Necessity of negativity in quantum theory

Christopher Ferrie, Ryan Morris, and Joseph Emerson
Phys. Rev. A 82, 044103 – Published 15 October 2010

Abstract

A unification of the set of quasiprobability representations using the mathematical theory of frames was recently developed for quantum systems with finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, in which it was proven that such representations require negative probability in either the states or the effects. In this article we extend those results to Hilbert spaces of infinite dimension, for which the celebrated Wigner function is a special case. Hence, this article presents a unified framework for describing the set of possible quasiprobability representations of quantum theory, and a proof that the presence of negativity is a necessary feature of such representations.

  • Received 3 June 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.82.044103

©2010 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Christopher Ferrie, Ryan Morris, and Joseph Emerson

  • Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada

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Issue

Vol. 82, Iss. 4 — October 2010

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