English

Measurement incompatibility under loss

Quantum Physics 2025-01-20 v3

Abstract

We investigate the measurement incompatibility of continuous-variable systems with infinite-dimensional Hilbert spaces under the influence of pure losses, a fundamental noise source in quantum optics, and a significant challenge for long-distance quantum communication. We show that loss channels with transmissivities less than 1/n1/n make any set of nn measurements compatible. Additionally, we design a set of measurements that remains incompatible even under extreme losses, where the number of measurements in the set increases with the amount of loss. These measurements rely on on-off photodetectors and linear optics, making them feasible for implementation under realistic laboratory conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that no loss channel can break the incompatibility of all measurements. As a result, quantum steering remains achievable in the presence of pure loss.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2411.05920,
  title  = {Measurement incompatibility under loss},
  author = {Mohammad Mehboudi and Fatemeh Rezaeinia and Saleh Rahimi-Keshari},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.05920},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

In the new version we add a new analytical result: Measurement incompatibility (and therefore steering) never breaks under pure loss

R2 v1 2026-06-28T19:53:45.231Z