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    Graph-theoretic quantum contextuality and unextendible product bases

    Gurvir Singh* and Arvind†

    • *Contact author: gurvirsingh@iisermohali.ac.in
    • †Contact author: arvind@iisermohali.ac.in

    Phys. Rev. A 113, 062409 – Published 2 June, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/v98r-2jw3

    Abstract

    Unextendible product bases (UPBs) are central to the study of local distinguishability of orthogonal product states. While their connection to quantum nonlocality via Bell inequalities is well established, their link to quantum contextuality remains largely unexplored. We establish a graph theoretic connection between contextuality and UPBs. First, an equivalence between Klyachko-Can-Binicioğlu-Shumovsky (KCBS) vectors and the Pyramid UPB is shown and then by constructing a one parameter family of UPB vectors, a quantitative connection between the contextuality strength and bound entanglement of states associated with the corresponding UPB is demonstrated. This equivalence is extended to generalized KCBS vectors and the generalized pyramid (GenPyramid) UPB. Another class of minimal UPBs in C3⊗Cn is constructed using Lovász-optimal orthogonal representations (LOORs) of cycle graphs and their complements which we term the GenContextual UPB. Any minimal UPB in this dimension is shown to be graph-equivalent to the GenContextual UPB. We briefly discuss the distinguishability properties of GenContextual UPB. In the reverse direction, we observe that the constituent vectors of the QuadRes UPB are LOORs of Paley graphs. The structural properties of these graphs make them suitable candidates for constructing noncontextuality inequalities, thereby establishing a bidirectional connection between quantum contextuality and UPBs.

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