There is no physical process that can create an identical, independent copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state. Proved by William Wootters and Wojciech Zurek, it is a basic structural fact of quantum mechanics with direct consequences for quantum cryptography and quantum information theory.
Facts
StatementThe no-cloning theorem states that it is impossible to create an independent, identical copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state. 1 Proof YearJames L. Park's closely related no-go theorem predates this, published in 1970; the named no-cloning theorem itself is dated to the independent 1982 proofs. Classification
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Sources
1. No-Cloning Theorem (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction
The theorem is an evolution of the 1970 no-go theorem authored by James L. Park, in which he demonstrates that a non-disturbing measurement scheme which is both simple and perfect cannot exist (the same result would be independently derived in 1982 by William Wootters and Wojciech H. Zurek as well as Dennis Dieks the same year).
In Group: Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory, Article text
In physics, the no-cloning theorem states that it is impossible to create an independent and identical copy of an arbitrary unknown quantum state, a statement which has profound implications in the field of quantum computing among others.
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