427 research outputs found

    Measuring processes and the Heisenberg picture

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    In this paper, we attempt to establish quantum measurement theory in the Heisenberg picture. First, we review foundations of quantum measurement theory, that is usually based on the Schr\"{o}dinger picture. The concept of instrument is introduced there. Next, we define the concept of system of measurement correlations and that of measuring process. The former is the exact counterpart of instrument in the (generalized) Heisenberg picture. In quantum mechanical systems, we then show a one-to-one correspondence between systems of measurement correlations and measuring processes up to complete equivalence. This is nothing but a unitary dilation theorem of systems of measurement correlations. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of the statistical approach to quantum measurement theory, we focus on the extendability of instruments to systems of measurement correlations. It is shown that all completely positive (CP) instruments are extended into systems of measurement correlations. Lastly, we study the approximate realizability of CP instruments by measuring processes within arbitrarily given error limits.Comment: v

    Algebraic conformal quantum field theory in perspective

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    Conformal quantum field theory is reviewed in the perspective of Axiomatic, notably Algebraic QFT. This theory is particularly developped in two spacetime dimensions, where many rigorous constructions are possible, as well as some complete classifications. The structural insights, analytical methods and constructive tools are expected to be useful also for four-dimensional QFT.Comment: Review paper, 40 pages. v2: minor changes and references added, so as to match published versio

    A Physical Origin for Singular Support Conditions in Geometric Langlands Theory

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    We explain how the nilpotent singular support condition introduced into the geometric Langlands conjecture by Arinkin and Gaitsgory arises naturally from the point of view of N = 4 supersymmetric gauge theory. We define what it means in topological quantum field theory to restrict a category of boundary conditions to the full subcategory of objects compatible with a fixed choice of vacuum, both in functorial field theory and in the language of factorization algebras. For B-twisted N = 4 gauge theory with gauge group G, the moduli space of vacua is equivalent to h*/W , and the nilpotent singular support condition arises by restricting to the vacuum 0 in h*/W. We then investigate the categories obtained by restricting to points in larger strata, and conjecture that these categories are equivalent to the geometric Langlands categories with gauge symmetry broken to a Levi subgroup, and furthermore that by assembling such for the groups GL_n for all positive integers n one finds a hidden factorization structure for the geometric Langlands theory.Comment: 55 pages, 5 figures, more improvements to the expositio

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    Quantum Channels with Memory

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    We present a general model for quantum channels with memory, and show that it is sufficiently general to encompass all causal automata: any quantum process in which outputs up to some time t do not depend on inputs at times t' > t can be decomposed into a concatenated memory channel. We then examine and present different physical setups in which channels with memory may be operated for the transfer of (private) classical and quantum information. These include setups in which either the receiver or a malicious third party have control of the initializing memory. We introduce classical and quantum channel capacities for these settings, and give several examples to show that they may or may not coincide. Entropic upper bounds on the various channel capacities are given. For forgetful quantum channels, in which the effect of the initializing memory dies out as time increases, coding theorems are presented to show that these bounds may be saturated. Forgetful quantum channels are shown to be open and dense in the set of quantum memory channels.Comment: 21 pages with 5 EPS figures. V2: Presentation clarified, references adde

    A Combinatorial Approach to Nonlocality and Contextuality

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    So far, most of the literature on (quantum) contextuality and the Kochen-Specker theorem seems either to concern particular examples of contextuality, or be considered as quantum logic. Here, we develop a general formalism for contextuality scenarios based on the combinatorics of hypergraphs which significantly refines a similar recent approach by Cabello, Severini and Winter (CSW). In contrast to CSW, we explicitly include the normalization of probabilities, which gives us a much finer control over the various sets of probabilistic models like classical, quantum and generalized probabilistic. In particular, our framework specializes to (quantum) nonlocality in the case of Bell scenarios, which arise very naturally from a certain product of contextuality scenarios due to Foulis and Randall. In the spirit of CSW, we find close relationships to several graph invariants. The recently proposed Local Orthogonality principle turns out to be a special case of a general principle for contextuality scenarios related to the Shannon capacity of graphs. Our results imply that it is strictly dominated by a low level of the Navascu\'es-Pironio-Ac\'in hierarchy of semidefinite programs, which we also apply to contextuality scenarios. We derive a wealth of results in our framework, many of these relating to quantum and supraquantum contextuality and nonlocality, and state numerous open problems. For example, we show that the set of quantum models on a contextuality scenario can in general not be characterized in terms of a graph invariant. In terms of graph theory, our main result is this: there exist two graphs G1G_1 and G2G_2 with the properties \begin{align*} \alpha(G_1) &= \Theta(G_1), & \alpha(G_2) &= \vartheta(G_2), \\[6pt] \Theta(G_1\boxtimes G_2) & > \Theta(G_1)\cdot \Theta(G_2),& \Theta(G_1 + G_2) & > \Theta(G_1) + \Theta(G_2). \end{align*}Comment: minor revision, same results as in v2, to appear in Comm. Math. Phy

    Temporally stable coherent states for infinite well and P\"oschl-Teller potentials

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    This paper is a direct illustration of a construction of coherent states which has been recently proposed by two of us (JPG and JK). We have chosen the example of a particle trapped in an infinite square-well and also in P\"oschl-Teller potentials of the trigonometric type. In the construction of the corresponding coherent states, we take advantage of the simplicity of the solutions, which ultimately stems from the fact they share a common SU(1,1) symmetry \`a la Barut--Girardello. Many properties of these states are then studied, both from mathematical and from physical points of view.Comment: 48 pages, 21 figure

    Modular Invariants from Subfactors: Type I Coupling Matrices and Intermediate Subfactors

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    A braided subfactor determines a coupling matrix Z which commutes with the S- and T-matrices arising from the braiding. Such a coupling matrix is not necessarily of "type I", i.e. in general it does not have a block-diagonal structure which can be reinterpreted as the diagonal coupling matrix with respect to a suitable extension. We show that there are always two intermediate subfactors which correspond to left and right maximal extensions and which determine "parent" coupling matrices Z^\pm of type I. Moreover it is shown that if the intermediate subfactors coincide, so that Z^+=Z^-, then Z is related to Z^+ by an automorphism of the extended fusion rules. The intertwining relations of chiral branching coefficients between original and extended S- and T-matrices are also clarified. None of our results depends on non-degeneracy of the braiding, i.e. the S- and T-matrices need not be modular. Examples from SO(n) current algebra models illustrate that the parents can be different, Z^+\neq Z^-, and that Z need not be related to a type I invariant by such an automorphism.Comment: 25 pages, latex, a new Lemma 6.2 added to complete an argument in the proof of the following lemma, minor changes otherwis

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