Higher-order interference and single-system postulates characterizing quantum theory

• Published in: New journal of physics Vol. 16; no. 12; pp. 123029 - 44
• Main Authors: Barnum, Howard, Müller, Markus P, Ududec, Cozmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 10.12.2014
• Subjects: Algebra; Analogue; Complex numbers; contextuality; Dynamics; generalized probabilistic theories; higher-order interference; Interference; Jordan algebras; Orthogonality; Physics; Probabilistic methods; Probability theory; Quantum theory; reconstructions of quantum theory

We present a new characterization of quantum theory in terms of simple physical principles that is different from previous ones in two important respects: first, it only refers to properties of single systems without any assumptions on the composition of many systems; and second, it is closer to exp...