Can quantum entanglement implement classical correlated equilibria?

Abstract

We ask whether players of a classical game can partition a pure quantum state to implement classical correlated equilibrium distributions. The main contribution of this work is an impossibility result: we provide an example of a classical correlated equilibrium that cannot be securely implemented without useful information leaking outside the system. We study the model where players of a classical complete information game initially share an entangled pure quantum state. Players may perform arbitrary local operations on their subsystems, but no direct communication (either quantum or classical) is allowed. We explain why, for the purpose of implementing classical correlated equilibria, it is desirable to restrict the initial state to be pure and to restrict communication. In this framework, we define the concept of pure quantum correlated equilibrium (PQCE) and show that in a normal form game, any outcome distribution implementable by a PQCE can also be implemented by a classical correlated equilibrium (CE), but that the converse is false. We extend our analysis to extensive form games, and compare the power of PQCE to extensive form classical correlated equilibria (EFCE) and immediate-revelation extensive form correlated equilibria (IR-EFCE).