The main purpose of this paper is to classify exchange relation planar algebras with 4 dimensional 2-boxes. Besides its skein theory, we emphasize the positivity of subfactor planar algebras based on the Schur product theorem. We will discuss the lattice of projections of 2-boxes, specifically the rank of the projections. From this point, several results about biprojections are obtained. The key break of the classification is to show the existence of a biprojection. By this method, we also classify another two families of subfactor planar algebras: subfactor planar algebras generated by 2-boxes with 4 dimensional 2-boxes and at most 23 dimensional 3-boxes; subfactor planar algebras generated by 2-boxes, such that the quotient of 3-boxes by the basic construction ideal is abelian. They extend the classification of singly generated planar algebras obtained by Bisch, Jones and the author.

We introduce a pictorial approach to quantum information, called holographic software. Our software captures both algebraic and topological aspects of quantum networks. It yields a bi-directional dictionary to translate between a topological approach and an algebraic approach. Using our software, we give a topological simulation for quantum networks. The string Fourier transform (SFT) is our basic tool to transform product states into states with maximal entanglement entropy. We obtain a pictorial interpretation of Fourier transformation, of measurements, and of local transformations, including the n-qudit Pauli matrices and their representation by Jordan-Wigner transformations. We use our software to discover interesting new protocols for multipartite communication. In summary, we build a bridge linking the theory of planar para algebras with quantum information.

We introduce a new notion of an angle between intermediate subfactors and prove various interesting properties of the angle and relate it to the Jones index. We prove a uniform 60 to 90 degree bound for the angle between minimal intermediate subfactors of a finite index irreducible subfactor. From this rigidity we can bound the number of minimal (or maximal) intermediate subfactors by the kissing number in geometry. As a consequence, the number of intermediate subfactors of an irreducible subfactor has at most exponential growth with respect to the Jones index. This answers a question of Longo’s published in 2003.

We define a planar para algebra, which arises naturally from combining planar algebras with the idea of \mathbb{Z}_N para symmetry in physics. A subfactor planar para algebra is a Hilbert space representation of planar tangles with parafermionic defects that are invariant under para isotopy. For each \mathbb{Z}_N, we construct a family of subfactor planar para algebras that play the role of Temperley–Lieb–Jones planar algebras. The first example in this family is the parafermion planar para algebra (PAPPA). Based on this example, we introduce parafermion Pauli matrices, quaternion relations, and braided relations for parafermion algebras, which one can use in the study of quantum information. An important ingredient in planar para algebra theory is the string Fourier transform (SFT), which we use on the matrix algebra generated by the Pauli matrices. Two different reflections play an important role in the theory of planar para algebras. One is the adjoint operator; the other is the modular conjugation in Tomita–Takesaki theory. We use the latter one to define the double algebra and to introduce reflection positivity. We give a new and geometric proof of reflection positivity by relating the two reflections through the string Fourier transform.