Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game

The concept of Nash equilibria in pure strategies for quantum extensions of the general form of the Prisoner’s Dilemma game is investigated. The process of quantization involves incorporating two additional unitary strategies, which effectively expand the classical game. We consider five classes of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Piotr Frąckiewicz, Anna Gorczyca-Goraj, Krzysztof Grzanka, Katarzyna Nowakowska, Marek Szopa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Entropy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/27/7/755
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849734110670487552
author Piotr Frąckiewicz
Anna Gorczyca-Goraj
Krzysztof Grzanka
Katarzyna Nowakowska
Marek Szopa
author_facet Piotr Frąckiewicz
Anna Gorczyca-Goraj
Krzysztof Grzanka
Katarzyna Nowakowska
Marek Szopa
author_sort Piotr Frąckiewicz
collection DOAJ
description The concept of Nash equilibria in pure strategies for quantum extensions of the general form of the Prisoner’s Dilemma game is investigated. The process of quantization involves incorporating two additional unitary strategies, which effectively expand the classical game. We consider five classes of such quantum games, which remain invariant under isomorphic transformations of the classical game. The resulting Nash equilibria are found to be more closely aligned with Pareto-optimal solutions than those of the conventional Nash equilibrium outcome of the classical game. Our results demonstrate the complexity and diversity of strategic behavior in the quantum setting, providing new insights into the dynamics of classical decision-making dilemmas. In particular, we provide a detailed characterization of strategy profiles and their corresponding Nash equilibria, thereby extending the understanding of quantum strategies’ impact on traditional game-theoretical problems.
format Article
id doaj-art-16e03ce9849e49cda4b73b90c12b22a3
institution DOAJ
issn 1099-4300
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Entropy
spelling doaj-art-16e03ce9849e49cda4b73b90c12b22a32025-08-20T03:07:54ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002025-07-0127775510.3390/e27070755Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma GamePiotr Frąckiewicz0Anna Gorczyca-Goraj1Krzysztof Grzanka2Katarzyna Nowakowska3Marek Szopa4Institute of Exact and Technical Sciences, Pomeranian University in Słupsk, ul. Bohaterów Westerplatte 64, 76-200 Słupsk, PolandDepartment of Operations Research, University of Economics in Katowice, ul. Bogucicka 3, 40-287 Katowice, PolandDepartment of Operations Research, University of Economics in Katowice, ul. Bogucicka 3, 40-287 Katowice, PolandInstitute of Exact and Technical Sciences, Pomeranian University in Słupsk, ul. Bohaterów Westerplatte 64, 76-200 Słupsk, PolandDepartment of Operations Research, University of Economics in Katowice, ul. Bogucicka 3, 40-287 Katowice, PolandThe concept of Nash equilibria in pure strategies for quantum extensions of the general form of the Prisoner’s Dilemma game is investigated. The process of quantization involves incorporating two additional unitary strategies, which effectively expand the classical game. We consider five classes of such quantum games, which remain invariant under isomorphic transformations of the classical game. The resulting Nash equilibria are found to be more closely aligned with Pareto-optimal solutions than those of the conventional Nash equilibrium outcome of the classical game. Our results demonstrate the complexity and diversity of strategic behavior in the quantum setting, providing new insights into the dynamics of classical decision-making dilemmas. In particular, we provide a detailed characterization of strategy profiles and their corresponding Nash equilibria, thereby extending the understanding of quantum strategies’ impact on traditional game-theoretical problems.https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/27/7/755game isomorphismEisert–Wilkens–Lewenstein schemequantum extended gamesNash equilibriumPrisoner’s Dilemma
spellingShingle Piotr Frąckiewicz
Anna Gorczyca-Goraj
Krzysztof Grzanka
Katarzyna Nowakowska
Marek Szopa
Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game
Entropy
game isomorphism
Eisert–Wilkens–Lewenstein scheme
quantum extended games
Nash equilibrium
Prisoner’s Dilemma
title Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game
title_full Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game
title_fullStr Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game
title_full_unstemmed Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game
title_short Nash Equilibria in Four-Strategy Quantum Extensions of the Prisoner’s Dilemma Game
title_sort nash equilibria in four strategy quantum extensions of the prisoner s dilemma game
topic game isomorphism
Eisert–Wilkens–Lewenstein scheme
quantum extended games
Nash equilibrium
Prisoner’s Dilemma
url https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/27/7/755
work_keys_str_mv AT piotrfrackiewicz nashequilibriainfourstrategyquantumextensionsoftheprisonersdilemmagame
AT annagorczycagoraj nashequilibriainfourstrategyquantumextensionsoftheprisonersdilemmagame
AT krzysztofgrzanka nashequilibriainfourstrategyquantumextensionsoftheprisonersdilemmagame
AT katarzynanowakowska nashequilibriainfourstrategyquantumextensionsoftheprisonersdilemmagame
AT marekszopa nashequilibriainfourstrategyquantumextensionsoftheprisonersdilemmagame