dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaUnknown Quantum States: The Quantum de Finetti Representation
| Authors | Carlton M. Caves, Christopher A. Fuchs, Ruediger Schack |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0104088 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0104088 |
| DOI | 10.1063/1.1494475 |
| Journal | J. Math. Phys. 43, 4537 (2002) |
Abstract
We present an elementary proof of the quantum de Finetti representation theorem, a quantum analogue of de Finetti's classical theorem on exchangeable probability assignments. This contrasts with the original proof of Hudson and Moody [Z. Wahrschein. verw. Geb. 33, 343 (1976)], which relies on advanced mathematics and does not share the same potential for generalization. The classical de Finetti theorem provides an operational definition of the concept of an unknown probability in Bayesian probability theory, where probabilities are taken to be degrees of belief instead of objective states of nature. The quantum de Finetti theorem, in a closely analogous fashion, deals with exchangeable density-operator assignments and provides an operational definition of the concept of an ``unknown quantum state'' in quantum-state tomography. This result is especially important for information-based interpretations of quantum mechanics, where quantum states, like probabilities, are taken to be states of knowledge rather than states of nature. We further demonstrate that the theorem fails for real Hilbert spaces and discuss the significance of this point.
{
"annotation_id": "80e74c8a-7d98-403e-8ffd-d363cbc010ca",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:42.657000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:42.657000Z",
"file_hash": "4604bde808c005c196dec514e1b825c93d070eb3d37603e25f8cad722e207205",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "We present an elementary proof of the quantum de Finetti representation\ntheorem, a quantum analogue of de Finetti\u0027s classical theorem on exchangeable\nprobability assignments. This contrasts with the original proof of Hudson and\nMoody [Z. Wahrschein. verw. Geb. 33, 343 (1976)], which relies on advanced\nmathematics and does not share the same potential for generalization. The\nclassical de Finetti theorem provides an operational definition of the concept\nof an unknown probability in Bayesian probability theory, where probabilities\nare taken to be degrees of belief instead of objective states of nature. The\nquantum de Finetti theorem, in a closely analogous fashion, deals with\nexchangeable density-operator assignments and provides an operational\ndefinition of the concept of an ``unknown quantum state\u0027\u0027 in quantum-state\ntomography. This result is especially important for information-based\ninterpretations of quantum mechanics, where quantum states, like probabilities,\nare taken to be states of knowledge rather than states of nature. We further\ndemonstrate that the theorem fails for real Hilbert spaces and discuss the\nsignificance of this point.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0104088",
"authors": [
"Carlton M. Caves",
"Christopher A. Fuchs",
"Ruediger Schack"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1063/1.1494475",
"journal_ref": "J. Math. Phys. 43, 4537 (2002)",
"title": "Unknown Quantum States: The Quantum de Finetti Representation",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0104088"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "c9583912-95d2-41b1-a3d7-8d42d8ec87fa",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}