Sequential device-independent certification of indefinite causal order

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method for sequentially certifying indefinite causal order in a device-independent manner, enabling multiple reuses of the resource in quantum information tasks.

Contribution

It pioneers the sequential device-independent certification of indefinite causal order using a quantum switch, expanding practical applications.

Findings

Sequential certification is achievable with a quantum switch.

Practical requirements for experimental implementation are analyzed.

Multiple certifications can be performed on the same indefinite causal order resource.

Abstract

Indefinite causal order has found numerous applications in quantum computation, quantum communication, and quantum metrology. Before its usage, the quality of the indefinite causal order needs to be first certified, and the certification should ideally be device-independent (DI) to avoid the impact of device imperfections. In this work, we initiate the study of the sequential DI certification of an indefinite causal order. This can be useful in experimental platforms where the generation of an indefinite causal order is difficult. We show that an arbitrary number of sequential DI certifications of an indefinite causal order can be achieved with a quantum switch and also analyze practical requirements for experimental implementations of the certifications. Our work opens the possibility of reusing the resource of an indefinite causal order multiple times in device-independent quantum information processing.