Repository: PennyLaneAI/pennylane

Issue:
[BUG] Unexpected behaviour with operator subtraction and `.simplify()`
### Expected behavior

I am trying to combine Pauli strings using addition/subtraction and tensor products. Subtracting operators from each other and simplifying the result should be possible. For example,

```
>>> H1 = qml.PauliZ(0)
>>> H2 = qml.prod(qml.PauliX(0), qml.PauliY(1))
>>> H = H1 - H2
>>> H.simplify()
```


### Actual behavior

Running the code above results in an error in the comparison portion of the `.simplify()` method that seems to be related specifically to the subtraction of one term from another when `qml.prod` is used to construct the second operand.

### Additional information

More examples in source code.

### Source code

```shell
# This throws the error in the traceback
H1 = qml.PauliZ(0)
H2 = qml.prod(qml.PauliX(0), qml.PauliY(1))
H = H1 - H2
H.simplify()

# It does not throw an error when a coefficient is added
H1 = qml.PauliZ(0)
H2 = qml.prod(qml.PauliX(0), qml.PauliY(1))
H = H1 - 1 * H2
H.simplify()

# Constructing the product with an @ seems to be okay too
H1 = qml.PauliZ(0)
H2 = qml.PauliX(0) @ qml.PauliY(1)
H = H1 - H2
H.simplify()
```


### Tracebacks

```shell
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ValueError                                Traceback (most recent call last)
Cell In[24], line 4
      2 H2 = qml.prod(qml.PauliX(0), qml.PauliY(1))
      3 H = H1 - H2
----> 4 H.simplify()

File ~/Code/pennylane/pennylane/ops/op_math/sum.py:299, in Sum.simplify(self, cutoff)
    296     pr.simplify()
    297     return pr.operation(wire_order=self.wires)
--> 299 new_summands = self._simplify_summands(summands=self.operands).get_summands(cutoff=cutoff)
    300 if new_summands:
    301     return Sum(*new_summands) if len(new_summands) > 1 else new_summands[0]

File ~/Code/pennylane/pennylane/ops/op_math/sum.py:283, in Sum._simplify_summands(cls, summands)
    280         new_summands.add(summand=sum_summand, coeff=coeff, op_hash=op_hash)
    281     continue
--> 283 simplified_summand = summand.simplify()
    284 if isinstance(simplified_summand, Sum):
    285     sum_summands = cls._simplify_summands(summands=simplified_summand.operands)

File ~/Code/pennylane/pennylane/ops/op_math/sprod.py:296, in SProd.simplify(self)
    293     pr.simplify()
    294     return pr.operation(wire_order=self.wires)
--> 296 if self.scalar == 1:
    297     return self.base.simplify()
    298 if isinstance(self.base, SProd):

ValueError: The truth value of an array with more than one element is ambiguous. Use a.any() or a.all()
```


### System information

```shell
# Running on dev version, commit 4ff58e5030139c13ec09a712f9e8a5f6c4c1b517

Name: PennyLane
Version: 0.32.0.dev0
Summary: PennyLane is a Python quantum machine learning library by Xanadu Inc.
Home-page: https://github.com/PennyLaneAI/pennylane
Author: 
Author-email: 
License: Apache License 2.0
Location: /home/olivia/.conda/envs/xanadu/lib/python3.9/site-packages
Editable project location: /home/olivia/Code/pennylane
Requires: appdirs, autograd, autoray, cachetools, networkx, numpy, pennylane-lightning, requests, rustworkx, scipy, semantic-version, toml
Required-by: PennyLane-IonQ, PennyLane-Lightning, PennyLane-Qchem, PennyLane-qiskit

Platform info:           Linux-6.0.0-060000-generic-x86_64-with-glibc2.35
Python version:          3.9.7
Numpy version:           1.22.2
Scipy version:           1.9.1
Installed devices:
- default.gaussian (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- default.mixed (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- default.qubit (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- default.qubit.autograd (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- default.qubit.jax (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- default.qubit.tf (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- default.qubit.torch (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- default.qutrit (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- null.qubit (PennyLane-0.32.0.dev0)
- qiskit.aer (PennyLane-qiskit-0.30.1)
- qiskit.basicaer (PennyLane-qiskit-0.30.1)
- qiskit.ibmq (PennyLane-qiskit-0.30.1)
- qiskit.ibmq.circuit_runner (PennyLane-qiskit-0.30.1)
- qiskit.ibmq.sampler (PennyLane-qiskit-0.30.1)
- lightning.qubit (PennyLane-Lightning-0.31.0)
- ionq.qpu (PennyLane-IonQ-0.28.0)
- ionq.simulator (PennyLane-IonQ-0.28.0)
```


### Existing GitHub issues

- [X] I have searched existing GitHub issues to make sure the issue does not already exist.

Discussion:
github-actions[bot]: Hello. You may have forgotten to update the changelog!
Please edit [`doc/releases/changelog-dev.md`](/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/blob/master/doc/releases/changelog-dev.md) with:
* A one-to-two sentence description of the change. You may include a small working example for new features.
* A link back to this PR.
* Your name (or GitHub username) in the contributors section.
codecov[bot]: ## [Codecov](https://app.codecov.io/gh/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/pull/4441?src=pr&el=h1&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=github&utm_content=comment&utm_campaign=pr+comments&utm_term=PennyLaneAI) Report
> Merging [#4441](https://app.codecov.io/gh/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/pull/4441?src=pr&el=desc&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=github&utm_content=comment&utm_campaign=pr+comments&utm_term=PennyLaneAI) (aad8eea) into [master](https://app.codecov.io/gh/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/commit/26c2655c2001dd0d1defabc151fb649795750cb0?el=desc&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=github&utm_content=comment&utm_campaign=pr+comments&utm_term=PennyLaneAI) (26c2655) will **decrease** coverage by `0.01%`.
> The diff coverage is `83.33%`.

```diff
@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##           master    #4441      +/-   ##
==========================================
- Coverage   99.76%   99.75%   -0.01%     
==========================================
  Files         371      371              
  Lines       33677    33683       +6     
==========================================
+ Hits        33597    33602       +5     
- Misses         80       81       +1     
```


| [Files Changed](https://app.codecov.io/gh/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/pull/4441?src=pr&el=tree&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=github&utm_content=comment&utm_campaign=pr+comments&utm_term=PennyLaneAI) | Coverage Δ | |
|---|---|---|
| [pennylane/operation.py](https://app.codecov.io/gh/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/pull/4441?src=pr&el=tree&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=github&utm_content=comment&utm_campaign=pr+comments&utm_term=PennyLaneAI#diff-cGVubnlsYW5lL29wZXJhdGlvbi5weQ==) | `96.74% <83.33%> (-0.12%)` | :arrow_down: |



Patch:
diff --git a/doc/releases/changelog-dev.md b/doc/releases/changelog-dev.md
index 8a9ccee85..4a9add0c3 100644
--- a/doc/releases/changelog-dev.md
+++ b/doc/releases/changelog-dev.md
@@ -311,6 +311,9 @@ array([False, False])
   and `var` measurements.
   [(#4426)](https://github.com/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/pull/4426)
 
+* Subtracting a `Prod` from another operator now works as expected.
+  [(#4441)](https://github.com/PennyLaneAI/pennylane/pull/4441)
+
 <h3>Contributors ✍️</h3>
 
 This release contains contributions from (in alphabetical order):
diff --git a/pennylane/operation.py b/pennylane/operation.py
index 94fba8417..95bc91509 100644
--- a/pennylane/operation.py
+++ b/pennylane/operation.py
@@ -1511,7 +1511,9 @@ class Operator(abc.ABC):
 
     def __sub__(self, other):
         """The subtraction operation of Operator-Operator objects and Operator-scalar."""
-        if isinstance(other, (Operator, TensorLike)):
+        if isinstance(other, Operator):
+            return self + qml.s_prod(-1, other)
+        if isinstance(other, TensorLike):
             return self + (qml.math.multiply(-1, other))
         return NotImplemented
 


Test patch:
diff --git a/tests/test_operation.py b/tests/test_operation.py
index 13c93332b..a6067c207 100644
--- a/tests/test_operation.py
+++ b/tests/test_operation.py
@@ -1147,6 +1147,14 @@ class TestOperatorIntegration:
         neg_op = -qml.PauliX(0)
         assert np.allclose(a=neg_op.matrix(), b=np.array([[0, -1], [-1, 0]]), rtol=0)
 
+    def test_sub_obs_from_op(self):
+        """Test that __sub__ returns an SProd to be consistent with other Operator dunders."""
+        op = qml.S(0) - qml.PauliX(1)
+        assert isinstance(op, Sum)
+        assert isinstance(op[1], SProd)
+        assert qml.equal(op[0], qml.S(0))
+        assert qml.equal(op[1], SProd(-1, qml.PauliX(1)))
+
     def test_mul_with_scalar(self):
         """Test the __mul__ dunder method with a scalar value."""
         sprod_op = 4 * qml.RX(1, 0)
@@ -2489,6 +2497,7 @@ pairs_of_ops = [
     (qml.S(0), qml.PauliX(0)),
     (qml.PauliX(0), qml.S(0)),
     (qml.PauliX(0), qml.PauliY(0)),
+    (qml.PauliZ(0), qml.prod(qml.PauliX(0), qml.PauliY(1))),
 ]
 
 
@@ -2522,6 +2531,11 @@ class TestNewOpMath:
             assert op[1].scalar == -1
             assert qml.equal(op[1].base, op1)
 
+        def test_sub_with_unknown_not_supported(self):
+            """Test subtracting an unexpected type from an Operator."""
+            with pytest.raises(TypeError, match="unsupported operand type"):
+                _ = qml.S(0) - "foo"
+
         def test_op_with_scalar(self):
             """Tests adding/subtracting ops with scalars."""
             x0 = qml.PauliX(0)