Multipartite Quantum States over Time from Two Fundamental Assumptions

The theory of quantum states over time extends the density operator formalism into the temporal domain, providing a unified treatment of timelike and spacelike separated systems in quantum theory. Although recent results have characterized quantum states over time involving two timelike separated systems, it remains unclear how to consistently extend the notion of quantum states over time to multipartite temporal scenarios, such as those considered in studies of Leggett-Garg inequalities. In this Letter, we show that two simple assumptions uniquely single out the Markovian multipartite extension of bipartite quantum states over time, namely, linearity in the initial state and a quantum analog of conditionability for multipartite probability distributions. As a direct consequence of our result, we establish a canonical correspondence between multipartite quantum states over time and Kirkwood-Dirac type quasiprobability distributions, which we show opens up the possibility of experimentally verifying the temporal correlations encoded in quantum states over time via the recent experimental technique of simulating quasiprobability known as quantum snapshotting.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical Review Letters
Published
2025-10-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/lbf3-snp8
Citations
3
Primary Topic
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.74
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article

Multipartite Quantum States over Time from Two Fundamental Assumptions

James Fullwood, Seok Hyung Lie
3 citations
Physical Review Letters
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
3.74
article

Multipartite Quantum States over Time from Two Fundamental Assumptions

James Fullwood, Seok Hyung Lie
article en
3 citations

Abstract

The theory of quantum states over time extends the density operator formalism into the temporal domain, providing a unified treatment of timelike and spacelike separated systems in quantum theory. Although recent results have characterized quantum states over time involving two timelike separated systems, it remains unclear how to consistently extend the notion of quantum states over time to multipartite temporal scenarios, such as those considered in studies of Leggett-Garg inequalities. In this Letter, we show that two simple assumptions uniquely single out the Markovian multipartite extension of bipartite quantum states over time, namely, linearity in the initial state and a quantum analog of conditionability for multipartite probability distributions. As a direct consequence of our result, we establish a canonical correspondence between multipartite quantum states over time and Kirkwood-Dirac type quasiprobability distributions, which we show opens up the possibility of experimentally verifying the temporal correlations encoded in quantum states over time via the recent experimental technique of simulating quasiprobability known as quantum snapshotting.

Physical Review LettersVol. 135(23)
Hainan University (CN), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Quantum Mechanics and Applications
3.74
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