1. Introduction
The theory of quantum information has developed into a cornerstone of modern quantum science, with potential applications ranging from quantum algorithms and secure communication [
1], to error correction [
2,
3] and quantum networking [
4]. Beyond its technological relevance, quantum information provides a unique perspective on the nature of the Universe and the phenomenon of entanglement [
5].
Quantum entanglement, famously described by Einstein as “spooky action at a distance” [
6], underlies many protocols in quantum cryptography [
7] and serves as a fundamental resource for quantum computation [
8]. Despite the progress in quantum information theory, its mathematical language remains under active development [
9,
10]. New mathematical frameworks are required to fully exploit its potential—both for computational purposes and for deepening our understanding of quantum reality [
11].
In this work, we introduce a new geometric formalism for the study of entangled states. We base our approach on two propositions: (1) representing bipartite entangled states as elements of a 3-dimensional ball
, and (2) modeling the measurement process as a collapse onto the 0-sphere
, corresponding to the two possible outcomes. This formalism provides a natural mapping between the geometry of entanglement and the measurement process. Previous work on the geometry of quantum states has explored several approaches to characterizing entanglement and measurement outcomes. Brody and Hughston [
12] developed a framework for geometric quantum mechanics using the Fubini–Study metric on projective Hilbert space, while Bengtsson and Życzkowski [
13] systematically studied the geometry of quantum state spaces, including entanglement polytopes and the Bloch sphere. Our approach builds on this tradition by focusing on a minimal topological representation, modeling the measurement process as a collapse from
to
. This viewpoint offers a simplified but rigorous mapping that may complement metric-based approaches and inspire new geometric methods for quantum information processing.
We further discuss possible extensions of this approach, including its embedding in the Bloch sphere representation [
14] and generalizations to higher-dimensional projective spaces
[
13]. These developments open the door to a differential-geometric treatment of quantum information, potentially yielding new insights into quantum computation, entanglement classification, and quantum state discrimination [
12,
13].
Proposition 1. (Topological space for quantum entanglement)
Let two particles be maximally entangled, where particle a is associated to a unique coordinate x, and particle b to y, with . Let the mapping encode the entangled state, such that and represent measurement outcomes at positions x and y, respectively.
Let there exist a deterministic relational operation R such that , with , highlighting the outcome of a measurement on either of the particles. Moreover, we have the induced map which is defined by
where and is the quotient projection. Then, the space of quantum steering-mediated transformations between the two particles forms a topological manifold homeomorphic to , under the following conditions:
There exists an equivalence relation induced by R, such that even though , the entanglement imposes in .
For all scaling maps C, we have in .
For all operations A, we have in .
The manifold thus represents a state-transformation space in which any metric structure from vanishes. Quantum steering transformations between maximally entangled states are thereby encoded as binary, disconnected, and nonlocal behaviors, yielding only two possible outcomes: . The topological disconnectivity of reflects the quantum jumps inherent in state collapse, while its binary structure captures the intrinsic duality in the outcomes of entangled quantum systems. The proposition can be formalized into the following diagram.
Figure 1.
Entanglement-induced topological mapping from to :
(1) The state assignments and reflect measurement outcomes, (2) The projection collapses entangled positions to the equivalence class , (3) The induced map from the quotient space to confirms that entangled states are topologically identified despite outcome flips (R).
Figure 1.
Entanglement-induced topological mapping from to :
(1) The state assignments and reflect measurement outcomes, (2) The projection collapses entangled positions to the equivalence class , (3) The induced map from the quotient space to confirms that entangled states are topologically identified despite outcome flips (R).
Proof. Let be the projection from the entangled particles in the base space with coordinates to the entangled state space . We have the quotient space by which represents the space of equivalent states in the manifold, mapped by . Take for instance , and let the map induce a collapse of its spatial state to an identity state . Then, the second particle is forced, by quantum steering to undergo the same collapse into a measure state by the nature of entanglement. Entanglement invokes hence a state transformation which treats any entangled particle at either positions x or y by the same law, attributing it to a point in by these particles being considered as equivalent in under . This switch in sign given by the function represents one of two outcomes induced by measurement. Since this switch in sign is induced by entanglement, then are both states (outcomes) in , since the space has only two elements, . The mapping yields therefore either of two points in for any two entangled states independent of their initial position .
From this, it follows that any operation on particle at position x or position y, given by a scalar C or an operator A yields an equality relation in the same topological space of the assumed quantum state , hence .
Proving that is disconnected is straight-forward. Having , we can readily partition it into two separated open subsets in , which and . Both U and V are open (and closed) in . Hence, is totally disconnected.
□
Remark 1. The proposition is equally relevant for two particles on a 2D space, allowed by the map to assume the same characteristics as implied in the proposition above.
Proposition 2 (Representation of quantum steering as a fiber).
Let x and y from topology of quantum entanglement be two individual points in space. Let each point be the endpoints of a line d. Form a mapping such that become points on the circle . Construct a second mapping, such that are now found on the surface . Let a tangent space be formed by assigning two vectors intersecting at each point, for x, and for y, . By the two vector products we can form the tangent bundle , for . Then we have a fiber over x and y which is the tangent space at the respective point
where and , where , assigned to x and y in an either stationary state or in a moving state along the tangent vectors or a product thereof. We can then form a second fiber, from each tangent space at respectively, which generates a value for each in the manifold . Then is a fiber, where forms the base space and is the projection of the fibre space and is a trivially smooth manifold. By considering also topology of quantum entanglement, represents quantum steering upon measurement of the state of either particles at x or y collapsing to either for any two entangled particles stationary at position or moving along the tangent vector bundle .
Proof. Let d be the distance between two arbitrary points and form a circle by their diameter using the map . Assign two tangent vectors intersecting at x and two tangent vectors intersecting at y in , then we can form the cotangent spaces and for each point respectively. By this construction, we have formed two base spaces, and at respectively, and . By , a generic map described in topology of quantum entanglement, we assign a value for each point , resulting by measurement. Thus, we have and . Since then forms the projection of the fibre space while form the base space, and is the fiber between the base spaces to the projection of the fibre space , representing quantum steering. □