Classifying causal structures: Ascertaining when classical correlations are constrained by inequalities

Abstract

The classical causal relations between a set of variables, some observed and some latent, can induce both equality constraints (typically conditional independencies) as well as inequality constraints (Instrumental and Bell inequalities being prototypical examples) on their compatible distribution over the observed variables. Enumerating a causal structure's implied inequality constraints is generally far more difficult than enumerating its equalities. Furthermore, only inequality constraints ever admit violation by quantum correlations. For both those reasons, it is important to classify causal scenarios into those which impose inequality constraints versus those which do not. Here we develop methods for detecting such scenarios by appealing to <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><a:mi>d</a:mi></a:math> separation, <b:math xmlns:b="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><b:mi>e</b:mi></b:math> separation, and incompatible supports. Many (perhaps all?) scenarios with exclusively equality constraints can be detected via a condition articulated by Henson, Lal, and Pusey (HLP). Considering all scenarios with up to four observed variables, which number in the thousands, we are able to resolve all but three causal scenarios, providing evidence that the HLP condition is, in fact, exhaustive. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Locations

• Physical Review Research - View - PDF
• arXiv (Cornell University) - View - PDF
• White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds) - View - PDF