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arxiv: 1904.08699 · v1 · pith:QOYIQQXOnew · submitted 2019-04-18 · 🪐 quant-ph

Contextuality without access to a tomographically complete set

classification 🪐 quant-ph
keywords contextualitycompletetomographicallyextrameasurementsquantumdemonstrateddimensions
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The non-classicality of single quantum systems can be formalised using the notion of contextuality. But can contextuality be convincingly demonstrated in an experiment, without reference to the quantum formalism? The operational approach to contextuality due to Spekkens requires finding operationally equivalent preparation procedures. Previously these have been obtained by demanding indistinguishability under a set of measurements taken to be tomographically complete. In the language of generalised probability theories, this requires the ability to explore all the dimensions of the system's state space. However, if the true tomographically complete set is larger than the set assumed, the extra measurements could break the operational equivalences and hence eliminate the putative contextuality. Such extra dimensions could arise in post-quantum theories, but even if quantum theory is exact there can be unexpected degrees of freedoms due to imperfections in an experiment. Here we design tests of contextuality that are immune to this effect for a given number of extra measurements in the tomographically complete set, even if nothing is known about their statistics. This allows contextuality to be demonstrated with weaker assumptions.

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Cited by 2 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. An extended Wigner's friend no-go theorem inspired by generalized contextuality

    quant-ph 2025-02 unverdicted novelty 6.0

    The Noncontextual Friendliness no-go theorem proves quantum theory incompatible with Absoluteness of Observed Events and Noncontextual Agency, generalizing the Local Friendliness theorem.

  2. Warring Contextualities -- Provably Classical vs Provably Nonclassical

    quant-ph 2026-04 unverdicted novelty 3.0

    Kochen-Specker contextuality generalizes nonclassicality while Spekkens' noncontextuality generalizes classicality, reconciling the two as successive stages in a hierarchy of classicality.