arXiv subjects

Ranyiliu Chen

Publications and source records attributed to Ranyiliu Chen.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Almost One Bit Violation of Minimum-Output Rényi Entropy Additivity Simultaneously at All Orders

We prove that minimum-output Rényi-entropy additivity can fail by almost one bit simultaneously at every nonnegative order. For every $\varepsilon\in(0,\log2)$, there exists a finite-dimensional quantum channel with a real Stinespring isometry such that the same maximally entangled input witnesses a tensor-square entropy gap of at least $\log2-\varepsilon$ for all $p\in[0,\infty]$. The output dimension can be chosen to be $O(\varepsilon^{-3})$ as $\varepsilon\downarrow0$. The construction uses direct products of free groups: tensorized Haagerup estimates control the one-copy outputs, while commutation between distinct factors forces exact Bell-branch collisions at two copies. Strong convergence gives both an existential realization through finite-dimensional representations of right-angled Artin groups followed by realification, and a Haar-orthogonal model whose success probability tends to one as the matrix dimension grows. We also determine the exact Bell quotient, prove asymptotically sharp regular-radius bounds, and show that the cubic output-dimension scale is optimal within the present purity--rank certificate.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

A Separation between Full-Rank PVM and Assumption-free Self-Testing

We construct a nonlocal game that self-tests a maximally entangled qubit strategy among pure full-Schmidt-rank projective strategies, but admits an inequivalent optimum using one nonprojective measurement. This resolves a conjecture of Baptista et al. on imposing full rank and projectivity simultaneously. The construction combines CHSH with an auxiliary game $G$ that forces deterministic answers under these assumptions and admits a trine POVM optimum without them. We classify the optimal correlations of $G$ as a line segment parametrized by the tracial states of $\mathbb{C}\oplus M_2(\mathbb{C})$. Projectivity on the state support removes the matrix summand, whereas projective dilations with nonzero nonabort probability have a nontracial local state whose zero left ideal is not two-sided. Finally, a family in local dimension six shows that the full-rank PVM self-test is not robust.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Causal-Class Hierarchies in Coherence-Constrained Channel Transformation

Higher-order quantum transformations allow multiple channel uses to be combined through different causal architectures, from parallel and fixed-order sequential networks to general higher-order processes. Whether this causal freedom improves channel transformation when the higher-order operation is also constrained by a resource theory remains largely unexplored. We study this question in the dynamical resource theory of coherence using a unified semidefinite-programming framework. For two qubit amplitude-damping channels and the identity target, we prove a strict causal hierarchy at every nontrivial damping strength under both maximally incoherent superchannels (MISC) and dephasing-covariant incoherent superchannels (DISC). In contrast, mixed-Pauli channels admit a common teleportation simulation that transfers the channel dependence to Bell-diagonal program states prepared in parallel. The remaining processing can then be absorbed into a single quantum operational, so parallel, fixed-order sequential, and general higher-order strategies achieve the same optimal error for any target. These results identify free program-state parallelisation as a structural obstruction to causal enhancement.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Analytic Qubit Separation between POVMs and Projective Measurements

Generalized measurements can be implemented projectively after enlarging the Hilbert space, but this dilation changes the available local dimension. We construct a Bell functional with rational coefficients that separates the two measurement models at local dimension two. An explicit three-outcome qubit positive-operator-valued measure with rational matrix entries attains $2\sqrt2+1/100$. On the other hand, all qubit-projective strategies are bounded by $2\sqrt2+\sqrt5/250+\sqrt2/32400$, giving a fully analytic certified gap greater than $1/1000$. To our knowledge, this is the first fully analytic Bell-functional separation between qubit POVMs and qubit projective measurements over arbitrary shared two-qubit states. Lean certificate for the separation theorem is provided for completeness. Separately, an exact level-3 noncommutative sum-of-squares certificate proves that the explicit qubit strategy attains the unrestricted finite-dimensional tensor-product quantum optimum.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Deterministic Minimum-Output-Entropy Nonadditivity via Haagerup's Inequality and Near-Free Permutation Representations

We give a deterministic realization of the finite-dimensional quadratic certificate underlying Collins's mixed-unitary proof of minimum-output-entropy nonadditivity. For every fixed integer $K\ge 2$ and rational $η>0$ satisfying $\log K>2(3+η)^2$, a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm, for every sufficiently large target size $N$, outputs $K$ permutations on $N'=N+o_{K,η}(N)$ points. Restricting their permutation matrices to the nontrivial standard representation yields real orthogonal Stinespring blocks and a channel $Φ_{N'}:M_{N'-1}(\mathbb{C})\to M_K(\mathbb{C})$ such that \[ 2H_{\min}(Φ_{N'}) -H_{\min}(Φ_{N'}^{\otimes 2}) \ge \frac{\log K}{K} -2\log\left(1+\frac{(3+η)^2}{K}\right) >0. \] The construction combines Haagerup's length-two inequality with the simultaneous deterministic spectral approximation of O'Donnell and Wu. We further show that the constant $3$ is asymptotically sharp on the relevant Hermitian zero-diagonal coefficient class and that the finite spectral transfer is nearly saturated, thereby isolating the finer geometry of the full output body as the natural next level of refinement beyond the scalar-radius method. Finally, a standard covariant extension converts the same deterministic entropy gap exactly into self-tensor superadditivity of the one-shot Holevo quantity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Invariant Measures and Weak-Magic-Injection Asymptotics in Random Monitored Quantum Circuits

Monitored quantum circuits combine scrambling with measurement-conditioned state updates, while non-Clifford perturbations inject magic into otherwise stabilizer-compatible dynamics. Rigorous results on stationary magic and its weak-injection asymptotics remain limited even for finite-dimensional Clifford-based monitored models. We study an $N$-qudit process of prime local dimension $d$. Each cycle draws a fresh uniform global Clifford unitary, applies a local weak non-Clifford rotation and a projective measurement on one qudit, and then returns to the inverse Clifford frame. For every fixed injection strength, we prove that the induced pure-state Markov chain has a unique invariant probability measure and attracts every initial law geometrically in Wasserstein distance. At zero injection, the invariant law is supported on the finite stabilizer layer. After rescaling transverse deviations from this layer, the resulting blown-up stationary laws converge weakly to the invariant law of an affine tangent recursion. Combining this tangent law with Poisson representations and the first nonzero local resource germs determines the sharp vanishing rates of stationary magic. For every fixed $N\ge2$, odd-prime Gross--Wigner mana admits a linear expansion with a strictly positive coefficient, whereas qubit $2$-stabilizer Rényi entropy admits a quadratic expansion with a strictly positive coefficient. For $N=1$, both stationary resource averages vanish identically for all injection strengths. The distinct orders arise from the different local resource geometries, together with quadratic-order zero-reference branch contributions in qubit case.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

A Sharp Local-Question Threshold for GHZ-Equatorial Completeness in Four-Player XOR Games

We determine the smallest number of active questions per player at which a four-player binary exclusive-or (XOR) game of commuting-operator value one need not admit a Greenberger--Horne--Zeilinger (GHZ) equatorial realization. Such a realization uses the four-qubit GHZ state and equatorial qubit observables, reducing perfect play to additive phase equations. We prove that every four-player XOR game with commuting-operator value one and at most three active questions per player has a perfect GHZ-equatorial strategy. Conversely, we construct a uniform eight-clause game with four active questions per player whose commuting-operator value is one but whose phase equations are inconsistent. Thus four is the sharp local-question threshold. The positive result follows by lifting every integral incidence obstruction to an ordered noncommutative refutation, using primitive circuits, forest matchings, and ternary Hamming geometry. For the separating game, a Klein four-group incidence relation obstructs the phase system, while an even-subgroup normal form and degree-one and degree-two Magnus coefficients exclude refutations of arbitrary length.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Benchmarking Agents for Proving Theorems in Quantum Algorithms and Quantum Information

Formal verification is becoming increasingly practical for quantum computing, yet the ability of AI agents to construct machine-checkable proofs in this domain remains unmeasured. We introduce Lean-QuantumAlg-Bench and Lean-QIT-Bench, two Lean 4 benchmarks containing 36 and 40 theorem-completion tasks for quantum algorithms and quantum information theory, respectively. Every task compiles in a fixed environment and is evaluated by deterministic proof checking and targeted semantic review, with difficulty weights assigned before model execution. We evaluate four models-GPT-5.5, Kimi K3, DeepSeek V4-Pro, and MiniMax M3-within a common theorem-proving framework under two settings: a task-only baseline and library-augmented deduction (LAD), which additionally provides access to a verified domain library. The highest difficulty-weighted scores are 60.4 out of 100 on the quantum-algorithm benchmark and 59.6 out of 100 on the quantum-information benchmark. LAD improves both score and completion rate in all eight model-benchmark comparisons, with gains of up to 15.9 points, providing evidence that verified libraries can strengthen domain-specific proof agents. The results reveal recurring weaknesses of agentic proving in areas such as quantum simulation, quantum learning, quantum information measures, and entanglement theory. Monetary and wall-clock costs per score point also vary substantially across models, highlighting important capability-efficiency trade-offs. We expect these benchmarks to establish a reproducible baseline for developing more capable and reliable proof agents, and to pave the way toward self-evolving AI scientists for advancing quantum information science.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Lean-QIT: Towards a Formal Infrastructure for Quantum Information Theory

Quantum information theory (QIT) characterizes the capabilities and fundamental limits of quantum information processing, underpinning quantum communication, computation, and error correction. Formalizing its coding theorems requires connecting finite-block protocols, analytic inequalities, and asymptotic limits within a unified machine-checked framework. Existing developments, however, lack a reusable operational layer that defines codes, error criteria, achievable rates, and capacities independently of their information-theoretic characterizations. In this work, we present LeanQIT, a Lean 4 library for finite-dimensional QIT. It provides composable, kernel-checked interfaces for quantum states and channels, source and channel codes, finite-block performance criteria, hypothesis testing, one-shot quantities, and asymptotic rate constructions. Using this infrastructure, we formalize Schumacher's quantum source-coding theorem, the Holevo--Schumacher--Westmoreland classical-capacity theorem, and the entanglement-assisted classical-capacity theorem together with its strong converse. By separating operational definitions from analytic characterizations and exposing reusable achievability, converse, and asymptotic components, Lean-QIT provides a machine-readable foundation for formal QIT and a compositional knowledge substrate for emerging AI-assisted formalization, automated proof search, and agentic reasoning in quantum information and computation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Distilling Unitary Operations: A No-Go Theorem and Minimal Realization

Quantum gates executed on physical hardware are inevitably degraded by environmental noise. While state purification effectively distills static quantum resources, the dynamic execution of quantum algorithms requires a higher-order approach to mitigate errors on the operations themselves. In this work, we investigate universal unitary purification: the task of utilizing a quantum higher-order operation to partially restore the ideal action of an unknown unitary corrupted by a known noise model. Focusing on canonical depolarizing noise, we first reveal a fundamental operational obstruction. We prove that within the indefinite causal order framework, no nontrivial 2-slot higher-order operation can universally purify the set of single-qubit unitaries. Overcoming this strict limitation, we establish that a 3-slot parallel architecture provides the minimal realization for non-trivial purification. We analytically derive the optimal average fidelity within the parallel 3-slot class, demonstrating that it strictly surpasses trivial strategies by systematically utilizing ancillary qubits as a quantum memory to absorb errors. Furthermore, we provide a concrete quantum circuit construction attaining this parallel optimum. Our results establish the strict theoretical boundaries of distilling clean operations from noisy gates, offering immediate architectural insights for robust gate design.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Beyond real: Investigating the role of complex numbers in self-testing

We investigate complex self-testing, a generalization of standard self-testing that accounts for quantum strategies whose statistics is indistinguishable from their complex conjugate's. We show that many structural results from standard self-testing extend to the complex setting, including lifting of common assumptions. Our main result is an operator-algebraic characterization: complex self-testing is equivalent to uniqueness of the real parts of higher moments, leading to a basis-independent formulation in terms of real C* algebras. This leads to a classification of non-local strategies, and a tight boundary where standard self-testing does not apply and complex self-testing is necessary. We further construct a strategy involving quaternions, establishing the first standard self-test for genuinely complex strategy. Our work clarifies the structure of complex self-testing and highlights the subtle role of complex numbers in bipartite Bell non-locality.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Structure, Optimality, and Symmetry in Shadow Unitary Inversion

Reversing unitary operations is a key task in quantum computing and quantum control. In this work, we introduce and develop the framework of shadow unitary inversion, a relaxed variant of unitary inversion in which the goal is to reproduce the action of the inverse unitary only at the level of the expectation value of a fixed observable. This task captures an operational setting in which only shadow information is required and allows query complexities significantly below those of full unitary inversion. We establish a dimension-dependent lower bound showing that any $t$-query scheme requires $t$ to scale at least linearly with the system dimension, with the constant determined by the spectral properties of the target observable. In the qubit case, we construct a deterministic three-query sequential protocol that achieves exact shadow inversion, and we provide a complete characterization of all admissible qubit channels satisfying the shadow constraint. Numerical evidence suggests that three queries are optimal. For higher-dimensional systems, we develop a semidefinite-programming formulation for optimizing shadow-inversion combs and introduce a representation-theoretic symmetry reduction that decomposes the problem into invariant blocks, substantially reducing the problem size. These results provide the first systematic study for shadow unitary inversion and establish its resource requirements and symmetry structure across dimensions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantifying Unextendibility via Virtual State Extension

Monogamy of entanglement, which limits how entanglement can be shared among multiple parties, is a fundamental feature underpinning the privacy of quantum communication. In this work, we introduce a novel operational framework to quantify the unshareability or unextendibility of entanglement via a virtual state-extension task. The virtual extension cost is defined as the minimum simulation cost of a randomized protocol that reproduces the marginals of a $k$-extension. For the important family of isotropic states, we derive an exact closed-form expression for this cost. Our central result establishes a tight connection: the virtual extension cost of a maximally entangled state equals the optimal simulation cost of universal virtual quantum broadcasting. Using the algebra of partially transposed permutation matrices, we obtain an analytical formula and construct an explicit quantum circuit for the optimal broadcasting protocol, thereby resolving an open question in quantum broadcasting. We further relate the virtual extension cost to the absolute robustness of unextendibility, providing it with a clear operational meaning, and show that the virtual extension cost is an entanglement measure that bounds distillable entanglement and connects to logarithmic negativity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Maximal device-independent randomness in every dimension

Random numbers are used in a wide range of sciences. In many applications, generating unpredictable private random numbers is indispensable. Device-independent quantum random number generation is a framework that makes use of the intrinsic randomness of quantum processes to generate numbers that are fundamentally unpredictable according to our current understanding of physics. While device-independent quantum random number generation is an exceptional theoretical feat, the difficulty of controlling quantum systems makes it challenging to carry out in practice. It is therefore desirable to harness the full power of the quantum degrees of freedom (the dimension) that one can control. It is known that no more than $2 \log(d)$ bits of private device-independent randomness can be extracted from a quantum system of local dimension $d$. In this paper we demonstrate that this bound can be achieved for all dimensions $d$ by providing a family of explicit protocols. In order to obtain our result, we develop new certification techniques that can be of wider interest in device-independent applications for scenarios in which complete certification ('self-testing') is impossible or impractical.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

A mathematical foundation for self-testing: Lifting common assumptions

In this work we study the phenomenon of self-testing from the first principles, aiming to place this versatile concept on a rigorous mathematical footing. Self-testing allows a classical verifier to infer a quantum mechanical description of untrusted quantum devices that she interacts with in a black-box manner. Somewhat contrary to the black-box paradigm, existing self-testing results tend to presuppose conditions that constrain the operation of the untrusted devices. A common assumption is that these devices perform a projective measurement of a pure quantum state. Naturally, in the absence of any prior knowledge it would be appropriate to model these devices as measuring a mixed state using POVM measurements, since the purifying/dilating spaces could be held by the environment or an adversary. We prove a general theorem allowing to remove these assumptions, thereby promoting most existing self-testing results to their assumption-free variants. On the other hand, we pin-point situations where assumptions cannot be lifted without loss of generality. As a key (counter)example we identify a quantum correlation which is a self-test only if certain assumptions are made. Remarkably, this is also the first example of a correlation that cannot be implemented using projective measurements on a bipartite state of full Schmidt rank. Finally, we compare existing self-testing definitions, establishing many equivalences as well as identifying subtle differences.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Near-term Efficient Quantum Algorithms for Entanglement Analysis

Entanglement plays a crucial role in quantum physics and is the key resource in quantum information processing. However, entanglement detection and quantification are believed to be hard due to the operational impracticality of existing methods. This work proposes three near-term efficient algorithms exploiting the hybrid quantum-classical technique to address this difficulty. The first algorithm finds the Schmidt decomposition--a powerful tool to analyze the properties and structure of entanglement--for bipartite pure states. While the logarithm negativity can be calculated from the Schmidt decomposition, we propose the second algorithm to estimate the logarithm negativity for bipartite pure states, where the width of the parameterized quantum circuits is further reduced. Finally, we generalize our framework for mixed states, leading to our third algorithm which detects entanglement on specific families of states, and determines disdillability in general. All three algorithms share a similar framework where the optimizations are accomplished by maximizing a cost function utilizing local parameterized quantum circuits, with better hardware efficiency and practicality compared to existing methods. The experimental implementation on Quantum Leaf using the IoP CAS superconducting quantum processor exhibits the validity and practicality of our methods for analyzing and quantifying entanglement on near-term quantum devices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

All Real Projective Measurements Can be Self-tested

Self-testing is the strongest form of quantum functionality verification which allows a classical user to deduce the quantum state and measurements used to produce measurement statistics. While self-testing of quantum states is well-understood, self-testing of measurements, especially in high dimensions, has remained more elusive. We demonstrate the first general result in this direction by showing that every real projective measurement can be self-tested. The standard definition of self-testing only allows for the certification of real measurements. Therefore, our work effectively broadens the scope of self-testable projective measurements to their full potential. To reach this result, we employ the idea that existing self-tests can be extended to verify additional untrusted measurements. This is known as `post-hoc self-testing'. We formalize the method of post-hoc self-testing and establish a sufficient condition for its application. Using this condition we construct self-tests for all real projective measurements. Inspired by our construction, we develop a new technique of iterative self-testing, which involves using post-hoc self-testing in a sequential manner. Starting from any established self-test, we fully characterize the set of measurements that can be verified via iterative self-testing. This provides a clear methodology for constructing new self-tests from pre-existing ones.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Variational Quantum Algorithms for Trace Distance and Fidelity Estimation

Estimating the difference between quantum data is crucial in quantum computing. However, as typical characterizations of quantum data similarity, the trace distance and quantum fidelity are believed to be exponentially-hard to evaluate in general. In this work, we introduce hybrid quantum-classical algorithms for these two distance measures on near-term quantum devices where no assumption of input state is required. First, we introduce the Variational Trace Distance Estimation (VTDE) algorithm. We in particular provide the technique to extract the desired spectrum information of any Hermitian matrix by local measurement. A novel variational algorithm for trace distance estimation is then derived from this technique, with the assistance of a single ancillary qubit. Notably, VTDE could avoid the barren plateau issue with logarithmic depth circuits due to a local cost function. Second, we introduce the Variational Fidelity Estimation (VFE) algorithm. We combine Uhlmann's theorem and the freedom in purification to translate the estimation task into an optimization problem over a unitary on an ancillary system with fixed purified inputs. We then provide a purification subroutine to complete the translation. Both algorithms are verified by numerical simulations and experimental implementations, exhibiting high accuracy for randomly generated mixed states.

quant-ph↗