Relative phase change during quantum operation

Quantum operations represented by completely positive maps encompass many of the physical processes and have been very powerful in describing quantum computation and information processing tasks. We introduce the notion of relative phase change for a quantum system undergoing quantum operation. We find that the relative phase shift of a system not only depends on the state of the system, but also depends on the initial state of the ancilla with which it might have interacted in the past. The relative phase change during a sequence of quantum operations is shown to be non-additive in nature. This property can attribute a `memory' to a quantum channel. Also the notion of relative phase shift helps us to define what we call `in-phase quantum channels'. We will present the relative phase shift for a qubit undergoing depolarizing channel and complete randomization and discuss their implications.Comment: Latex file, article style, 15 pages, no figures. Invited talk presented at First Feynman Festival on Quantum Computation at University of Maryland, College Park from August 23-28th, 2002 under the title ``Quantum phase during quantum operation'

Quantum Thermodynamics

Quantum thermodynamics is an emerging research field aiming to extend standard thermodynamics and non-equilibrium statistical physics to ensembles of sizes well below the thermodynamic limit, in non-equilibrium situations, and with the full inclusion of quantum effects. Fuelled by experimental advances and the potential of future nanoscale applications this research effort is pursued by scientists with different backgrounds, including statistical physics, many-body theory, mesoscopic physics and quantum information theory, who bring various tools and methods to the field. A multitude of theoretical questions are being addressed ranging from issues of thermalisation of quantum systems and various definitions of "work", to the efficiency and power of quantum engines. This overview provides a perspective on a selection of these current trends accessible to postgraduate students and researchers alike.Comment: 48 pages, improved and expanded several sections. Comments welcom

Coulomb entangler and entanglement testing network for waveguide qubits

We present a small network for the testing of the entanglement of two ballistic electron waveguide qubits. The network produces different output conditional on the presence or absence of entanglement. The structure of the network allows for the determination of successful entanglement operations through the measurement of the output of a single qubit. We also present a simple model of a dynamic coulomb-like interaction and use it to describe some characteristics of a proposed scheme for the entanglement of qubits in ballistic electron waveguides.Comment: 12 pages of text plus 7 figures: total 19 page

Quantum phase estimation algorithms with delays: effects of dynamical phases

The unavoidable finite time intervals between the sequential operations needed for performing practical quantum computing can degrade the performance of quantum computers. During these delays, unwanted relative dynamical phases are produced due to the free evolution of the superposition wave-function of the qubits. In general, these coherent "errors" modify the desired quantum interferences and thus spoil the correct results, compared to the ideal standard quantum computing that does not consider the effects of delays between successive unitary operations. Here, we show that, in the framework of the quantum phase estimation algorithm, these coherent phase "errors", produced by the time delays between sequential operations, can be avoided by setting up the delay times to satisfy certain matching conditions.Comment: 10 pages, no figur

A 2D Quantum Walk Simulation of Two-Particle Dynamics

Multi-dimensional quantum walks can exhibit highly non-trivial topological structure, providing a powerful tool for simulating quantum information and transport systems. We present a flexible implementation of a 2D optical quantum walk on a lattice, demonstrating a scalable quantum walk on a non-trivial graph structure. We realized a coherent quantum walk over 12 steps and 169 positions using an optical fiber network. With our broad spectrum of quantum coins we were able to simulate the creation of entanglement in bipartite systems with conditioned interactions. Introducing dynamic control allowed for the investigation of effects such as strong non-linearities or two-particle scattering. Our results illustrate the potential of quantum walks as a route for simulating and understanding complex quantum systems