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

arXiv:quant-ph/0002058

An Unentangled Gleason's Theorem

Nolan R. Wallach

Published Feb 22, 2000• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The purpose of this note is to give a generalization of Gleason's theorem inspired by recent work in quantum information theory on "nonlocality without entanglement." For multipartite quantum systems, each of dimension three or greater, the only nonnegative frame functions over the set of unentangled states are those given by the standard Born probability rule. However, if one system is of dimension 2 this is not necessarily the case.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.quant-ph/0002058

Related papers

Unentangled measurements and frame functions

Jiř́í Lebl, Asif Shakeel, Nolan R. Wallach

Gleason’s theorem asserts the equivalence of von Neumann’s density operator formalism of quantum mechanics and frame functions, which are functions on the pure states that sum to 1 on any orthonormal basis of Hilbert space of dimension at least 3. The unentangled frame functions are initially only defined on unentangled (that is, product) states in a multi-partite system. The third author’s unentangled Gleason’s theorem shows that unentangled frame functions determine unique density operators if and only if each subsystem is at least 3-dimensional. In this paper, we determine the structure of unentangled frame functions in general. We first classify them for multi-qubit systems and then extend the results to factors of varying dimensions including countably infinite dimensions (separable Hilbert spaces). A remarkable combinatorial structure emerges, suggesting possible fundamental interpretations.

arXiv:1701.06069•Journal of Mathematical Physics•Jun 1, 2018•0 citations

Quantum Foundations in the Light of Quantum Information

Christopher A. Fuchs

This paper reports three almost trivial theorems that nevertheless appear to have significant import for quantum foundations studies. 1) A Gleason-like derivation of the quantum probability law, but based on the positive operator-valued measures as the basic notion of measurement (see also Busch, quant-ph/9909073). Of note, this theorem also works for 2-dimensional vector spaces and for vector spaces over the rational numbers, where the standard Gleason theorem fails. 2) A way of rewriting the quantum collapse rule so that it looks almost precisely identical to Bayes rule for updating probabilities in classical probability theory. And 3) a derivation of the tensor-product rule for combining quantum systems (and with it the very notion of quantum entanglement) from Gleason-like considerations for local measurements on bipartite systems along with classical communication.

arXiv:quant-ph/0106166•Jun 29, 2001•124 citations

Gleason's Theorem for a Qubit as Part of a Composite System

Vincenzo Fiorentino, Stefan Weigert

We extend Gleason's theorem to the two-dimensional Hilbert space of a qubit by invoking the standard axiom that describes composite quantum systems. The tensor-product structure allows us to derive density matrices and Born's rule for $d=2$ from a simple requirement: the probabilities assigned to measurement outcomes must not depend on whether a system is considered on its own or as a subsystem of a larger one. In line with Gleason's original theorem, our approach assigns probabilities only to projection-valued measures, while other known extensions rely on considering more general classes of measurements. This extension of Gleason's theorem to two-dimensional systems is shown to remain valid for some foil theories of quantum theory.

quant-pharXiv:2511.15607•Physical Review A•Nov 20, 2025•0 citations

A Gleason-type theorem for qubits based on mixtures of projective measurements

Stefan Weigert, Victoria J Wright

We derive Born's rule and the density-operator formalism for quantum systems with Hilbert spaces of dimension two or larger. Our extension of Gleason's theorem only relies upon the consistent assignment of probabilities to the outcomes of projective measurements and their classical mixtures. This assumption is significantly weaker than those required for existing Gleason-type theorems valid in dimension two.

•Jan 10, 2019•28 citations

Why qubits are exceptional in Gleason's theorem: a Bloch-space perspective

Massimiliano Sassoli de Bianchi

Gleason's theorem is often cited as establishing the Born rule from the structure of Hilbert space, yet its original proof is mathematically sophisticated and rarely accessible to physicists. In this article we present a simple route to the dimensional distinction at the heart of Gleason's result, using the generalized Bloch representation of quantum states. More precisely, we consider a restricted but instructive class of probability assignments obtained by replacing the linear dependence of the Born expression on a Bloch-space scalar product with a real function f. For qubits, infinitely many continuous non-Born assignments of this form satisfy normalization for every projective measurement. In dimension greater than 3, by contrast, the geometry of the measurement simplex imposes additional relations among the relevant scalar products. Requiring normalization for arbitrary states then leads to a Cauchy-type functional equation, which, together with boundedness, forces f to be linear. Our argument provides a complementary geometric illustration of why the freedom present in dimension two disappears in higher dimensions, reaching this conclusion directly from the geometry of the measurement simplices and normalization, without explicitly invoking the intertwining of projectors across different orthogonal resolutions of the identity.

quant-pharXiv:2603.07745•Mar 10, 2026•0 citations

A Gleason-type theorem for qubits based on mixtures of projective measurements

Victoria J Wright, Stefan Weigert

Abstract We derive Born’s rule and the density-operator formalism for quantum systems with Hilbert spaces of dimension two or larger. Our extension of Gleason’s theorem only relies upon the consistent assignment of probabilities to the outcomes of projective measurements and their classical mixtures. This assumption is significantly weaker than those required for existing Gleason-type theorems valid in dimension two.

arXiv:1808.08091•Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical•Dec 18, 2018•18 citations
The purpose of this note is to give a generalization of Gleason's theorem inspired by recent work in quantum information theory on "nonlocality without entanglement." For multipartite quantum systems, each of dimension three or greater, the only nonnegative frame functions over the set of unentangled states are those given by the standard Born probability rule. However, if one system is of dimension 2 this is not necessarily the case.
Gleason’s theorem asserts the equivalence of von Neumann’s density operator formalism of quantum mechanics and frame functions, which are functions on the pure states that sum to 1 on any orthonormal basis of Hilbert space of dimension at least 3. The unentangled frame functions are initially only defined on unentangled (that is, product) states in a multi-partite system. The third author’s unentangled Gleason’s theorem shows that unentangled frame functions determine unique density operators if and only if each subsystem is at least 3-dimensional. In this paper, we determine the structure of unentangled frame functions in general. We first classify them for multi-qubit systems and then extend the results to factors of varying dimensions including countably infinite dimensions (separable Hilbert spaces). A remarkable combinatorial structure emerges, suggesting possible fundamental interpretations.
This paper reports three almost trivial theorems that nevertheless appear to have significant import for quantum foundations studies. 1) A Gleason-like derivation of the quantum probability law, but based on the positive operator-valued measures as the basic notion of measurement (see also Busch, quant-ph/9909073). Of note, this theorem also works for 2-dimensional vector spaces and for vector spaces over the rational numbers, where the standard Gleason theorem fails. 2) A way of rewriting the quantum collapse rule so that it looks almost precisely identical to Bayes rule for updating probabilities in classical probability theory. And 3) a derivation of the tensor-product rule for combining quantum systems (and with it the very notion of quantum entanglement) from Gleason-like considerations for local measurements on bipartite systems along with classical communication.
We extend Gleason's theorem to the two-dimensional Hilbert space of a qubit by invoking the standard axiom that describes composite quantum systems. The tensor-product structure allows us to derive density matrices and Born's rule for d=2d=2d=2 from a simple requirement: the probabilities assigned to measurement outcomes must not depend on whether a system is considered on its own or as a subsystem of a larger one. In line with Gleason's original theorem, our approach assigns probabilities only to projection-valued measures, while other known extensions rely on considering more general classes of measurements. This extension of Gleason's theorem to two-dimensional systems is shown to remain valid for some foil theories of quantum theory.
Gleason's theorem is often cited as establishing the Born rule from the structure of Hilbert space, yet its original proof is mathematically sophisticated and rarely accessible to physicists. In this article we present a simple route to the dimensional distinction at the heart of Gleason's result, using the generalized Bloch representation of quantum states. More precisely, we consider a restricted but instructive class of probability assignments obtained by replacing the linear dependence of the Born expression on a Bloch-space scalar product with a real function f. For qubits, infinitely many continuous non-Born assignments of this form satisfy normalization for every projective measurement. In dimension greater than 3, by contrast, the geometry of the measurement simplex imposes additional relations among the relevant scalar products. Requiring normalization for arbitrary states then leads to a Cauchy-type functional equation, which, together with boundedness, forces f to be linear. Our argument provides a complementary geometric illustration of why the freedom present in dimension two disappears in higher dimensions, reaching this conclusion directly from the geometry of the measurement simplices and normalization, without explicitly invoking the intertwining of projectors across different orthogonal resolutions of the identity.