ArXiv quant-ph

In the present paper I formulate a framework that accommodates many unambiguous discrimination problems. I show that the prior information about any type of constituent (state, channel, or observable) allows us to reformulate the discrimination among finite number of alternatives as the discrimination among finite number of average constituents. Using this framework I solve several unambiguous tasks. I present a solution to optimal unambiguous comparison of two ensembles of unknown quantum states. I consider two cases: 1) The two unknown states are arbitrary pure states of qudits. 2) Alternatively, they are coherent states of single-mode optical fields. For this case I propose simple and optimal experimental setup composed of beam-splitters and a photodetector. As a second tasks I consider an unambiguous identification (UI) of coherent states. In this task identical quantum systems are prepared in coherent states and labeled as unknown and reference states, respectively. The promise is that one reference state is the same as the unknown state and the task is to find out unambiguously which one it is. The particular choice of the reference states is unknown to us, and only the probability distribution describing this choice is known. In a general case when multiple copies of unknown and reference states are available I propose a scheme consisting of beamsplitters and photodetectors that is optimal within linear optics. UI can be considered as a search in a quantum database, whose elements are the reference states and the query is represented by the unknown state. This perspective motivated me to show that reference states can be recovered after the measurement and might be used (with reduced success rate) in subsequent UI. Moreover, I analyze the influence of noise in preparation of coherent states on the performance of the proposed setup. Another problem I address is the unambiguous comparison of a pair of unknown qudit unitary channels. I characterize all solutions and identify the optimal ones. I prove that in optimal experiments for comparison of unitary channels the entanglement is necessary. The last task I studied is the unambiguous comparison of unknown non-degenerate projective measurements. I distinguish between measurement devices with apriori labeled and unlabeled outcomes. In both cases only the difference of the measurements can be concluded unambiguously. For the labeled case I derive the optimal strategy if each unknown measurement is used only once. However, if the apparatuses are not labeled, then each measurement device must be used (at least) twice. In particular, for qubit measurement apparatuses with unlabeled outcomes I derive the optimal test state in the two-shots scenario.

The Majorana representation of symmetric N-qubit states is employed here to investigate how correlation information of the whole pure symmetric state gets imprinted in its parts. It is shown that reduced states of (N - 1) qubits uniquely specify the entire class of pure N qubit states containing two distinct spinors.

We experimentally demonstrated that the quantum correlations of amplitude and phase quadratures between signal and idler beams produced from a non-degenerate optical parametric amplifier (NOPA) can be significantly improved by using a mode cleaner in the pump field and reducing the phase fluctuations in phase locking systems. Based on the two technical improvements the quantum entanglement measured with a two-mode homodyne detector is enhanced from ~ 4 dB to ~ 6 dB below the quantum noise limit using the same NOPA and nonlinear crystal.

A new scheme of quantum key distribution (QKD) using frequency and time coding is proposed, in which the security is based on the frequency-time uncertainty relation. In this scheme, the binary information sequence is encoded randomly on either the central frequency or the time delay at the sender. The central frequency of the single photon pulse is set as omega1 for bit "0" and set as omega2 for bit "1" when frequency coding is selected. While, the single photon pulse is not delayed for bit "0" and is delayed in tao for "1" when time coding is selected. At the receiver, either the frequency or the time delay of the pulse is measured randomly, and the final key is obtained after basis comparison, data reconciliation and privacy amplification. With the proposed method the photon splitting attack can also be detected, and the effect of the noise in the fiber channel and environment on QKD system can be reduced effectively.

Nonlinear coherent states (CSs) and their {\it dual families} were introduced recently. In this paper we want to obtain their superposition and investigate their non-classical properties such as antibunching effect, quadrature squeezing and amplitude squared squeezing. For this purpose two types of superposition are considered. In the first type we neglect the normalization factors of the two components of the dual pair, superpose them and then we normalize the obtained states, while in the second type we superpose the two normalized components and then again normalize the resultant states. As a physical realization, the formalism will then be applied to a special physical system with known nonlinearity function, i.e., Hydrogen-like spectrum. We continue with the (first type of) superposition of the dual pair of Gazeau-Klauder coherent states (GKCSs) as temporally stable CSs. An application of the proposal will be given by employing the P\"oschl-Teller potential system. The numerical results are presented and discussed in detail, showing the effects of this special quantum interference.

The quest for Anderson localization of light is at the center of many experimental and the- oretical activities. Atomic vapors play a particular role in this research field, as they show a number of specific properties which makes them quite different from other materials used to look for Anderson localization. The very narrow resonance of the atomic line, the mechanical effects of the light on the atoms and the potential for quantum features with of these scatter- ers calls for more detailed analysis of the behavior of light in large and dense samples of cold atoms.

We have studied the interplay between disorder and cooperative scattering for single scattering limit in the presence of a driving laser. Analytical results have been derived and we have observed cooperative scattering effects in a variety of experiments, ranging from thermal atoms in an optical dipole trap, atoms released from a dark MOT and atoms in a BEC, consistent with our theoretical predictions.

We show that black holes can be quantized in an intuitive and elegant way with results in agreement with conventional knowledge of black holes by using Bohr's idea of quantizing the motion of an electron inside the atom in quantum mechanics. We find that properties of black holes can be also derived from an Ansatz of quantized entropy $\Delta S=4\pi k {\Delta R / \lambdabar}$, which was suggested in a previous work to unify the black hole entropy formula and Verlinde's conjecture to explain gravity as an entropic force. Such an Ansatz also explains gravity as an entropic force from quantum effect. This suggests a way to unify gravity with quantum theory. Several interesting and surprising results of black holes are given from which we predict the existence of primordial black holes ranging from Planck scale both is size and energy to big ones in size but with low energy behaviors.

We propose a method to transfer the population and control the state of two-level and three-level atoms speeding-up Adiabatic Passage techniques while keeping their robustness versus parameter variations. The method is based on supplementing the standard laser beam setup of Adiabatic Passage methods with auxiliary steering laser pulses of orthogonal polarization. This provides a shortcut to adiabaticity driving the system along the adiabatic path defined by the standard setup.

A major challenge in quantum optics and quantum information technology is to enhance the interaction between single photons and single quantum emitters. Highly engineered optical cavities are generally implemented requiring nanoscale fabrication precision. We demonstrate a fundamentally different approach in which disorder is used as a resource rather than a nuisance. We generate strongly confined Anderson-localized cavity modes by deliberately adding disorder to photonic crystal waveguides. The emission rate of a semiconductor quantum dot embedded in the waveguide is enhanced by a factor of 15 on resonance with the Anderson-localized mode and 94 % of the emitted single-photons couple to the mode. Disordered photonic media thus provide an efficient platform for quantum electrodynamics offering an approach to inherently disorder-robust quantum information devices.

The Hamilton-Jacobi equation of relativistic quantum mechanics is revisited. The equation is shown to permit solutions in the form of breathers (nondispersive oscillating/spinning solitons), displaying simultaneous particle-like and wave-like behavior adaptable to the properties of the de Broglie clock. Within this formalism the de Broglie wave acquires the meaning of a localized excitation of the classical action function. The problem of quantization in terms of the breathing action function is discussed.

The concept of stochastic matrix product states is introduced and a natural form for the states is derived. This allows to define the analogue of Schmidt coefficients for steady states of non-equilibrium stochastic processes. We discuss a new measure for correlations which is analogous to the entanglement entropy, the entropy cost $S_C$, and show that this measure quantifies the bond dimension needed to represent a steady state as a matrix product state. We illustrate these concepts on the hand of the asymmetric exclusion process.

We discuss the possibility of generating noncritical quadrature squeezing by spontaneous polarization symmetry breaking. We consider first type-II frequency-degenerate optical parametric oscillators, but discard them for a number of reasons. Then we propose a four-wave mixing cavity in which the polarization of the output mode is always linear but has an arbitrary orientation. We show that in such a cavity complete noise suppression in a quadrature of the output field occurs, irrespective of the parameter values.

We demonstrate a scheme for direct absorption imaging of an ultracold ground-state polar molecular gas near quantum degeneracy. A challenge in imaging molecules is the lack of closed optical cycling transitions. Our technique relies on photon shot-noise limited absorption imaging on a strong bound-bound molecular transition. We present a systematic characterization of this imaging technique. Using this technique combined with time-of-flight (TOF) expansion, we demonstrate the capability to determine momentum and spatial distributions for the molecular gas. We anticipate that this imaging technique will be a powerful tool for studying molecular quantum gases.

We investigate how dynamical decoupling methods may be used to manipulate the time evolution of quantum many-body systems. These methods consist of sequences of external control operations designed to induce a desired dynamics. The systems considered for the analysis are one-dimensional spin-1/2 models, which, according to the parameters of the Hamiltonian, may be in the integrable or non-integrable limits, and in the gapped or gapless phases. We show that an appropriate control sequence may lead a chaotic chain to evolve as an integrable chain and a system in the gapless phase to behave as a system in the gapped phase. A key ingredient for the control schemes developed here is the possibility to use, in the same sequence, different time intervals between control operations.

The limits of direct unitary transformation of many-fermion Hamiltonians are explored. Practical application of such transformations requires that effective many-body interactions be discarded over the course of a calculation. The truncation of the Hamiltonian leads to finite errors and in some cases divergences. A new formalism is proposed to manage errors and avoid divergences. Removing all interactions from a many-fermion Hamiltonian reduces it to fermion number operators allowing for direct calculation of eigenvalues. If the same transformations are applied to the bare fermions, eigenfermions are produced whose Slater determinants form eigenstates. This enables a hierarchy of diagonalization methods of increasing accuracy as fewer interactions are discarded from the Hamiltonian.

We present in a unified manner the existing methods for scalable partial quantum process tomography. We focus on two main approaches: The one presented in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 100 (2008) 190403], and the ones described respectively in [Science 317 (2007) 1893] and [Phys. Rev. A 79 (2009) 042328], that can be combined together. The methods share an essential feature: They are based on the idea that the tomography of a quantum map can be efficiently performed by studying certain properties of a twirling of such map. From this perspective, in this paper we present extensions, improvements and comparative analyses of the scalable methods for partial quantum process tomography. We also clarify the significance of the extracted information, and introduce interesting and useful properties of the $\chi$-matrix representation of quantum maps that can be used to establish a clearer path towards achieving full tomography of quantum processes in a scalable way.

Many systems exhibit boundary law scaling for entanglement entropy in more than one spatial dimension. Here I describe three systems in 3+1 dimensions that violate the boundary law for entanglement entropy. The first is free Weyl fermions in a magnetic field, the second is a holographic strong coupling generalization of the Weyl fermion system, and the third is a strong topological insulator in the presence of dislocations. These systems are unified by the presence of a low energy description that includes many gapless 1+1 dimensional modes. I conclude with some comments on the search for highly entangled states of quantum matter and some potential experimental signatures.

A coupled atom-molecule condensate with an intraspecies Feshbach resonance is employed to explore matter wave bistability both in the presence and in the absence of a unidirectional optical ring cavity. In particular, a set of conditions are derived that allow the threshold for bistability, due both to two-body s-wave scatterings and to cavity-mediated two-body interactions, to be determined analytically. The latter bistability is found to support, not only transitions between a mixed (atom-molecule) state and a pure molecular state as in the former bistability, but also transitions between two distinct mixed states.

Probabilities in quantum theory are traditionally given by Born's rule as the expectation values of projection operators. Here it is shown that Born's rule is insufficient in universes so large that they contain identical multiple copies of observers, because one does not have definite projection operators to apply. Possible replacements for Born's rule include using the expectation value of various operators that are not projection operators, or using various options for the average density matrix of a region with an observation. The question of what replacement to use is part of the measure problem in cosmology.