ArXiv quant-ph

For decades, light has served as a useful tool in condensed matter physics, yet rarely has light itself been studied in this same framework. The reason that light has been relegated to a tool of condensed matter physics, rather than a subject, is that photons do not interact, and even mediated interactions are weak. Recently, several proposals have been set forth to study strongly correlated macroscopic systems with interacting photons or polaritons in arrays of cavities coupled to atoms or qubits. Here, we demonstrate a mediated photon-photon interaction that results in a non-resonant photon blockade using a single element of these lattices, a cavity coupled to a qubit. The blockade is characterized by measuring the total transmitted power in a fixed measurement bandwidth while varying the energy spectrum of the photons incident on the cavity. A staircase with four distinct steps emerges, which can be understood in analogy with electron transport and the Coulomb blockade in quantum dots. This work differs from previous efforts in that the cavity-qubit excitations retain a photonic nature rather than a hybridization of qubit and photon.

Non-Gaussian states represent a powerful resource for quantum information protocols in the continuous variables regime. Cat states, in particular, have been produced in the motional degree of freedom of trapped ions by controlled displacements dependent on the ionic internal state. An alternative method harnesses the Kerr nonlinearity naturally existent in this kind of system. We present detailed calculations confirming its feasibility for typical experimental conditions. Additionally, this method permits the generation of complex non-Gaussian states with negative Wigner functions. Especially, superpositions of many coherent states are achieved at a fraction of the time necessary to produce the cat state.

The problem of one-dimensional quantum wire along which a moving particle interacts with a linear array of N delta-function potentials is studied. Using a quantum waveguide approach, the transfer matrix is calculated to obtain the transmission probability of the particle. Results for arbitrary N and for specific regular arrays are presented. Some particular symmetries and invariances of the delta-function potential array for the N = 2 case are analyzed in detail. It is shown that perfect transmission can take place in a variety of situations.

The Caldeira-Leggett Hamiltonian (Eq. (1) below) describes the interaction of a discrete harmonic oscillator with a continuous bath of harmonic oscillators. This system is a standard model of dissipation in macroscopic low temperature physics, and has applications to superconductors, quantum computing, and macroscopic quantum tunneling. The similarities between the Caldeira-Leggett model and the linearized Vlasov-Poisson equation are analyzed, and it is shown that the damping in the Caldeira-Leggett model is analogous to that of Landau damping in plasmas [1]. An invertible linear transformation [2, 3] is presented that converts solutions of the Caldeira-Leggett model into solutions of the linearized Vlasov-Poisson system.

We present exact formulas for the entanglement and R\'{e}nyi entropies generated at a quantum point contact (QPC) in terms of the statistics of charge fluctuations, which we illustrate with examples from both equilibrium and non-equilibrium transport. The formulas are also applicable to groundstate entanglement in systems described by non-interacting fermions in any dimension, which in one dimension includes the critical spin-1/2 XX and Ising models where conformal field theory predictions for the entanglement and R\'{e}nyi entropies are reproduced from the full counting statistics. These results may play a crucial role in the experimental detection of many-body entanglement in mesoscopic structures and cold atoms in optical lattices.

With an eye on developing a quantum theory of gravity, many physicists have recently searched for quantum challenges to the equivalence principle of general relativity. However, as historians and philosophers of science are well aware, the principle of equivalence is not so clear. When clarified, we think quantum tests of the equivalence principle won't yield much. The problem is that the clash/not-clash is either already evident or guaranteed not to exist. Nonetheless, this work does help teach us what it means for a theory to be geometric.

We study the non-Abelian statistics of quasiparticles in the Ising-type quantum Hall states which are likely candidates to explain the observed Hall conductivity plateaus in the second Landau level, most notably the one at filling fraction nu=5/2. We complete the program started in Nucl. Phys. B 506, 685 (1997) and show that the degenerate four-quasihole and six-quasihole wavefunctions of the Moore-Read Pfaffian state are orthogonal with equal constant norms in the basis given by conformal blocks in a c=1+1/2 conformal field theory. As a consequence, this proves that the non-Abelian statistics of the excitations in this state are given by the explicit analytic continuation of these wavefunctions. Our proof is based on a plasma analogy derived from the Coulomb gas construction of Ising model correlation functions involving both order and (at most two) disorder operators. We show how this computation also determines the non-Abelian statistics of collections of more than six quasiholes and give an explicit expression for the corresponding conformal block-derived wavefunctions for an arbitrary number of quasiholes. Our method also applies to the anti-Pfaffian wavefunction and to Bonderson-Slingerland hierarchy states constructed over the Moore-Read and anti-Pfaffian states.

We study the excitation dynamics of an inhomogeneously broadened spin ensemble coupled to a single cavity mode. The collective mode coupled most strongly to the cavity acquires an energy shift which may be large enough to prevent its dephasing due to the inhomogeneity in the ensemble, while other collective modes evolve in a non-trivial manner due to the joint effect of the inhomogeneity and the coupling to the cavity. Rather than identifying stationary eigenmodes we define `bare time' modes, for which the dephasing due to inhomogeneities is described exactly as a linear translation. Interaction with the cavity mode `freezes' this translation of the strongly coupled spin mode, while other collective modes experience an additional translational shift as they propagate around the frozen mode. The result is relevant for multi-mode quantum memories where qubits are encoded in different spin waves.

Dynamical systems associated with a q-deformed two dimensional phase space are studied as effective dynamical systems described by ordinary variables. In quantum theory, the momentum operator in such a deformed phase space becomes a difference operator instead of the differential operator. Then, using the path integral representation for such a dynamical system, we derive an effective short-time action, which contains interaction terms even for a free particle with q-deformed phase space. Analysis is also made on the eigenvalue problem for a particle with q-deformed phase space confined in a compact space. Under some boundary conditions of the compact space, there arises fairly different structures from $q=1$ case in the energy spectrum of the particle and in the corresponding eigenspace .

We show how two qubits encoded in the orbital states of two quantum dots can be entangled or disentangled in a controlled way through their interaction with a weak electron current. The transmission/reflection spectrum of each scattered electron, acting as an entanglement mediator between the dots, shows a signature of the dot-dot entangled state. Strikingly, while few scattered carriers produce decoherence of the whole two-dots system, a larger number of electrons injected from one lead with proper energy is able to recover its quantum coherence. Our numerical simulations are based on a real-space solution of the three-particle Schroedinger equation with open boundaries. The computed transmission amplitudes are inserted in the analytical expression of the system density matrix in order to evaluate the entanglement.

We investigate the entanglement and nonlocality properties of one- and two-mode combination squeezed vacuum state (OTCSS, with two-parameter lamda and gamma) by analyzing the logarithmic negativity and the Bell's inequality. It is found that this state exhibits larger entanglement than that of the usual two-mode squeezed vacuum state (TSVS), and that in a certain regime of lamda, the violation of Bell's inequality becomes more obvious, which indicates that the nonlocality of OTCSS can be stronger than that of TSVS. As an application of OTCSS, the quantum teleportaion is examined, which shows that there is a region spanned by lamda and gamma in which the fidelity of OTCSS channel is larger than that of TSVS.

{\small We investigate nonclassical properties of the field states generated by subtracting any number photon from the squeezed thermal state (STS). It is found that the normalization factor of photon-subtracted STS (PSSTS) is a Legendre polynomial of squeezing parameter }${\small r}${\small \ and average photon number }$\bar{n}$ {\small of thermal state. Expressions of several quasi-probability distributions of PSSTS are derived analytically. Furthermore, the nonclassicality is discussed in terms of the negativity of Wigner function (WF). It is shown that the WF of single PSSTS always has negative values if }$\bar{n}<\sinh^{2}r${\small \ at the phase space center. The decoherence effect on PSSTS is then included by analytically deriving the time evolution of WF. The results show that the WF of single PSSTS has negative value if }$2\kappa t<\ln\{1-(2\bar{n}+1)(\bar{n}-\sinh^{2}% r)${\small }$[(2\mathfrak{N}+1)(\bar{n}\cosh2r+\sinh^{2}r)]\}${\small, which is dependent not only on average number }$\mathfrak{N}${\small \ of environment, but also on }$\bar{n}$ {\small and }$r${\small . }

The problems associated with practical implementation of the scheme proposed for preparation of arbitrary states of polarization ququarts based on biphotons are discussed. The influence of frequency dispersion effects are considered, and the necessity of group velocities dispersion compensation in the frequency non-degenerate case even for continuous pumping is demonstrated. A method for this compensation is proposed and implemented experimentally. Physical restrictions on the quality of prepared two-photon states are revealed.

In a recent work, Y.D. Chong et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 105}, 053901 (2010)] proposed the idea of a coherent perfect absorber (CPA) as the time-reversed counterpart of a laser, in which a purely incoming radiation pattern is completely absorbed by a lossy medium. The optical medium that realizes CPA is obtained by reversing the gain with absorption, and thus it generally differs from the lasing medium. Here it is shown that a laser with an optical medium that satisfies the parity-time $(\mathcal{PT})$ symmetry condition $\epsilon(-\mathbf{r})=\epsilon^*(\mathbf{r})$ for the dielectric constant behaves simultaneously as a laser oscillator (i.e. it can emit outgoing coherent waves) and as a CPA (i.e. it can fully absorb incoming coherent waves with appropriate amplitudes and phases). Such a device can be thus referred to as a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric CPA-laser. The general amplification/absorption features of the $\mathcal{PT}$ CPA-laser below lasing threshold driven by two fields are determined.

Light propagation in distributed feedback optical structures with gain/loss regions is shown to provide an accessible laboratory tool to visualize in optics the spectral properties of the one-dimensional Dirac equation with non-Hermitian interactions. Spectral singularities and PT symmetry breaking of the Dirac Hamiltonian are shown to correspond to simple observable physical quantities and related to well-known physical phenomena like resonance narrowing and laser oscillation.

Reflectionless defects in Hermitian tight-binding lattices, synthesized by the intertwining operator technique of supersymmetric quantum mechanics, are generally not invisible and time-of-flight measurements could reveal the existence of the defects. Here it is shown that, in a certain class of non-Hermitian tight-binding lattices with complex hopping amplitudes, defects in the lattice can appear fully invisible to an outside observer. The synthesized non-Hermitian lattices with invisible defects possess a real-valued energy spectrum, however they lack of parity-time (PT) symmetry, which does not play any role in the present work.

Entanglement charge is an operational measure to quantify nonlocalities in ensembles consisting of bipartite quantum states. Here we generalize this nonlocality measure to single bipartite quantum states. As an example, we analyze the entanglement charges of some thermal states of two-qubit systems and show how they depend on the temperature and the system parameters in an analytical way.

Quantum eigenstates undergoing cyclic changes acquire a phase factor of geometric origin. This phase, known as the Berry phase, or the geometric phase, has found applications in a wide range of disciplines throughout physics, including atomic and molecular physics, condensed matter physics, optics, and classical dynamics. In this article, the basic theory of the geometric phase is presented along with a number of representative applications.

The article begins with an account of the geometric phase for cyclic adiabatic evolutions. An elementary derivation is given along with a worked example for two-state systems. The implications of time-reversal are explained, as is the fundamental connection between the geometric phase and energy level degeneracies. We also discuss methods of experimental observation. A brief account is given of geometric magnetism; this is a Lorenz-like force of geometric origin which appears in the dynamics of slow systems coupled to fast ones.

A number of theoretical developments of the geometric phase are presented. These include an informal discussion of fibre bundles, and generalizations of the geometric phase to degenerate eigenstates (the nonabelian case) and to nonadiabatic evolution. There follows an account of applications. Manifestations in classical physics include the Hannay angle and kinematic geometric phases. Applications in optics concern polarization dynamics, including the theory and observation of Pancharatnam's phase. Applications in molecular physics include the molecular Aharonov-Bohm effect and nuclear magnetic resonance studies. In condensed matter physics, we discuss the role of the geometric phase in the theory of the quantum Hall effect.

We compare the quantisation of linear systems of bosons and fermions. After stating the existing facts on bosons, we discuss the pre-quantisation and quantisation of fermions using calculus of fermionic variables. We then define a natural connection on the bundle of Hilbert spaces and show that it is projectively flat. This identifies, up to a phase, constructions of the spinor representation under various polarisations. We introduce the concept of metaplectic correction for fermions and show that the bundle of corrected Hilbert spaces is naturally flat. We then show that the parallel transport in the bundle of Hilbert spaces along a geodesic is the rescaled projection or the Bogoliubov transformation provided the geodesic lies within the complement of a cut locus. The decomposition of the bundle of Hilbert spaces when there is a symmetry is also studied.

The ability of fully reconstructing quantum maps is a fundamental task of quantum information, in particular when coupling with the environment and experimental imperfections of devices are taken into account. In this context we carry out a quantum process tomography (QPT) approach for a set of non trace-preserving maps. We introduce an operator $\OO$ to characterize the state dependent probability of success for the process under investigation. We also evaluate the result of approximating the process with a trace-preserving one.