Quantum Theory is a Quasi-stochastic Process Theory

There is a long history of representing a quantum state using a quasi-probability distribution: a distribution allowing negative values. In this paper we extend such representations to deal with quantum channels. The result is a convex, strongly monoidal, functorial embedding of the category of trace preserving completely positive maps into the category of quasi-stochastic matrices. This establishes quantum theory as a subcategory of quasi-stochastic processes. Such an embedding is induced by a choice of minimal informationally complete POVM's. We show that any two such embeddings are naturally isomorphic. The embedding preserves the dagger structure of the categories if and only if the POVM's are symmetric, giving a new use of SIC-POVM's, objects that are of foundational interest in the QBism community. We also study general convex embeddings of quantum theory and prove a dichotomy that such an embedding is either trivial or faithful.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2017, arXiv:1802.0973

PyZX: Large Scale Automated Diagrammatic Reasoning

The ZX-calculus is a graphical language for reasoning about ZX-diagrams, a type of tensor networks that can represent arbitrary linear maps between qubits. Using the ZX-calculus, we can intuitively reason about quantum theory, and optimise and validate quantum circuits. In this paper we introduce PyZX, an open source library for automated reasoning with large ZX-diagrams. We give a brief introduction to the ZX-calculus, then show how PyZX implements methods for circuit optimisation, equality validation, and visualisation and how it can be used in tandem with other software. We end with a set of challenges that when solved would enhance the utility of automated diagrammatic reasoning.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2019, arXiv:2004.1475

Universal MBQC with generalised parity-phase interactions and Pauli measurements

We introduce a new family of models for measurement-based quantum computation which are deterministic and approximately universal. The resource states which play the role of graph states are prepared via 2-qubit gates of the form $\exp(-i\frac{\pi}{2^{n}} Z\otimes Z)$. When $n = 2$, these are equivalent, up to local Clifford unitaries, to graph states. However, when $n > 2$, their behaviour diverges in two important ways. First, multiple applications of the entangling gate to a single pair of qubits produces non-trivial entanglement, and hence multiple parallel edges between nodes play an important role in these generalised graph states. Second, such a state can be used to realise deterministic, approximately universal computation using only Pauli $Z$ and $X$ measurements and feed-forward. Even though, for $n > 2$, the relevant resource states are no longer stabiliser states, they admit a straightforward, graphical representation using the ZX-calculus. Using this representation, we are able to provide a simple, graphical proof of universality. We furthermore show that for every $n > 2$ this family is capable of producing all Clifford gates and all diagonal gates in the $n$-th level of the Clifford hierarchy.Comment: 19 pages, accepted for publication in Quantum (quantum-journal.org). A previous version of this article had the title: "Universal MBQC with M{\o}lmer-S{\o}rensen interactions and two measurement bases

An effect-theoretic reconstruction of quantum theory

An often used model for quantum theory is to associate to every physical system a C*-algebra. From a physical point of view it is unclear why operator algebras would form a good description of nature. In this paper, we find a set of physically meaningful assumptions such that any physical theory satisfying these assumptions must embed into the category of finite-dimensional C*-algebras. These assumptions were originally introduced in the setting of effectus theory, a categorical logical framework generalizing classical and quantum logic. As these assumptions have a physical interpretation, this motivates the usage of operator algebras as a model for quantum theory. In contrast to other reconstructions of quantum theory, we do not start with the framework of generalized probabilistic theories and instead use effect theories where no convex structure and no tensor product needs to be present. The lack of this structure in effectus theory has led to a different notion of pure maps. A map in an effectus is pure when it is a composition of a compression and a filter. These maps satisfy particular universal properties and respectively correspond to `forgetting' and `measuring' the validity of an effect. We define a pure effect theory (PET) to be an effect theory where the pure maps form a dagger-category and filters and compressions are adjoint. We show that any convex finite-dimensional PET must embed into the category of Euclidean Jordan algebras. Moreover, if the PET also has monoidal structure, then we show that it must embed into either the category of real or complex C*-algebras, which completes our reconstruction.Comment: 20+5 pages. V4: Journal version V3: complete rewrite. Changed name of the paper from the original 'Reconstruction of quantum theory from universal filters' to reflect a change of presentatio

Pure Maps between Euclidean Jordan Algebras

We propose a definition of purity for positive linear maps between Euclidean Jordan Algebras (EJA) that generalizes the notion of purity for quantum systems. We show that this definition of purity is closed under composition and taking adjoints and thus that the pure maps form a dagger category (which sets it apart from other possible definitions.) In fact, from the results presented in this paper, it follows that the category of EJAs with positive contractive linear maps is a dagger-effectus, a type of structure originally defined to study von Neumann algebras in an abstract categorical setting. In combination with previous work this characterizes EJAs as the most general systems allowed in a generalized probabilistic theory that is simultaneously a dagger-effectus. Using the dagger structure we get a notion of dagger-positive maps of the form f = g*g. We give a complete characterization of the pure dagger-positive maps and show that these correspond precisely to the Jordan algebraic version of the sequential product that maps (a,b) to sqrt(a) b sqrt(a). The notion of dagger-positivity therefore characterizes the sequential product.Comment: In Proceedings QPL 2018, arXiv:1901.0947

Three characterisations of the sequential product

It has already been established that the properties required of an abstract sequential product as introduced by Gudder and Greechie are not enough to characterise the standard sequential product $a\circ b = \sqrt{a}b\sqrt{a}$ on an operator algebra. We give three additional properties, each of which characterises the standard sequential product on either a von Neumann algebra or a Euclidean Jordan algebra. These properties are (1) invariance under application of unital order isomorphisms, (2) symmetry of the sequential product with respect to a certain inner product, and (3) preservation of invertibility of the effects. To give these characterisations we first have to study convex $\sigma$-sequential effect algebras. We show that these objects correspond to unit intervals of spectral order unit spaces with a homogeneous positive cone.Comment: 18 pages + 2 page appendi

Sequential Product Spaces are Jordan Algebras

We show that finite-dimensional order unit spaces equipped with a continuous sequential product as defined by Gudder and Greechie are homogeneous and self-dual. As a consequence of the Koecher-Vinberg theorem these spaces therefore correspond to Euclidean Jordan algebras. We remark on the significance of this result in the context of reconstructions of quantum theory. In particular, we show that sequential product spaces that have locally tomographic tensor products, i.e. their vector space tensor products are also sequential product spaces, must be C* algebras. Finally we remark on a couple of ways these results can be extended to the infinite-dimensional setting of JB- and JBW-algebras and how changing the axioms of the sequential product might lead to a new characterisation of homogeneous cones.Comment: Original paper title was "Sequential Measurement Characterises Quantum Theory". It has been changed to reflect a change in focus of the pape

Constructing quantum circuits with global gates

There are various gate sets that can be used to describe a quantum computation. A particularly popular gate set in the literature on quantum computing consists of arbitrary single-qubit gates and 2-qubit CNOT gates. A CNOT gate is however not always the natural multi-qubit interaction that can be implemented on a given physical quantum computer, necessitating a compilation step that transforms these CNOT gates to the native gate set. A particularly interesting case where compilation is necessary is for ion trap quantum computers, where the natural entangling operation can act on more than 2 qubits and can even act globally on all qubits at once. This calls for an entirely different approach to constructing efficient circuits. In this paper we study the problem of converting a given circuit that uses 2-qubit gates to one that uses global gates. Our three main contributions are as follows. First, we find an efficient algorithm for transforming an arbitrary circuit consisting of Clifford gates and arbitrary phase gates into a circuit consisting of single-qubit gates and a number of global interactions proportional to the number of non-Clifford phases present in the original circuit. Second, we find a general strategy to transform a global gate that targets all qubits into one that targets only a subset of the qubits. This approach scales linearly with the number of qubits that are not targeted, in contrast to the exponential scaling reported in (Maslov & Nam, N. J. Phys. 2018). Third, we improve on the number of global gates required to synthesise an arbitrary n-qubit Clifford circuit from the 12n-18 reported in (Maslov & Nam, N. J. Phys. 2018) to 6n-8.Comment: 13 pages. v2: added some more figures and fixed a number of (mathematical) typo