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Quantum processes can exhibit scenarios beyond a fixed order of events. We propose information inequalities that, when violated, constitute sufficient conditions to certify quantum processes without a fixed causal order -- causally…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-05-21 Matheus Capela , Kaumudibikash Goswami

This letter further explores the recent scheme of switched quantum channels with indefinite causal order applied to the reference metrological task of quantum phase estimation in the presence of noise. We especially extend the explorations,…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2023-12-06 Francois Chapeau-Blondeau

The superposition of causal order shows promise in various quantum technologies. However, the fragility of quantum systems arising from environmental interactions, leading to dissipative behavior and irreversibility, demands a deeper…

Quantum processes with indefinite causal structure emerge when we wonder which are the most general evolutions, allowed by quantum theory, of a set of local systems which are not assumed to be in any particular causal order. These processes…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2024-02-07 Luca Apadula , Alessandro Bisio , Paolo Perinotti

In all our well-established theories, it is assumed that events are embedded in a global causal structure such that, for every pair of events, the causal order between them is always fixed. However, the possible interplay between quantum…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2016-11-22 Flaminia Giacomini , Esteban Castro-Ruiz , Časlav Brukner

Recent frameworks describing quantum mechanics in the absence of a global causal order admit the existence of causally indefinite processes, where it is impossible to ascribe causal order for events A and B. These frameworks even allow for…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2021-05-11 Simon Milz , Dominic Jurkschat , Felix A. Pollock , Kavan Modi

In this proceeding, we revisit the discussion presented in Ref. [Commun Phys 7, 373 (2024)], which examines the behavior of a quantum switch involving two arbitrary quantum operations when the control is exposed to environmental effects.…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-03-18 Shahana Aziz , André H. A. Malavazi , Pedro R. Dieguez

Enhancement of quantum battery performance is a popular subject in quantum thermodynamics. An interesting phenomenon is the quick charging effect [Phys. Rev. Res. 6, 023136 (2024)], which has been explored by utilizing a quantum…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-03-25 Po-Rong Lai , Hsien-Chao Jan , Jhen-Dong Lin , Yueh-Nan Chen

Causal nonseparability refers to processes where events take place in a coherent superposition of different causal orders. These may be the key resource for experimental violations of causal inequalities and have been recently identified as…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2019-12-16 Márcio M. Taddei , Ranieri V. Nery , Leandro Aolita

In classical physics, events follow a definite causal order: the past influences the future, but not the reverse. Quantum theory, however, permits superpositions of causal orders -- so-called indefinite causal orders -- which can provide…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-04-29 Carla M. D. Richter , Michael Antesberger , Huan Cao , Philip Walther , Lee A. Rozema

Recently, there has been substantial interest in studying the dynamics of quantum theory beyond that of states, in particular, the dynamics of channels, measurements, and higher-order transformations. Ref. [Phys. Rev. X 8(1), 011047 (2018)]…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2024-08-06 John H. Selby , Ana Belén Sainz , Paweł Horodecki

In an ordinary quantum algorithm the gates are applied in a fixed order on the systems. The introduction of indefinite causal structures allows to relax this constraint and control the order of the gates with an additional quantum state. It…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2022-06-15 Martin J. Renner , Časlav Brukner

Can causal relations be subject to quantum indefiniteness, similar to other physical properties? The process-matrix framework formalises this possibility: valid processes are defined by what local laboratories can implement, without…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-05-29 Jacopo Surace , Shintaro Minagawa , Ravi Kunjwal

The study of causal relations has recently been applied to the quantum realm, leading to the discovery that not all physical processes have a definite causal structure. While indefinite causal processes have previously been experimentally…

Quantum mechanics allows processes to be superposed, leading to a genuinely quantum lack of causal structure. For example, the process known as the quantum switch applies two operations ${\cal A}$ and ${\cal B}$ in a superposition of the…

In a recent series of works [Ebler et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 120502 (2018); arXiv:1809.06655v2; arXiv:1810.10457v2], it has been proposed that the quantum superposition of causal order -- the quantum switch -- may offer an enhancement of…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2019-06-24 Philippe Allard Guérin , Giulia Rubino , Časlav Brukner

The standard quantum state discrimination problem can be understood as a communication scenario involving a sender and a receiver following these three steps: (i) the sender encodes information in pre-agreed quantum states, (ii) sends them…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2024-06-28 Spiros Kechrimparis , James Moran , Athena Karsa , Changhyoup Lee , Hyukjoon Kwon

Quantum mechanics allows for coherent control over the order in which different processes take place on a target system, giving rise to a new feature known as indefinite causal order. Indefinite causal order provides a resource for quantum…

The field of indefinite causal order (ICO) has seen a recent surge in interest. Much of this research has focused on the quantum SWITCH, wherein multiple parties act in a superposition of different orders in a manner transcending the…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2024-02-16 Michael Antesberger , Marco Túlio Quintino , Philip Walther , Lee A. Rozema

An indefinite causal order, where the causes of events are not necessarily in past events, is predicted by the process matrix framework. A fundamental question is how these non-separable causal structures can be related to the thermodynamic…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2022-10-20 Gianluca Francica