Adrien Feix

Quantum superposition of the order of parties as a communication resource

In a variant of communication complexity tasks, two or more separated parties cooperate to compute a function of their local data, using a limited amount of communication. It is known that communication of quantum systems and shared entanglement can increase the probability for the parties to arrive at the correct value of the function, compared to classical resources. Here we show that quantum superpositions of the direction of communication between parties can also serve as a resource to improve the probability of success. We present a tripartite task for which such a superposition provides an advantage compared to the case where the parties communicate in a fixed order. In a more general context, our result also provides the first semi-device-independent certification of the absence of a definite order of communication.

Experimental verification of an indefinite causal order

Researchers report on the observation and characterization of a quantum process that lacks a predefined causal order. Investigating the role of causal order in quantum mechanics has recently revealed that the causal relations of events may not be a priori well defined in quantum theory. Although this has triggered a growing interest on the theoretical side, creating processes without a causal order is an experimental task. We report the first decisive demonstration of a process with an indefinite causal order. To do this, we quantify how incompatible our setup is with a definite causal order by measuring a “causal witness.” This mathematical object incorporates a series of measurements that are designed to yield a certain outcome only if the process under examination is not consistent with any well-defined causal order. In our experiment, we perform a measurement in a superposition of causal orders—without destroying the coherence—to acquire information both inside and outside of a “causally nonordered process.” Using this information, we experimentally determine a causal witness, demonstrating by almost 7 SDs that the experimentally implemented process does not have a definite causal order.

A purification postulate for quantum mechanics with indefinite causal order

To study which are the most general causal structures which are compatible with local quantum mechanics, Oreshkov et al. introduced the notion of a process: a resource shared between some parties that allows for quantum communication between them without a predetermined causal order. These processes can be used to perform several tasks that are impossible in standard quantum mechanics: they allow for the violation of causal inequalities, and provide an advantage for computational and communication complexity. Nonetheless, no process that can be used to violate a causal inequality is known to be physically implementable. There is therefore considerable interest in determining which processes are physical and which are just mathematical artefacts of the framework. Here we make the first step in this direction, by proposing a purification postulate: processes are physical only if they are purifiable. We derive necessary conditions for a process to be purifiable, and show that several known processes do not satisfy them.