Quantum Tasks in Minkowski Space

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive framework for defining and analyzing quantum information tasks within special relativity, specifically in Minkowski space, unifying previous work and opening avenues for new research in relativistic quantum information.

Contribution

It introduces a general framework for relativistic quantum information tasks, unifying prior approaches and enabling exploration of new fundamental tasks in Minkowski spacetime.

Findings

Unified description of existing relativistic quantum tasks

Identification of new classes of quantum information questions in Minkowski space

Framework facilitates systematic study of relativistic quantum information properties

Abstract

The fundamental properties of quantum information and its applications to computing and cryptography have been greatly illuminated by considering information-theoretic tasks that are provably possible or impossible within non-relativistic quantum mechanics. I describe here a general framework for defining tasks within (special) relativistic quantum theory and illustrate it with examples from relativistic quantum cryptography and relativistic distributed quantum computation. The framework gives a unified description of all tasks previously considered and also defines a large class of new questions about the properties of quantum information in relation to Minkowski causality. It offers a way of exploring interesting new fundamental tasks and applications, and also highlights the scope for a more systematic understanding of the fundamental information-theoretic properties of relativistic quantum theory.