José R. Portillo

Memory cost of quantum contextuality

The simulation of quantum effects requires certain classical resources, and quantifying them is an important step to characterize the difference between quantum and classical physics. For a simulation of the phenomenon of state-independent quantum contextuality, we show that the minimum amount of memory used by the simulation is the critical resource. We derive optimal simulation strategies for important cases and prove that reproducing the results of sequential measurements on a two-qubit system requires more memory than the information-carrying capacity of the system.

Labeling Subway Lines

Graphical features on map, charts, diagrams and graph drawings usually must be annotated with text labels in order to convey their meaning. In this paper we focus on a problem that arises when labeling schematized maps, e.g. for subway networks. We present algorithms for labeling points on a line with axis-parallel rectangular labels of equal height. Our aim is to maximize label size under the constraint that all points must be labeled. Even a seemingly strong simplification of the general point-labeling problem, namely to decide whether a set of points on a horizontal line can be labeled with sliding rectangular labels, turns out to be weakly NPcomplete. This is the first labeling problem that is known to belong to this class. We give a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm for it. In case of a sloping line points can be labeled with maximum-size square labels in O(n log n) time if four label positions per point are allowed and in O(n 3 log n) time if labels can slide. We also investigate rectangular labels.

Experimental Fully Contextual Correlations

Quantum correlations are contextual yet, in general, nothing prevents the existence of even more contextual correlations. We identify and test a noncontextuality inequality in which the quantum violation cannot be improved by any hypothetical postquantum theory, and use it to experimentally obtain correlations in which the fraction of noncontextual correlations is less than 0.06. Our correlations are experimentally generated from the results of sequential compatible tests on a four-state quantum system encoded in the polarization and path of a single photon.

Basic exclusivity graphs in quantum correlations

A fundamental problem is to understand why quantum theory only violates some noncontextuality (NC) inequalities and identify the physical principles that prevent higher-than-quantum violations. We prove that quantum theory only violates those NC inequalities whose exclusivity graphs contain, as induced subgraphs, odd cycles of length five or more, and/or their complements. In addition, we show that odd cycles are the exclusivity graphs of a well-known family of NC inequalities and that there is also a family of NC inequalities whose exclusivity graphs are the complements of odd cycles. We characterize the maximum noncontextual and quantum values of these inequalities, and provide evidence supporting the conjecture that the maximum quantum violation of these inequalities is exactly singled out by the exclusivity principle.

Kochen-Specker set with seven contexts

The Kochen-Specker (KS) theorem is a central result in quantum theory and has applications in quantum information. Its proof requires several yes-no tests that can be grouped in contexts or subsets of jointly measurable tests. Arguably, the best measure of simplicity of a KS set is the number of contexts. The smaller this number is, the smaller the number of experiments needed to reveal the conflict between quantum theory and noncontextual theories and to get a quantum vs classical outperformance. The original KS set had 132 contexts. Here we introduce a KS set with seven contexts and prove that this is the simplest KS set that admits a symmetric parity proof.

Entanglement in eight-qubit graph states

Any 8-qubit graph state belongs to one of the 101 equivalence classes under local unitary operations within the Clifford group. For each of these classes we obtain a representative which requires the minimum number of controlled-Z gates for its preparation, and calculate the Schmidt measure for the 8-partite split, and the Schmidt ranks for all bipartite splits. This results into an extension to 8 qubits of the classification of graph states proposed by Hein, Eisert, and Briegel [M. Hein, J. Eisert, H.J. Briegel, Phys. Rev. A 69 (2004) 062311].

Quantum state-independent contextuality requires 13 rays

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.

Quantum social networks

We introduce a physical approach to social networks (SNs) in which each actor is characterized by a yes–no test on a physical system. This allows us to consider SNs beyond those originated by interactions based on pre-existing properties, as in a classical SN (CSN). As an example of SNs beyond CSNs, we introduce quantum SNs (QSNs) in which actor i is characterized by a test of whether or not the system is in a quantum state |ψi� . We show that QSNs outperform CSNs for a certain task and some graphs. We identify the simplest of these graphs and show that graphs in which QSNs outperform CSNs are increasingly frequent as the number of vertices increases. We also discuss more general SNs and identify the simplest graphs in which QSNs cannot be outperformed.

Monochromatic geometric k-factors in red-blue sets with white and Steiner points

Abstract We study the existence of monochromatic planar geometric k-factors on sets of red and blue points. When it is not possible to find a k-factor we make use of auxiliary points: white points, whose position is given as a datum and which color is free; and Steiner points whose position and color is free. We present bounds on the number of white and/or Steiner points necessary and/or sufficient to draw a monochromatic planar geometric k-factor.

Informational structures: A dynamical system approach for integrated information

Integrated Information Theory (IIT) has become nowadays the most sensible general theory of consciousness. In addition to very important statements, it opens the door for an abstract (mathematical) formulation of the theory. Given a mechanism in a particular state, IIT identifies a conscious experience with a conceptual structure, an informational object which exists, is composed of identified parts, is informative, integrated and maximally irreducible. This paper introduces a space-time continuous version of the concept of integrated information. To this aim, a graph and a dynamical systems treatment is used to define, for a given mechanism in a state for which a dynamics is settled, an Informational Structure, which is associated to the global attractor at each time of the system. By definition, the informational structure determines all the past and future behavior of the system, possesses an informational nature and, moreover, enriches all the points of the phase space with cause-effect power by means of its associated Informational Field. A detailed description of its inner structure by invariants and connections between them allows to associate a transition probability matrix to each informational structure and to develop a measure for the level of integrated information of the system.