English

The de Finetti theorem for test spaces

Quantum Physics 2009-03-27 v3

Abstract

We prove a de Finetti theorem for exchangeable sequences of states on test spaces, where a test space is a generalization of the sample space of classical probability theory and the Hilbert space of quantum theory. The standard classical and quantum de Finetti theorems are obtained as special cases. By working in a test space framework, the common features that are responsible for the existence of these theorems are elucidated. In addition, the test space framework is general enough to imply a de Finetti theorem for classical processes. We conclude by discussing the ways in which our assumptions may fail, leading to probabilistic models that do not have a de Finetti theorem.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0712.2265,
  title  = {The de Finetti theorem for test spaces},
  author = {Jonathan Barrett and Matthew Leifer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0712.2265},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

10 pages, 3 figures, revtex4

R2 v1 2026-06-21T09:53:56.764Z