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Nicolas Brunner

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quant-ph cond-mat.mes-hall cond-mat.stat-mech Machine Learning Biological Physics cond-mat.dis-nn Cryptography and Security Neural and Evolutionary Computing physics.optics

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preprint2026arXiv

Thermodynamic Networks: Harnessing Non-Equilibrium Steady States for Computation

We introduce thermodynamic networks, a general framework for autonomous, physics-based computation using non-equilibrium steady states. These networks are modeled as a collection of finite-size reservoirs that exchange conserved quantities--such as electric charge or molecular number--while relaxing to a non-equilibrium steady state, which encodes the solution of a computational problem. We identify Negative Differential Conductance (NDC) as the critical physical property governing the computational expressivity of the thermodynamic network. While networks lacking NDC are restricted to computing monotonic functions, the presence of NDC enables universal function approximation. For the training of the network, we use protocols that take advantage of the natural tendency of the system to equilibrate. We illustrate the versatility of our approach via two different platforms: quantum dot networks and enzymatic reaction networks. Both systems can be engineered to have NDC, enabling high performance in standard benchmarks, including sine function approximation and MNIST digit classification. Overall, our work establishes a rigorous link between non-equilibrium steady states and computational expressivity.

preprint2026arXiv

Trading symmetry for Hilbert-space dimension in Bell-inequality violation

In quantum information, asymmetry, i.e., the lack of symmetry, is a resource allowing one to accomplish certain tasks that are otherwise impossible. Similarly, in a Bell test using any given Bell inequality, the maximum violation achievable using quantum strategies respecting or disregarding a certain symmetry can be different. In this work, we focus on the symmetry involved in the exchange of parties and explore when we have to trade this symmetry for a lower-dimensional quantum strategy in achieving the maximal violation of given Bell inequalities. For the family of symmetric Collins-Gisin-Linden-Massar-Popescu inequalities, we provide evidence showing that there is no such trade-off. However, for several other Bell inequalities with a small number of dichotomic measurement settings, we show that symmetric quantum strategies in the minimal Hilbert space dimension can only lead to a suboptimal Bell violation. In other words, there exist symmetric Bell inequalities that can only be maximally violated by asymmetric quantum strategies of minimal dimension. In contrast, one can also find examples of asymmetric Bell inequalities that are maximally violated by symmetric correlations. The implications of these findings on the geometry of the set of quantum correlations and the possibility of performing self-testing therefrom are briefly discussed.

preprint2025arXiv

Device Independent Quantum Key Activation

Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) allows two distant parties to establish a secret key, based only on the observed Bell nonlocal distribution. It remains however, unclear what the minimal resources for enabling DIQKD are and how to maximize the key rate from a given distribution. In the present work, we consider a scenario where several copies of a given quantum distribution are jointly processed via a local and classical wiring operation. We find that, under few assumptions, it is possible to activate device-independent key. That is, starting from a distribution that is useless in a DIQKD protocol, we obtain a positive key rate by wiring several copies together. We coin this effect device-independent key activation. Our analysis focuses on the standard DIQKD protocol with one-way post-processing, and we resort to semi-definite programming techniques for computing lower bounds on the key rate.

preprint2022arXiv

Building separable approximations for quantum states via neural networks

Finding the closest separable state to a given target state is a notoriously difficult task, even more difficult than deciding whether a state is entangled or separable. To tackle this task, we parametrize separable states with a neural network and train it to minimize the distance to a given target state, with respect to a differentiable distance, such as the trace distance or Hilbert--Schmidt distance. By examining the output of the algorithm, we obtain an upper bound on the entanglement of the target state, and construct an approximation for its closest separable state. We benchmark the method on a variety of well-known classes of bipartite states and find excellent agreement, even up to local dimension of $d=10$, while providing conjectures and analytic insight for isotropic and Werner states. Moreover, we show our method to be efficient in the multipartite case, considering different notions of separability. Examining three and four-party GHZ and W states we recover known bounds and obtain additional ones, for instance for triseparability.

preprint2022arXiv

Experimental relativistic zero-knowledge proofs

Protecting secrets is a key challenge in our contemporary information-based era. In common situations, however, revealing secrets appears unavoidable, for instance, when identifying oneself in a bank to retrieve money. In turn, this may have highly undesirable consequences in the unlikely, yet not unrealistic, case where the bank's security gets compromised. This naturally raises the question of whether disclosing secrets is fundamentally necessary for identifying oneself, or more generally for proving a statement to be correct. Developments in computer science provide an elegant solution via the concept of zero-knowledge proofs: a prover can convince a verifier of the validity of a certain statement without facilitating the elaboration of a proof at all. In this work, we report the experimental realisation of such a zero-knowledge protocol involving two separated verifier-prover pairs. Security is enforced via the physical principle of special relativity, and no computational assumption (such as the existence of one-way functions) is required. Our implementation exclusively relies on off-the-shelf equipment and works at both short (60 m) and long distances ($\geqslant$400 m) in about one second. This demonstrates the practical potential of multi-prover zero-knowledge protocols, promising for identification tasks and blockchain applications such as cryptocurrencies or smart contracts.

preprint2022arXiv

Receiver-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution

We present protocols for quantum key distribution in a prepare-and-measure setup with an asymmetric level of trust. While the device of the sender (Alice) is partially characterized, the receiver's (Bob's) device is treated as a black-box. The security of the protocols is based on the assumption that Alice's prepared states have limited overlaps, but no explicit bound on the Hilbert space dimension is required. The protocols are immune to attacks on the receiver's device, such as blinding attacks. The users can establish a secret key while continuously monitoring the correct functioning of their devices through observed statistics. We report a proof-of-principle demonstration, involving mostly off-the-shelf equipment, as well as a high-efficiency superconducting nanowire detector. A positive key rate is demonstrated over a 4.8 km low-loss optical fiber with finite-key analysis. The prospects of implementing these protocols over longer distances is discussed.

preprint2022arXiv

Receiver-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Protocols

We discuss quantum key distribution protocols and their security analysis, considering a receiver-device-independent (RDI) model. The sender's (Alice's) device is partially characterized, in the sense that we assume bounds on the overlaps of the prepared quantum states. The receiver's (Bob's) device requires no characterisation and can be represented as a black-box. Our protocols are therefore robust to any attack on Bob, such as blinding attacks. In particular, we show that a secret key can be established even when the quantum channel has arbitrarily low transmission by considering RDI protocols exploiting sufficiently many states. Finally, we discuss how the hypothesis of bounded overlaps can be naturally applied to practical devices.

preprint2022arXiv

Self-testing entangled measurements in quantum networks

Self-testing refers to the possibility of characterizing an unknown quantum device based only on the observed statistics. Here we develop methods for self-testing entangled quantum measurements, a key element for quantum networks. Our approach is based on the natural assumption that separated physical sources in a network should be considered independent. This provides a natural formulation of the problem of certifying entangled measurements. Considering the setup of entanglement swapping, we derive a robust self-test for the Bell-state measurement, tolerating noise levels up to 5%. We also discuss generalizations to other entangled measurements.

preprint2022arXiv

Semi-Device-Independent Certification of Causal Nonseparability with Trusted Quantum Inputs

While the standard formulation of quantum theory assumes a fixed background causal structure, one can relax this assumption within the so-called process matrix framework. Remarkably, some processes, termed causally nonseparable, are incompatible with a definite causal order. We explore a form of certification of causal nonseparability in a semi-device-independent scenario where the involved parties receive trusted quantum inputs, but whose operations are otherwise uncharacterised. Defining the notion of causally nonseparable distributed measurements, we show that certain causally nonseparable processes which cannot violate any causal inequality, including the canonical example of the quantum switch, can generate noncausal correlations in such a scenario. Moreover, by imposing some further natural structure to the untrusted operations, we show that all bipartite causally nonseparable process matrices can be certified with trusted quantum inputs.

preprint2021arXiv

Genuine network quantum nonlocality and self-testing

The network structure offers in principle the possibility for novel forms of quantum nonlocal correlations, that are proper to networks and cannot be traced back to standard quantum Bell nonlocality. Here we define a notion of genuine network quantum nonlocality. Our approach is operational and views standard quantum nonlocality as a resource for producing correlations in networks. We show several examples of correlations that are genuine network nonlocal, considering the so-called bilocality network of entanglement swapping. In particular, we present an example of quantum self-testing which relies on the network structure; the considered correlations are non-bilocal, but are local according to the usual definition of Bell locality.

preprint2021arXiv

Quantum measurement incompatibility in subspaces

We consider the question of characterising the incompatibility of sets of high-dimensional quantum measurements. We introduce the concept of measurement incompatibility in subspaces. That is, starting from a set of measurements that is incompatible, one considers the set of measurements obtained by projection onto any strict subspace of fixed dimension. We identify three possible forms of incompatibility in subspaces: (i) incompressible incompatibility: measurements that become compatible in every subspace, (ii) fully compressible incompatibility: measurements that remain incompatible in every subspace, and (iii) partly compressible incompatibility: measurements that are compatible in some subspace and incompatible in another. For each class we discuss explicit examples. Finally, we present some applications of these ideas. First we show that joint measurability and coexistence are two inequivalent notions of incompatibility in the simplest case of qubit systems. Second we highlight the implications of our results for tests of quantum steering.

preprint2020arXiv

A neural network oracle for quantum nonlocality problems in networks

Characterizing quantum nonlocality in networks is a challenging, but important problem. Using quantum sources one can achieve distributions which are unattainable classically. A key point in investigations is to decide whether an observed probability distribution can be reproduced using only classical resources. This causal inference task is challenging even for simple networks, both analytically and using standard numerical techniques. We propose to use neural networks as numerical tools to overcome these challenges, by learning the classical strategies required to reproduce a distribution. As such, the neural network acts as an oracle, demonstrating that a behavior is classical if it can be learned. We apply our method to several examples in the triangle configuration. After demonstrating that the method is consistent with previously known results, we give solid evidence that the distribution presented in [N. Gisin, Entropy 21(3), 325 (2019)] is indeed nonlocal as conjectured. Finally we examine the genuinely nonlocal distribution presented in [M.-O. Renou et al., PRL 123, 140401 (2019)], and, guided by the findings of the neural network, conjecture nonlocality in a new range of parameters in these distributions. The method allows us to get an estimate on the noise robustness of all examined distributions.

preprint2020arXiv

Constraints on nonlocality in networks from no-signaling and independence

Generalising the concept of Bell nonlocality to networks leads to novel forms of correlations, the characterization of which is however challenging. Here we investigate constraints on correlations in networks under the two natural assumptions of no-signaling and independence of the sources. We consider the ``triangle network'', and derive strong constraints on correlations even though the parties receive no input, i.e. each party performs a fixed measurement. We show that some of these constraints are tight, by constructing explicit local models (i.e. where sources distribute classical variables) that can saturate them. However, we also observe that other constraints can apparently not be saturated by local models, which opens the possibility of having nonlocal (but non-signaling) correlations in the triangle network.

preprint2020arXiv

Fast semidefinite programming with feedforward neural networks

Semidefinite programming is an important optimization task, often used in time-sensitive applications. Though they are solvable in polynomial time, in practice they can be too slow to be used in online, i.e. real-time applications. Here we propose to solve feasibility semidefinite programs using artificial neural networks. Given the optimization constraints as an input, a neural network outputs values for the optimization parameters such that the constraints are satisfied, both for the primal and the dual formulations of the task. We train the network without having to exactly solve the semidefinite program even once, thus avoiding the possibly time-consuming task of having to generate many training samples with conventional solvers. The neural network method is only inconclusive if both the primal and dual models fail to provide feasible solutions. Otherwise we always obtain a certificate, which guarantees false positives to be excluded. We examine the performance of the method on a hierarchy of quantum information tasks, the Navascués-Pironio-Acín hierarchy applied to the Bell scenario. We demonstrate that the trained neural network gives decent accuracy, while showing orders of magnitude increase in speed compared to a traditional solver.

preprint2020arXiv

Quantifying measurement incompatibility of mutually unbiased bases

Quantum measurements based on mutually unbiased bases are commonly used in quantum information processing, as they are generally viewed as being maximally incompatible and complementary. Here we quantify precisely the degree of incompatibility of mutually unbiased bases (MUB) using the notion of noise robustness. Specifically, for sets of $k$ MUB in dimension $d$, we provide upper and lower bounds on this quantity. Notably, we get a tight bound in several cases, in particular for complete sets of $k=d+1$ MUB (given $d$ is a prime power). On the way, we also derive a general upper bound on the noise robustness for an arbitrary set of quantum measurements. Moreover, we prove the existence of sets of $k$ MUB that are operationally inequivalent, as they feature different noise robustness, and we provide a lower bound on the number of such inequivalent sets up to dimension 32. Finally, we discuss applications of our results for Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering.

preprint2020arXiv

Quantum nonlocality in networks can be demonstrated with an arbitrarily small level of independence between the sources

Quantum nonlocality can be observed in networks even in the case where every party can only perform a single measurement, i.e. does not receive any input. So far, this effect has been demonstrated under the assumption that all sources in the network are fully independent from each other. Here we investigate to what extent this independence assumption can be relaxed. After formalizing the question, we show that, in the triangle network without inputs, quantum nonlocality can be observed, even when assuming only an arbitrarily small level of independence between the sources. This means that quantum predictions cannot be reproduced by a local model unless the three sources can be perfectly correlated.

preprint2020arXiv

Quantum teleportation of single-electron states

We consider a scheme for on-demand teleportation of a dual-rail electron qubit state, based on single-electron sources and detectors. The scheme has a maximal efficiency of 25%, which is limited both by the shared entangled state as well as the Bell-state measurement. We consider two experimental implementations, realizable with current technology. The first relies on surface acoustic waves, where all the ingredients are readily available. The second is based on Lorentzian voltage pulses in quantum Hall edge channels. As single-electron detection is not yet experimentally established in these systems, we consider a tomographic detection of teleportation using current correlators up to (and including) third order. For both implementations we take into account environmental effects.

preprint2019arXiv

All quantum resources provide an advantage in exclusion tasks

A key ingredient in quantum resource theories is a notion of measure. Such as a measure should have a number of fundamental properties, and desirably also a clear operational meaning. Here we show that a natural measure known as the convex weight, which quantifies the resource cost of a quantum device, has all the desired properties. In particular, the convex weight of any quantum resource corresponds exactly to the relative advantage it offers in an exclusion task. After presenting the general result, we show how the construction works for state assemblages, sets of measurements and sets of transformations. Moreover, in order to bound the convex weight analytically, we give a complete characterisation of the convex components and corresponding weights of such devices.

preprint2019arXiv

Autonomous multipartite entanglement engines

The generation of genuine multipartite entangled states is challenging in practice. Here we explore a new route to this task, via autonomous entanglement engines which use only incoherent coupling to thermal baths and time-independent interactions. We present a general machine architecture, which allows for the generation of a broad range of multipartite entangled states in a heralded manner. Specifically, given a target multiple-qubit state, we give a sufficient condition ensuring that it can be generated by our machine. We discuss the cases of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger, Dicke and cluster states in detail. These results demonstrate the potential of purely thermal resources for creating multipartite entangled states useful for quantum information processing.

preprint2019arXiv

Practical self-testing quantum random number generator based on an energy bound

We present a scheme for a self-testing quantum random number generator. Compared to the fully device-independent model, our scheme requires an extra natural assumption, namely that the mean energy per signal is bounded. The scheme is self-testing, as it allows the user to verify in real-time the correct functioning of the setup, hence guaranteeing the continuous generation of certified random bits. Based on a prepare-and-measure setup, our scheme is practical, and we implement it using only off-the-shelf optical components. The randomness generation rate is 1.25 Mbits/s, comparable to commercial solutions. Overall, we believe that this scheme achieves a promising trade-off between the required assumptions, ease-of-implementation and performance.

preprint2018arXiv

Self-testing non-projective quantum measurements in prepare-and-measure experiments

Self-testing represents the strongest form of certification of a quantum system. Here we investigate theoretically and experimentally the question of self-testing non-projective quantum measurements. That is, how can one certify, from observed data only, that an uncharacterised measurement device implements a desired non-projective positive-operator-valued-measure (POVM). We consider a prepare-and-measure scenario with a bound on the Hilbert space dimension, which we argue is natural for this problem since any measurement can be made projective by artificially increasing the Hilbert space dimension. We develop methods for (i) robustly self-testing extremal qubit POVMs (which feature either three or four outcomes), and (ii) certify that an uncharacterised qubit measurement is non-projective, or even a genuine four-outcome POVM. Our methods are robust to noise and thus applicable in practice, as we demonstrate in a photonic experiment. Specifically, we show that our experimental data implies that the implemented measurements are very close to certain ideal three and four outcome qubit POVMs, and hence non-projective. In the latter case, the data certifies a genuine four-outcome qubit POVM. Our results open interesting perspective for strong `black-box' certification of quantum devices.

preprint2016arXiv

A self-testing quantum random number generator

The generation of random numbers is a task of paramount importance in modern science. A central problem for both classical and quantum randomness generation is to estimate the entropy of the data generated by a given device. Here we present a protocol for self-testing quantum random number generation, in which the user can monitor the entropy in real-time. Based on a few general assumptions, our protocol guarantees continuous generation of high quality randomness, without the need for a detailed characterization of the devices. Using a fully optical setup, we implement our protocol and illustrate its self-testing capacity. Our work thus provides a practical approach to quantum randomness generation in a scenario of trusted but error-prone devices.

preprint2016arXiv

Algorithmic construction of local hidden variable models for entangled quantum states

Constructing local hidden variable (LHV) models for entangled quantum states is challenging, as the model should reproduce quantum predictions for all possible local measurements. Here we present a simple method for building LHV models, applicable to general entangled states, which consists in verifying that the statistics resulting from a finite set of measurements is local, a much simpler problem. This leads to a sequence of tests which, in the limit, fully capture the set of quantum states admitting a LHV model. Similar methods are developed for constructing local hidden state models. We illustrate the practical relevance of these methods with several examples, and discuss further applications.

preprint2016arXiv

Autonomous Quantum Refrigerator in a Circuit-QED Architecture Based on a Josephson Junction

An implementation of a small quantum absorption refrigerator in a circuit QED architecture is proposed. The setup consists of three harmonic oscillators coupled to a Josephson unction. The refrigerator is autonomous in the sense that it does not require any external control for cooling, but only thermal contact between the oscillators and heat baths at different temperatures. In addition, the setup features a built-in switch, which allows the cooling to be turned on and off. If timing control is available, this enables the possibility for coherence-enhanced cooling. Finally, we show that significant cooling can be achieved with experimentally realistic parameters and that our setup should be within reach of current technology.

preprint2016arXiv

Classical communication cost of quantum steering

Quantum steering is observed when performing appropriate local measurements on an entangled state. Here we discuss the possibility of simulating classically this effect, using classical communication instead of entanglement. We show that infinite communication is necessary for exactly simulating steering for any pure entangled state, as well as for a class of mixed entangled states. Moreover, we discuss the communication cost of steering for general entangled states, as well as approximate simulation. Our findings reveal striking differences between Bell nonlocality and steering, and provide a natural way of measuring the strength of the latter.

preprint2016arXiv

Entanglement without hidden nonlocality

We consider Bell tests in which the distant observers can perform local filtering before testing a Bell inequality. Notably, in this setup, certain entangled states admitting a local hidden variable model in the standard Bell scenario can nevertheless violate a Bell inequality after filtering, displaying so-called hidden nonlocality. Here we ask whether all entangled states can violate a Bell inequality after well-chosen local filtering. We answer this question in the negative by showing that there exist entangled states without hidden nonlocality. Specifically, we prove that some two-qubit Werner states still admit a local hidden variable model after any possible local filtering on a single copy of the state.

preprint2016arXiv

Incompatible quantum measurements admitting a local hidden variable model

The observation of quantum nonlocality, i.e. quantum correlations violating a Bell inequality, implies the use of incompatible local quantum measurements. Here we consider the converse question. That is, can any set of incompatible measurements be used in order to demonstrate Bell inequality violation? Our main result is to construct a local hidden variable model for an incompatible set of qubit measurements. Specifically, we show that if Alice uses this set of measurements, then for any possible shared entangled state, and any possible dichotomic measurements performed by Bob, the resulting statistics are local. This represents significant progress towards proving that measurement incompatibility does not imply Bell nonlocality in general.

preprint2016arXiv

Inequivalence of entanglement, steering, and Bell nonlocality for general measurements

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering is a form of inseparability in quantum theory commonly acknowledged to be intermediate between entanglement and Bell nonlocality. However, this statement has so far only been proven for a restricted class of measurements, namely projective measurements. Here we prove that entanglement, one-way steering, two-way steering and nonlocality are genuinely different considering general measurements, i.e. single round positive-operator-valued-measures. Finally, we show that the use of sequences of measurements is relevant for steering tests, as they can be used to reveal "hidden steering".

preprint2016arXiv

One-way Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering is a form of quantum nonlocality exhibiting an inherent asymmetry between the observers, Alice and Bob. We present a simple class of entangled two-qubit states which are one-way steerable, considering arbitrary projective measurements. That is, Alice can steer the state of Bob, but it is impossible for Bob to steer Alice's state. This shows that the nonlocal properties of entangled states can be fundamentally asymmetrical.

preprint2016arXiv

Performance of autonomous quantum thermal machines: Hilbert space dimension as a thermodynamic resource

Multilevel autonomous quantum thermal machines are discussed. In particular, we explore the relation between the size of the machine (captured by Hilbert space dimension), and the performance of the machine. Using the concepts of virtual qubits and virtual temperatures, we show that higher dimensional machines can outperform smaller ones. For instance, by considering refrigerators with more levels, lower temperatures can be achieved, as well as higher power. We discuss the optimal design for refrigerators of a given dimension. As a consequence we obtain a statement of the third law in terms of Hilbert space dimension: reaching absolute zero temperature requires infinite dimension. These results demonstrate that Hilbert space dimension should be considered a thermodynamic resource.

preprint2016arXiv

Single-electron entanglement and nonlocality

Motivated by recent progress in electron quantum optics, we revisit the question of single-electron entanglement, specifically whether the state of a single electron in a superposition of two separate spatial modes should be considered entangled. We first discuss a gedanken experiment with single-electron sources and detectors, and demonstrate deterministic (i. e. without post-selection) Bell inequality violation. This implies that the single-electron state is indeed entangled and, furthermore, nonlocal. We then present an experimental scheme where single-electron entanglement can be observed via measurements of the average currents and zero-frequency current cross-correlators in an electronic Hanbury Brown-Twiss interferometer driven by Lorentzian voltage pulses. We show that single-electron entanglement is detectable under realistic operating conditions. Our work settles the question of single-electron entanglement and opens promising perspectives for future experiments.

preprint2016arXiv

Sufficient criterion for guaranteeing that a two-qubit state is unsteerable

Quantum steering can be detected via the violation of steering inequalities, which provide sufficient conditions for the steerability of quantum states. Here we discuss the converse problem, namely ensuring that a state is unsteerable, and hence Bell local. We present a simple criterion, applicable to any two-qubit state, which guarantees that the state admits a local hidden state model for arbitrary projective measurements. We find new classes of unsteerable entangled states, which can thus not violate any steering or Bell inequality. In turn, this leads to sufficient conditions for a state to be only one-way steerable, and provides the simplest possible example of one-way steering. Finally, by exploiting the connection between steering and measurement incompatibility, we give a sufficient criterion for a continuous set of qubit measurements to be jointly measurable.

preprint2016arXiv

Super-Activation of Quantum Steering

We consider Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering in the regime where the parties can perform collective measurements on many copies of a given shared entangled state. We derive a simple and efficient condition for guaranteeing that an entangled state is $k$-copy steerable. In particular we show that any two-qubit and qubit-qutrit entangled states is $k$-copy steerable. This allows us to discuss the effect of super-activation of steering, whereby an entangled state that is unsteerable (i.e., admits a local hidden state model) in the one-copy regime becomes $k$-copy steerable. We provide examples with few copies and low dimensions. Our results give evidence that entanglement and steering could become equivalent in the multi-copy regime.

preprint2015arXiv

A short note on passivity, complete passivity and virtual temperatures

We give a simple and intuitive proof that the only states which are completely passive, i.e. those states from which work cannot be extracted even with infinitely many copies, are Gibbs states at positive temperatures. The proof makes use of the idea of virtual temperatures, i.e. the association of temperatures to pairs of energy levels (transitions). We show that (i) passive states are those where every transition is at a positive temperature, and (ii) completely passive states are those where every transition is at the same positive temperature.

preprint2015arXiv

A small quantum absorption refrigerator with reversed couplings

Small quantum absorption refrigerators have recently attracted renewed attention. Here we present a missing design of a two-qubit fridge, the main feature of which is that one of the two machine qubits is itself maintained at a temperature colder than the cold bath. This is achieved by 'reversing' the couplings to the baths compared to previous designs, where only a transition is maintained cold. We characterize the working regime and the efficiency of the fridge. We demonstrate the soundness of the model by deriving and solving a master equation. Finally, we discuss the performance of the fridge, in particular the heat current extracted from the cold bath. We show that our model performs comparably to the standard three-level quantum fridge, and thus appears appealing for possible implementations of nano thermal machines.

preprint2015arXiv

Autonomous quantum thermal machine for generating steady-state entanglement

We discuss a simple quantum thermal machine for the generation of steady-state entanglement between two interacting qubits. The machine is autonomous in the sense that it uses only incoherent interactions with thermal baths, but no source of coherence or external control. By weakly coupling the qubits to thermal baths at different temperatures, inducing a heat current through the system, steady-state entanglement is generated far from thermal equilibrium. Finally, we discuss two possible implementations, using superconducting flux qubits or a semiconductor double quantum dot. Experimental prospects for steady-state entanglement are promising in both systems.

preprint2015arXiv

Device-Independent Tests of Entropy

We show that the entropy of a message can be tested in a device-independent way. Specifically, we consider a prepare-and-measure scenario with classical or quantum communication, and develop two different methods for placing lower bounds on the communication entropy, given observable data. The first method is based on the framework of causal inference networks. The second technique, based on convex optimization, shows that quantum communication provides an advantage over classical, in the sense of requiring a lower entropy to reproduce given data. These ideas may serve as a basis for novel applications in device-independent quantum information processing.

preprint2015arXiv

Exploring the limits of quantum nonlocality with entangled photons

Quantum nonlocality is arguably among the most counter-intuitive phenomena predicted by quantum theory. In recent years, the development of an abstract theory of nonlocality has brought a much deeper understanding of the subject. In parallel, experimental progress allowed for the demonstration of quantum nonlocality in a wide range of physical systems, and brings us close to a final loophole-free Bell test. Here we combine these theoretical and experimental developments in order to explore the limits of quantum nonlocality. This approach represents a thorough test of quantum theory, and could provide evidence of new physics beyond the quantum model. Using a versatile and high-fidelity source of pairs of polarization entangled photons, we explore the boundary of quantum correlations, present the most nonlocal correlations ever reported, demonstrate the phenomenon of more nonlocality with less entanglement, and show that non-planar (and hence complex) qubit measurements can be necessary to reproduce the strong qubit correlations that we observed. Our results are in remarkable agreement with quantum predictions.

preprint2015arXiv

Extractable Work from Correlations

Work and quantum correlations are two fundamental resources in thermodynamics and quantum information theory. In this work we study how to use correlations among quantum systems to optimally store work. We analyse this question for isolated quantum ensembles, where the work can be naturally divided into two contributions: a local contribution from each system, and a global contribution originating from correlations among systems. We focus on the latter and consider quantum systems which are locally thermal, thus from which any extractable work can only come from correlations. We compute the maximum extractable work for general entangled states, separable states, and states with fixed entropy. Our results show that while entanglement gives an advantage for small quantum ensembles, this gain vanishes for a large number of systems.

preprint2015arXiv

Genuinely multipartite entangled quantum states with fully local hidden variable models and hidden multipartite nonlocality

The relation between entanglement and nonlocality is discussed in the case of multipartite quantum systems. We show that, for any number of parties, there exist genuinely multipartite entangled states which admit a fully local hidden variable model, i.e. where all parties are separated. Hence, although these states are entangled in the strongest possible sense, they cannot lead to Bell inequality violation considering general non-sequential local measurements. Then, we show that the nonlocality of these states can nevertheless be activated using sequences of local measurements, thus revealing genuine multipartite hidden nonlocality.

preprint2015arXiv

Local hidden variable models for entangled quantum states using finite shared randomness

The statistics of local measurements performed on certain entangled states can be reproduced using a local hidden variable (LHV) model. While all known models make use of an infinite amount of shared randomness---the physical relevance of which is questionable---we show that essentially all entangled states admitting a LHV model can be simulated with finite shared randomness. Our most economical model simulates noisy two-qubit Werner states using only 3.58 bits of shared randomness. We also discuss the case of POVMs, and the simulation of nonlocal states with finite shared randomness and finite communication. Our work represents a first step towards quantifying the cost of LHV models for entangled quantum states.

preprint2015arXiv

Nonlinear Bell inequalities tailored for quantum networks

In a quantum network, distant observers sharing physical resources emitted by independent sources can establish strong correlations, which defy any classical explanation in terms of local variables. We discuss the characterization of nonlocal correlations in such a situation, when compared to those that can be generated in networks distributing independent local variables. We present an iterative procedure for constructing Bell inequalities tailored for networks: starting from a given network, and a corresponding Bell inequality, our technique provides new Bell inequalities for a more complex network, involving one additional source and one additional observer. The relevance of our method is illustrated on a variety of networks, for which we demonstrate significant quantum violations.

preprint2015arXiv

Postquantum steering

The discovery of postquantum nonlocality, i.e., the existence of nonlocal correlations that are stronger than any quantum correlations but nevertheless consistent with the no-signaling principle, has deepened our understanding of the foundations of quantum theory. In this work, we investigate whether the phenomenon of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering, a different form of quantum nonlocality, can also be generalized beyond quantum theory. While postquantum steering does not exist in the bipartite case, we prove its existence in the case of three observers. Importantly, we show that postquantum steering is a genuinely new phenomenon, fundamentally different from postquantum nonlocality. Our results provide new insight into the nonlocal correlations of multipartite quantum systems.

preprint2015arXiv

Small quantum absorption refrigerator in the transient regime: time scales, enhanced cooling and entanglement

A small quantum absorption refrigerator, consisting of three qubits, is discussed in the transient regime. We discuss time scales for coherent dynamics, damping, and approach to the steady state, and we study cooling and entanglement. We observe that cooling can be enhanced in the transient regime, in the sense that lower temperatures can be achieved compared to the steady-state regime. This is a consequence of coherent dynamics, but can occur even when this dynamics is strongly damped by the dissipative thermal environment, and we note that precise control over couplings or timing is not needed to achieve enhanced cooling. We also show that the amount of entanglement present in the refrigerator can be much larger in the transient regime compared to the steady-state. These results are of relevance to future implementations of quantum thermal machines.

preprint2015arXiv

Testing dimension and non-classicality in communication networks

We consider networks featuring preparation, transformation, and measurement devices, in which devices exchange communication via mediating physical systems. We investigate the problem of testing the dimension of the mediating systems in the device-independent scenario, that is, based on observable data alone. A general framework for tackling this problem is presented, considering both classical and quantum systems. These methods can then also be used to certify the non-classicality of the mediating systems, given an upper bound on their dimension. Several case studies are reported, which illustrate the relevance of the framework. These examples also show that, for fixed dimension, quantum systems largely outperform classical ones. Moreover, the use of a transformation device considerably improves noise tolerance when compared to simple prepare-and-measure networks. These results suggest that the classical simulation of quantum systems becomes costly in terms of dimension, even for simple networks.

preprint2015arXiv

Thermodynamic cost of creating correlations

We investigate the fundamental limitations imposed by thermodynamics for creating correlations. Considering a collection of initially uncorrelated thermal quantum systems, we ask how much classical and quantum correlations can be obtained via a cyclic Hamiltonian process. We derive bounds on both the mutual information and entanglement of formation, as a function of the temperature of the systems and the available energy. While for a finite number of systems there is a maximal temperature allowing for the creation of entanglement, we show that genuine multipartite entanglement---the strongest form of entanglement in multipartite systems---can be created at any temperature when sufficiently many systems are considered. This approach may find applications, e.g. in quantum information processing, for physical platforms in which thermodynamic considerations cannot be ignored.

preprint2014arXiv

Bell nonlocality

Bell's 1964 theorem, which states that the predictions of quantum theory cannot be accounted for by any local theory, represents one of the most profound developments in the foundations of physics. In the last two decades, Bell's theorem has been a central theme of research from a variety of perspectives, mainly motivated by quantum information science, where the nonlocality of quantum theory underpins many of the advantages afforded by a quantum processing of information. The focus of this review is to a large extent oriented by these later developments. We review the main concepts and tools which have been developed to describe and study the nonlocality of quantum theory, and which have raised this topic to the status of a full sub-field of quantum information science.

preprint2014arXiv

Dimension of physical systems, information processing, and thermodynamics

We ask how quantum theory compares to more general physical theories from the point of view of dimension. To do so, we first give two model independent definition of the dimension of physical systems, based on measurements and on the capacity of storing information. While both definitions are equivalent in classical and quantum mechanics, they are in general different in generalized probabilistic theories. We discuss in detail the case of a theory known as 'boxworld', and show that such a theory features systems with a dimension mismatch. This dimension mismatch can be made arbitrarily large by using an amplification procedure. Furthermore, we show that the dimension mismatch of boxworld has strong consequences on its power for performing information-theoretic tasks, leading to the collapse of communication complexity and to the violation of information causality. Finally, we discuss the consequences of a dimension mismatch from the perspective of thermodynamics, and ask whether this effect could break Landauer's erasure principle and thus the second law.

preprint2014arXiv

Disproving the Peres conjecture: Bell nonlocality from bipartite bound entanglement

Quantum entanglement plays a central role in many areas of physics, from quantum information science to many-body systems. In order to grasp the essence of this phenomenon, it is fundamental to understand how different manifestations of entanglement relate to each other. In 1999, Peres conjectured that Bell nonlocality is equivalent to distillability of entanglement. The intuition of Peres was that the non-classicality of an entangled state, as witnessed via Bell inequality violation, implies that pure entanglement can be distilled from this state, hence making it useful for most quantum information protocols. Subsequently, the Peres conjecture was shown to hold true in several specific cases, and became a central open question in quantum information theory. Here we disprove the Peres conjecture by showing that an undistillable bipartite entangled state---a bound entangled state---can nevertheless violate a Bell inequality. This shows that Bell nonlocality implies neither entanglement distillability, nor non-positivity under partial transposition, thus clarifying the relation between three fundamental aspects of entanglement. Finally, our results lead to a novel application of bound entanglement for device-independent randomness certification.

preprint2014arXiv

Entanglement enhances cooling in microscopic quantum fridges

Small self-contained quantum thermal machines function without external source of work or control, but using only incoherent interactions with thermal baths. Here we investigate the role of entanglement in a small self-contained quantum refrigerator. We first show that entanglement is detrimental as far as efficiency is concerned---fridges operating at efficiencies close to the Carnot limit do not feature any entanglement. Moving away from the Carnot regime, we show that entanglement can enhance cooling and energy transport. Hence a truly quantum refrigerator can outperform a classical one. Furthermore, the amount of entanglement alone quantifies the enhancement in cooling.

preprint2014arXiv

Experimental semi-device-independent certification of entangled measurements

Certifying the entanglement of quantum states with Bell inequalities allows one to guarantee the security of quantum information protocols independently of imperfections in the measuring devices. Here we present a similar procedure for witnessing entangled measurements, which play a central role in many quantum information tasks. Our procedure is termed semi-device-independent, as it uses uncharacterized quantum preparations of fixed Hilbert space dimension. Using a photonic setup, we experimentally certify an entangled measurement using measurement statistics only. We also apply our techniques to certify unentangled but nevertheless inherently quantum measurements.

preprint2014arXiv

Nonlocality of $W$ and Dicke states subject to losses

We discuss the nonlocality of the $W$ and the Dicke states subject to losses. We consider two noise models, namely loss of excitations and loss of particles, and investigate how much loss can be tolerated such that the final state remains nonlocal. This leads to a measure of robustness of the nonlocality of Dicke states, with a clear physical interpretation. Our results suggest that the relation between nonlocality and entanglement of Dicke states is not monotonous.

preprint2013arXiv

Device-dependent and device-independent quantum key distribution without a shared reference frame

Standard quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols typically assume that the distant parties share a common reference frame. In practice, however, establishing and maintaining a good alignment between distant observers is rarely a trivial issue, which may significantly restrain the implementation of long-distance quantum communication protocols. Here we propose simple QKD protocols that do not require the parties to share any reference frame, and study their security and feasibility in both the usual device-dependent case--in which the two parties use well characterized measurement devices--as well as in the device-independent case--in which the measurement devices can be untrusted, and the security relies on the violation of a Bell inequality. To illustrate the practical relevance of these ideas, we present a proof-of-principle demonstration of our protocols using polarization entangled photons distributed over a coiled 10-km-long optical fiber. We consider two situations, in which either the fiber spool freely drifts, or randomly chosen polarization transformations are applied. The correlations obtained from measurements allow, with high probability, to generate positive asymptotic secret key rates in both the device-dependent and device-independent scenarios (under the fair-sampling assumption for the latter case).

preprint2013arXiv

Dimension witnesses and quantum state discrimination

Dimension witnesses allow one to test the dimension of an unknown physical system in a device-independent manner, that is, without placing assumptions about the functioning of the devices used in the experiment. Here we present simple and general dimension witnesses for quantum systems of arbitrary Hilbert space dimension. Our approach is deeply connected to the problem of quantum state discrimination, hence establishing a strong link between these two research topics. Finally, our dimension witnesses can distinguish between classical and quantum systems of the same dimension, making them potentially useful for quantum information processing.

preprint2013arXiv

Genuine hidden quantum nonlocality

The nonlocality of certain quantum states can be revealed by using local filters before performing a standard Bell test. This phenomenon, known as hidden nonlocality, has been so far demonstrated only for a restricted class of measurements, namely projective measurements. Here we prove the existence of genuine hidden nonlocality. Specifically, we present a class of two-qubit entangled states, for which we construct a local model for the most general local measurements (POVMs), and show that the states violate a Bell inequality after local filtering. Hence there exist entangled states, the nonlocality of which can be revealed only by using a sequence of measurements. Finally, we show that genuine hidden nonlocality can be maximal. There exist entangled states for which a sequence of measurements can lead to maximal violation of a Bell inequality, while the statistics of non-sequential measurements is always local.

preprint2013arXiv

Measurement of sub-pulse-width temporal delays via spectral interference induced by weak value amplification

We demonstrate experimentally a scheme to measure small temporal delays, much smaller than the pulse width, between optical pulses. Specifically, we observe an interference effect, based on the concepts of quantum weak measurements and weak value amplification, through which a sub-pulsewidth temporal delay between two femtosecond pulses induces a measurable shift of the central frequency of the pulse. The amount of frequency shift, and the accompanying losses of the measurement, can be tailored by post-selecting different states of polarization. Our scheme requires only spectrum measurements and linear optics elements, hence greatly facilitating its implementation. Thus it appears as a promising technique for measuring small and rapidly varying temporal delays.

preprint2013arXiv

Pre- and post-selected quantum states: density matrices, tomography, and Kraus operators

We present a general formalism for charecterizing 2-time quantum states, describing pre- and post-selected quantum systems. The most general 2-time state is characterized by a `density vector' that is independent of measurements performed between the preparation and post-selection. We provide a method for performing tomography of an unknown 2-time density vector. This procedure, which cannot be implemented by weak or projective measurements, brings new insight to the fundamental role played by Kraus operators in quantum measurements. Finally, after showing that general states and measurements are isomorphic, we show that any measurement on a 2-time state can be mapped to a measurement on a preselected bipartite state.

preprint2013arXiv

Proposal for a loophole-free Bell test based on spin-photon interactions in cavities

We present a scheme to demonstrate loophole-free Bell inequality violation where the entanglement between photon pairs is transferred to solid state (spin) qubits mediated by cavity QED interactions. As this transfer can be achieved in a heralded way, our scheme is basically insensitive to losses on the channel. This makes it appealing for the implementation of quantum information protocols based on nonlocality, such as device-independent quantum key distribution. We consider potential experimental realisations of our scheme using single atom, colour centre and quantum dot cavity systems.

preprint2013arXiv

Quantum steering with bound entanglement

Quantum steering, loosely speaking the distribution of entanglement from an untrusted party, is a form of quantum nonlocality which is intermediate between entanglement and Bell nonlocality. Determining which states can be steered is important from a conceptual point of view, but also for applications, e.g. in quantum cryptography. Here we show that bound entanglement, although it represents the weakest form of entanglement, can nevertheless lead to quantum steering. This is done by noticing that steering inequalities can be derived from entropic uncertainty relations. Our result has implications on the connection between entanglement distillability and nonlocality, and shows that bound entangled states can be useful for information-theoretic tasks featuring an untrusted party.

preprint2013arXiv

Testing nonlocality of a single photon without a shared reference frame

The question of testing the nonlocality of a single photon has raised much debate over the last years. The controversy is intimately related to the issue of providing a common reference frame for the observers to perform their local measurements. Here we address this point by presenting a simple scheme for demonstrating the nonlocality of a single photon which does not require a shared reference frame. Specifically, Bell inequality violation can be obtained with certainty with unaligned devices, even if the relative frame fluctuates between each experimental run of the Bell test. Our scheme appears feasible with current technology, and may simplify the realization of quantum communication protocols based on single-photon entanglement.

preprint2012arXiv

A framework for the study of symmetric full-correlation Bell-like inequalities

Full-correlation Bell-like inequalities represent an important subclass of Bell-like inequalities that have found applications in both a better understanding of fundamental physics and in quantum information science. Loosely speaking, these are inequalities where only measurement statistics involving all parties play a role. In this paper, we provide a framework for the study of a large family of such inequalities that are symmetrical with respect to arbitrary permutations of the parties. As an illustration of the power of our framework, we derive (i) a new family of Svetlichny inequalities for arbitrary numbers of parties, settings and outcomes, (ii) a new family of two-outcome device-independent entanglement witnesses for genuine n-partite entanglement and (iii) a new family of two-outcome Tsirelson inequalities for arbitrary numbers of parties and settings. We also discuss briefly the application of these new inequalities in the characterization of quantum correlations.

preprint2012arXiv

A quantum delayed choice experiment

Quantum systems exhibit particle-like or wave-like behaviour depending on the experimental apparatus they are confronted by. This wave-particle duality is at the heart of quantum mechanics, and is fully captured in Wheeler's famous delayed choice gedanken experiment. In this variant of the double slit experiment, the observer chooses to test either the particle or wave nature of a photon after it has passed through the slits. Here we report on a quantum delayed choice experiment, based on a quantum controlled beam-splitter, in which both particle and wave behaviours can be investigated simultaneously. The genuinely quantum nature of the photon's behaviour is tested via a Bell inequality, which here replaces the delayed choice of the observer. We observe strong Bell inequality violations, thus showing that no model in which the photon knows in advance what type of experiment it will be confronted by, hence behaving either as a particle or as wave, can account for the experimental data.

preprint2012arXiv

All quantum states useful for teleportation are nonlocal resources

Understanding the relation between the different forms of inseparability in quantum mechanics is a longstanding problem in the foundations of quantum theory and has implications for quantum information processing. Here we make progress in this direction by establishing a direct link between quantum teleportation and Bell nonlocality. In particular, we show that all entangled states which are useful for teleportation are nonlocal resources, i.e. lead to deterministic violation of Bell's inequality. Our result exploits the phenomenon of super-activation of quantum nonlocality, recently proved by Palazuelos, and suggests that the latter might in fact be generic.

preprint2012arXiv

Bell inequalities for three systems and arbitrarily many measurement outcomes

We present a family of Bell inequalities for three parties and arbitrarily many outcomes, which can be seen as a natural generalization of the Mermin Bell inequality. For a small number of outcomes, we verify that our inequalities define facets of the polytope of local correlations. We investigate the quantum violations of these inequalities, in particular with respect to the Hilbert space dimension. We provide strong evidence that the maximal quantum violation can only be reached using systems with local Hilbert space dimension exceeding the number of measurement outcomes. This suggests that our inequalities can be used as multipartite dimension witnesses.

preprint2012arXiv

Bell nonlocality and Bayesian game theory

We discuss a connection between Bell nonlocality and Bayesian games. This link offers interesting perspectives for Bayesian games, namely to allow the players to receive advice in the form of nonlocal correlations, for instance using entangled quantum particles or more general no-signaling boxes. The possibility of having such 'nonlocal advice' will lead to novel joint strategies, impossible to achieve in the classical setting. This implies that quantum resources, or more general no-signaling resources, offer a genuine advantage over classical ones. Moreover, some of these strategies can represent equilibrium points, leading to the notion of quantum/no-signaling Nash equilibrium. Finally we describe new types of question in the study of nonlocality, namely the consideration of non-local advantage when there is a set of Bell expressions.

preprint2012arXiv

Bell tests for continuous variable systems using hybrid measurements and heralded amplifiers

We present Bell tests for optical continuous variable systems, combining both hybrid measurements (i.e. measuring both particle and wave aspects of light) and heralded amplifiers. We discuss two types of schemes, in which the amplifier is located either at the source, or at the parties' laboratories. The inclusion of amplifiers helps to reduce the detrimental effect of losses in the setup. In particular, we show that the requirements in terms of detection efficiency and transmission losses are significantly reduced, approaching the experimentally accessible regime.

preprint2012arXiv

Classical simulation of entanglement swapping with bounded communication

Entanglement appears under two different forms in quantum theory, namely as a property of states of joint systems and as a property of measurement eigenstates in joint measurements. By combining these two aspects of entanglement, it is possible to generate nonlocality between particles that never interacted, using the protocol of entanglement swapping. We show that even in the more constraining bilocal scenario where distant sources of particles are assumed to be independent, i.e. to share no prior randomness, this process can be simulated classically with bounded communication, using only 9 bits in total. Our result thus provides an upper bound on the nonlocality of the process of entanglement swapping.

preprint2012arXiv

Closing the detection loophole in multipartite Bell tests using GHZ states

We investigate the problem of closing the detection loophole in multipartite Bell tests, and show that the required detection efficiencies can be significantly lowered compared to the bipartite case. In particular, we present Bell tests based on n-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states, which can tolerate efficiencies as low as 38% for a reasonable number of parties and measurements. Even in the presence of a significant amount of noise, efficiencies below 50% can be tolerated, which is encouraging given recent experimental progress. Finally we give strong evidence that, for a sufficiently large number of parties and measurements, arbitrarily small efficiencies can be tolerated, even in the presence of an arbitrary large amount of noise.

preprint2012arXiv

Communication cost of simulating entanglement swapping

Entanglement appears in two different ways in quantum mechanics, namely as a property of states and as a property of measurement outcomes in joint measurements. By combining these two aspects of entanglement, it is possible to generate nonlocality between particles that never interacted, using the protocol of entanglement swapping. We investigate the communication cost of classically simulating this process. While the communication cost of simulating nonlocal correlations of entangled states appears to be generally quite low, we show here that infinite communication is required to simulate entanglement swapping. This result is derived in the scenario of bilocality, where distant sources of particles are assumed to be independent, and takes advantage of a previous result of Massar et al. [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 63}, 052305 (2001)]. Our result implies that any classical model simulating entanglement swapping must either assume that (i) infinite shared randomness is available between any two locations in the universe, or that (ii) infinite communication takes place.

preprint2012arXiv

Guess your neighbour's input: no quantum advantage but an advantage for quantum theory

Quantum mechanics dramatically differs from classical physics, allowing for a wide range of genuinely quantum phenomena. The goal of quantum information is to understand information processing from a quantum perspective. In this mindset, it is thus natural to focus on tasks where quantum resources provide an advantage over classical ones, and to overlook tasks where quantum mechanics provides no advantage. But are the latter tasks really useless from a more general perspective? Here we discuss a simple information-theoretic game called 'guess your neighbour's input', for which classical and quantum players perform equally well. We will see that this seemingly innocuous game turns out to be useful in various contexts. From a fundamental point of view, the game provides a sharp separation between quantum mechanics and other more general physical theories, hence bringing a deeper understanding of the foundations of quantum mechanics. The game also finds unexpected applications in quantum foundations and quantum information theory, related to Gleason's theorem, and to bound entanglement and unextendible product bases.

preprint2012arXiv

Loophole-free Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiment via quantum steering

Tests of the predictions of quantum mechanics for entangled systems have provided increasing evidence against local realistic theories. However, there still remains the crucial challenge of simultaneously closing all major loopholes - the locality, freedom-of-choice, and detection loopholes - in a single experiment. An important sub-class of local realistic theories can be tested with the concept of "steering". The term steering was introduced by Schrödinger in 1935 for the fact that entanglement would seem to allow an experimenter to remotely steer the state of a distant system as in the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) argument. Einstein called this "spooky action at a distance". EPR-Steering has recently been rigorously formulated as a quantum information task opening it up to new experimental tests. Here, we present the first loophole-free demonstration of EPR-steering by violating three-setting quadratic steering inequality, tested with polarization entangled photons shared between two distant laboratories. Our experiment demonstrates this effect while simultaneously closing all loopholes: both the locality loophole and a specific form of the freedom-of-choice loophole are closed by having a large separation of the parties and using fast quantum random number generators, and the fair-sampling loophole is closed by having high overall detection efficiency. Thereby, we exclude - for the first time loophole-free - an important class of local realistic theories considered by EPR. As well as its foundational importance, loop-hole-free steering also allows the distribution of quantum entanglement secure from an untrusted party.

preprint2012arXiv

Persistency of entanglement and nonlocality in multipartite quantum systems

The behaviour under particle loss of entanglement and nonlocality is investigated in multipartite quantum systems. In particular, we define a notion of persistency of nonlocality, which leads to device-independent tests of persistent entanglement. We investigate the persistency of various classes of multipartite quantum states, exhibiting a variety of different behaviours. A particular attention is devoted to states featuring maximal persistency. Finally we discuss a link between the symmetry of a state and its persistency, illustrating the fact that too much symmetry reduces the strength of correlations among subsystems. These ideas also lead to a device-independent estimation of the asymmetry of a quantum state.

preprint2012arXiv

Quantum nonlocality does not imply entanglement distillability

Entanglement and nonlocality are both fundamental aspects of quantum theory, and play a prominent role in quantum information science. The exact relation between entanglement and nonlocality is however still poorly understood. Here we make progress in this direction by showing that, contrary to what previous work suggested, quantum nonlocality does not imply entanglement distillability. Specifically, we present analytically a 3-qubit entangled state that is separable along any bipartition. This implies that no bipartite entanglement can be distilled from this state, which is thus fully bound entangled. Then we show that this state nevertheless violates a Bell inequality. Our result also disproves the multipartite version of a longstanding conjecture made by Asher Peres.

preprint2012arXiv

Testing the Structure of Multipartite Entanglement with Bell Inequalities

We show that the rich structure of multipartite entanglement can be tested following a device-independent approach. Specifically we present Bell inequalities for distinguishing between different types of multipartite entanglement, without placing any assumptions on the measurement devices used in the protocol, in contrast with usual entanglement witnesses. We first address the case of three qubits and present Bell inequalities that can be violated by W states but not by GHZ states, and vice versa. Next, we devise 'sub-correlation Bell inequalities' for any number of parties, which can provably not be violated by a broad class of multipartite entangled states (generalizations of GHZ states), but for which violations can be obtained for W states. Our results give insight into the nonlocality of W states. The simplicity and robustness of our tests make them appealing for experiments.

preprint2012arXiv

The Complete Quantum Cheshire Cat

We show that a physical property can be entirely separated from the object it belongs to, hence realizing a complete quantum Cheshire cat. Our setup makes use of a type of quantum state of particular interest, namely an entangled pre- and post-selected state, in which the pre- and post-selections are entangled with each other. Finally we propose a scheme for the experimental implementation of these ideas.

preprint2012arXiv

Virtual qubits, virtual temperatures, and the foundations of thermodynamics

We argue that thermal machines can be understood from the perspective of `virtual qubits' at `virtual temperatures': The relevant way to view the two heat baths which drive a thermal machine is as a composite system. Virtual qubits are two-level subsystems of this composite, and their virtual temperatures can take on any value, positive or negative. Thermal machines act upon an external system by placing it in thermal contact with a well-selected range of virtual qubits and temperatures. We demonstrate these claims by studying the smallest thermal machines. We show further that this perspective provides a powerful way to view thermodynamics, by analysing a number of phenomena. This includes approaching Carnot efficiency (where we find that all machines do so essentially by becoming equivalent to the smallest thermal machines), entropy production in irreversible machines, and a way to view work in terms of negative temperature and population inversion. Moreover we introduce the idea of "genuine" thermal machines and are led to considering the concept of "strength" of work.

preprint2011arXiv

Detecting genuine multipartite quantum non-locality -- a simple approach and generalization to arbitrary dimension

The structure of Bell-type inequalities detecting genuine multipartite non-locality, and hence detecting genuine multipartite entanglement, is investigated. We first present a simple and intuitive approach to Svetlichny's original inequality, which provides a clear understanding of its structure and of its violation in quantum mechanics. Based on this approach, we then derive a family of Bell-type inequalities for detecting genuine multipartite non-locality in scenarios involving an arbitrary number of parties and systems of arbitrary dimension. Finally we discuss the thightness and quantum mechanical violations of these inequalities.

preprint2011arXiv

Device-independent certification of entangled measurements

We present a device-independent protocol to test if a given black-box measurement device is entangled, that is, has entangled eigenstates. Our scheme involves three parties and is inspired by entanglement swapping; the test uses the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality, checked between each pair of parties. Also, focusing on the case where all particles are qubits, we characterize quantitatively the deviation of the measurement device from a perfect Bell state measurement.

preprint2011arXiv

Experimental estimation of the dimension of classical and quantum systems

An overwhelming majority of experiments in classical and quantum physics make a priori assumptions about the dimension of the system under consideration. However, would it be possible to assess the dimension of a completely unknown system only from the results of measurements performed on it, without any extra assumption? The concept of a dimension witness answers this question, as it allows one to bound the dimension of an unknown classical or quantum system in a device-independent manner, that is, only from the statistics of measurements performed on it. Here, we report on the experimental demonstration of dimension witnesses in a prepare and measure scenario. We use pairs of photons entangled in both polarization and orbital angular momentum to generate ensembles of classical and quantum states of dimensions up to 4. We then use a dimension witness to certify their dimensionality as well as their quantum nature. Our results open new avenues for the device-independent estimation of unknown quantum systems and for applications in quantum information science.

preprint2011arXiv

Guaranteed violation of a Bell inequality without aligned reference frames or calibrated devices

Bell tests---the experimental demonstration of a Bell inequality violation---are central to understanding the foundations of quantum mechanics, underpin quantum technologies, and are a powerful diagnostic tool for technological developments in these areas. To date, Bell tests have relied on careful calibration of the measurement devices and alignment of a shared reference frame between the two parties---both technically demanding tasks in general. Surprisingly, we show that neither of these operations are necessary, violating Bell inequalities with near certainty with (i) unaligned, but calibrated, measurement devices, and (ii) uncalibrated and unaligned devices. We demonstrate generic quantum nonlocality with randomly chosen local measurements on a singlet state of two photons implemented with reconfigurable integrated optical waveguide circuits based on voltage-controlled phase shifters. The observed results demonstrate the robustness of our schemes to imperfections and statistical noise. This new approach is likely to have important applications in both fundamental science and in quantum technologies, including device independent quantum key distribution.

preprint2011arXiv

Heralded amplification for precision measurements with spin ensembles

We propose a simple heralded amplification scheme for small rotations of the collective spin of an ensemble of particles. Our protocol makes use of two basic primitives for quantum memories, namely partial mapping of light onto an ensemble, and conversion of a collective spin excitation into light. The proposed scheme should be realizable with current technology, with potential applications to atomic clocks and magnetometry.

preprint2011arXiv

Large violation of Bell inequalities using both particle and wave measurements

When separated measurements on entangled quantum systems are performed, the theory predicts correlations that cannot be explained by any classical mechanism: communication is excluded because the signal should travel faster than light; pre-established agreement is excluded because Bell inequalities are violated. All optical demonstrations of such violations have involved discrete degrees of freedom and are plagued by the detection-efficiency loophole. A promising alternative is to use continuous variables combined with highly efficient homodyne measurements. However, all the schemes proposed so far use states or measurements that are extremely difficult to achieve, or produce very weak violations. We present a simple method to generate large violations for feasible states using both photon counting and homodyne detections. The present scheme can also be used to obtain nonlocality from easy-to-prepare Gaussian states (e.g. two-mode squeezed state).

preprint2011arXiv

Limits on non-local correlations from the structure of the local state space

The outcomes of measurements on entangled quantum systems can be nonlocally correlated. However, while it is easy to write down toy theories allowing arbitrary nonlocal correlations, those allowed in quantum mechanics are limited. Quantum correlations cannot, for example, violate a principle known as macroscopic locality, which implies that they cannot violate Tsirelson's bound. This work shows that there is a connection between the strength of nonlocal correlations in a physical theory, and the structure of the state spaces of individual systems. This is illustrated by a family of models in which local state spaces are regular polygons, where a natural analogue of a maximally entangled state of two systems exists. We characterize the nonlocal correlations obtainable from such states. The family allows us to study the transition between classical, quantum, and super-quantum correlations, by varying only the local state space. We show that the strength of nonlocal correlations - in particular whether the maximally entangled state violates Tsirelson's bound or not - depends crucially on a simple geometric property of the local state space, known as strong self-duality. This result is seen to be a special case of a general theorem, which states that a broad class of entangled states in probabilistic theories - including, by extension, all bipartite classical and quantum states - cannot violate macroscopic locality. Finally, our results show that there exist models which are locally almost indistinguishable from quantum mechanics, but can nevertheless generate maximally nonlocal correlations.

preprint2011arXiv

Physics within a quantum reference frame

We investigate the physics of quantum reference frames. Specifically, we study several simple scenarios involving a small number of quantum particles, whereby we promote one of these particles to the role of a quantum observer and ask what is the description of the rest of the system, as seen by this observer? We highlight the interesting aspects of such questions by presenting a number of apparent paradoxes. By unravelling these paradoxes we get a better understanding of the physics of quantum reference frames.

preprint2011arXiv

Semi-device-independent bounds on entanglement

Detection and quantification of entanglement in quantum resources are two key steps in the implementation of various quantum-information processing tasks. Here, we show that Bell-type inequalities are not only useful in verifying the presence of entanglement but can also be used to bound the entanglement of the underlying physical system. Our main tool consists of a family of Clauser-Horne-like Bell inequalities that cannot be violated maximally by any finite-dimensional maximally entangled state. Using these inequalities, we demonstrate the explicit construction of both lower and upper bounds on the concurrence for two-qubit states. The fact that these bounds arise from Bell-type inequalities also allows them to be obtained in a semi-device-independent manner, that is, with assumption of the dimension of the Hilbert space but without resorting to any knowledge of the actual measurements being performed on the individual subsystems.

preprint2011arXiv

Semi-device-independent security of one-way quantum key distribution

By testing nonlocality, the security of entanglement-based quantum key distribution (QKD) can be enhanced to being 'device-independent'. Here we ask whether such a strong form of security could also be established for one-way (prepare and measure) QKD. While fully device-independent security is impossible, we show that security can be guaranteed against individual attacks in a semi-device-independent scenario. In the latter, the devices used by the trusted parties are non-characterized, but the dimensionality of the quantum systems used in the protocol is assumed to be bounded. Our security proof relies on the analogies between one-way QKD, dimension witnesses and random-access codes.

preprint2011arXiv

The smallest refrigerators can reach maximal efficiency

We investigate whether size imposes a fundamental constraint on the efficiency of small thermal machines. We analyse in detail a model of a small self-contained refrigerator consisting of three qubits. We show analytically that this system can reach the Carnot efficiency, thus demonstrating that there exists no complementarity between size and efficiency.

preprint2010arXiv

Bound non-locality and activation

We investigate non-locality distillation using measures of non-locality based on the Elitzur-Popescu-Rohrlich decomposition. For a certain number of copies of a given non-local correlation, we define two quantities of interest: (i) the non-local cost, and (ii) the distillable non-locality. We find that there exist correlations whose distillable non-locality is strictly smaller than their non-local cost. Thus non-locality displays a form of irreversibility which we term bound non-locality. Finally we show that non-local distillability can be activated.

preprint2010arXiv

Device-independent tests of classical and quantum dimensions

We address the problem of testing the dimensionality of classical and quantum systems in a `black-box' scenario. We develop a general formalism for tackling this problem. This allows us to derive lower bounds on the classical dimension necessary to reproduce given measurement data. Furthermore, we generalise the concept of quantum dimension witnesses to arbitrary quantum systems, allowing one to place a lower bound on the Hilbert space dimension necessary to reproduce certain data. Illustrating these ideas, we provide simple examples of classical and quantum dimension witnesses.

preprint2010arXiv

Measuring small longitudinal phase shifts: weak measurements or standard interferometry?

Recently, weak measurements were used to measure small effects that are transverse to the propagation direction of a light beam. Here we address the question whether weak measurements are also useful for measuring small longitudinal phase shifts. We show that standard interferometry greatly outperforms weak measurements in a scenario involving a purely real weak value. However, we also present an interferometric scheme based on a purely imaginary weak value, combined with a frequency-domain analysis, which may have potential to outperform standard interferometry by several orders of magnitude.

preprint2009arXiv

Closing the detection loophole in Bell experiments using qudits

We show that the detection efficiencies required for closing the detection loophole in Bell tests can be significantly lowered using quantum systems of dimension larger than two. We introduce a series of asymmetric Bell tests for which an efficiency arbitrarily close to 1/N can be tolerated using N-dimensional systems, and a symmetric Bell test for which the efficiency can be lowered down to 61.8% using four-dimensional systems. Experimental perspectives for our schemes look promising considering recent progress in atom-photon entanglement and in photon hyperentanglement.

preprint2008arXiv

Can one see entanglement ?

The human eye can detect optical signals containing only a few photons. We investigate the possibility to demonstrate entanglement with such biological detectors. While one person could not detect entanglement by simply observing photons, we discuss the possibility for several observers to demonstrate entanglement in a Bell-type experiment, in which standard detectors are replaced by human eyes. Using a toy model for biological detectors that captures their main characteristic, namely a detection threshold, we show that Bell inequalities can be violated, thus demonstrating entanglement. Remarkably, when the response function of the detector is close to a step function, quantum non-locality can be demonstrated without any further assumptions. For smoother response functions, as for the human eye, post-selection is required.

preprint2006arXiv

Bell-type inequalities for non-local resources

We present bipartite Bell-type inequalities which allow the two partners to use some non-local resource. Such inequality can only be violated if the parties use a resource which is more non-local than the one permitted by the inequality. We introduce a family of N-inputs non-local machines, which are generalizations of the well-known PR-box. Then we construct Bell-type inequalities that cannot be violated by strategies that use one these new machines. Finally we discuss implications for the simulation of quantum states.

Nicolas Brunner

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93 published item(s)

Thermodynamic Networks: Harnessing Non-Equilibrium Steady States for Computation

Trading symmetry for Hilbert-space dimension in Bell-inequality violation

Device Independent Quantum Key Activation

Building separable approximations for quantum states via neural networks

Experimental relativistic zero-knowledge proofs

Receiver-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution

Receiver-Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution Protocols

Self-testing entangled measurements in quantum networks

Semi-Device-Independent Certification of Causal Nonseparability with Trusted Quantum Inputs

Genuine network quantum nonlocality and self-testing

Quantum measurement incompatibility in subspaces

A neural network oracle for quantum nonlocality problems in networks

Constraints on nonlocality in networks from no-signaling and independence

Fast semidefinite programming with feedforward neural networks

Quantifying measurement incompatibility of mutually unbiased bases

Quantum nonlocality in networks can be demonstrated with an arbitrarily small level of independence between the sources

Quantum teleportation of single-electron states

All quantum resources provide an advantage in exclusion tasks

Autonomous multipartite entanglement engines

Practical self-testing quantum random number generator based on an energy bound

Self-testing non-projective quantum measurements in prepare-and-measure experiments

A self-testing quantum random number generator

Algorithmic construction of local hidden variable models for entangled quantum states

Autonomous Quantum Refrigerator in a Circuit-QED Architecture Based on a Josephson Junction

Classical communication cost of quantum steering

Entanglement without hidden nonlocality

Incompatible quantum measurements admitting a local hidden variable model

Inequivalence of entanglement, steering, and Bell nonlocality for general measurements

One-way Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering

Performance of autonomous quantum thermal machines: Hilbert space dimension as a thermodynamic resource

Single-electron entanglement and nonlocality

Sufficient criterion for guaranteeing that a two-qubit state is unsteerable

Super-Activation of Quantum Steering

A short note on passivity, complete passivity and virtual temperatures

A small quantum absorption refrigerator with reversed couplings

Autonomous quantum thermal machine for generating steady-state entanglement

Device-Independent Tests of Entropy

Exploring the limits of quantum nonlocality with entangled photons

Extractable Work from Correlations

Genuinely multipartite entangled quantum states with fully local hidden variable models and hidden multipartite nonlocality

Local hidden variable models for entangled quantum states using finite shared randomness

Nonlinear Bell inequalities tailored for quantum networks

Postquantum steering

Small quantum absorption refrigerator in the transient regime: time scales, enhanced cooling and entanglement

Testing dimension and non-classicality in communication networks

Thermodynamic cost of creating correlations

Bell nonlocality

Dimension of physical systems, information processing, and thermodynamics

Disproving the Peres conjecture: Bell nonlocality from bipartite bound entanglement

Entanglement enhances cooling in microscopic quantum fridges

Experimental semi-device-independent certification of entangled measurements

Nonlocality of $W$ and Dicke states subject to losses

Device-dependent and device-independent quantum key distribution without a shared reference frame

Dimension witnesses and quantum state discrimination

Genuine hidden quantum nonlocality

Measurement of sub-pulse-width temporal delays via spectral interference induced by weak value amplification

Pre- and post-selected quantum states: density matrices, tomography, and Kraus operators

Proposal for a loophole-free Bell test based on spin-photon interactions in cavities

Quantum steering with bound entanglement

Testing nonlocality of a single photon without a shared reference frame

A framework for the study of symmetric full-correlation Bell-like inequalities

A quantum delayed choice experiment

All quantum states useful for teleportation are nonlocal resources

Bell inequalities for three systems and arbitrarily many measurement outcomes

Bell nonlocality and Bayesian game theory

Bell tests for continuous variable systems using hybrid measurements and heralded amplifiers

Classical simulation of entanglement swapping with bounded communication

Closing the detection loophole in multipartite Bell tests using GHZ states

Communication cost of simulating entanglement swapping

Guess your neighbour's input: no quantum advantage but an advantage for quantum theory

Loophole-free Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen experiment via quantum steering

Persistency of entanglement and nonlocality in multipartite quantum systems

Quantum nonlocality does not imply entanglement distillability

Testing the Structure of Multipartite Entanglement with Bell Inequalities