Quantum instrument

A quantum instrument associates each classical outcome with a completely positive trace-nonincreasing map; summing the outcome maps gives a quantum channel. It specifies both outcome probabilities and conditional output states.

For Kraus operators satisfying ${\sum }_i{A}_i^{†}{A}_i=I$, the map $V|\varphi ⟩={\sum }_i{A}_i|\varphi ⟩\otimes |i⟩$ is an isometry. Implement it by a unitary operator on the system and a quantum ancilla, initially in an extra unused state $|0⟩$. Projecting the output quantum ancilla onto $|i⟩$ gives joint unnormalized state $A_i\rho A_i^{†}\otimes |i⟩⟨i|$. The outcome probability is $\mathrm{Tr}(A_i\rho A_i^{†})$, and the conditional system state is $A_i\rho A_i^{†}$ divided by this probability. The unused level can be merged into the first orthogonal projection without changing any outcome on the prepared state, giving a complete projective measurement with exactly the original outcome labels.

// Target: quantum-theory.bigb

A POVM fixes outcome probabilities, but a quantum instrument additionally fixes the conditional output state. For computational-basis effects $E_y=|y⟩⟨y|$, the operators $M_y=|y⟩⟨y|$ leave the measured eigenstate as output, whereas $N_y=|0⟩⟨y|$ reset every outcome to $|0⟩$. Both have $M_y^{†}{M}_y=N_y^{†}{N}_y=E_y$. Thus a specification of effects alone cannot select a unique joint state that retains the measured quantum system.

A local quantum operation on one tensor-factor subsystem acts as ${\Phi }_A\otimes {\mathrm{id}}_B$, with ${\Phi }_A$ completely positive. An individual outcome branch can decrease trace, while the sum over outcomes of a normalized instrument preserves trace. The unselected operation consequently leaves the remote reduced state unchanged. In a local field algebra, Kraus operators inside one region and commuting with a distant observable give an analogous no-signalling statement. Locality of the operation must be established; an arbitrary globally defined projection is not automatically a physically local measurement.