Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42364977›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

No cloning of quantum ensembles.

Zhenyu Du, Siyuan Cheng, Qi Zhao, Xiongfeng Ma, Xiao Yuan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Zhenyu Du *Center for Quantum Information, Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-5576-0834
Siyuan Cheng *Center for Quantum Information, Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-2769-7696
Qi ZhaoQICI Quantum Information and Computation Initiative, School of Computing and Data Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong. zhaoqi@cs.hku.hk.
Xiongfeng MaCenter for Quantum Information, Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. xma@tsinghua.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9441-4006
Xiao YuanCenter on Frontiers of Computing Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China. xiaoyuan@pku.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0205-6545

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 12174216National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 12305030National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 12347104National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 12361161602National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) U2330201Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality (Beijing Natural Science Foundation) Z250004
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Modern quantum physics now enables control of quantum systems at the level of individual trajectories, opening a new frontier that links quantum information theory, quantum many-body physics, and quantum thermodynamics, and uncovers novel non-equilibrium phenomena such as deep thermalization and measurement-induced entanglement. However, a central challenge remains: their characterization relies on measuring nonlinear properties of individual quantum states, a task tantamount to fine-grained cloning of a quantum ensemble. Here, the fundamental laws governing the cloning of quantum ensembles are investigated. First, a general no-cloning theorem for arbitrary ensembles is established from an information-theoretic perspective, even assuming multiple copies of the ensemble's purification. It is then shown that this barrier can be unexpectedly circumvented for physical ensembles generated by finite-time evolutions. Nevertheless, these tasks are proven to remain computationally intractable, even when the full circuit description of state preparation is known. This stands in sharp contrast to the conventional no-cloning theorem, which relies on the state being unknown. Together, these results establish new fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, reveal intrinsic trade-offs among sample complexity, computational complexity, and quantum measurements, and highlight the necessity of problem-specific strategies for probing measurement-induced quantum phenomena.

Identifiers

PMID42364977
PMCPMC13454347

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.