Quantum state cloning in the presence of a closed timelike curve

D. Ahn, C. R. Myers, T. C. Ralph, R. B. Mann

Published 2012-07-25Version 1

The possible existence of closed timelike curves (CTCs) draws attention to fundamental questions about what is physically possible and what is not. An example is the "no cloning theorem" in quantum mechanics, which states that no physical means exists by which an unknown arbitrary quantum state can be reproduced or copied perfectly. Using the Deutsch approach, we have shown that the no-cloning theorem can be circumvented in the presence of closed timelike curves, allowing the perfect cloning of a quantum state chosen randomly from a finite alphabet of states. Further, we show that a universal cloner can be constructed that when acting on a completely arbitrary qubit state, exceeds the no-cloning bound on fidelity. Since the no cloning theorem has played a central role in the development of quantum information science, it is clear that the existence of closed timelike curves would radically change the rules for quantum information technology. Nevertheless, we show that this type of cloning does not violate no-signalling criteria.