Complementarity Beyond Definite Causal Order

TL;DR

This paper explores how quantum complementarity is affected when the causal order of operations is in a superposition, revealing a fundamental separation between spatial and causal resources and introducing the concept of causal coherence.

Contribution

It demonstrates the absence of a universal complementarity relation for superposed causal orders, introduces causal coherence, and formulates a state-dependent entropic complementarity.

Findings

No universal linear additive complementarity relation exists for superposed causal orders.

Causal coherence quantifies interference between causal orders and is operationally measurable.

Spatial duality can be saturated while causal coherence is maximized in explicit processes.

Abstract

Wave--particle duality is a cornerstone of quantum mechanics, traditionally formulated under definite causal order. We investigate how complementarity is modified when the temporal order of operations is coherently superposed, as in the quantum switch. We show that no universal linear additive complementarity relation exists that simultaneously captures path distinguishability, spatial coherence, and coherence between causal orders. This reveals a fundamental separation between spatial and causal resources, which reside on different subsystems and are therefore not jointly constrained by a single quantum state. While tracing out the order qubit recovers the standard duality relation at the level of the reduced quanton--detector state, coherence between causal orders is not accessible at the level of the reduced description. To capture this contribution, we introduce \emph{causal coherence}, defined as the coherence of the order qubit, which quantifies interference between alternative causal orders and is operationally measurable; we construct explicit processes in which spatial duality is saturated while causal coherence is maximal. We further show that complementarity admits a state-dependent entropic formulation based on incompatible measurements on the causal degree of freedom; unlike generic state-dependent relations, this formulation arises from a universal uncertainty principle and provides a canonical operationally meaningful description. These results establish that complementarity is fundamentally shaped by causal structure and cannot, in general, be fully captured at the level of reduced quantum states alone.