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arXiv · 2403.12947

Fundamental limitations on the recoverability of quantum processes

Abstract

Quantum information processing and computing tasks can be understood as quantum networks, comprising quantum states and channels and possible physical transformations on them. It is hence pertinent to estimate the change in informational content of quantum processes due to physical transformations they undergo. The physical transformations of quantum states are described by quantum channels, while the transformations of quantum channels are described by quantum superchannels. In this work, we determine fundamental limitations on how well the physical transformation on quantum channels can be undone or reversed, which are of crucial interest to design and benchmark quantum information and computation devices. In particular, we refine (strengthen) the quantum data processing inequality for quantum channels under the action of quantum superchannels. We identify a class of quantum superchannels, which appears to be the superchannel analogue of subunital quantum channels, under the action of which the entropy of an arbitrary quantum channel is nondecreasing. We also provide a refined inequality for the entropy change of quantum channels under the action of an arbitrary quantum superchannel.

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Sohail, Vivek Pandey, Uttam Singh, Siddhartha Das. 2024-03-19. Fundamental limitations on the recoverability of quantum processes. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00023-025-01590-y

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