arXiv subjects

Aziz Kharoof

Publications and source records attributed to Aziz Kharoof.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Possibilistic collapse and extremality of simplicial distributions

Consistent families of locally defined probability distributions that do not admit a joint global distribution are known as contextual, with primary examples arising in quantum theory. In this paper, we study such families of distributions using the theory of simplicial distributions, and further develop the theory for possibilistic distributions defined over the Boolean semiring. We characterize possibilistic collapses of simplicial distributions geometrically using bundle scenarios. Using this characterization together with a new connectivity condition on the total space of a bundle scenario, we provide a criterion for detecting extremal simplicial distributions. In parallel, we develop an analogous theory for presheaves on simplicial complexes, describe possibilistic collapses of empirical models on them using event scenarios together with a categorical extremality condition, and relate the two frameworks via a comparison result. We provide examples of contextual simplicial distributions that arise from our criteria on scenarios of interest in quantum foundations, such as Bell scenarios and boundaries of standard simplices, the latter connecting to Vorob'ev's classical theorem on acyclic complexes.

math.CT↗

arXiv2026

Vertex structure of fiber products of probability polytopes

We develop tools for characterizing vertices of fiber products of polytopes and apply them to simplicial distribution polytopes, a class of probability polytopes arising in quantum foundations and quantum information. In the theory of simplicial distributions, a pair of simplicial sets encoding measurement and outcome spaces determines a convex polytope of compatible probability assignments. Our first results give geometric criteria for detecting vertices of fiber products in terms of support data. These results are obtained in the more general framework of inverse limits of diagrams of polytopes in standard form, and they translate to corresponding criteria for simplicial distributions on arbitrary colimits of measurement spaces. We then focus on one-dimensional measurement spaces, where simplicial distributions recover and generalize local marginal polytopes in graphical models. In this setting, our sharpest results concern dipole graphs, for which we obtain a complete characterization of vertices and refine it to a graph-theoretic criterion. These characterizations are reminiscent of the classical support-graph criteria for transportation polytopes, but they arise in a richer class of polytopes in which vertex structure depends not only on support acyclicity but also on additional geometric compatibility data. Using the collapsing method from simplicial topology, we transfer the dipole characterization to rose graphs and obtain analogous results there. Finally, we apply collapsing to complete bipartite graphs, which encode physically relevant bipartite Bell scenarios, and more generally to arbitrary connected graphs, yielding lower bounds on the number of vertices.

math.CO↗

arXiv2025

Simplicial methods in the resource theory of contextuality

We develop a resource theory of contextuality within the framework of symmetric monoidal categories, extending recent simplicial approaches to quantum contextuality. Building on the theory of simplicial distributions, which integrates homotopy-theoretic structures with probability, we introduce event scenarios as a functorial generalization of presheaf-theoretic measurement scenarios and prove their equivalence to bundle scenarios via the Grothendieck construction. We define symmetric monoidal structures on these categories and extend the distribution functor to a stochastic setting, yielding a resource theory that generalizes the presheaf-theoretic notion of simulations. Our main result characterizes convex maps between simplicial distributions in terms of non-contextual distributions on a corresponding mapping scenario, enhancing and extending prior results in categorical quantum foundations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

The geometry of simplicial distributions on suspension scenarios

Quantum measurements often exhibit non-classical features, such as contextuality, which generalizes Bell's non-locality and serves as a resource in various quantum computation models. Existing frameworks have rigorously captured these phenomena, and recently, simplicial distributions have been introduced to deepen this understanding. The geometrical structure of simplicial distributions can be seen as a resource for applications in quantum information theory. In this work, we use topological foundations to study this geometrical structure, leveraging the fact that, in this simplicial framework, measurements and outcomes are represented as spaces. This allows us to depict contextuality as a topological phenomenon. We show that applying the cone construction to the measurement space makes the corresponding non-signaling polytope equal to the join of $m$ copies of the original polytope, where $m$ is the number of possible outcomes per measurement. Then we glue two copies of cone measurement spaces to obtain a suspension measurement space. The decomposition done for simplicial distributions on a cone measurement space provides deeper insights into the geometry of simplicial distributions on a suspension measurement space and aids in characterizing the contextuality there. Additionally, we apply these results to derive a new type of Bell inequalities (inequalities that determine the set of local joint probabilities/non-contextual simplicial distributions) and to offer a mathematical explanation for certain contextual vertices from the literature.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Extremal simplicial distributions on cycle scenarios with arbitrary outcomes

Cycle scenarios are a significant class of contextuality scenarios, with the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) scenario being a notable example. While binary outcome measurements in these scenarios are well understood, the generalization to arbitrary outcomes remains less explored, except in specific cases. In this work, we employ homotopical methods in the framework of simplicial distributions to characterize all contextual vertices of the non-signaling polytope corresponding to cycle scenarios with arbitrary outcomes. Additionally, our techniques utilize the bundle perspective on contextuality and the decomposition of measurement spaces. This enables us to extend beyond scenarios formed by gluing cycle scenarios and describe contextual extremal simplicial distributions in these generalized contexts.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Homotopy types of diagrams of chain complexes

We study the homotopy theory of diagrams of chain complexes over a field indexed by a finite poset, and show that it can be completely described in terms of appropriate diagrams of graded vector spaces.

math.AT↗

arXiv2023

Homotopical characterization of strongly contextual simplicial distributions on cone spaces

This paper offers a novel homotopical characterization of strongly contextual simplicial distributions with binary outcomes, specifically those defined on the cone of a 1-dimensional space. In the sheaf-theoretic framework, such distributions correspond to non-signaling distributions on measurement scenarios where each context contains 2 measurements with binary outcomes. To establish our results, we employ a homotopical approach that includes collapsing measurement spaces and introduce categories associated with simplicial distributions that can detect strong contextuality.

math.AT↗

arXiv2023

A bundle perspective on contextuality: Empirical models and simplicial distributions on bundle scenarios

This paper provides a bundle perspective to contextuality by introducing new categories of contextuality scenarios based on bundles of simplicial complexes and simplicial sets. The former approach generalizes earlier work on the sheaf-theoretic perspective on contextuality, and the latter extends simplicial distributions, a more recent approach to contextuality formulated in the language of simplicial sets. After constructing our bundle categories, we also construct functors that relate them and natural isomorphisms that allow us to compare the notions of contextuality formulated in two languages. We are motivated by applications to the resource theory of contextuality, captured by the morphisms in these categories. In this paper, we develop the main formalism and leave applications to future work.

math.CT↗

arXiv2023

Topological methods for studying contextuality: $N$-cycle scenarios and beyond

Simplicial distributions are combinatorial models describing distributions on spaces of measurements and outcomes that generalize non-signaling distributions on contextuality scenarios. This paper studies simplicial distributions on $2$-dimensional measurement spaces by introducing new topological methods. Two key ingredients are a geometric interpretation of Fourier--Motzkin elimination and a technique based on collapsing of measurement spaces. Using the first one, we provide a new proof of Fine's theorem characterizing non-contextual distributions on $N$-cycle scenarios. Our approach goes beyond these scenarios and can describe non-contextual distributions on scenarios obtained by gluing cycle scenarios of various sizes. The second technique is used for detecting contextual vertices and deriving new Bell inequalities. Combined with these methods, we explore a monoid structure on simplicial distributions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Simplicial distributions, convex categories and contextuality

The data of a physical experiment can be represented as a presheaf of probability distributions. A striking feature of quantum theory is that those probability distributions obtained in quantum mechanical experiments do not always admit a joint probability distribution, a celebrated observation due to Bell. Such distributions are called contextual. Simplicial distributions are combinatorial models that extend presheaves of probability distributions by elevating sets of measurements and outcomes to spaces. Contextuality can be defined in this generalized setting. This paper introduces the notion of convex categories to study simplicial distributions from a categorical perspective. Simplicial distributions can be given the structure of a convex monoid, a convex category with a single object, when the outcome space has the structure of a group. We describe contextuality as a monoid-theoretic notion by introducing a weak version of invertibility for monoids. Our main result is that a simplicial distribution is noncontextual if and only if it is weakly invertible. Similarly, strong contextuality and contextual fraction can be characterized in terms of invertibility in monoids. Finally, we show that simplicial homotopy can be used to detect extremal simplicial distributions refining the earlier methods based on Cech cohomology and the cohomology of groups.

math.CT↗

arXiv2022

Simplicial quantum contextuality

We introduce a new framework for contextuality based on simplicial sets, combinatorial models of topological spaces that play a prominent role in modern homotopy theory. Our approach extends measurement scenarios to consist of spaces (rather than sets) of measurements and outcomes, and thereby generalizes nonsignaling distributions to simplicial distributions, which are distributions on spaces modeled by simplicial sets. Using this formalism we present a topologically inspired new proof of Fine's theorem for characterizing noncontextuality in Bell scenarios. Strong contextuality is generalized suitably for simplicial distributions, allowing us to define cohomological witnesses that extend the earlier topological constructions restricted to algebraic relations among quantum observables to the level of probability distributions. Foundational theorems of quantum theory such as the Gleason's theorem and Kochen-Specker theorem can be expressed naturally within this new language.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Higher order Toda brackets

We describe two ways to define higher order Toda brackets in a pointed simplicial model category $\mathcal{D}$: one is a recursive definition using model categorical constructions, and the second uses the associated simplicial enrichment. We show that these two definitions agree, by providing a third, diagrammatic, description of the Toda bracket, and explain how it serves as the obstruction to rectifying a certain homotopy-commutative diagram in $\mathcal{D}$.

math.AT↗