Abstract: The wavefunction, describing both the wave-like and the particle-like nature of everything in the Universe, is central to quantum theory. Physicists usually learn about it indirectly in tomographic experiments that measure only some aspects of its behaviour. Now a team from Canada's Institute for National Measurement Standards has developed a new and gentle technique that makes it possible to observe the wavefunction directly. They demonstrate the approach by measuring the transverse spatial wavefunction of a single photon. The discovery that the wavefunction can be probed directly provides a tool that could prove useful in a wide range of fields, and raises questions bordering on the philosophical about what the wavefunction actually is. The wavefunction is the complex distribution used to completely describe a quantum system, and is central to quantum theory. But despite its fundamental role, it is typically introduced as an abstract element of the theory with no explicit definition1,2. Rather, physicists come to a working understanding of the wavefunction through its use to calculate measurement outcome probabilities by way of the Born rule3. At present, the wavefunction is determined through tomographic methods4,5,6,7,8, which estimate the wavefunction most consistent with a diverse collection of measurements. The indirectness of these methods compounds the problem of defining the wavefunction. Here we show that the wavefunction can be measured directly by the sequential measurement of two complementary variables of the system. The crux of our method is that the first measurement is performed in a gentle way through weak measurement9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18, so as not to invalidate the second. The result is that the real and imaginary components of the wavefunction appear directly on our measurement apparatus. We give an experimental example by directly measuring the transverse spatial wavefunction of a single photon, a task not previously realized by any method. We show that the concept is universal, being applicable to other degrees of freedom of the photon, such as polarization or frequency, and to other quantum systems—for example, electron spins, SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices) and trapped ions. Consequently, this method gives the wavefunction a straightforward and general definition in terms of a specific set of experimental operations19. We expect it to expand the range of quantum systems that can be characterized and to initiate new avenues in fundamental quantum theory.

Abstract: We derive quantum theory from purely informational principles. Five elementary axioms---causality, perfect distinguishability, ideal compression, local distinguishability, and pure conditioning---define a broad class of theories of information processing that can be regarded as standard. One postulate---purification---singles out quantum theory within this class.

Abstract: A quantum probability model is introduced and used to explain human probability judgment errors including the conjunction, disjunction, inverse, and conditional fallacies, as well as unpacking effects and partitioning effects. Quantum probability theory is a general and coherent theory based on a set of (von Neumann) axioms which relax some of the constraints underlying classic (Kolmogorov) probability theory. The quantum model is compared and contrasted with other competing explanations for these judgment errors including the representativeness heuristic, the averaging model, and a memory retrieval model for probability judgments. The quantum model also provides ways to extend Bayesian, fuzzy set, and fuzzy trace theories. We conclude that quantum information processing principles provide a viable and promising new way to understand human judgment and reasoning.

Abstract: Steering is a form of quantum nonlocality that is intimately related to the famous Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) paradox that ignited the ongoing discussion of quantum correlations. Within the hierarchy of nonlocal correlations appearing in nature, EPR steering occupies an intermediate position between Bell nonlocality and entanglement. In continuous variable systems, EPR steering correlations have been observed by violation of Reid's EPR inequality, which is based on inferred variances of complementary observables. Here we propose and experimentally test a new criterion based on entropy functions, and show that it is more powerful than the variance inequality for identifying EPR steering. Using the entropic criterion our experimental results show EPR steering, while the variance criterion does not. Our results open up the possibility of observing this type of nonlocality in a wider variety of quantum states.

Abstract: Ever since Werner Heisenberg's 1927 paper on uncertainty, there has been considerable hesitancy in simultaneously considering positions and momenta in quantum contexts, since these are incompatible observables. But this persistent discomfort with addressing positions and momenta jointly in the quantum world is not really warranted, as was first fully appreciated by Hilbrand Groenewold and Jos\'e Moyal in the 1940s. While the formalism for quantum mechanics in phase space was wholly cast at that time, it was not completely understood nor widely known --- much less generally accepted --- until the late 20th century.

Abstract: This paper comprises a review of both the quasi-probability representations of infinite-dimensional quantum theory (including the Wigner function) and the more recently defined quasi-probability representations of finite-dimensional quantum theory. We focus on both the characteristics and applications of these representations with an emphasis toward quantum information theory. We discuss the recently proposed unification of the set of possible quasi-probability representations via frame theory and then discuss the practical relevance of negativity in such representations as a criteria for quantumness.

Abstract: Closed timelike curves (CTCs) are trajectories in spacetime that effectively travel backwards in time: a test particle following a CTC can interact with its former self in the past. A widely accepted quantum theory of CTCs was proposed by Deutsch. Here we analyze an alternative quantum formulation of CTCs based on teleportation and postselection, and show that it is inequivalent to Deutsch's. The predictions or retrodictions of our theory can be simulated experimentally: we report the results of an experiment illustrating how in our particular theory the "grandfather paradox" is resolved.

Abstract: In the quantum-Bayesian approach to quantum foundations, a quantum state is viewed as an expression of an agent’s personalist Bayesian degrees of belief, or probabilities, concerning the results of measurements. These probabilities obey the usual probability rules as required by Dutch-book coherence, but quantum mechanics imposes additional constraints upon them. In this paper, we explore the question of deriving the structure of quantum-state space from a set of assumptions in the spirit of quantum Bayesianism. The starting point is the representation of quantum states induced by a symmetric informationally complete measurement or SIC. In this representation, the Born rule takes the form of a particularly simple modification of the law of total probability. We show how to derive key features of quantum-state space from (i) the requirement that the Born rule arises as a simple modification of the law of total probability and (ii) a limited number of additional assumptions of a strong Bayesian flavor.

Abstract: We discuss the conceptually different definitions used for the non-Markovianity of classical and quantum processes. The well-established definition for non-Markovianity of a classical stochastic process represents a condition on the Kolmogorov hierarchy of the n-point joint probability distributions. Since this definition cannot be transferred to the quantum regime, quantum non-Markovianity has recently been defined and quantified in terms of the underlying quantum dynamical map, using either its divisibility properties or the behavior of the trace distance between pairs of initial states. Here, we investigate and compare these definitions and their relations to the classical notion of non-Markovianity by employing a large class of non-Markovian processes, known as semi-Markov processes, which admit a natural extension to the quantum case. A number of specific physical examples is constructed which allow to study the basic features of the classical and the quantum definitions and to evaluate explicitly the measures for quantum non-Markovianity. Our results clearly demonstrate several fundamental distinctions between the classical and the quantum notion of non-Markovianity, as well as between the various quantum measures for non-Markovianity.

Abstract: The roles of quantum correlations, entanglement, discord, and dissonance needed for performing unambiguous quantum state discrimination assisted by an auxiliary system are studied. In general, this procedure for conclusive recognition between two nonorthogonal states relies on the availability of entanglement and discord. However, we find that there exist special cases for which the procedure can be successfully achieved without entanglement. In particular, we show that the optimal case for discriminating between two nonorthogonal states prepared with equal a priori probabilities does not require entanglement but quantum dissonance only.

Abstract: This paper discusses the quantum mechanics of closed-timelike curves (CTCs) and of other potential methods for time travel. We analyze a specific proposal for such quantum time travel, the quantum description of CTCs based on post-selected teleportation (P-CTCs). We compare the theory of P-CTCs to previously proposed quantum theories of time travel: the theory is inequivalent to Deutsch's theory of CTCs, but it is consistent with path-integral approaches (which are the best suited for analyzing quantum-field theory in curved space-time). We derive the dynamical equations that a chronology-respecting system interacting with a CTC will experience. We discuss the possibility of time travel in the absence of general-relativistic closed-timelike curves, and investigate the implications of P-CTCs for enhancing the power of computation.

Abstract: This text offers a reliable and state-of-the-art introduction to the theory and method of Feynman-Kac formulas approached from three separate branches. These ideas are developed into a synthesis of applications in mathematical physics, principally in models of quantum field theory.Both beginners and experts are addressed, while putting an emphasis on the interdisciplinary character of the book. It offers an introduction to Feynman-Kac formulas. It provides applications to mathematical physics.

Abstract: Correlations are a very important tool in the study of multipartite systems, for both classical and quantum ones. The discussion about the quantum nature of correlations permeates Physics since Einstein, Podolski and Rosen published their famous article criticizing quantum mechanics. Here, we provide a short review about the quantum nature of correlations, discussing both its theoretical and experimental aspects. We focus on quantum discord and related measures. After discussing their fundamental aspects (theoretically and experimentally), we proceed by analysing the dynamical behavior of correlations under decoherence as well as some applications in different scenarios, such as quantum computation and relativity, passing through critical and biological systems.

Abstract: Different measures have been presented to depict the deviation of quantum time evolution in open systems from Markovian processes. We demonstrate that the measure proposed by Breuer, Laine, and Piilo [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 210401 (2009)] and the two measures proposed by Rivas, Huelga, and Plenio [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 050403 (2010)] have exactly the same non-Markovian time-evolution intervals and thus are really equivalent to each other when they are applied to open two-level systems coupled to environments via the Jaynes-Cummings or dephasing models. This equivalence implies that the three measures, in different ways, capture the intrinsic character of the non-Markovianity of quantum evolutional processes. We also show that the maximization in the definition of the first measure can be actually removed for the considered models without influencing the sensibility of the measure to detect non-Markovianity.

Abstract: The continuous limit of one dimensional discrete-time quantum walks with time- and space-dependent coefficients is investigated. A given quantum walk does not generally admit a continuous limit but some families (1-jets) of quantum walks do. All families (1-jets) admitting a continuous limit are identified. The continuous limit is described by a Dirac-like equation or, alternately, a couple of Klein-Gordon equations. Variational principles leading to these equations are also discussed, together with local invariance properties.

Abstract: We study the quantum measurement problem in the context of an infinite, statistically uniform space, as could be generated by eternal inflation. It has recently been argued that when identical copies of a quantum measurement system exist, the standard projection operators and Born rule method for calculating probabilities must be supplemented by estimates of relative frequencies of observers. We argue that an infinite space actually renders the Born rule redundant, by physically realizing all outcomes of a quantum measurement in different regions, with relative frequencies given by the square of the wave-function amplitudes. Our formal argument hinges on properties of what we term the quantum confusion operator, which projects onto the Hilbert subspace where the Born rule fails, and we comment on its relation to the oft-discussed quantum frequency operator. This analysis unifies the classical and quantum levels of parallel universes that have been discussed in the literature, and has implications for several issues in quantum measurement theory. Replacing the standard hypothetical ensemble of measurements repeated ad infinitum by a concrete decohered spatial collection of experiments carried out in different distant regions of space provides a natural context for a statistical interpretation of quantum mechanics. It also shows how, even for a single measurement, probabilities may be interpreted as relative frequencies in unitary (Everettian) quantum mechanics. We also argue that after discarding a zero-norm part of the wave function, the remainder consists of a superposition of indistinguishable terms, so that arguably ``collapse'' of the wave function is irrelevant, and the ``many worlds'' of Everett's interpretation are unified into one. Finally, the analysis suggests a ``cosmological interpretation'' of quantum theory in which the wave function describes the actual spatial collection of identical quantum systems, and quantum uncertainty is attributable to the observer's inability to self-locate in this collection.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of recent work on pilot-wave approaches to quantum field theory. In such approaches, systems are not only described by their wave function, as in standard quantum theory, but also by some additional variables. In the non-relativistic pilot-wave theory of deBroglie and Bohm those variables are particle positions. In the context of quantum field theory, there are two natural choices, namely particle positions and fields. The incorporation of those variables makes it possible to provide an objective description of nature in which rather ambiguous notions such as 'measurement' and 'observer' play no fundamental role. As such, the theory is free of the conceptual difficulties, such as the measurement problem, that plague standard quantum theory.

Abstract: We extend the mathematical theory of quantum hypothesis testing to the general $W^*$-algebraic setting and explore its relation with recent developments in non-equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics. In particular, we relate the large deviation principle for the full counting statistics of entropy flow to quantum hypothesis testing of the arrow of time.

Abstract: Transition Probability (fidelity) for pairs of density operators can be defined as "functor" in the hierarchy of "all" quantum systems and also within any quantum system. The introduction of "amplitudes" for density operators allows for a more intuitive treatment of these quantities, also pointing to a natural parallel transport. The latter is governed by a remarkable gauge theory with strong relations to the Riemann-Bures metric.

Abstract: PART I: QUANTUM IN ACTION PART II: QUANTUM PROBABILITY AND QUANTUM UNCERTAINTY PART III: QUANTUM INTERPRETATION PART IV: QUANTUM FIELDS PART V: QUANTUM PARTICLES PART VI: QUANTUM REALITY PART VII: QUANTUM GRAVITY

Abstract: Explaining the concepts of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory in a precise mathematical language, this textbook is an ideal introduction for graduate students in mathematics, helping to prepare them for further studies in quantum physics The textbook covers topics that are central to quantum physics: non-relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum statistical mechanics, relativistic quantum mechanics and quantum field theory There is also background material on analysis, classical mechanics, relativity and probability Each topic is explored through a statement of basic principles followed by simple examples Around 100 problems throughout the textbook help readers develop their understanding

Abstract: The quantum hydrodynamic analogy (QHA) equivalent to the Schrodinger equation is generalized to its stochastic version by a systematic technique. On large scale, the quantum stochastic hydrodynamic analogy (QSHA) shows dynamics that under some circumstances may acquire the classical evolution. The QSHA puts in evidence that in presence of spatially distributed noise the quantum pseudo-potential restores the quantum behavior on a distance shorter than the correlation length of fluctuations (named here lc) of the quantum wave function modulus. The quantum mechanics is achieved in the deterministic limit when lc tends to infinity with respect to the scale of the problem. When the physical length of the problem is of order or larger than lc, the quantum potential may have a finite range of efficacy maintaining the non-local behavior on a distance lL (named here "quantum non-locality length") depending both by the noise amplitude and by the inter-particle strength of interaction. In the deterministic limit (quantum mechanics) the model shows that the "quantum non-locality length" lLalso becomes infinite. The QSHA unveils that in linear systems fluctuations are not sufficient to break the quantum non-locality showing that lL is infinite even if lc is finite.

Abstract: An analysis of the path integral approach to quantum theory motivates the hypothesis that two experiments with the same classical action should have dual ontological descriptions. If correct, this hypothesis would not only constrain realistic interpretations of quantum theory, but would also act as a constructive principle, allowing any realistic model of one experiment to generate a corresponding model for its action-dual. Two pairs of action-dual experiments are presented, including one experiment that violates the Bell inequality and yet is action-dual to a single particle. The implications generally support retrodictive and retrocausal interpretations.

Abstract: We revise fundamental concepts in the dynamics of open quantum systems in the light of modern developments in the field. Our aim is to present a unified approach to the quantum evolution of open systems that incorporates the concepts and methods traditionally employed by different communities. We present in some detail the mathematical structure and the general properties of the dynamical maps underlying open system dynamics. We also discuss the microscopic derivation of dynamical equations, including both Markovian and non-Markovian evolutions.

Abstract: In order to address the measurement problem of quantum theory we make the assumption that quantum state reduction should be regarded as a genuine physical process deserving of a dynamical description. Generalizing the nonrelativistic spontaneous localization models of Ghirardi, Rimini, Weber, and Pearle, a relativistic state reduction mechanism is proposed. The mechanism involves nonlinear stochastic modifications to the standard description of unitary state evolution and the introduction of a mediating field to facilitate smearing of quantum field interactions.

Abstract: We investigate a fundamental property of device-independent security in quantum cryptography by characterizing probability distributions which are necessarily independent of the measurement results of any eavesdropper. We show that probability distributions that are secure in this sense are exactly the extremal quantum probability distributions. This allows us to give a characterization of security in algebraic terms. We apply the method to common examples for two-party as well as multiparty setups and present a scheme for verifying security of probability distributions with two parties, two measurement settings, and two outcomes.

Abstract: The dynamical mean-field concept of approximating an unsolvable many-body problem in terms of the solution of an auxiliary quantum impurity problem, introduced to study bulk materials with a continuous energy spectrum, is here extended to molecules, i.e., finite systems with a discrete energy spectrum. The application to small clusters of hydrogen atoms yields ground state energies which are competitive with leading quantum chemical approaches at intermediate and large interatomic distances as well as good approximations to the excitation spectrum.