Mitra’s white-noise conjecture for qubit observables
Abstract
A four-outcome diagonal qubit observable contradicts the first inequality in Mitra’s white-noise conjecture.
A qubit observable is a finite family of positive semidefinite complex two-by-two matrices summing to the identity. The predicate D5.S3.Quantum.QuantumChannels.ConcealmentKernelNecessityRefutation.IsPOVM has the following meaning:
All outcome indices are zero-based Fin indices. The numeral one of matrix type is the identity matrix. A centered dot with a real left operand denotes real scalar multiplication; a star denotes matrix multiplication. The notation (n : ℝ) denotes the cast from ℕ to ℝ, and every displayed quotient is real division. The definitions of the quantities below allow n = 0; the conjecture requires n ≥ 1.
Definition 1.1 (The Euclidean operator norm).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.opNorm (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Section IV uses the operator norm. Matrix.toEuclideanCLM here has scalar field ℂ and index type Fin 2; its norm is the continuous-linear-map norm induced by the Euclidean norm on ℂ².
Definition 1.2 (The norm-weighted matrix).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.X (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Section IV.A defines the X-matrix as the sum of each effect multiplied by its operator norm. The same matrix appears in equation (51).
Definition 1.3 (The lowest Hermitian eigenvalue).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.xMin (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Theorem 3 uses the lowest eigenvalue of the Hermitian X-matrix. For any Hermitian two-by-two matrix M, the minimum of its two Matrix.IsHermitian.eigenvalues is its lowest eigenvalue. The Hermitian proof argument hM of xMin is not displayed in the application xMin(M); it is retained in the eigenvalue applications. No ordering of the two eigenvalue indices is assumed.
Definition 1.4 (The first spectral quantity).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma1 (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Theorem 3, equation (50), defines Σ₁ as the lowest eigenvalue of the X-matrix minus 1/n. The proof argument hA of sigma1 is displayed in its application; the Hermitian proof argument of xMin is not displayed. The matrix passed to xMin is X(A).
Definition 1.5 (The second spectral quantity).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma2 (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Theorem 3, equation (50), defines Σ₂ as the mean effect norm minus the lowest eigenvalue of the X-matrix. The proof argument hA of sigma2 is displayed in its application; the Hermitian proof argument of xMin is not displayed. The matrix passed to xMin is X(A).
Definition 1.6 (The first trace quantity).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma1Prime (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Theorem 4, equation (60), defines Σ′₁ using the normalized trace. In dimension two this is the real part of Matrix.trace of X(A), divided by two, minus 1/n. This definition places no positivity assumption on A.
Definition 1.7 (The second trace quantity).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma2Prime (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Theorem 4, equation (60), defines Σ′₂ as the mean effect norm minus the normalized trace of X(A). The displayed real part is Complex.re. This definition places no positivity assumption on A.
Definition 1.8 (Operator-norm unsharpness).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.E (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Section IV.A, equation (44), gives the unsharpness as the operator norm of the identity minus the X-matrix.
Definition 1.9 (Normalized-trace unsharpness).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.EPrime (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Section IV.A, equation (48), gives the trace of (I/d)(I − X). Here d = 2, the factor 1/2 acts on the identity by real scalar multiplication, and Complex.re takes the real part of the trace of the matrix product.
Definition 1.10 (Adding white noise).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.noisy (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Theorems 3 and 4 use the mixture λAᵢ + (1 − λ)I/n. The definition accepts every real l; the conjecture restricts l to Set.Icc 0 1, the closed real interval from zero to one.
Definition 1.11 (Conjecture 1).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.claim (✓ std3).
Citation. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
Section IV.B, page 11, Conjecture 1 states: For any qubit observable A, inequality Σ₁ ≥ Σ₂ and inequality Σ′₁ ≥ Σ′₂ hold and therefore, E(A^λ) ≥ E(A) and E′(A^λ) ≥ E′(A) for all 1 ≥ λ ≥ 0. The formula retains all four assertions, for every n ≥ 1 and every qubit observable, without a diagonal or distinctness condition. The proof argument hA of sigma1 and sigma2 is displayed in their applications. Theorems 3 and 4 explain the two inequalities used by the conjecture; their equivalences are not asserted here.
Definition 1.12 (A real diagonal complex matrix).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.diag2 (✓ std3).
Source. Repository-derived.
Acknowledgement. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
The two real entries are embedded in ℂ before Matrix.diagonal forms the matrix. This construction supplies diagonal observables for the quantities in Section IV.
Definition 1.13 (Four diagonal effects).
Formalization. D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.witness (✓ std3).
Source. Repository-derived.
Acknowledgement. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
The four effects, in outcome order, have diagonal entries (12/40, 1/40), (13/40, 1/40), (14/40, 1/40), and (1/40, 37/40). They are positive semidefinite and sum to the identity, so they form a qubit observable to which Conjecture 1 applies.
Theorem 1.14 (The universal conjecture is false).
Proof. Machine-checked in Lean as D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.result (✓ std3). ∎
Resolves. Problems/mitra-2022-unsharpness-white-noise-monotonicity-refutation (refuted) by D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.result.
Source. Repository-derived.
Acknowledgement. Arindam Mitra (2022). Quantifying unsharpness of observables in an outcome-independent way. DOI: 10.1007/s10773-022-05219-2. URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.02578v3.
Commentary.
For the four diagonal effects above, the operator norms are 12/40, 13/40, 14/40, and 37/40, with sum 19/10. Their X-matrix has diagonal entries 273/800 and 704/800, so its lowest eigenvalue is 273/800. Consequently Σ₁ = 73/800 < Σ₂ = 107/800. The first inequality in Conjecture 1 fails, which refutes the conjunction.
References
- Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.E - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.EPrime - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.X - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.claim - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.diag2 - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.noisy - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.opNorm - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.result - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma1 - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma1Prime - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma2 - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.sigma2Prime - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.witness - Truth anchor:
D5/S3/Quantum/Measurements/MitraUnsharpnessWhiteNoiseRefutation.xMin - Dependency: D5/S3/Quantum/QuantumChannels/ConcealmentKernelNecessityRefutation