Classification of Joint Quantum Measurements Based on Entanglement Cost of Localization

Despite their importance in quantum theory, joint quantum measurements remain poorly understood. An intriguing conceptual and practical question is whether joint quantum measurements on separated systems can be performed without bringing them together. Remarkably, by using shared entanglement, this can be achieved perfectly when disregarding the postmeasurement state. However, existing localization protocols typically require unbounded entanglement. In this work, we address the fundamental question: “Which joint measurements can be localized with a finite amount of entanglement?” We develop finite-resource versions of teleportation-based schemes and analytically classify all two-qubit measurements that can be localized in the first levels of the resulting hierarchies. These levels include several measurements with exceptional properties and symmetries, such as the Bell state measurement and the elegant joint measurement. This leads us to propose a systematic classification of joint measurements based on entanglement cost, which we argue directly connects with the complexity of implementing those measurements. We illustrate how to numerically explore higher levels and construct generalizations to higher dimensions and multipartite settings. Published by the American Physical Society 2025