The operator tensor formulation of quantum theory

Abstract

In this paper, we provide what might be regarded as a manifestly covariant presentation of discrete quantum theory. A typical quantum experiment has a bunch of apparatuses placed so that quantum systems can pass between them. We regard each use of an apparatus, along with some given outcome on the apparatus (a certain detector click or a certain meter reading for example), as an operation. An operation (e.g. Bb2a1a3) can have zero or more quantum systems inputted into it and zero or more quantum systems outputted from it. The operation Bb2a1a3 has one system of type a inputted, and one system of type b and one system of type a outputted. We can wire together operations to form circuits, for example, Aa1Bb2a1a3Cb2a3. Each repeated integer label here denotes a wire connecting an output to an input of the same type. As each operation in a circuit has an outcome associated with it, a circuit represents a set of outcomes that can happen in a run of the experiment. In the operator tensor formulation of quantum theory, each operation corresponds to an operator tensor. For example, the operation Bba21a3 corresponds to the operator tensor B̂b2a1a3. Further, the probability for a general circuit is given by replacing operations with corresponding operator tensors as in (equation) (1) Repeated integer labels indicate that we multiply in the associated subspace and then take the partial trace over that subspace. Operator tensors must be physical (namely, they must have positive input transpose and satisfy a certain normalization condition). This journal is © 2012 The Royal Society.