The quantum commuting model (Ia): The CHSH game and other examples: Uniqueness of optimal states

TL;DR

This paper proves the uniqueness of the optimal quantum state in the CHSH game using operator algebra techniques, clarifying the source of ambiguity in quantum strategies and advancing the understanding of self-testing in quantum models.

Contribution

It establishes the uniqueness of the optimal state in the CHSH game within the quantum commuting model and clarifies the role of Stinespring dilations in quantum strategy representations.

Findings

The CHSH game admits a unique optimal state.

Any non-minimal Stinespring dilation introduces ambiguity.

Operator algebraic techniques clarify self-testing ambiguities.

Abstract

We present in this paper that the CHSH game admits one and only one optimal state and so remove all ambiguity of representations. More precisely, we use the well-known universal description of quantum commuting correlations as state space on the universal algebra for two player games, and so allows us to unambigiously compare quantum strategies as states on this common algebra. As such we find that the CHSH game leaves a single optimal state on this common algebra. In turn passing to any non-minimal Stinespring dilation for this unique optimal state is the only source of ambiguity (including self-testing): More precisely, any state on some operator algebra may be uniquely broken up into its minimal Stinespring dilation as an honest representation for the operator algebra followed by its vector state. Any other Stinespring dilation however arises simply as an extension of the minimal Stinespring dilation (i.e., as an embedding of the minimal Hilbert space into some random ambient one). As such this manifests the only source of ambiguity appearing in most (but not all!) traditional self-testing results such as for the CHSH game as well as in plenty of similar examples. We then further demonstrate the simplicity of our arguments on the Mermin--Peres magic square and magic pentagram game. Most importantly however, we present this article as an illustration of operator algebraic techniques on optimal states and their quotients, and we further pick up the results of the current article in another following one (currently under preparation) to derive a first robust self-testing result in the quantum commuting model.