Theories of systems with limited information content

Author(s)
Tomasz Paterek, Borivoje Dakic, Caslav Brukner
Abstract

We introduce a hierarchical classification of theories that describe systems with fundamentally limited information content. This property is introduced in an operational way and gives rise to the existence of mutually complementary measurements, i.e. a complete knowledge of future outcome in one measurement is at the expense of complete uncertainty in the others. This is a characteristic feature of the theories and they can be ordered according to the number of mutually complementary measurements, which is also shown to define their computational abilities. In the theories multipartite states may contain entanglement, and tomography with local measurements is possible. The classification includes both classical and quantum theory and also generalized probabilistic theories with a higher number of degrees of freedom, for which operational meaning is given. We also discuss thought experiments discriminating standard quantum theory from the generalizations.

Organisation(s)
Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
External organisation(s)
Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)
Journal
New Journal of Physics
Volume
12
No. of pages
12
ISSN
1367-2630
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/12/5/053037
Publication date
2010
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103025 Quantum mechanics
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/b51d47a9-f9f3-4114-9e87-e1883818f9e3