Nonlocal Boxes Research Articles

Algebra of Nonlocal Boxes and the Collapse of Communication Complexity

Communication complexity quantifies how difficult it is for two distant computers to evaluate a function f(X,Y), where the strings X and Y are distributed to the first and second computer respectively, under the constraint of exchanging as few bits as possible. Surprisingly, some nonlocal boxes, which are resources shared by the two computers, are so powerful that they allow to collapse communication complexity, in the sense that any Boolean function f can be correctly estimated with the exchange of only one bit of communication. The Popescu-Rohrlich (PR) box is an example of such a collapsing resource, but a comprehensive description of the set of collapsing nonlocal boxes remains elusive.In this work, we carry out an algebraic study of the structure of wirings connecting nonlocal boxes, thus defining the notion of the "product of boxes" P⊠Q, and we show related associativity and commutativity results. This gives rise to the notion of the "orbit of a box", unveiling surprising geometrical properties about the alignment and parallelism of distilled boxes. The power of this new framework is that it allows us to prove previously-reported numerical observations concerning the best way to wire consecutive boxes, and to numerically and analytically recover recently-identified noisy PR boxes that collapse communication complexity for different types of noise models.

Extending the Known Region of Nonlocal Boxes that Collapse Communication Complexity.

Nonsignaling boxes (NS) are theoretical resources defined by the principle of no-faster-than-light communication. They generalize quantum correlations and some of them are known to collapse communication complexity (CC). However, this collapse is strongly believed to be unachievable in nature, so its study provides intuition on which theories are unrealistic. In the present Letter, we find a better sufficient condition for a nonlocal box to collapse CC, thus extending the known collapsing region. In some slices of NS, we show this condition coincides with an area outside of an ellipse.

Single trusted qubit is necessary and sufficient for quantum realization of extremal no-signaling correlations

The problem of achieving security of device-independent (or semi-device-independent) cryptography (for quantum key distribution and randomness generation) against the most general no-signaling adversaries has remained open. It has been recognized that the realization of extremal no-signaling non-local boxes (or extremal no-signaling non-local assemblages) could provide a route toward devising such highly secure protocols. We first prove a general no-go result that in the Bell non-locality scenario, quantum theory does not allow us to realize any extremal no-signaling non-local box, even if scenarios of arbitrary sequential measurements are considered. On the other hand, we secondly prove a positive result showing that a one-sided device-independent scenario where a single party trusts their qubit system is already sufficient for quantum theory to realize a self-testing extremal non-local point within the set of no-signaling assemblages.

Error-free interconversion of nonlocal boxes

Understanding the structure of nonlocal correlations is important in many fields ranging from fundamental questions of physics to device-independent cryptography. We present a protocol that can convert extremal two-party--two-input nonlocal no-signaling boxes of any type into any other extremal two-party--two-input nonlocal no-signaling box perfectly. Our results are exact, and even though the number of required boxes cannot be determined in advance, their expected number is finite. Our protocol is adaptive and demonstrates for the first time the usefulness of using no-signaling boxes in different causal orders by the parties.

Nonlocal boxes for networks

Nonlocal boxes are conceptual tools that capture the essence of the phenomenon of quantum non-locality, central to modern quantum theory and quantum technologies. We introduce network nonlocal boxes tailored for quantum networks under the natural assumption that these networks connect independent sources and do not allow signaling. Hence, these boxes satisfy the No-Signaling and Independence (NSI) principle. For the case of boxes without inputs, connecting pairs of bipartite sources and producing binary outputs, we prove that the sources and boxes producing local random outputs and maximal 2-box correlations, i.e. $E_2=\sqrt{2}-1$, $E_2^o=1$, are essentially unique.

Type-Independent Characterization of Spacelike Separated Resources.

Quantum theory describes multipartite objects of various types: quantum states, nonlocal boxes, steering assemblages, teleportages, distributed measurements, channels, and so on. Such objects describe, for example, the resources shared in quantum networks. Not all such objects are useful, however. In the context of spacelike separated parties, devices which can be simulated using local operations and shared randomness are useless, and it is of paramount importance to be able to practically distinguish useful from useless quantum resources. Accordingly, a body of literature has arisen to provide tools for witnessing and quantifying the nonclassicality of objects of each specific type. In the present Letter, we provide a framework which subsumes and generalizes all of these resources, as well as the tools for witnessing and quantifying their nonclassicality.

The type-independent resource theory of local operations and shared randomness

In space-like separated experiments and other scenarios where multiple parties share a classical common cause but no cause-effect relations, quantum theory allows a variety of nonsignaling resources which are useful for distributed quantum information processing. These include quantum states, nonlocal boxes, steering assemblages, teleportages, channel steering assemblages, and so on. Such resources are often studied using nonlocal games, semiquantum games, entanglement-witnesses, teleportation experiments, and similar tasks. We introduce a unifying framework which subsumes the full range of nonsignaling resources, as well as the games and experiments which probe them, into a common resource theory: that of local operations and shared randomness (LOSR). Crucially, we allow these LOSR operations to locally change the type of a resource, so that players can convert resources of any type into resources of any other type, and in particular into strategies for the specific type of game they are playing. We then prove several theorems relating resources and games of different types. These theorems generalize a number of seminal results from the literature, and can be applied to lessen the assumptions needed to characterize the nonclassicality of resources. As just one example, we prove that semiquantum games are able to perfectly characterize the LOSR nonclassicality of every resource of any type (not just quantum states, as was previously shown). As a consequence, we show that any resource can be characterized in a measurement-device-independent manner.

Popescu-Rohrlich box implementation in general probabilistic theory of processes

It is shown that Popescu-Rohrlich nonlocal boxes (beating the Tsirelson bound for Bell inequality) do exist in the existing structures of both quantum and classical theory. In particular, we design an explicit example of measure-and-prepare nonlocal (but no-signaling) channel being the realization of nonlocal and no-signaling Popescu-Rohrlich box within the generalized probabilistic theory of processes. Further we present a post-selection-based spatially non-local implementation and show it does not require truly quantum resources, hence, improving the previously known results. Interpretation and potential (spatially non-local) simulation of this form of process nonlocality and the protocol is discussed.

Optical simulation of adaptive nonlocality distillation

An optical scheme for simulating adaptive nonlocality distillation is proposed. In the asymptotic limit, arbitrary correlated nonlocal boxes can be distilled to the maximally nonlocal one, i.e., the Popescu-Rohrlich box [S. Popescu and D. Rohrlich, Found Phys. 24, 379 (1994)]. The major obstacle in simulating the adaptive nonlocality distillation scheme, proposed by Brunner and Skrzypczyk [N. Brunner and P. Skrzypczyk, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 160403 (2009)], is how to simulate the nonlocal boxes with a quantum system and to get the output of each box without destroying the quantum state simulating it. Here the nonlocal boxes are simulated by appropriately pre- and postselected polarization entangled photon pairs. The output of the first box is measured without destroying the quantum state, simulating it by exploiting a quantum nondemolition measurement, which is realized by a standard quantum teleportation process. This scheme provides a feasible tool for the experimental study of the manipulation of nonlocality in the postquantum regime and the exact physical principle precisely distinguishing physically realizable correlations from nonphysical ones.

A More Efficient Contextuality Distillation Protocol

Based on the fact that both nonlocality and contextuality are resource theories, it is natural to ask how to amplify them more efficiently. In this paper, we present a contextuality distillation protocol which produces an n-cycle box B ∗ B ′ from two given n-cycle boxes B and B ′. It works efficiently for a class of contextual n-cycle (n ≥ 4) boxes which we termed as “the generalized correlated contextual n-cycle boxes”. For any two generalized correlated contextual n-cycle boxes B and B ′, B ∗ B ′ is more contextual than both B and B ′. Moreover, they can be distilled toward to the maximally contextual box C H n as the times of iteration goes to infinity. Among the known protocols, our protocol has the strongest approximate ability and is optimal in terms of its distillation rate. What is worth noting is that our protocol can witness a larger set of nonlocal boxes that make communication complexity trivial than the protocol in Brunner and Skrzypczyk (Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 160403 2009), this might be helpful for exploring the problem that why quantum nonlocality is limited.

Better protocol for XOR game using communication protocol and nonlocal boxes

Buhrman showed that an efficient communication protocol implies a reliable XOR game protocol. This idea rederives Linial and Shraibman’s lower bound of randomized and quantum communication complexities, which was derived by using factorization norms, with worse constant factor in much more intuitive way. In this work, we improve and generalize Buhrman’s idea, and obtain a class of lower bounds for randomized communication complexity including an exact Linial and Shraibman’s lower bound as a special case. In the proof, we explicitly construct a protocol for XOR game from a randomized communication protocol by using a concept of nonlocal boxes and Paw lowski et al.’s elegant protocol, which was used for showing the violation of information causality in superquantum theories.

Nonsignaling Deterministic Models for Nonlocal Correlations have to be Uncomputable

Quantum mechanics postulates random outcomes. However, a model making the same output predictions but in a deterministic manner would be, in principle, experimentally indistinguishable from quantum theory. In this work we consider such models in the context of nonlocality on a device-independent scenario. That is, we study pairs of nonlocal boxes that produce their outputs deterministically. It is known that, for these boxes to be nonlocal, at least one of the boxes' outputs has to depend on the other party's input via some kind of hidden signaling. We prove that, if the deterministic mechanism is also algorithmic, there is a protocol that, with the sole knowledge of any upper bound on the time complexity of such an algorithm, extracts that hidden signaling and uses it for the communication of information.

Three-input majority function as the unique optimal function for the bias amplification using nonlocal boxes

Brassard et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 250401 (2006)] showed that shared nonlocal boxes with the CHSH probability greater than $\frac{3+\sqrt{6}}6$ yields trivial communication complexity. There still exists the gap with the maximum CHSH probability $\frac{2+\sqrt{2}}4$ achievable by quantum mechanics. It is an interesting open question to determine the exact threshold for the trivial communication complexity. Brassard et al.'s idea is based on the recursive bias amplification by the 3-input majority function. It was not obvious if other choice of function exhibits stronger bias amplification. We show that the 3-input majority function is the unique optimal, so that one cannot improve the threshold $\frac{3+\sqrt{6}}6$ by Brassard et al.'s bias amplification. In this work, protocols for computing the function used for the bias amplification are restricted to be non-adaptive protocols or particular adaptive protocol inspired by Paw{\l}owski et al.'s protocol for information causality [Nature 461, 1101 (2009)]. We first show a new adaptive protocol inspired by Paw{\l}owski et al.'s protocol, and then show that the new adaptive protocol is better than any non-adaptive protocol. Finally, we show that the 3-input majority function is the unique optimal for the bias amplification if we apply the new adaptive protocol to each step of the bias amplification.

Optical scheme for simulating post-quantum nonlocality distillation.

An optical scheme for simulating nonlocality distillation is proposed in post-quantum regime. The nonlocal boxes are simulated by measurements on appropriately pre- and post-selected polarization entangled photon pairs, i.e. post-quantum nonlocality is simulated by exploiting fair-sampling loophole in a Bell test. Mod 2 addition on the outputs of two nonlocal boxes combined with pre- and post-selection operations constitutes the key operation of simulating nonlocality distillation. This scheme provides a possible tool for the experimental study on the nonlocality in post-quantum regime and the exact physical principle precisely distinguishing physically realizable correlations from nonphysical ones.

Nonlocality Distillation and Trivial Communication Complexity for High-Dimensional Systems**Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China under Grant No 2012CB921900, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11175089 and 11475089.

A nonlocality distillation protocol for arbitrary high-dimensional systems is proposed. We study the nonlocality distillation in the 2-input d-output bi-partite case. Firstly, we give the one-parameter nonlocal boxes and their correlated distilling protocol. Then, we generalize the one-parameter nonlocality distillation protocol to the two-parameter case. Furthermore, we introduce a contracting protocol testifying that the 2-input d-output nonlocal boxes make communication complexity trivial.

Monotone Measures for Non-Local Correlations

Non-locality is the phenomenon of observing strong correlations among the outcomes of local measurements of a multipartite physical system. No-signaling boxes are the abstract objects for studying non-locality, and wirings are local operations on the space of no-signaling boxes. This means that, no matter how non-local the nature is, the set of physical non-local correlations must be closed under wirings. Then, one approach to identify the non-locality of nature is to characterize closed sets of non-local correlations. Although non-trivial examples of wirings of no-signaling boxes are known, there is no systematic way to study wirings. In particular, given a set of no-signaling boxes, we do not know a general method to prove that it is closed under wirings. In this paper, we propose the first general method to construct such closed sets of non-local correlations. We show that a well-known measure of correlation, called maximal correlation, when appropriately defined for non-local correlations, is monotonically decreasing under wirings. This establishes a conjecture about the impossibility of simulating isotropic boxes from each other, implying the existence of a continuum of closed sets of non-local boxes under wirings. To prove our main result, we introduce some mathematical tools that may be of independent interest: we define a notion of maximal correlation ribbon as a generalization of maximal correlation, and provide a connection between it and a known object called hypercontractivity ribbon; we show that these two ribbons are monotone under wirings too.

Nonlocality distillation for high-dimensional correlated boxes

Most of the existing distillation protocols only work for binary-input binary-output nonlocal boxes (two-dimensional boxes), and they cannot be generalized to the binary-input multi-output nonlocal boxes (high-dimensional boxes) in a trivial way. We will design some comparator-based protocols to distill high-dimensional nonlocal boxes. Our protocols are more powerful and universal than the previous ones in the sense that they can distill the arbitrary-dimensional boxes rather than the limited two-dimensional ones. The initial nonlocalities and the wiring manners between the boxes are two main factors deciding the distillation efficiency.

CTC assisted PR box type correlation can lead to signaling

It is known that there exist non-local correlations that respect no-signaling criterion, but violate Bell-type inequalities more than quantum-mechanical correlations. Such super quantum correlations were introduced as the Popescu-Rohrlich (PR) box. We consider such non-local boxes with two/three inputs and two/three outputs. We show that these super quantum correlations can lead to signaling when at least one of the input bit has access to a word line along a closed time-like curve.

Pseudo-telepathy games using graph states

We define a family of pseudo-telepathy games using graph states that extends the Mermin games. This family also contains a game used to define a quantum probability distribution that cannot be simulated by any number of nonlocal boxes. We extend this result, proving that the probability distribution obtained by the Paley graph state on 13 vertices (each vertex corresponds to a player) cannot be simulated by any number of 4-partite nonlocal boxes and that the Paley graph states on $k^{2}2^{2k-2}$ vertices provide a probability distribution that cannot be simulated by $k$-partite nonlocal boxes, for any $k$.

Experimental Distillation of Quantum Nonlocality

We report the first experimental demonstration of distillation of quantum nonlocality, confirming the recent theoretical protocol [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 120401 (2009)]. Quantum nonlocality is described by a correlation box with binary inputs and outputs, and the nonlocal boxes are realized through appropriate measurements on polarization entangled photon pairs. We demonstrate that nonlocality is amplified by connecting two nonlocal boxes into a composite one through local operations and four-photon measurements.