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arXiv · 2606.11002

Revealing the topology of quantum states via Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobabilities

Stefano Gherardini·Luca Lepori
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Abstract

We discuss a theoretical approach to discriminate whether two states of a many-body quantum system belong or not to different topology classes. This approach is based on expressing a strange correlator - a recently established tool for quantum topology discrimination - between the states as a function of Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobabilities (KDQs). KDQs provide a first-principles representation of two-time quantum correlators. The link between strange correlators and KDQs allows to establish that strange correlators are weak values of an observable converting an initial trivial state into a topologically non-trivial one. We thus propose a quantum topology witness that is achievable measuring the prior and subsequent effects on a many-body system of a sudden quench transformation that realizes the transition between trivial and topological phases. The witness is evaluated on a probe quantum state whose main features are detailed within the paper. Finally, directly exploiting schemes that allows for the complete reconstruction of KDQs, we address an interferometric protocol for topology discrimination, along with a general discussion of the main lines and challenges towards its implementation.

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Stefano Gherardini, Luca Lepori. 2026-06-09. Revealing the topology of quantum states via Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobabilities. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.11002

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