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A unitary cloner with blank state $|0⟩$ would satisfyfor every $|\psi ⟩\in S$. For $|\psi ⟩,|\varphi ⟩\in S$, preservation of inner products givesHence every pair is either orthogonal or represents the same state. Conversely, an orthonormal set can be cloned by defining the map on its basis states and extending it to a unitary. Therefore the no-cloning theorem says that a set of pure states is unitarily clonable exactly when its distinct members are mutually orthogonal.

Apply the hypothetical quantum cloning device repeatedly to obtain $N$ copies of the unknown state. If $c=|⟨\varphi |\psi ⟩|<1$, the two possibilities arewhose overlap has modulus $c^N$. For equal prior probabilities, the Helstrom-Holevo bound gives optimal success probabilityThus, for any $\epsilon >0$, sufficiently many clones permit success probability above $1-\epsilon$. Orthogonal states already have $c=0$ and can be distinguished perfectly. This is clone-assisted asymptotic state discrimination.

Here distinct states means distinct rays. Vectors differing only by a global phase represent the same quantum state and cannot be distinguished.

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.