Non-closure of quantum correlation matrices and factorizable channels that require infinite dimensional ancilla

Abstract: We show that there exist factorizable quantum channels in each dimension $\ge 11$ which do not admit a factorization through any finite dimensional von Neumann algebra, and do require ancillas of type II$_1$, thus witnessing new infinite-dimensional phenomena in quantum information theory. We show that the set of n by n matrices of correlations arising as second-order moments of projections in finite dimensional von Neumann algebras with a distinguished trace is non-closed, for all $n \ge 5$, and we use this to give a simplified proof of the recent result of Dykema, Paulsen and Prakash that the set of synchronous quantum correlations $C_q^s(5,2)$ is non-closed. Using a trick originating in work of Regev, Slofstra and Vidick, we further show that the set of correlation matrices arising from second-order moments of unitaries in finite dimensional von Neumann algebras with a distinguished trace is non-closed in each dimension $\ge 11$, from which we derive the first result above.