Beyond AME: A Novel Connection between Quantum Secret Sharing Schemes and $k$-Uniform States

Abstract: We study the connection between quantum secret sharing (QSS) schemes and $k$-uniform states of qubits beyond the equivalence between threshold QSS schemes and AME states. Specifically, we focus on homogeneous access structures and show that $3$-uniformity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for constructing a $3$-homogeneous QSS scheme using states of qubits. This gives a novel connection between non-threshold QSS schemes and $k$-uniform states. As an application of our result, we classify QSS schemes for up to 7 players and provide explicit characterizations of their existence. Our results offer new insights into the role of $k$-uniform states in the design of QSS schemes (not necessarily threshold) and provide a foundation for future classifications of QSS schemes with more complex structures.