Magic squares: Latin, semiclassical, and quantum

Abstract

Quantum magic squares have recently been introduced as a “magical” combination of quantum measurements. In contrast to quantum measurements, they cannot be purified (i.e., dilated to a quantum permutation matrix)—only the so-called semiclassical ones can. Purifying establishes a relation to an ideal world of fundamental theoretical and practical importance; the opposite of purifying is described by the matrix convex hull. In this paper, we prove that semiclassical magic squares can be purified to quantum Latin squares, which are “magical” combinations of orthonormal bases. Conversely, we prove that the matrix convex hull of quantum Latin squares is larger compared to the semiclassical ones. This tension is resolved by our third result: we prove that the quantum Latin squares that are semiclassical are precisely those constructed from a classical Latin square. Our work sheds light on the internal structure of quantum magic squares, on how this is affected by the matrix convex hull, and, more generally, on the nature of the “magical” composition rule, both at the semiclassical and at the quantum level.