Here, we establish the first rigorous finite-n bounds on quantum resource testing and hence quantum resource manipulation, thus strengthening the GQSL and providing explicit estimates on the number of copies needed to achieve a prescribed performance. As notable consequences, we obtain (a) the convergence of the regularised Rényi relative entropies of a resource, which settles the important open problem from [Fang/Hayashi, arXiv:2508.12901, IEEE ToIT 72:6, 2026]; and (b) the first sample-complexity bound for asymmetric resource testing: for any fixed false positive error probability, a false negative error probability of at most δ can be achieved with n=O(D∞(ρ∥F)log(1/δ)) copies of ρ, in the limit where δ→0.
We develop two general approaches to characterising the manipulation of quantum states by means of probabilistic protocols constrained by the limitations of some quantum resource theory. First, we give a general necessary condition for the existence of a physical transformation between quantum states, obtained using a recently introduced resource monotone based on the Hilbert projective metric. In all affine quantum resource theories (e.g. coherence, asymmetry, imaginarity) as well as in entanglement distillation, we show that the monotone provides a necessary and sufficient condition for one-shot resource convertibility under resource-non-generating operations, and hence no better restrictions on all probabilistic protocols are possible. We use the monotone to establish improved bounds on the performance of both one-shot and many-copy probabilistic resource distillation protocols. Complementing this approach, we introduce a general method for bounding achievable probabilities in resource transformations under resource-non-generating maps through a family of convex optimisation problems. We show it to tightly characterise single-shot probabilistic distillation in broad types of resource theories, allowing an exact analysis of the trade-offs between the probabilities and errors in distilling maximally resourceful states. We demonstrate the usefulness of both of our approaches in the study of quantum entanglement distillation.
Chapter 11 delves into the manipulation of quantum resources, the core aspect of quantum resource theories that explore the transformation and conversion of quantum states within a given resource theory framework. The chapter introduces the generalized asymptotic equipartition property and the generalized quantum Stein’s lemma, both foundational to understanding the asymptotic behavior of quantum resources. These concepts pave the way for discussing the uniqueness of the Umegaki relative entropy in quantifying the efficiency of resource conversion processes. Furthermore, the text explores asymptotic interconversions, detailing the conditions and limits for converting one resource into another when multiple copies of quantum states are considered. This analysis is pivotal for establishing the reversible exchange rates between different resources in the asymptotic limit. By providing a comprehensive overview of resource manipulation strategies, the chapter equips readers with the theoretical tools needed for advanced study and research in quantum resource theories, emphasizing both the single-shot and asymptotic domains.
The quantum relative entropy is known to play a key role in determining the asymptotic convertibility of quantum states in general resource-theoretic settings, often constituting the unique monotone that is relevant in the asymptotic regime. We show that this is no longer the case when one allows stochastic protocols that may only succeed with some probability, in which case the quantum relative entropy is insufficient to characterize the rates of asymptotic state transformations, and a new entropic quantity based on a regularization of the Hilbert projective metric comes into play. Such a scenario is motivated by a setting where the cost associated with transformations of quantum states, typically taken to be the number of copies of a given state, is instead identified with the size of the quantum memory needed to realize the protocol. Our approach allows for constructing transformation protocols that achieve strictly higher rates than those imposed by the relative entropy. Focusing on the task of resource distillation, we give broadly applicable strong converse bounds on the asymptotic rates of probabilistic distillation protocols, and show them to be tight in relevant settings such as entanglement distillation with nonentangling operations. This generalizes and extends previously known limitations that are only applicable to deterministic protocols. Our methods are based on recent results for probabilistic one-shot transformations as well as a new asymptotic equipartition property for the projective relative entropy.