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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.

For the stated pure product inputs, each local classical output is uniformly $c({\psi }_X)$ or $c({\psi }_X^{\perp })$, independently of the remote bit and state. Those cases alone are therefore non-signalling.

The behavior on entangled inputs is not fixed by the specification, because a qubit entangled with another system has an improper mixed state rather than its own pure state vector. A naive extension that reports a remotely steered pure-state decomposition would permit signalling: one party could choose a measurement basis on half of an entangled pair, and the other party's infinite-precision descriptions would distinguish the resulting ensembles even though they have the same reduced density matrix.

That extension is not forced. For example, the boxes may base outputs only on the local quantum state under objective collapse, or use a fixed ensemble determined solely by the local reduced density matrix; they may also reject inputs that are not pure local states. If one or both input qubits are entangled, such a local rule can output a description of the same local mixed state, a fixed basis ensemble for it, or a designated invalid-input result, all independently of spacelike-separated choices. The device therefore does not necessarily allow superluminal signalling, although nonlocal pure-state-readout extensions would do so.

Assume an objective-collapse theory in which collapses occur at localized spacetime events. At an event $x$, define the local quantum state under objective collapse by taking the reduced density operator on spacelike hypersurfaces that approach the past light cone of $x$. A quantum state readout device at $x$ prints a complete classical description of this local density operator, in a fixed basis and here with infinite precision, without disturbing it.

For a localized pure state whose relevant preparation lies in the past light cone, the output is its rank-one projector $|\psi ⟩⟨\psi |$. For an improper mixed state produced by entanglement with an uncollapsed exterior system, it is the reduced density matrix. For a proper mixed state, once the selecting preparation or collapse event is in the past light cone, it is the actually selected component; before that causal information arrives, it is the corresponding local mixture.

A spacelike-separated collapse is excluded from the hypersurface limit and cannot change the output. Its effect appears only on and inside its future light cone. The definition therefore prevents superluminal signalling while allowing light-speed changes in the readout.

A quantum state readout device at $x$ hypothetically outputs a classical description of the local quantum state under objective collapse without changing that state. Its output can respond to a remote collapse only after the collapse enters the past light cone of $x$, so the device preserves relativistic causality.