Quantum many particle systems in ring-shaped optical lattices

In the present work we demonstrate how to realize 1d-optical closed lattice experimentally, including a {\it tunable} boundary phase-twist. The latter may induce ``persistent currents'', visible by studing the atoms' momentum distribution. We show how important phenomena in 1d-physics can be studied by physical realization of systems of trapped atoms in ring-shaped optical lattices. A mixture of bosonic and/or fermionic atoms can be loaded into the lattice, realizing a generic quantum system of many interacting particles.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. To be published in PR

Out of equilibrium correlation functions of quantum anisotropic XY models: one-particle excitations

We calculate exactly matrix elements between states that are not eigenstates of the quantum XY model for general anisotropy. Such quantities therefore describe non equilibrium properties of the system; the Hamiltonian does not contain any time dependence. These matrix elements are expressed as a sum of Pfaffians. For single particle excitations on the ground state the Pfaffians in the sum simplify to determinants.Comment: 11 pages, no figures; revtex. Minor changes in the text; list of refs. modifie

Exact relationship between the entanglement entropies of XY and quantum Ising chains

We consider two prototypical quantum models, the spin-1/2 XY chain and the quantum Ising chain and study their entanglement entropy, S(l,L), of blocks of l spins in homogeneous or inhomogeneous systems of length L. By using two different approaches, free-fermion techniques and perturbational expansion, an exact relationship between the entropies is revealed. Using this relation we translate known results between the two models and obtain, among others, the additive constant of the entropy of the critical homogeneous quantum Ising chain and the effective central charge of the random XY chain.Comment: 6 page

Entanglement evolution after connecting finite to infinite quantum chains

We study zero-temperature XX chains and transverse Ising chains and join an initially separate finite piece on one or on both sides to an infinite remainder. In both critical and non-critical systems we find a typical increase of the entanglement entropy after the quench, followed by a slow decay towards the value of the homogeneous chain. In the critical case, the predictions of conformal field theory are verified for the first phase of the evolution, while at late times a step structure can be observed.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure

Making SPIFFI SPIFFIER: Upgrade of the SPIFFI instrument for use in ERIS and performance analysis from re-commissioning

SPIFFI is an AO-fed integral field spectrograph operating as part of SINFONI on the VLT, which will be upgraded and reused as SPIFFIER in the new VLT instrument ERIS. In January 2016, we used new technology developments to perform an early upgrade to optical subsystems in the SPIFFI instrument so ongoing scientific programs can make use of enhanced performance before ERIS arrives in 2020. We report on the upgraded components and the performance of SPIFFI after the upgrade, including gains in throughput and spatial and spectral resolution. We show results from re-commissioning, highlighting the potential for scientific programs to use the capabilities of the upgraded SPIFFI. Finally, we discuss the additional upgrades for SPIFFIER which will be implemented before it is integrated into ERIS.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figures. Proceedings from SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 201

Noise reduction in gravitational wave interferometers using feedback

We show that the quantum locking scheme recently proposed by Courty {\it et al.} [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 90}, 083601 (2003)] for the reduction of back action noise is able to significantly improve the sensitivity of the next generation of gravitational wave interferometers.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures, in print in the Special Issue of J. Opt. B on Fluctuations and Noise in Photonics and Quantum Optic

Quantum correlations in a few-atom spin-1 Bose-Hubbard model

We study the thermal quantum correlations and entanglement in spin-1 Bose-Hubbard model with two and three particles. While we use negativity to calculate entanglement, more general non-classical correlations are quantified using a new measure based on a necessary and sufficient condition for zero-discord state. We demonstrate that the energy level crossings in the ground state of the system are signalled by both the behavior of thermal quantum correlations and entanglement

Three-tangle for mixtures of generalized GHZ and generalized W states

We give a complete solution for the three-tangle of mixed three-qubit states composed of a generalized GHZ state, a|000>+b|111>, and a generalized W state, c|001>+d|010>+f|100>. Using the methods introduced by Lohmayer et al. we provide explicit expressions for the mixed-state three-tangle and the corresponding optimal decompositions for this more general case. Moreover, as a special case we obtain a general solution for a family of states consisting of a generalized GHZ state and an orthogonal product state