English

Kirkwood-Dirac classical states based on discrete Fourier transform: Representation with directed graph

Quantum Physics 2026-03-17 v1

Abstract

The Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) quasiprobability distribution is a fundamental representation for quantum states and has been widely applied in quantum metrology, quantum chaos, weak values in recent years. A quantum state is KD-classical if its KD-quasiprobability distribution forms a valid classical probability distribution with respect to two given bases, and KD-nonclassical otherwise, with the latter being closely associated with quantum advantages in various quantum processes. In this work, we investigate the structural characteristics of the KD-classical state set when the transition matrix between two orthonormal bases takes the form of a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) matrix. First, we adopt an alternative analytical approach to prove that the set of KD-classical states in a prp^r-dimensional Hilbert space is the convex hull of KD-classical pure states--a conclusion that was recently established by De Bi{\`e}vre et al [Annales Henri Poincar{\'e}, 1-20, 2025]. Furthermore, we define a directed graph and use it to characterize KD-classical pure states in a Hilbert space of arbitrary dimension dd. That is, the convex hull of KD-classical pure states along any path from the start vertex to the end vertex in this directed graph is exactly the intersection of the KD-classical state set and the linear space spanned by these path-associated KD-classical pure states. This general result not only yields the prp^r-dimensional conclusion in a straightforward manner but also encompasses Theorem 2 in the existing work [J. Phys. A, 57, 435303, 2024], demonstrating its generality and inclusiveness.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2603.13863,
  title  = {Kirkwood-Dirac classical states based on discrete Fourier transform: Representation with directed graph},
  author = {Lin-Yan Cai and Ying-Hui Yang and Zhu-Jun Zheng},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.13863},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

30 pages

R2 v1 2026-07-01T11:19:53.729Z