Recent Papers (2022–2025)
A curated selection of recent papers and preprints connecting contextuality to quantum computation, quantum information, and related areas. This page highlights the active research frontier where foundational concepts meet practical applications.
Trends in Recent Research
The period 2022–2025 has seen a resurgence of interest in contextuality, with several notable developments:
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Beyond pure computation: Contextuality is now being explored in error correction, metrology, topological architectures, and device verification
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Broadened notions: Research extends from state-contextuality (KS, noncontextuality inequalities) to measurement-selection contextuality, prepare-and-measure scenarios, and high-dimensional systems
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Unified frameworks: New work aims to connect algebraic (KS-style), sheaf-theoretic, resource-theoretic, and topological approaches
2025
Contextuality of Quantum Error-Correcting Codes
Authors: Derek Khu, Andrew Tanggara, Kishor Bharti Date: February 2025 Link: arXiv:2502.02553
Establishes a direct link between contextuality and quantum error-correcting codes. Shows that many subsystem stabilizer codes (with gauge qubits) are strongly contextual—suggesting that contextuality may play a role in fault-tolerant architectures, not just in raw computation.
Why It Matters
This extends the computational relevance of contextuality to the error-correction layer of quantum computing, potentially explaining why certain codes are more powerful than others.
Tags: error-correction resource-theory stabilizer-codes
Invested and Potential Magic Resources in Measurement-Based Quantum Computation
Authors: G.C. Li et al. Date: 2025 Link: APS Journals
Introduces new resource measures ("invested" and "potential" magic) to formalize how measurement-based processes can consume and convert quantum "magic" (i.e., contextual/non-stabilizer resources), bridging MBQC with resource-theory frameworks.
Tags: MBQC magic-states resource-theory
Related: Contextuality & Quantum Computation
Magic States in the Asymmetric Quantum Rabi Model
Authors: A. Campos-Uscanga et al. Date: 2025 Link: arXiv:2508.00765
Explores magic-state generation (hence contextual resources) in a physically relevant Hamiltonian system (the Rabi model), showing how light–matter interactions may produce useful non-stabilizer states.
Tags: magic-states physical-implementation Hamiltonian-systems
Optimal Scaling for Magic State Distillation in Quantum Computing
Date: November 2025 Link: Phys.org announcement
Reports improvements in how magic states are prepared, and highlights that magic states lie outside the "classical simulation zone" because they possess contextuality—reinforcing the resource role of contextuality in quantum computing.
Tags: magic-states distillation fault-tolerance
2024
An Algebraic Characterisation of Kochen–Specker Contextuality
Author: Markus Frembs Date: August 2024 Link: arXiv:2408.16764
Provides a unified algebraic formulation of KS-contextuality, aiming to reconcile older "non-valuation" proofs with modern state-independent and resource-theoretic approaches—helpful for embedding contextuality consistently into computation/resource frameworks.
Why It Matters
Creates a bridge between the classical KS theorem formulations and modern resource-theoretic treatments, potentially enabling more systematic analysis of contextuality as a computational resource.
Tags: KS-theorem algebraic-methods foundations
Related: The Kochen–Specker Theorem
Resource-Theoretic Hierarchy of Contextuality for General Probabilistic Theories
Authors: Lorenzo Catani, Thomas D. Galley, Tomáš Gonda Date: June 2024 Link: arXiv:2406.00717
Defines a hierarchy of contextuality in general probabilistic theories (GPTs), extends resource-theory ideas beyond quantum theory, and introduces new monotones—potentially useful for assessing contextual resources in varied quantum and post-quantum settings.
Tags: resource-theory GPT monotones
Related: Generalized Contextuality (Spekkens)
A Computational Test of Quantum Contextuality
Authors: A.S. Arora et al. Date: May 2024 Link: arXiv:2405.06787
Shows how an arbitrary "contextuality game" can be compiled into an operational test on a single quantum device, using cryptographic ideas. This links contextuality to "proofs of quantumness" (or quantum advantage)—relevant to verification and benchmarking of quantum computers.
Why It Matters
Provides practical methods for certifying that a quantum device is genuinely exploiting contextual resources, important for quantum advantage claims.
Tags: device-verification proofs-of-quantumness cryptography
Topologically-Enabled Contextual Many-Body Games
Authors: O. Hart et al. Date: March 2024 Link: arXiv:2403.04829
Introduces multiplayer "quantum games" built on topologically ordered quantum states; shows that phases of matter can function as contextuality-based resources for quantum advantage—linking contextuality to both condensed-matter/topological QC and computational resource theory.
Tags: topological-QC many-body quantum-games
Contextual Quantum Metrology
Authors: J. Jae et al. Date: 2024 Journal: npj Quantum Information Link: Nature
Demonstrates experimentally that contextuality of measurement choices (not just states) can enhance precision in quantum metrology beyond what standard quantum Fisher-information limits predict. Shows that contextuality is a usable resource beyond standard computing tasks.
Why It Matters
Extends the practical applications of contextuality beyond computation to precision measurement—relevant to sensing, atomic clocks, and fundamental physics experiments.
Tags: metrology experimental measurement-contextuality
2023
Quantum Contextuality
Author: M. Pavičić Date: 2023 Journal: Quantum Link: quantum-journal.org
A broad review of contextual sets, their structure, and their relevance as resources for quantum computation, steering, and quantum communication. Useful as a survey and reference for the current state of contextuality-based resource research.
Tags: review KS-sets resource-theory
Related: Contextuality Basics, KS Sets
2022
Experimental Test of High-Dimensional Quantum Contextuality Based on Contextuality Concentration
Authors: Z.-H. Liu, H.-X. Meng, Z.-P. Xu, J. Zhou, J.-L. Chen, J.-S. Xu, C.-F. Li, G.-C. Guo, A. Cabello Date: September 2022 Link: arXiv:2209.02808
Presents an experimental demonstration of high-dimensional single-system contextuality (in 7D), using "contextuality concentration." Shows how high-dimensional contextuality may be exploited robustly—potentially enabling new high-dimensional qudit-based quantum computing architectures.
Why It Matters
Demonstrates that contextuality can be concentrated and utilized in high-dimensional systems, opening paths to qudit-based quantum computing where contextual resources scale differently than in qubit systems.
Tags: experimental high-dimensional qudits
Related: Adán Cabello
Papers by Theme
Magic States & MBQC
- Invested and Potential Magic Resources in MBQC (2025)
- Magic States in the Asymmetric Quantum Rabi Model (2025)
- Optimal Scaling for Magic State Distillation (2025)
Error Correction & Fault Tolerance
- Contextuality of Quantum Error-Correcting Codes (2025)
Resource Theory & Foundations
- An Algebraic Characterisation of KS Contextuality (2024)
- Resource-Theoretic Hierarchy of Contextuality for GPTs (2024)
- Quantum Contextuality [Review] (2023)
Device Verification & Proofs of Quantumness
- A Computational Test of Quantum Contextuality (2024)
Applications Beyond Computation
- Contextual Quantum Metrology (2024)
- Topologically-Enabled Contextual Many-Body Games (2024)
Experimental
- High-Dimensional Quantum Contextuality (2022)
- Contextual Quantum Metrology (2024)
How This Connects to the Atlas
The KS sets documented in this atlas provide the foundational structures that these modern papers build upon:
| Atlas Content | Recent Paper Connections |
|---|---|
| Kernaghan 20 (4D) | Two-qubit magic state characterization |
| Kernaghan–Peres 40 (8D) | Multi-qubit stabilizer/contextuality analysis |
| Cabello 18 (4D) | Minimal contextuality witnesses, experimental tests |
| Generalized Contextuality | Resource-theoretic hierarchies, GPT extensions |
| Contextuality & Computation | MBQC magic resources, error correction links |
Contributing
This page will be updated as new papers appear. Key venues to watch:
- arXiv: quant-ph section
- Journals: Nature Physics, PRX Quantum, Quantum, npj Quantum Information
- Conferences: QIP, TQC, AQIS
Last updated: 2025