Asymptotic implementation of multipartite quantum channels and other quantum instruments using local operations and classical communication

Abstract: We prove a necessary condition that a quantum channel on a multipartite system may be approximated arbitrarily closely using local operations and classical communication (LOCC). We then extend those arguments to obtain a condition that applies to all quantum instruments, which range from the most refined case, a generalized measurement, to the most coarse-grained, which is a quantum channel. We illustrate these results by a detailed analysis of a quantum instrument that is known not to be implementable by LOCC, but which can be arbitrarily closely approximated within that framework. As one outgrowth of this analysis, we find a quantum measurement that falls into the same category: it cannot be implemented exactly by LOCC, but can be approximated by LOCC arbitrarily closely. This measurement has an infinite number of outcomes, leaving open the question as to whether or not there exists a measurement within this same category but having only a finite number of outcomes.