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Quantum state tomography is the standard technique for reconstructing a quantum state from experimental data. In the regime of finite statistics, experimental data cannot give perfect information about the quantum state. A common way to express this limited knowledge is by providing confidence regions in the state space. Though other confidence regions were previously proposed, they are either too wasteful to be of practical interest, cannot easily be applied to general measurement schemes, or are too difficult to report. Here we construct confidence regions that solve these issues, as they have an asymptotically optimal sample cost and good performance for realistic parameters, are applicable to any measurement scheme, and can be described by an ellipsoid in the space of Hermitian operators. Our construction relies on a vector Bernstein inequality and bounds with high probability the Hilbert-Schmidt norm error of sums of multinomial samples transformed by linear maps.

MIP*=RE implies that C_{qa} (the closure of the set of tensor product correlations) and C_{qc} (the set of commuting correlations) can be separated by a hyperplane (i.e., a Bell-like inequality) and that there are correlations produced by commuting measurements (a finite number of them and with a finite number of outcomes) on an infinite-dimensional quantum system which cannot be approximated by sequences of finite-dimensional tensor product correlations. We point out that there are four logically possible universes after this result. Each possibility is interesting because it reveals either limitations in accepted physical theories or opportunities to test crucial aspects of nature. We list some open problems that may help us to design a road map to learn in which of these universes we are., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures

Quantum theory allows for different classes of correlations, such as entanglement, steerability or Bell-nonlocality. Experimental demonstrations of the preparation of quantum states within specific classes and their subsequent interconversion have been carried out; however, rigorous statements on the statistical significance are not available. Behind this are two difficulties: the lack of a method to derive a suitable confidence region from the measured data and an efficient technique to classify the quantum correlations for every state in the confidence region. In this work, we show how both of these problems can be addressed. Specifically, we introduce a confidence polytope in the form of a hyperoctahedron and provide a computationally efficient method to verify whether a quantum state admits a local hidden state model, thus being unsteerable and, consequently, Bell-local. We illustrate how our methods can be used to analyse the activation of quantum correlations by local filtering, specifically for Bell-nonlocality and quantum steerability.

The quantum state associated to an unknown experimental preparation procedure can be determined by performing quantum state tomography. If the statistical uncertainty in the data dominates over other experimental errors, then a tomographic reconstruction procedure must express this uncertainty. A rigorous way to accomplish this is via statistical confidence regions in state space. Naturally, the size of this region decreases when increasing the number of samples, but it also depends critically on the construction method of the region. We compare recent methods for constructing confidence regions as well as a reference method based on a Gaussian approximation. For the comparison, we propose an operational measure with the finding, that there is a significant difference between methods, but which method is preferable can depend on the details of the state preparation scenario., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures

We show that the phase-space formulation of general probabilistic theories can be extended to include a generalized time-evolution and that it can describe a nonquantum hydrogen-like system which is stable, has discrete energy levels, and includes the Zeeman effect. This allows us to study dynamical effects such as excitations of the hydrogen-like system by a resonant laser and Rutherford scattering. Our construction demonstrates that classical theory and quantum theory can be seen as specific choices of general probabilistic theory in phase space and that other probabilistic theories also lead to measurable predictions., Comment: 9+11 pages

An entangled state is bound entangled, if one cannot combine any number of copies of the state to a maximally entangled state, by using only local operations and classical communication. If one formalizes this notion of bound entanglement, one arrives immediately at four different definitions. In addition, at least three more definitions are commonly used in the literature, in particular so in the very first paper on bound entanglement. Here we review critical distillation protocols and we examine how different results from quantum information theory interact in order to prove that all seven definitions are eventually equivalent. Our self-contained analysis unifies and extends previous results scattered in the literature and reveals details of the structure of bound entanglement., Comment: 10+6 Pages

A set of quantum measurements exhibits quantum contextuality when any consistent value assignment to the measurement outcomes leads to a contradiction with quantum theory. In the original Kochen-Specker-type of argument the measurement projectors are assumed to be rays, that is, of unit rank. Only recently a contextuality scenario has been identified where state-independent contextuality requires measurements with projectors of rank two. Using the disjunctive graph product, we provide a systematic method to construct contextuality scenarios which require non-unit rank. We construct explicit examples requiring ranks greater than rank one up to rank five., Comment: 8+8 pages

The number of outcomes is a defining property of a quantum measurement, in particular, if the measurement cannot be decomposed into simpler measurements with fewer outcomes. Importantly, the number of outcomes of a quantum measurement can be irreducibly higher than the dimension of the system. The certification of this property is possible in a semi-device-independent way either based on a Bell-like scenario or by utilizing the simpler prepare-and-measure scenario. Here we show that in the latter scenario the minimal scheme for a certifying an irreducible three-outcome qubit measurement requires three state preparations and only two measurements and we provide experimentally feasible examples for this minimal certification scheme. We also discuss the dimension assumption characteristic to the semi-device-independent approach and to which extend it can be mitigated., Comment: 11 pages

We present a method to detect bipartite entanglement based on number-phase-like uncertainty relations in split spin ensembles. First, we derive an uncertainty relation that plays the role of a number-phase uncertainty for spin systems. It is important that the relation is given with well-defined and easily measurable quantities, and that it does not need assuming infinite dimensional systems. Based on this uncertainty relation, we show how to detect bipartite entanglement in an unpolarized Dicke state of many spin-1/2 particles. The particles are split into two subensembles, then collective angular momentum measurements are carried out locally on the two parts. First, we present a bipartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering criterion. Then, we present an entanglement condition that can detect bipartite entanglement in such systems. We demonstrate the utility of the criteria by applying them to a recent experiment given in K. Lange et al. [Science 360, 416 (2018)] realizing a Dicke state in a Bose-Einstein condensate of cold atoms, in which the two subensembles were spatially separated from each other. Our methods also work well if split spin-squeezed states are considered. We show in a comprehensive way how to handle experimental imperfections, such as the nonzero particle number variance including the partition noise, and the fact that, while ideally BECs occupy a single spatial mode, in practice the population of other spatial modes cannot be fully suppressed., Comment: 34 pages including 5 figures, quantumarticle

A central result in the foundations of quantum mechanics is the Kochen-Specker theorem. In short, it states that quantum mechanics is in conflict with classical models in which the result of a measurement does not depend on which other compatible measurements are jointly performed. Here compatible measurements are those that can be implemented simultaneously or, more generally, those that are jointly measurable. This conflict is generically called quantum contextuality. In this review, an introduction to this subject and its current status is presented. Several proofs of the Kochen-Specker theorem and different notions of contextuality are reviewed. How to experimentally test some of these notions is explained and connections between contextuality and nonlocality or graph theory are discussed. Finally, some applications of contextuality in quantum information processing are reviewed., Comment: 68 pages, 20 figures. Final version

We show how to construct general probabilistic theories that contain an energy observable dependent on position and momentum. The construction is in accordance with classical and quantum theory and allows for physical predictions, such as the probability distribution for position, momentum and energy. We demonstrate the construction by formulating a toy model for the harmonic oscillator that is neither classical nor quantum. The model features a discrete energy spectrum, a ground state with sharp position and momentum, an eigenstate with non-positive Wigner function as well as a state that has tunneling properties. The toy model demonstrates that operational theories can be a viable alternative approach for formulating physical theories.

Virtually all of the analysis of quantum contextuality is restricted to the case where events are represented by rank-one projectors. This restriction is arbitrary and not motivated by physical considerations. We show here that loosening the rank constraint opens a new realm of quantum contextuality and we demonstrate that state-independent contextuality can even require projectors of nonunit rank. This enables the possibility of state-independent contextuality with less than 13 projectors, which is the established minimum for the case of rank one. We prove that for any rank, at least 9 projectors are required. Furthermore, in an exhaustive numerical search we find that 13 projectors are also minimal for the cases where all projectors are uniformly of rank two or uniformly of rank three., Comment: 9+9 pages, 4 figures. Published version

We revisit the formulation of quantum mechanics over the quaternions and investigate the dynamical structure within this framework. Similar to standard complex quantum mechanics, time evolution is then mediated by a unitary operator which can be written as the exponential of the generator of time shifts. By imposing physical assumptions on the correspondence between the energy observable and the generator of time shifts, we prove that quaternionic quantum theory admits a time evolution only for systems with a quaternionic dimension of at most two. Applying the same strategy to standard complex quantum theory, we reproduce that the correspondence dictated by the Schr\"odinger equation is the only possible choice, up to a shift of the global phase., Comment: 10 pages, updated version

Recently, the concept of daemonic ergotropy has been introduced to quantify the maximum energy that can be obtained from a quantum system through an ancilla-assisted work extraction protocol based on information gain via projective measurements [G. Francica {\it et al.}, npj Quant. Inf. {\bf 3}, 12 (2018)]. We prove that quantum correlations are not advantageous over classical correlations if projective measurements are considered. We go beyond the limitations of the original definition to include generalised measurements and provide an example in which this allows for a higher daemonic ergotropy. Moreover, we propose a see-saw algorithm to find a measurement that attains the maximum work extraction. Finally, we provide a multipartite generalisation of daemonic ergotropy that pinpoints the influence of multipartite quantum correlations, and study it for multipartite entangled and classical~states., Comment: 6+3 pages, 2 figures

The existence of ideal quantum measurements is one of the fundamental predictions of quantum mechanics. In theory the measurement projects onto the eigenbasis of the measurement observable while preserving all coherences of degenerate eigenstates. The question arises whether there are dynamical processes in nature that correspond to such ideal quantum measurements. Here we address this question and present experimental results monitoring the dynamics of a naturally occurring measurement process: the coupling of a trapped ion qutrit to the photon environment. By taking tomographic snapshots during the detection process, we show with an average fidelity of $94\%$ that the process develops in agreement with the model of an ideal quantum measurement., Comment: 4 pages and 2 figures in main body, 7 pages and 4 figures in total

A possible notion of nonclassicality for single systems can be defined on the basis of the notion of memory cost of classically simulating probabilities observed in a temporal sequence of measurements. We further explore this idea in a theory-independent framework, namely, from the perspective of general probability theories (GPTs), which includes classical and quantum theory as special examples. Under the assumption that each system has a finite memory capacity, identified with the maximal number of states perfectly distinguishable with a single measurement, we investigate what are the temporal correlations achievable with different theories, namely, classical, quantum, and GPTs beyond quantum mechanics. Already for the simplest nontrivial scenario, we derive inequalities able to distinguish temporal correlations where the underlying system is classical, quantum, or more general., Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure

We address the problem of reconstructing quantum theory from the perspective of an agent who makes bets about the outcomes of possible experiments. We build a general Bayesian framework that can be used to organize the agent's beliefs and update them when new information becomes available. Our framework includes as special cases classical and quantum probability theory, as well as other forms of probabilistic reasoning that may arise in future physical theories. Building on this framework, we develop a notion of ideal experiment, which in quantum theory coincides with the notion of projective measurement. We then prove that, in every general Bayesian theory, ideal experiments must satisfy the exclusivity principle, a property of projective measurements that plays a central role in the characterization of quantum correlations. Our result suggests that the set of quantum correlations may be completely characterized in terms of Bayesian consistency conditions., Comment: 4+ 7 pages, no figures

Temporal correlations in quantum mechanics are the origin of several non-classical phenomena, but they depend on the dimension of the underlying quantum system. This allows one to use such correlations for the certification of a minimal Hilbert space dimension. Here we provide a theoretical proposal and an experimental implementation of a device-independent dimension test, using temporal correlations observed on a single trapped $^{171}$Yb$^+$ ion. Our test goes beyond the prepare-and-measure scheme of previous approaches, demonstrating the advantage of genuine temporal correlations., Comment: 10 pages (including appendix), 3 figures

Preparing and certifying bound entangled states in the laboratory is an intrinsically hard task, due to both the fact that they typically form narrow regions in the state space, and that a certificate requires a tomographic reconstruction of the density matrix. Indeed, the previous experiments that have reported the preparation of a bound entangled state relied on such tomographic reconstruction techniques. However, the reliability of these results crucially depends on the extra assumption of an unbiased reconstruction. We propose an alternative method for certifying the bound entangled character of a quantum state that leads to a rigorous claim within a desired statistical significance, while bypassing a full reconstruction of the state. The method is comprised by a search for bound entangled states that are robust for experimental verification, and a hypothesis test tailored for the detection of bound entanglement that is naturally equipped with a measure of statistical significance. We apply our method to families of states of $3\times 3$ and $4\times 4$ systems, and find that the experimental certification of bound entangled states is well within reach., Comment: Accepted version in Quantum

Bell tests have become a powerful tool for quantifying security, randomness, entanglement, and many other properties, as well as for investigating fundamental physical limits. In all these cases, the specific experimental value of the Bell parameter is important as it leads to a quantitative conclusion. However, most experimental implementations aiming for high values of the Bell parameter suffer from the defect of showing signaling. This signaling can be attributed to systematic errors occurring due to weaknesses in the experimental designs. Here we point out the importance, for quantitative applications, to identify and address this problem. We present a set of experiments with polarization-entangled photons in which we point out common sources of systematic errors and demonstrate approaches to avoid them. This allows us to establish a reliable estimate for the Bell parameter., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table

We present the first experimental confirmation of the quantum-mechanical prediction of stronger-than-binary correlations. These are correlations that cannot be explained under the assumption that the occurrence of a particular outcome of an $n \ge 3$-outcome measurement is due to a two-step process in which, in the first step, some classical mechanism precludes $n-2$ of the outcomes and, in the second step, a binary measurement generates the outcome. Our experiment uses pairs of photonic qutrits distributed between two laboratories, where randomly chosen three-outcome measurements are performed. We report a violation by {9.3} standard deviations of the optimal inequality for nonsignaling binary correlations., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures

Modern quantum technologies in the fields of quantum computing, quantum simulation and quantum metrology require the creation and control of large ensembles of entangled particles. In ultracold ensembles of neutral atoms, highly entangled states containing thousands of particles have been generated, outnumbering any other physical system by orders of magnitude. The entanglement generation relies on the fundamental particle-exchange symmetry in ensembles of identical particles, which lacks the standard notion of entanglement between clearly definable subsystems. Here we present the generation of entanglement between two spatially separated clouds by splitting an ensemble of ultracold identical particles. Since the clouds can be addressed individually, our experiments open a path to exploit the available entangled states of indistinguishable particles for quantum information applications.

Sequences of compatible quantum measurements can be contextual and any simulation with a classical model accounting for the quantum observations, needs to use some internal memory. In Ref. [New J. Phys. 13, 113011 (2011)], it was shown that simulating the sequences of compatible observables from the Peres-Mermin scenario requires at least three different memory states in order to be not in contradiction with the deterministic predictions of quantum theory. We extend this analysis to the probabilistic quantum predictions and ask how much memory is required to simulate the quantum correlations generated by any quantum state. We find, that even in this comprehensive approach only three internal states are required for the perfect simulation of the quantum correlations in the Peres-Mermin scenario., Comment: 5+2 pages

Fundamentally binary theories are nonsignaling theories in which measurements of many outcomes are constructed by selecting from binary measurements. They constitute a sensible alternative to quantum theory and have never been directly falsified by any experiment. Here we show that fundamentally binary theories are experimentally testable with current technology. For that, we identify a feasible Bell-type experiment on pairs of entangled qutrits. In addition, we prove that, for any n, quantum n-ary correlations are not fundamentally (n-1)-ary. For that, we introduce a family of inequalities that hold for fundamentally (n-1)-ary theories but are violated by quantum n-ary correlations., Comment: 5 pages, 3 inequalities, v2: only minor changes

We show that, regardless of the dimension of the Hilbert space, there exists no set of rays revealing state-independent contextuality with less than 13 rays. This implies that the set proposed by Yu and Oh in dimension three [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 030402 (2012)] is actually the minimal set in quantum theory. This contrasts with the case of Kochen-Specker sets, where the smallest set occurs in dimension four., Comment: 8 pages, 2 tables, 1 figure, v2: minor changes

We present criteria to detect the depth of entanglement in macroscopic ensembles of spin-j particles using the variance and second moments of the collective spin components. The class of states detected goes beyond traditional spin-squeezed states by including Dicke states and other unpolarized states. The criteria derived are easy to evaluate numerically even for systems of very many particles and outperform past approaches, especially in practical situations where noise is present. We also derive analytic lower bounds based on the linearization of our criteria, which make it possible to define spin-squeezing parameters for Dicke states. In addition, we obtain spin squeezing parameters also from the condition derived in [A. S. Sorensen and K. Molmer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 4431 (2001)]. We also extend our results to systems with fluctuating number of particles., Comment: 18 pages including 4 figures; v2: published version

Quantum measurements on a two-level system can have more than two independent outcomes, and in this case, the measurement cannot be projective. Measurements of this general type are essential to an operational approach to quantum theory, but so far, the nonprojective character of a measurement can only be verified experimentally by already assuming a specific quantum model of parts of the experimental setup. Here, we overcome this restriction by using a device-independent approach. In an experiment on pairs of polarization-entangled photonic qubits we violate by more than 8 standard deviations a Bell-like correlation inequality that is valid for all sets of two-outcome measurements in any dimension. We combine this with a device-independent verification that the system is best described by two qubits, which therefore constitutes the first device-independent certification of a nonprojective quantum measurement., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Published version

We show how to verify the metrological usefulness of quantum states based on the expectation values of an arbitrarily chosen set of observables. In particular, we estimate the quantum Fisher information as a figure of merit of metrological usefulness. Our approach gives a tight lower bound on the quantum Fisher information for the given incomplete information. We apply our method to the results of various multiparticle quantum states prepared in experiments with photons and trapped ions, as well as to spin-squeezed states and Dicke states realized in cold gases. Our approach can be used for detecting and quantifying metrologically useful entanglement in very large systems, based on a few operator expectation values. We also gain new insights into the difference between metrological useful multipartite entanglement and entanglement in general., Comment: 14 pages including 7 figures, revtex4.1, v2:typos corrected, published version

The analysis of multiparticle quantum states is a central problem in quantum information processing. This task poses several challenges for experimenters and theoreticians. We give an overview over current problems and possible solutions concerning systematic errors of quantum devices, the reconstruction of quantum states, and the analysis of correlations and complexity in multiparticle density matrices., Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, prepared for proceedings of the "Quantum [Un]speakables II" conference (Vienna, 2014)

We show that, for any n, there are m-outcome quantum correlations, with m>n, which are stronger than any nonsignaling correlation produced from selecting among n-outcome measurements. As a consequence, for any n, there are m-outcome quantum measurements that cannot be constructed by selecting locally from the set of n-outcome measurements. This is a property of the set of measurements in quantum theory that is not mandatory for general probabilistic theories. We also show that this prediction can be tested through high-precision Bell-type experiments and identify past experiments providing evidence that some of these strong correlations exist in nature. Finally, we provide a modified version of quantum theory restricted to having at most n-outcome quantum measurements., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure

We solve the problem of whether a set of quantum tests reveals state-independent contextuality and use this result to identify the simplest set of the minimal dimension. We also show that identifying state-independent contextuality graphs [R. Ramanathan and P. Horodecki, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 040404 (2014)] is not sufficient for revealing state-independent contextuality., Comment: 5 pages, 3 graphs