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The finite-dimensional Stinespring dilation theorem states that every quantum channel $\Lambda :\mathcal{B}(H_A)\to \mathcal{B}(H_B)$ has an environment $H_E$ and an isometry $V:H_A\to H_B\otimes H_E$ such thatConversely, every map of this form is completely positive and trace preserving. From Kraus operators $A_j$, one may take $V={\sum }_j{A}_j\otimes |j{⟩}_E$.

The pure state $|\Psi {⟩}_{AB}$ is entangled when it cannot be written as a product state $|a{⟩}_A|b{⟩}_B$, equivalently when its Schmidt rank exceeds one. Its subsystem states are the reduced density matriceswhere the partial trace is characterized by $\mathrm{Tr}(M_A{\rho }_A)=⟨\Psi |M_A\otimes I_B|\Psi ⟩$ for every observable $M_A$.

Let Bob's measurement have Kraus operators $M_b$ satisfying ${\sum }_b{M}_b^{†}{M}_b=I_B$. If Alice does not learn Bob's random outcome, her state after the measurement isThis no-communication theorem means that Bob can change Alice's conditional state after she learns his outcome, but cannot change any local outcome distribution available to her alone. Standard nonrelativistic quantum mechanics is therefore operationally compatible with the prohibition of superluminal signalling in special relativity, despite its nonlocal conditional-state updates.

An exact nondisturbing state readout would destroy this protection if it reported the globally collapsed state on an absolute-time slice. For example, Alice and Bob may share Bell states. At a prearranged time Bob encodes a bit by measuring his qubit in either the computational or Hadamard basis. The usual projection postulate assigns Alice respectively one of $|0⟩,|1⟩$ or one of $|+⟩,|-⟩$. A device returning the exact pure state lets Alice identify which basis Bob chose without waiting for his outcome, producing a superluminal signal. Equivalently, Bob may choose whether to measure, and the device distinguishes the resulting proper pure state from the original improper maximally mixed local state.

A causal alternative is a quantum state readout device located at a spacetime point $x$ that reports the local quantum state under objective collapse: take reduced states on spacelike hypersurfaces through $x$ and let those hypersurfaces approach the past light cone of $x$. The result includes localized collapses in $J^{-}(x)$ and excludes spacelike-separated collapses. This assumes a fixed Minkowski spacetime, localized collapse events, ordinary local unitary dynamics between them, and outputs that may control only operations in their causal future. The postulate is logically consistent because it adds a classical record of this local state without changing the state or any standard measurement probability. It also cannot support an indirect signalling algorithm. Inductively through the algorithm's events, every readout at $x$ depends only on operations, collapses, and earlier readouts in $J^{-}(x)$; any operation selected from that output lies in the readout's future light cone. Composing readouts, unitary evolutions, and measurements therefore never carries a controllable dependence outside a future light cone, so relativistic causality is preserved.

Let a projective measurement have mutually orthogonal projections $P_i$ satisfying ${\sum }_i{P}_i=I$. On a density operator $\rho$, the Born rule and the Lüders rule giveconditional on outcome $i$. On the first part of a bipartite quantum system, replace $P_i$ by $P_i\otimes I_2$.

The subsystems are isolated when there is no interaction term coupling them. Their Hamiltonian operator has the formso their subsequent unitary time evolution factorizes as $U_1\otimes U_2$.

The reduced density matrix of subsystem 1 iswhere the partial trace is characterized byfor every local observable $M_1$. Thus ${\rho }_1$ contains exactly the statistics accessible by measurements on subsystem 1.

Suppose a projective measurement $\{Q_j\}$ is performed on subsystem 2 and its outcome is not communicated. The resulting nonselective state isFor every $M_1$, the cyclic property of the trace and ${\sum }_j{Q}_j^2=I_2$ giveHence ${\rho }_1^{\prime }={\rho }_1$. No local projective measurement on subsystem 1 can reveal whether the remote unreported measurement occurred. This is quantum no-signalling, which prevents a choice made at a spacelike separation from transmitting information faster than light and makes the measurement formalism compatible with relativistic causality.

The proposed nondisturbing device would violate no information without disturbance. In an ordinary quantum instrument, let $M_{i\alpha }$ be the Kraus operators associated with classical output $i$. If every pure state $|\psi ⟩$ remains unchanged even conditional on the displayed outcome, every nonzero $M_{i\alpha }|\psi ⟩$ must be parallel to $|\psi ⟩$. A linear operator for which every vector is an eigenvector is a scalar multiple of the identity, so $M_{i\alpha }=c_{i\alpha }I$. Its output probabilityis independent of the state. It cannot equal $⟨\psi |P_i|\psi ⟩$ for arbitrary projectors. Equivalently, repeated nondisturbing samples would permit quantum state tomography of one specimen and then quantum cloning, contradicting ordinary quantum theory.

Such devices would not *necessarily* enable superluminal signalling. One consistent operational extension could make every sequence of outputs depend only on the local reduced density matrix and local settings. Since an unreported remote measurement leaves that matrix unchanged, all local device statistics would remain unchanged too. Other extensions could add nonlocal outcome-dependent rules and permit signalling, but that behavior is additional to the device specification rather than forced by it.

Let $\Phi :M_d(\mathbb{C})\to M_D(\mathbb{C})$ be a linear map. It is positive when $X\ge 0$ implies $\Phi (X)\ge 0$, and completely positive whenis positive for every ancillary dimension $r$. In finite dimensions it is enough to check $r=d$.

A finite family of Kraus operators $A^{\alpha }:{\mathbb{C}}^d\to {\mathbb{C}}^D$ defines the Kraus representationThis map is completely positive because, for every positive semidefinite matrix $Y$ on the enlarged space,

Conversely, use the unnormalized maximally entangled vector $|\Omega ⟩={\sum }_{j=1}^d|j⟩|j⟩$. Complete positivity makes the Choi matrixpositive semidefinite. By the spectral theorem for normal operators, $C_{\Phi }={\sum }_{\alpha =1}^R|v_{\alpha }⟩⟨v_{\alpha }|$, where $R=\mathrm{rank}{C}_{\Phi }\le dD$. Reshape each $v_{\alpha }\in {\mathbb{C}}^D\otimes {\mathbb{C}}^d$ into a matrix $A^{\alpha }$ by $|v_{\alpha }⟩={\sum }_{\mu j}{A}_{\mu j}^{\alpha }|\mu ⟩|j⟩$. The Choi matrix inversion formulathen gives $\Phi (X)={\sum }_{\alpha }{A}^{\alpha }X(A^{\alpha }{)}^{†}$. Thus finite Kraus representations characterize finite-dimensional completely positive maps.

The additional normalizationmakes $\Phi$ trace preserving and hence a quantum channel; ${\sum }_{\alpha }{A}^{\alpha }(A^{\alpha }{)}^{†}=I_D$ instead makes it unital.