Nonlocal Locking of Observable Quantities: A Faithful Signature of Nonclassical Correlations

Nonclassicality in composite quantum systems depicts several puzzling manifestations, with Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement, Schr\"odinger steering, and Bell nonlocality being the most celebrated ones. In addition to those, an unentangled quantum state can also exhibit nonclassicality, as evidenced from notions such as quantum discord and work deficit. Here, we propose a general framework to investigate nonclassical correlations in multipartite quantum states. The distinct signatures left on observable quantities, depending on whether the sub-parts of a composite system are probed separately or jointly, provide an operational avenue to construct different quantifiers that faithfully capture signatures of nonclassicality in quantum states. Along the line we unveil an intriguing phenomenon referred to as `nonlocal locking of observable quantities', where the value of an observable quantity gets locked in the correlation of a nonclassical state. Our approach reduces the experimental demand for verification of nonclassicality in composite systems and can find applications for enhanced energy storage in quantum thermodynamical devices.