IQC PhD seminar featuring Maria Rosa Preciado Rivas

Tuesday, September 8, 2026 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Contextuality from the vacuum

Maria Rosa Preciado Rivas

Location: QNC 3206

Abstract

Contextuality is the property that the outcome of a measurement can depend on which other compatible measurements are performed alongside it. No noncontextual theory can reproduce all the predictions of quantum mechanics. Interestingly, states contextual with respect to the stabilizer measurement scenario are resources for fault-tolerant quantum computation, linking contextuality to quantum advantage.

In this talk, I will discuss how the interaction of Unruh-DeWitt detectors with a quantum field can generate contextuality in detectors that are initially noncontextual with respect to stabilizer measurements. I will present the results of arXiv:2508.15001 and show how contextuality can arise in relativistic settings.

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