Measures of contextuality in cyclic systems and the negative probabilities measure CNT3.

Abstract

Several principled measures of contextuality have been proposed for general systems of random variables (i.e. inconsistently connected systems). One such measure is based on quasi-couplings using negative probabilities (here denoted by [Formula: see text], Dzhafarov & Kujala, 2016 Quantum interaction). Dzhafarov & Kujala (Dzhafarov & Kujala 2019 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 377, 20190149. (doi:10.1098/rsta.2019.0149)) introduced a measure of contextuality, [Formula: see text], that naturally generalizes to a measure of non-contextuality. Dzhafarov & Kujala (Dzhafarov & Kujala 2019 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 377, 20190149. (doi:10.1098/rsta.2019.0149)) additionally conjectured that in the class of cyclic systems these two measures are proportional. Here we prove that conjecture is correct. Recently, Cervantes (Cervantes 2023 J. Math. Psychol. 112, 102726. (doi:10.1016/j.jmp.2022.102726)) showed the proportionality of [Formula: see text] and the Contextual Fraction measure introduced by Abramsky & Brandenburger (Abramsky & Brandenburger 2011 New J. Phys. 13, 113036. (doi:10.1088/1367-2630/13/11/113036)). The present proof completes the description of the interrelations of all contextuality measures proposed within or translated into the Contextuality-by-Default framework so far as they pertain to cyclic systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Quantum contextuality, causality and freedom of choice'.