Types of quantum information

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of incompatible types of quantum information, highlighting their theoretical distinctions from classical information and their implications for quantum teleportation, decoherence, and defining classical information in quantum terms.

Contribution

It introduces the idea of incompatible information types in quantum theory and presents theorems relating these types, expanding understanding beyond classical information theory.

Findings

Different incompatible types of quantum information exist.

Theorems relate incompatible kinds of quantum information.

Implications for teleportation and decoherence are discussed.

Abstract

Quantum, in contrast to classical, information theory, allows for different incompatible types (or species) of information which cannot be combined with each other. Distinguishing these incompatible types is useful in understanding the role of the two classical bits in teleportation (or one bit in one-bit teleportation), for discussing decoherence in information-theoretic terms, and for giving a proper definition, in quantum terms, of ``classical information.'' Various examples (some updating earlier work) are given of theorems which relate different incompatible kinds of information, and thus have no counterparts in classical information theory.