Abstract

Using the Deutsch approach, we show that the no-cloning theorem can be circumvented in the presence of closed timelike curves, allowing the perfect cloning of a quantum state chosen randomly from a finite alphabet of states. Further, we show that a universal cloner can be constructed that when acting on a completely arbitrary qubit state, exceeds the no-cloning bound on fidelity. Since the “no cloning theorem” has played a central role in the development of quantum information science, it is clear that the existence of closed timelike curves would radically change the rules for quantum information technology.