We propose a scheme that can realize a class of positive-operator-valued measures (POVMs) by performing a sequence of projective measurements on the original system, in the sense that for an arbitrary input state the probability distribution of the measurement outcomes is faithfully reproduced. A necessary and sufficient condition for a POVM to be realizable in this way is also derived. In contrast to the canonical approach provided by Neumark's theorem, our method has the advantage of requiring no auxiliary system. Moreover, an arbitrary POVM can be realized by utilizing our protocol on an extended space which is formed by adding only a single extra dimension.
We propose a scheme that can realize a class of positive-operator-valued measures (POVMs) by performing a sequence of projective measurements on the original system, in the sense that for an arbitrary input state the probability distribution of the measurement outcomes is faithfully reproduced. A necessary and sufficient condition for a POVM to be realizable in this way is also derived. In contrast to the canonical approach provided by Neumark's theorem, our method has the advantage of requiring no auxiliary system. Moreover, an arbitrary POVM can be realized by utilizing our protocol on an extended space which is formed by adding only a single extra dimension.
Determining the conditions under which positive operator-valued measures (POVMs), the most general class of quantum measurements, outperform projective measurements remains a challenging and largely unresolved problem. Of particular interest are projectively simulable POVMs, which can be realized through probabilistic mixtures of projective measurements, and therefore offer no advantage over projective schemes. Characterizing the boundary between simulable and non-simulable POVMs is, however, a difficult task, and existing tools either fail to scale efficiently, provide limited experimental feasibility or work only for specific POVMs. Here, we introduce and demonstrate a general method to certify non-simulability of a POVM by introducing a complete hierarchy of semidefinite programs. It provides upper bounds on the non-simulability measure of critical visibility of arbitrary POVMs which are tight in many cases and outperform previously known criteria. We experimentally certify the non-simulability of two- and three-dimensional POVMs using a trapped-ion qudit quantum processor by constructing non-simulability witnesses and introduce a modification of our framework that makes them robust against state preparation errors. Finally, we extend our results to the setting where an additional ancilla system is available.
Abstract We propose a scheme to implement general quantum measurements, also known as Positive Operator Valued Measures (POVMs) in dimension d using only classical resources and a single ancillary qubit. Our method is based on probabilistic implementation of d-outcome measurements which is followed by postselection of some of the received outcomes. We conjecture that success probability of our scheme is larger than a constant independent of d for all POVMs in dimension d. Crucially, this conjecture implies the possibility of realizing arbitrary nonadaptive quantum measurement protocol on d-dimensional system using a single auxiliary qubit with only a constant overhead in sampling complexity. We show that the conjecture holds for typical rank-one Haar-random POVMs in arbitrary dimensions. Furthermore, we carry out extensive numerical computations showing success probability above a constant for a variety of extremal POVMs, including SIC-POVMs in dimension up to 1299. Finally, we argue that our scheme can be favorable for experimental realization of POVMs, as noise compounding in circuits required by our scheme is typically substantially lower than in the standard scheme that directly uses Naimark’s dilation theorem.
Sufficient and necessary conditions are presented for the existence of ( N, M)-positive operator valued measures (( N, M)-POVMs) valid for arbitrary-dimensional quantum systems. Firstly, a sufficient condition for the existence of ( N, M)-POVMs is presented. It yields a simple relation determining an upper bound on the continuous parameter of an arbitrary ( N, M)-POVM, below which all its POVM elements are guaranteed to be positive semidefinite. Secondly, for arbitrary optimal ( N, M)-POVMs conditions on their existence are derived, which exhibit a close connection to the existence of sets of ( M − 1) N isospectral, traceless, orthonormal, and hermitian operators with particular common spectra. The specific form of the two possible types of spectra depends on whether M is smaller than the dimension of the quantum system under consideration or not. For the special case of M = 2 and dimensions, which are powers of two, these sets of operators always exist and can be expressed in terms of the Clifford algebra of tensor products of Pauli operators.
In the quantum theory of measurement, the positive operator-valued measure (POVM) is an important concept, and its implementation can be useful. A POVM consists of a set of non-negative quantum-mechanical Hermitian operators that add up to the identity. The probability that a quantum system is in a particular state is given by the expectation value of the POVM operator corresponding to that state. Following a brief review of the mathematics and mention of the history of POVMs in quantum theory, a particular implementation of a POVM for use in the measurement of nonorthogonal photon polarization states is reviewed. The implementation consists simply of a Wollaston prism, a mirror, two beam splitters, a polarization rotator and three phototubes arranged in an interferometric configuration, and it is shown analytically that the device faithfully represents the POVM. Based on Neumark's extension theorem, the two-dimensional Hilbert space of the POVM implementation can be embedded in the three-dimensional Hilbert space of an ordinary projective-valued measure. Also, analytical expressions are given for the maximum Renyi information loss from the device to a disturbing probe, and for the error and inconclusive rates induced by the probe. Various aspects of the problem of probe optimization are elaborated.
Positive-operator-value measures (POVM's) are the most general class of quantum measurements. We propose a setup in which all possible POVM's of a single-photon polarization state (corresponding to all possible sets of two-dimensional Kraus operators) can be implemented easily using linear optics elements. This method makes it possible to experimentally realize any projective orthogonal, projective nonorthogonal or nonprojective sets of any number of POVM operators. Furthermore, our implementation only requires vacuum ancillas and is deterministic rather than probabilistic. Thus it realizes every POVM with the correct set of output states. We give the settings required to implement two different well-known nonorthogonal projective POVM's.
We revisit the problem of finding the Naimark extension of a probability operator-valued measure (POVM), i.e. its implementation as a projective measurement in a larger Hilbert space. In particular, we suggest an iterative method to build the projective measurement from the sole requirements of orthogonality and positivity. Our method improves existing ones, as it may be employed also to extend POVMs containing elements with rank larger than one. It is also more effective in terms of computational steps.