Quantum coherence from Kirkwood-Dirac nonclassicality, some bounds, and operational interpretation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new measure of quantum coherence based on Kirkwood-Dirac nonclassicality, linking it to measurement uncertainty, guessing probability, and quantum contextuality, with potential for experimental estimation.

Contribution

It develops a faithful quantifier of quantum coherence from KD nonclassicality, providing bounds, relations, and an estimation scheme connecting nonclassicality, uncertainty, and contextuality.

Findings

KD-nonclassicality coherence is bounded by measurement outcome uncertainty.

For pure states, coherence has a simple closed-form expression.

A variational scheme for estimating coherence via weak measurements is proposed.

Abstract

Just a few years after the inception of quantum mechanics, there has been a research program using the nonclassical values of some quasiprobability distributions to delineate the nonclassical aspects of quantum phenomena. In particular, in KD (Kirkwood-Dirac) quasiprobability distribution, the distinctive quantum mechanical feature of noncommutativity which underlies many nonclassical phenomena, manifests in the nonreal values and/or the negative values of the real part. Here, we develop a faithful quantifier of quantum coherence based on the KD nonclassicality which captures simultaneously the nonreality and the negativity of the KD quasiprobability. The KD-nonclassicality coherence thus defined, is upper bounded by the uncertainty of the outcomes of measurement described by a rank-1 orthogonal PVM (projection-valued measure) corresponding to the incoherent orthonormal basis which is quantified by the Tsallis $\frac{1}{2}$-entropy. Moreover, they are identical for pure states so that the KD-nonclassicallity coherence for pure state admits a simple closed expression in terms of measurement probabilities. We then use the Maassen-Uffink uncertainty relation for min-entropy and max-entropy to obtain a lower bound for the KD-nonclassicality coherence of a pure state in terms of optimal guessing probability in measurement described by a PVM noncommuting with the incoherent orthonormal basis. We also derive a trade-off relation for the KD-noncassicality coherences of a pure state relative to a pair of noncommuting orthonormal bases with a state-independent lower bound. Finally, we sketch a variational scheme for a direct estimation of the KD-nonclassicality coherence based on weak value measurement and thereby discuss its relation with quantum contextuality.