Characterizing finite-dimensional quantum behavior

We study and extend the semidefinite programming (SDP) hierarchies introduced in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 020501] for the characterization of the statistical correlations arising from finite dimensional quantum systems. First, we introduce the dimension-constrained noncommutative polynomial optimization (NPO) paradigm, where a number of polynomial inequalities are defined and optimization is conducted over all feasible operator representations of bounded dimensionality. Important problems in device independent and semi-device independent quantum information science can be formulated (or almost formulated) in this framework. We present effective SDP hierarchies to attack the general dimension-constrained NPO problem (and related ones) and prove their asymptotic convergence. To illustrate the power of these relaxations, we use them to derive new dimension witnesses for temporal and Bell-type correlation scenarios, and also to bound the probability of success of quantum random access codes.Comment: 17 page

Heuristic for estimation of multiqubit genuine multipartite entanglement

For every N-qubit density matrix written in the computational basis, an associated "X-density matrix" can be obtained by vanishing all entries out of the main- and anti-diagonals. It is very simple to compute the genuine multipartite (GM) concurrence of this associated N-qubit X-state, which, moreover, lower bounds the GM-concurrence of the original (non-X) state. In this paper, we rely on these facts to introduce and benchmark a heuristic for estimating the GM-concurrence of an arbitrary multiqubit mixed state. By explicitly considering two classes of mixed states, we illustrate that our estimates are usually very close to the standard lower bound on the GM-concurrence, being significantly easier to compute. In addition, while evaluating the performance of our proposed heuristic, we provide the first characterization of GM-entanglement in the steady states of the driven Dicke model at zero temperature.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure

Quantum Chaos, Delocalization, and Entanglement in Disordered Heisenberg Models

We investigate disordered one- and two-dimensional Heisenberg spin lattices across a transition from integrability to quantum chaos from both a statistical many-body and a quantum-information perspective. Special emphasis is devoted to quantitatively exploring the interplay between eigenvector statistics, delocalization, and entanglement in the presence of nontrivial symmetries. The implications of basis dependence of state delocalization indicators (such as the number of principal components) is addressed, and a measure of {\em relative delocalization} is proposed in order to robustly characterize the onset of chaos in the presence of disorder. Both standard multipartite and {\em generalized entanglement} are investigated in a wide parameter regime by using a family of spin- and fermion- purity measures, their dependence on delocalization and on energy spectrum statistics being examined. A distinctive {\em correlation between entanglement, delocalization, and integrability} is uncovered, which may be generic to systems described by the two-body random ensemble and may point to a new diagnostic tool for quantum chaos. Analytical estimates for typical entanglement of random pure states restricted to a proper subspace of the full Hilbert space are also established and compared with random matrix theory predictions.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, revised versio

Ground-State Entanglement in a Coupled-Cavity Model

Bipartite entanglement entropies are calculated for the ground state of the two-excitation subspace in a two-site coupled cavity model. Each region in the phase diagram (atomic insulator, polaritonic insulator, photonic superfluid, and polaritonic superfluid) is found to be characterized by unique entanglement properties. In particular, the polaritonic superfluid region exhibits multipartite entanglement among the two atoms and two cavity fields. This system provides a toy model in which a number of intriguing aspects of entanglement can be studied, such as the relationship of entanglement to phase transitions, entanglement of particles with different dimensionality, and the connection between experimentally accessible local observables and entanglement entropies.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Finite-time destruction of entanglement and non-locality by environmental influences

Entanglement and non-locality are non-classical global characteristics of quantum states important to the foundations of quantum mechanics. Recent investigations have shown that environmental noise, even when it is entirely local in influence, can destroy both of these properties in finite time despite giving rise to full quantum state decoherence only in the infinite time limit. These investigations, which have been carried out in a range of theoretical and experimental situations, are reviewed here.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, review article to appear in Foundations of Physic

Entanglement and correlations in composite quantum systems

Verschränkung ist eine der wichtigsten Besonderheiten der Quantentheorie, welche kein klassisches Analogon besitzt. Aufgrund dieser ist es nicht länger angemessen zusammengesetzte Systeme lediglich als eine Kombination von unabhängig voneinander beschreibbaren Subsystemen zu betrachten. Anstatt dessen gibt es Quantenzustände die inseparabel bezüglich der einzelnen Bestandteile des Systems sind. Wohingegen Verschränkung zunächst als eine Art künstlicher Fehler der Theorie angesehen wurde, hat sich deren Existenz mittlerweile durch zahlreiche Experimente bestätigt. Diese Gegebenheit hat weitreichende Konsequenzen. Auf einer fundamentalen Ebene lässt sich hiermit zeigen, daß es keine lokal-realistische Alternative zur Quantentheorie gibt. Zusätzlich stellt Verschränkung eine Ressource für neue Technologien der Informationsverarbeitung dar, wie z.B. Quantenkryptographie, Dense Coding, Quantenteleportation oder der Quantencomputer. Trotz intensiver Forschung in den letzten Jahrzehnten gibt es noch viele offene Fragen bezüglich Verschränkung und deren Manifestationen. Dies gilt insbesondere für Verschränkung in komplexen Vielteilchensystemen. Gegenstand dieser Dissertation ist es Verschränkung und nicht-lokal-realitsche Korrelationen in zusammengesetzten endlich-dimensionalen Quantensystemen (Multipartite Qudits) zu untersuchen und zu verstehen. Um die Analyse solcher Systeme zu erleichtern, werden neue mathematische Hilfsmittel, wie zum Beispiel praktische Parameterisierungen von unitären Gruppen, Dichtematrizen und Unterräumen vorgestellt. Die Struktur von Verschränkung in Vielteilchensystemen wird betrachtet, und eine exakte Charakterisierung von Multilevel-Vielteilchenverschränkung wird eingeführt. Es werden Methoden zur Verschränkungsdetektion angegeben, und deren experimentelle Implementierung diskutiert. Ein weiteres Thema ist die Quantifizierung von Verschränkung. In diesem Zusammenhang wird ein nützliches Maß für Vielteilchenverschränkung vorgestellt. Darüber hinaus wird auch die Klassifizierung von Vielteilchenverschränkung thematisiert, und ein systematischer Ansatz zur Unterscheidung verschiedener Klassen angegeben. Der letzte Teil dieser Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit Relationen zwischen Verschränkung und anderen fundamentalen Aspekten der Quantentheorie. Insbesondere wird eine Verbindung zwischen dem Komplementaritätsprinzip und dem Separabilitätsproblem hergestellt. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit gilt auch dem Zusammenhang zwischen Verschränkung und nicht-lokal-realitischen Korrelationen. Hier wird eine geometrische Struktur, welche diskreten zusammengesetzten Systemen zugrunde liegt, verwendet, um deren Verschiedenartigkeit veranschaulichen zu können.Entanglement is a key feature of quantum theory which has no classical analogue. Due to this feature it is no longer accurate to regard composite systems as a mere combination of independently describable subsystems. Instead there are quantum states which are inseparable with respect to the individual parts of the system. Initially regarded as an artifact of the theory, numerous experiments performed in the last decades have provided evidence of the existence of entanglement in nature. The consequences of entanglement are far-reaching. On a fundamental level, it allows to demonstrate that there is no local-realistic alternative to quantum theory. In addition, entanglement also serves as a resource for novel information processing technologies such as quantum cryptography, dense coding, quantum teleportation and quantum computing. Despite extensive research in recent years, several questions concerning entanglement and its manifestations still remain open --- especially in complex many-body systems. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate entanglement and non-local-realistic correlations in composite finite-dimensional quantum systems (i.e. multipartite qudits). In order to simplify the analysis of those systems, we present new mathematical tools such as convenient parameterizations for unitary groups, density matrices and subspaces. We study the structure of entanglement in multipartite systems and introduce a precise characterization of multilevel-multipartite entanglement. We consider methods for entanglement detection and discuss their implementation in experiments. Another problem treated in this thesis concerns the quantification of entanglement. Here, we introduce a useful measure of multipartite entanglement and derive computable lower bounds. Moreover, the classification of multipartite entanglement is also addressed, where a systematic approach for discriminating between different classes is given. The last part of this work deals with relations between entanglement and other foundational aspects of quantum theory. Specifically, we establish a link between complementarity and the separability problem. Particular attention is also devoted to the connection between entanglement and non-local-realistic correlations. Here, we exploit a geometric structure underlying discrete composite systems to illustrate their dissimilarities

Scalable and effective multi-level entangled photon states: a promising tool to boost quantum technologies

Multi-level (qudit) entangled photon states are a key resource for both fundamental physics and advanced applied science, as they can significantly boost the capabilities of novel technologies such as quantum communications, cryptography, sensing, metrology, and computing. The benefits of using photons for advanced applications draw on their unique properties: photons can propagate over long distances while preserving state coherence, and they possess multiple degrees of freedom (such as time and frequency) that allow scalable access to higher dimensional state encoding, all while maintaining low platform footprint and complexity. In the context of out-of-lab use, photon generation and processing through integrated devices and off-the-shelf components are in high demand. Similarly, multi-level entanglement detection must be experimentally practical, i.e., ideally requiring feasible single-qudit projections and high noise tolerance. Here, we focus on multi-level optical Bell and cluster states as a critical resource for quantum technologies, as well as on universal witness operators for their feasible detection and entanglement characterization. Time- and frequency-entangled states are the main platform considered in this context. We review a promising approach for the scalable, cost-effective generation and processing of these states by using integrated quantum frequency combs and fiber-based devices, respectively. We finally report an experimentally practical entanglement identification and characterization technique based on witness operators that is valid for any complex photon state and provides a good compromise between experimental feasibility and noise robustness. The results reported here can pave the way toward boosting the implementation of quantum technologies in integrated and widely accessible photonic platform

Multi-Photon Entanglement

Major efforts in quantum information science are devoted to the development of methods that are superior to the one of classical information processing, for example the quantum computer or quantum simulations. For these purposes, superposition and entangled states are considered a decisive resource. Furthermore, since the early days of quantum mechanics, entanglement has revealed the discrepancy between the quantum mechanical and the everyday life perception of the physical world. This combination of fundamental science and application-oriented research makes the realization, characterization, and application of entanglement a challenge pursued by many researchers. In this work, the observation of entangled states of polarization encoded photonic qubits is pushed forward in two directions: flexibility in state observation and increase in photon rate. To achieve flexibility two different schemes are developed: setup-based and entanglement-based observation of inequivalent multi-photon states. The setup-based scheme relies on multi-photon interference at a polarizing beam splitter with prior polarization manipulations. It allows the observation of a family of important four-photon entangled states. The entanglement-based scheme exploits the rich properties of Dicke states under particle projections or loss in order to obtain inequivalent multi-photon entangled states. The observed states are characterized using the fidelity and entanglement witnesses. An increase in photon rate is crucial to achieve entanglement of higher photon numbers. This holds especially, when photon sources are utilized that emit photons spontaneously. To this end, a new photon source is presented based on a femtosecond ultraviolet enhancement cavity and applied to the observation of the six-photon Dicke state with three excitations. The implemented schemes not only allow the observation of inequivalent types of entanglement, but also the realization of various quantum information tasks. In this work, the four-photon GHZ state has been used in a quantum simulation of a minimal instance of the toric code. This code enables the demonstration of basic properties of anyons, which are quasiparticles distinct from bosons and fermions. Further, the six-photon Dicke state has been applied for quantum metrology: It allows one to estimate a phase shift with a higher precision than by using only classical resources. Altogether, a whole series of experiments for observing inequivalent multi-photon entangled states can now be substituted by a single experimental setup based on the designs developed in this work. In addition to this new approach of photon processing, a novel photon source has been implemented, paving the way to realizations of applications requiring higher photon numbers.This material is posted here with permission of the IEEE. Such permission of the IEEE does not in any way imply IEEE endorsement of any of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München's products or services. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the IEEE by writing to [email protected]. By choosing to view this material, you agree to all provisions of the copyright laws protecting it