Vistas of Algebraic Probability: Quantum Computation and Information

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Falcó, Antonio, Matthies, Hermann G.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Falcó, Antonio
Matthies, Hermann G.
author_facet Falcó, Antonio
Matthies, Hermann G.
contents Kolmogorov's foundation of probability takes measure spaces, $σ$-algebras, and probability measures as basic objects. It is, however, widely recognized that this classical framework is inadequate for random phenomena involving quantum effects, and more generally for \emph{quantum-like} situations. A broader formulation is provided by an algebraic viewpoint: one starts from an algebra of random variables equipped with a distinguished linear functional -- the \emph{state} -- interpreted as expectation. In this sense, the approach can also be viewed as a modern reading of ideas already implicit in early probability (e.g., the Bernoullis), while its contemporary form has been developed and used extensively in quantum physics. The algebraic framework accommodates both classical and quantum-like behaviours, yet it remains underused in classical probability and uncertainty quantification, where it can nevertheless open new perspectives and clarify structural features. Although the language carries a physics flavor, the subject is purely probabilistic. The key distinction between classical and quantum-like behaviour is \emph{commutativity}: its failure produces the characteristic effects of quantum-like situations. The rise of quantum computing is a prominent setting in which such behaviour may become relevant even for practitioners in computational science. Here we focus on the purely algebraic core of the approach. By restricting attention to finite-dimensional algebras, we avoid many analytical subtleties while retaining the main ideas, their classical limit, and their applicability to quantum-like models and quantum computation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_04351
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Vistas of Algebraic Probability: Quantum Computation and Information
Falcó, Antonio
Matthies, Hermann G.
Quantum Physics
Probability
46L53, 47L90, 46K10, 81R05, 81S25, 46N50, 46L89, 81P68, 60A99
Kolmogorov's foundation of probability takes measure spaces, $σ$-algebras, and probability measures as basic objects. It is, however, widely recognized that this classical framework is inadequate for random phenomena involving quantum effects, and more generally for \emph{quantum-like} situations. A broader formulation is provided by an algebraic viewpoint: one starts from an algebra of random variables equipped with a distinguished linear functional -- the \emph{state} -- interpreted as expectation. In this sense, the approach can also be viewed as a modern reading of ideas already implicit in early probability (e.g., the Bernoullis), while its contemporary form has been developed and used extensively in quantum physics. The algebraic framework accommodates both classical and quantum-like behaviours, yet it remains underused in classical probability and uncertainty quantification, where it can nevertheless open new perspectives and clarify structural features. Although the language carries a physics flavor, the subject is purely probabilistic. The key distinction between classical and quantum-like behaviour is \emph{commutativity}: its failure produces the characteristic effects of quantum-like situations. The rise of quantum computing is a prominent setting in which such behaviour may become relevant even for practitioners in computational science. Here we focus on the purely algebraic core of the approach. By restricting attention to finite-dimensional algebras, we avoid many analytical subtleties while retaining the main ideas, their classical limit, and their applicability to quantum-like models and quantum computation.
title Vistas of Algebraic Probability: Quantum Computation and Information
topic Quantum Physics
Probability
46L53, 47L90, 46K10, 81R05, 81S25, 46N50, 46L89, 81P68, 60A99
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.04351