Effect of replacing the classical game object with a quantum object is analyzed. We find this replacement requires a throughout reformation of the framework of Game Theory. If we use density matrix to represent strategy state of players, they are full-structured density matrices with off-diagonal elements for the new games, while reduced diagonal density matrix will be enough for the traditional games on classical objects. In such formalism, the payoff function of every player becomes Hermitian Operator acting on the density matrix. Therefore, the new game looks really like Quantum Mechanics while the traditional game becomes Classical Mechanics.
Effect of replacing the classical game object with a quantum object is analyzed. We find this replacement requires a throughout reformation of the framework of Game Theory. If we use density matrix to represent strategy state of players, they are full-structured density matrices with off-diagonal elements for the new games, while reduced diagonal density matrix will be enough for the traditional games on classical objects. In such formalism, the payoff function of every player becomes Hermitian Operator acting on the density matrix. Therefore, the new game looks really like Quantum Mechanics while the traditional game becomes Classical Mechanics.
A new representation of Game Theory is developed in this paper. State of players is represented by a density matrix, and payoff function is a set of hermitian operators, which when applied onto the density matrix give the payoff of players. By this formulism, a new way to find the equilibria of games is given by generalizing the thermodynamical evolutionary process leading to equilibrium in Statistical Mechanics. And in this formulism, when quantum objects instead of classical objects are used as the objects in the game, it's naturally leads to the so-called Quantum Game Theory, but with a slight difference in the definition of strategy state of players: the probability distribution is replaced with a density matrix. Further more, both games of correlated and independent players can be reached in this single framework, while traditionally, they are treated separately by Non-cooperative Game Theory and Coalitional Game Theory. Because of the density matrix is used as state of players, besides classical correlated strategy, quantum entangled states can also be used as strategies, which is an entanglement of strategies between players, and it is different with the entanglement of objects' states as in the so-called Quantum Game Theory. At last, in the form of density matrix, a class of quantum games, where the payoff matrixes are commutative, can be reduced into classical games. In this sense, it will put the classical game as a special case of our quantum game.
A new representation of Game Theory is developed in this paper. State of players is represented by a density matrix, and payoff function is a set of hermitian operators, which when applied onto the density matrix give the payoff of players. By this formulism, a new way to find the equilibria of games is given by generalizing the thermodynamical evolutionary process leading to equilibrium in Statistical Mechanics. And in this formulism, when quantum objects instead of classical objects are used as the objects in the game, it's naturally leads to the so-called Quantum Game Theory, but with a slight difference in the definition of strategy state of players: the probability distribution is replaced with a density matrix. Further more, both games of correlated and independent players can be reached in this single framework, while traditionally, they are treated separately by Non-cooperative Game Theory and Coalitional Game Theory. Because of the density matrix is used as state of players, besides classical correlated strategy, quantum entangled states can also be used as strategies, which is an entanglement of strategies between players, and it is different with the entanglement of objects' states as in the so-called Quantum Game Theory. At last, in the form of density matrix, a class of quantum games, where the payoff matrixes are commutative, can be reduced into classical games. In this sense, it will put the classical game as a special case of our quantum game.
Quantum game theory is a multidisciplinary field which combines quantum mechanics with game theory by introducing non-classical resources such as entanglement, quantum operations and quantum measurement. By transferring two-player two-strategy (2 × 2) dilemma containing classical games into the quantum realm, dilemmas can be resolved in quantum pure strategies if entanglement is distributed between the players who use quantum operations. Moreover, players receive the highest sum of payoffs available in the game, which are otherwise impossible in classical pure strategies. Encouraged by the observation of rich dynamics of physical systems with many interacting parties and the power of entanglement in quantum versions of 2 × 2 games, it became generally accepted that quantum versions can be easily extended to N -player situations by simply allowing N -partite entangled states. In this article, however, we show that this is not generally true because the reproducibility of classical tasks in the quantum domain imposes limitations on the type of entanglement and quantum operators. We propose a benchmark for the evaluation of quantum and classical versions of games, and derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for a physical realization. We give examples of entangled states that can and cannot be used, and the characteristics of quantum operators used as strategies.
A new approach to play games quantum mechanically is proposed. We consider two players who perform measurements in an EPR-type setting. The payoff relations are defined as functions of correlations, i.e. without reference to classical or quantum mechanics. Classical bi-matrix games are reproduced if the input states are classical and perfectly anti-correlated, that is, for a classical correlation game. However, for a quantum correlation game, with an entangled singlet state as input, qualitatively different solutions are obtained. For example, the Prisoners' Dilemma acquires a Nash equilibrium if both players apply a mixed strategy. It appears to be conceptually impossible to reproduce the properties of quantum correlation games within the framework of classical games.
A new approach to play games quantum mechanically is proposed. We consider two players who perform measurements in an EPR-type setting. The payoff relations are defined as functions of correlations , i.e. without reference to classical or quantum mechanics. Classical bi-matrix games are reproduced if the input states are classical and perfectly anti-correlated, that is, for a classical correlation game. However, for a quantum correlation game, with an entangled singlet state as input, qualitatively different solutions are obtained. For example, the Prisoners' Dilemma acquires a Nash equilibrium if both players apply a mixed strategy. It appears to be conceptually impossible to reproduce the properties of quantum correlation games within the framework of classical games.
We use the example of playing a 2-player game with entangled quantum objects to investigate the effect of quantum correlation. We find that for simple game scenarios it is classical correlation that is the central feature and that these simple quantum games are not sensitive to the quantum part of the correlation. In these games played with quantum objects it is possible to transform a game such as Prisoner's Dilemma into the game of Chicken. We show that this behaviour, and the associated enhanced equilibrium payoff over playing the game with quantum objects in non-entangled states, is entirely due to the classical part of the correlation. Generalizing these games to the pure strategy 2-player quantum game where the players have finite strategy sets and a projective joint measurement is made on the output state produced by the players, we show that a given quantum game of this form can always be reproduced by a classical model, such as a communication channel. Where entanglement is a feature of the these 2-player quantum games the matrix of expected outcomes for the players can be reproduced by a classical channel with correlated noise.