Open Quantum Dynamics: Complete Positivity and Entanglement

We review the standard treatment of open quantum systems in relation to quantum entanglement, analyzing, in particular, the behaviour of bipartite systems immersed in a same environment. We first focus upon the notion of complete positivity, a physically motivated algebraic constraint on the quantum dynamics, in relation to quantum entanglement, i.e. the existence of statistical correlations which can not be accounted for by classical probability. We then study the entanglement power of heat baths versus their decohering properties, a topic of increasing importance in the framework of the fast developing fields of quantum information, communication and computation. The presentation is self contained and, through several examples, it offers a detailed survey of the physics and of the most relevant and used techniques relative to both quantum open system dynamics and quantum entanglement.Comment: LaTex, 77 page

Dissipation and decoherence in photon interferometry

The propagation of polarized photons in optical media can be effectively modeled by means of quantum dynamical semigroups. These generalized time evolutions consistently describe phenomena leading to loss of phase coherence and dissipation originating from the interaction with a large, external environment. High sensitive experiments in the laboratory can provide stringent bounds on the fundamental energy scale that characterizes these non-standard effects.Comment: 14 pages, plain-Te

Quantum decoherence and neutrino data

In this work we perform global fits of microscopic decoherence models of neutrinos to all available current data, including LSND and KamLAND spectral distortion results. In previous works on related issues the models used were supposed to explain LSND results by means of quantum gravity induced decoherence. However those models were purely phenomenological without any underlying microscopic basis. It is one of the main purposes of this article to use detailed microscopic decoherence models with complete positivity, to fit the data.The decoherence in these models has contributions not only from stochastic quantum gravity vacua operating as a medium, but also from conventional uncertainties in the energy of the (anti)neutrino beam. All these contributions lead to oscillation-length independent damping factors modulating the oscillatory terms from which one obtains an excellent fit to all available neutrino data, including LSND and Kamland spectral distortion.Comment: 27 pages, 2 figure

Effective dissipative dynamics for polarized photons

In the framework of open quantum systems, the propagation of polarized photons can be effectively described using quantum dynamical semigroups. These extended time-evolutions induce irreversibility and dissipation. Planned, high sensitive experiments, both in the laboratory and in space, will be able to put stringent bounds on these non-standard effects.Comment: 15 pages, plain-TeX, no figure

On linearity of separating multi-particle differential Schr\"odinger operators for identical particles

We show that hierarchies of differential Schroedinger operators for identical particles which are separating for the usual (anti-)symmetric tensor product, are necessarily linear, and offer some speculations on the source of quantum linearity.Comment: As accepted by Journal of Mathematical Physics. Original title "Separating multi-particle differential Schroedinger operators for identical particles are necessarily linear". Some new discussion and references. Main result unchanged. Uses RevTeX 4, 9 page

Quantum Dissipative Effects and Neutrinos : current constraints and future perspectives

We establish the most stringent experimental constraints coming from recent terrestrial neutrino experiments on quantum mechanical decoherence effects in neutrino systems. Taking a completely phenomenological approach, we probe vacuum oscillations plus quantum decoherence between two neutrino species in the channels $\nu_\mu \to \nu_\tau$, $\nu_\mu \to \nu_e$ and $\nu_e \to \nu_\tau$, admitting that the quantum decoherence parameter $\gamma$ is related to the neutrino energy $E_\nu$ as : $\gamma=\gamma_0 (E_\nu/\text{GeV})^{n}$, with $n=-1,0,1$ and 2. Our bounds are valid for a neutrino mass squared difference compatible with the atmospheric, the solar and, in many cases, the LSND scale. We also qualitatively discuss the perspectives of the future long baseline neutrino experiments to further probe quantum dissipation.Comment: 26 pages, 8 encapsulated postscript figure

World Aging Lessons Learned: Engaging Older Adults in International Activities in Increase Physical Activity Levels

Please refer to the pdf version of the abstract located adjacent to the title

High precision radial velocities with GIANO spectra

Radial velocities (RV) measured from near-infrared (NIR) spectra are a potentially excellent tool to search for extrasolar planets around cool or active stars. High resolution infrared (IR) spectrographs now available are reaching the high precision of visible instruments, with a constant improvement over time. GIANO is an infrared echelle spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) and it is a powerful tool to provide high resolution spectra for accurate RV measurements of exoplanets and for chemical and dynamical studies of stellar or extragalactic objects. No other high spectral resolution IR instrument has GIANO's capability to cover the entire NIR wavelength range (0.95-2.45 micron) in a single exposure. In this paper we describe the ensemble of procedures that we have developed to measure high precision RVs on GIANO spectra acquired during the Science Verification (SV) run, using the telluric lines as wavelength reference. We used the Cross Correlation Function (CCF) method to determine the velocity for both the star and the telluric lines. For this purpose, we constructed two suitable digital masks that include about 2000 stellar lines, and a similar number of telluric lines. The method is applied to various targets with different spectral type, from K2V to M8 stars. We reached different precisions mainly depending on the H -magnitudes: for H ~ 5 we obtain an rms scatter of ~ 10 m s-1, while for H ~ 9 the standard deviation increases to ~ 50 - 80 m s-1. The corresponding theoretical error expectations are ~4 m s-1 and 30 m s-1, respectively. Finally we provide the RVs measured with our procedure for the targets observed during GIANO Science Verification.Comment: 26 pages, 15 figures, 6 table

Probing possible decoherence effects in atmospheric neutrino oscillations

It is shown that the results of the Super-Kamiokande atmospheric neutrino experiment, interpreted in terms of nu_munu_tau flavor transitions, can probe possible decoherence effects induced by new physics (e.g., by quantum gravity) with high sensitivity, supplementing current laboratory tests based on kaon oscillations and on neutron interferometry. By varying the (unknown) energy dependence of such effects, one can either obtain strong limits on their amplitude, or use them to find an unconventional solution to the atmospheric nu anomaly based solely on decoherence.Comment: Title changed; major changes in the text; includes the discussion of a new solution to the atmosheric neutrino anomaly, based on decoherence; a second figure and a note have been adde

An optimised method for the proteomic profiling of full thickness human skin

Background The skin is the largest organ of the human body and is the first line barrier defence against trauma, microbial infiltration and radiation. Skin diseases can be a result of multi-systemic disease or an isolated condition. Due to its proteolysis resistant properties there are relatively few human skin proteomic datasets published compared with other human organs or body fluids. Skin is a challenging tissue to analyse using traditional proteomic techniques due to its high lipid content, insolubility and extensive cross-linking of proteins. This can complicate the isolation and digestion of proteins for analysis using mass spectrometry techniques. Results We have optimised a sample preparation procedure to improve solubilisation and mass spectral compatibility of full thickness skin samples. Using this technique, we were able to obtain data for the proteome profile of full thickness human skin using on-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography, followed by ultra-high definition label-free mass spectrometry analysis (UDMSE). We were able to identify in excess of 2000 proteins from a full thickness skin sample. Conclusions The adoption of on-line fractionation and optimised acquisition protocols utilising ion mobility separation (IMS) technology has significantly increased the scope for protein identifications ten-fold