Entropic uncertainty under indefinite causal order and input-output direction

Abstract

Entropic uncertainty relations quantify the limits on the predictability of quantum measurements. When the measured system is correlated with a quantum memory, these limits are described by the memory-assisted entropic uncertainty relation (MA-EUR). We examine the behavior of MA-EUR when the memory qubit undergoes noisy dynamics implemented via high-order controlled processes, namely, the quantum switch and the quantum time-flip. We consider a setting in which the control qubit is the very system on which the measurements are performed, while the target qubit serves as a noisy quantum memory. Focusing on Pauli channels, we show that feeding them into the quantum switch and the quantum time-flip can significantly reduce the total entropic uncertainty as compared to their direct application. Our results reveal that indefinite causal order and input-output direction can serve as resources to mitigate the effects of noise in the context of MA-EUR and its applications.