Lower bounds on the dilation of plane spanners

(I) We exhibit a set of 23 points in the plane that has dilation at least $1.4308$, improving the previously best lower bound of $1.4161$ for the worst-case dilation of plane spanners. (II) For every integer $n\geq13$, there exists an $n$-element point set $S$ such that the degree 3 dilation of $S$ denoted by $\delta_0(S,3) \text{ equals } 1+\sqrt{3}=2.7321\ldots$ in the domain of plane geometric spanners. In the same domain, we show that for every integer $n\geq6$, there exists a an $n$-element point set $S$ such that the degree 4 dilation of $S$ denoted by $\delta_0(S,4) \text{ equals } 1 + \sqrt{(5-\sqrt{5})/2}=2.1755\ldots$ The previous best lower bound of $1.4161$ holds for any degree. (III) For every integer $n\geq6$, there exists an $n$-element point set $S$ such that the stretch factor of the greedy triangulation of $S$ is at least $2.0268$.Comment: Revised definitions in the introduction; 23 pages, 15 figures; 2 table

Quantum Communication Through an Unmodulated Spin Chain

We propose a scheme for using an unmodulated and unmeasured spin-chain as a channel for short distance quantum communications. The state to be transmitted is placed on one spin of the chain and received later on a distant spin with some fidelity. We first obtain simple expressions for the fidelity of quantum state transfer and the amount of entanglement sharable between any two sites of an arbitrary Heisenberg ferromagnet using our scheme. We then apply this to the realizable case of an open ended chain with nearest neighbor interactions. The fidelity of quantum state transfer is obtained as an inverse discrete cosine transform and as a Bessel function series. We find that in a reasonable time, a qubit can be directly transmitted with better than classical fidelity across the full length of chains of up to 80 spins. Moreover, the spin-chain channel allows distillable entanglement to be shared over arbitrarily large distances.Comment: Much improved versio

On the normalization of Killing vectors and energy conservation in two-dimensional gravity

We explicitly show that, in the context of a recently proposed 2D dilaton gravity theory, energy conservation requires the ``natural'' Killing vector to have, asymptotically, an unusual normalization. The Hawking temperature $T_H$ is then calculated according to this prescription.Comment: 7 pages, Latex, no figure

Reproducing spin lattice models in strongly coupled atom-cavity systems

In an array of coupled cavities where the cavities are doped with an atomic V-system, and the two excited levels couple to cavity photons of different polarizations, we show how to construct various spin models employed in characterizing phenomena in condensed matter physics, such as the spin-1/2 Ising, XX, Heisenberg, and XXZ models. The ability to construct networks of arbitrary geometry also allows for the simulation of topological effects. By tuning the number of excitations present, the dimension of the spin to be simulated can be controlled, and mixtures of different spin types produced. The facility of single-site addressing, the use of only the natural hopping photon dynamics without external fields, and the recent experimental advances towards strong coupling, makes the prospect of using these arrays as efficient quantum simulators promising.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. v3: References adde

Weighted Scale-free Networks in Euclidean Space Using Local Selection Rule

A spatial scale-free network is introduced and studied whose motivation has been originated in the growing Internet as well as the Airport networks. We argue that in these real-world networks a new node necessarily selects one of its neighbouring local nodes for connection and is not controlled by the preferential attachment as in the Barab\'asi-Albert (BA) model. This observation has been mimicked in our model where the nodes pop-up at randomly located positions in the Euclidean space and are connected to one end of the nearest link. In spite of this crucial difference it is observed that the leading behaviour of our network is like the BA model. Defining link weight as an algebraic power of its Euclidean length, the weight distribution and the non-linear dependence of the nodal strength on the degree are analytically calculated. It is claimed that a power law decay of the link weights with time ensures such a non-linear behavior. Switching off the Euclidean space from the same model yields a much simpler definition of the Barab\'asi-Albert model where numerical effort grows linearly with $N$.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Statistical Communication Theory

Contains reports on work completed and one research projects.Joint Services Electronics Programs (U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, and U. S. Air Force) under Contract DA 28-043-AMC-02536(E)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGR-22-009-304

Solving the Graceful Exit Problem in Superstring Cosmology

We briefly review the status of the ``graceful exit'' problem in superstring cosmology and present a possible resolution. It is shown that there exists a solution to this problem in two-dimensional dilaton gravity provided quantum corrections are incorporated. This is similar to the recently proposed solution of Rey. However, unlike in his case, in our one-loop corrected model the graceful exit problem is solved for any finite number of massless scalar matter fields present in the theory.Comment: 8 pages, RevTex. Based on talk given at Conference on Big Bang and Alternative Cosmologies: A Critical Appraisal, Bangalore, India, January, 199

Long-lived spin entanglement induced by a spatially correlated thermal bath

We investigate how two spatially separated qubits coupled to a common heat bath can be entangled by purely dissipative dynamics. We identify a dynamical time scale associated with the lifetime of the dissipatively generated entanglement and show that it can be much longer than either the typical single-qubit decoherence time or the time scale on which a direct exchange interaction can entangle the qubits. We give an approximate analytical expression for the long-time evolution of the qubit concurrence and propose an ion trap scheme in which such dynamics should be observable.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Teleportation as a Depolarizing Quantum Channel, Relative Entropy and Classical Capacity

We show that standard teleportation with an arbitrary mixed state resource is equivalent to a generalized depolarizing channel with probabilities given by the maximally entangled components of the resource. This enables the usage of any quantum channel as a generalized depolarizing channel without additional twirling operations. It also provides a nontrivial upper bound on the entanglement of a class of mixed states. Our result allows a consistent and statistically motivated quantification of teleportation success in terms of the relative entropy and this quantification can be related to a classical capacity.Comment: Version published in Phys. Rev. Let