Fundamental Limits for Realizing Quantum Processes in Spacetime

Understanding the interface between quantum and relativistic theories is crucial for fundamental and practical advances, especially given that key physical concepts such as causality take different forms in these theories. Bell's no-go theorem reveals limits on classical processes, arising from relativistic causality principles. Considering whether similar fundamental limits exist on quantum processes, we derive no-go theorems for quantum experiments realizable in classical background spacetimes. We account for general processes allowed by quantum theory, including those with indefinite causal order (ICO), which have also been the subject of recent experiments. Our first theorem implies that realizations of ICO processes that do not violate relativistic causality must involve the nonlocalization of systems in spacetime. The second theorem shows that for any such realization of an ICO process, there exists a more fine-grained description in terms of a definite and acyclic causal order process. This enables a general reconciliation of quantum and relativistic notions of causality and, in particular, applies to experimental realizations of the quantum switch, a prominent ICO process. By showing what is impossible to achieve in classical spacetimes, these no-go results also offer insights into how causality and information processing may differ in future quantum experiments in relativistic regimes beyond classical spacetimes.Received 21 February 2024Accepted 15 July 2024DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.080201© 2024 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasQuantum communication, protocols & technologyQuantum correlations in quantum informationQuantum foundationsRelativistic quantum informationSpacetime topology & causal structureQuantum Information, Science & Technology