Bipartite polygon models: entanglement classes and their nonlocal behaviour

Quantum 9, 1599 (2025).

https://doi.org/10.22331/q-2025-01-20-1599

Hardy’s argument constitutes an elegantly logical test for identifying nonlocal features of multipartite correlations. In this paper, we investigate Hardy’s nonlocal behavior within a broad class of operational theories, including the qubit state space as a specific case. Specifically, we begin by examining a wider range of operational models with state space descriptions in the form of regular polygons. First, we present a systematic method to characterize the possible forms of entangled states within bipartite compositions of these models. Then, through explicit examples, we identify the classes of entangled states that exhibit Hardy-type nonlocality. Remarkably, our findings highlight a closer analogy between odd polygon models and the qubit state space in terms of their bipartite Hardy nonlocal behavior compared to even-sided polygons. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the emergence of mixed-state Hardy nonlocality in any operational model is determined by a specific symmetry inherent in its dynamic description. Finally, our results uncover an unexplored class of almost-quantum correlations that can be associated with an explicit operational model.