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

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

Finding passwords by random walks: How long does it take?

We compare an efficiency of a deterministic "lawnmower" and random search strategies for finding a prescribed sequence of letters (a password) of length M in which all letters are taken from the same Q-ary alphabet. We show that at best a random search takes two times longer than a "lawnmower" search.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. A, special issue on "Random Search Problem: Trends and Perspectives", eds.: MEG da Luz, E Raposo, GM Viswanathan and A Grosber

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

Entanglement Concentration Using Quantum Statistics

We propose an entanglement concentration scheme which uses only the effects of quantum statistics of indistinguishable particles. This establishes the fact that useful quantum information processing can be accomplished by quantum statistics alone. Due to the basis independence of statistical effects, our protocol requires less knowledge of the initial state than most entanglement concentration schemes. Moreover, no explicit controlled operation is required at any stage.Comment: 2 figure

Critical energy flux and mass in solvable theories of 2d dilaton gravity

In this paper we address the issue of determining the semiclassical threshold for black hole formation in the context of a one-parameter family of theories which continuously interpolates between the RST and BPP models. We find that the results depend significantly on the initial static configuration of the spacetime geometry before the influx of matter is turned on. In some cases there is a critical energy density, given by the Hawking rate of evaporation, as well as a critical mass $m_{cr}$ (eventually vanishing). In others there is neither $m_{cr}$ nor a critical flux.Comment: LaTeX file, 12 pages, 4 figure

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

Quantum communication between trapped ions through a dissipative environment

We study two trapped ions coupled to the axial phonon modes of a one-dimensional Coulomb crystal. This system is formally equivalent to the "two spin-boson" model. We propose a scheme to dynamically generate a maximally entangled state of two ions within a decoherence-free subspace. Here the phononic environment of the trapped ions, whatever its temperature and number of modes, serves as the entangling bus. The efficient production of the pure singlet state can be exploited to perform short-ranged quantum communication which is essential in building up a large-scale quantum computer.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Vacuum entanglement governs the bosonic character of magnons

It is well known that magnons, elementary excitations in a magnetic material, behave as bosons when their density is low. We study how the bosonic character of magnons is governed by the amount of a multipartite entanglement in the vacuum state on which magnons are excited. We show that if the multipartite entanglement is strong, magnons cease to be bosons. We also consider some examples, such as ground states of the Heisenberg ferromagnet and the transverse Ising model, the condensation of magnons, the one-way quantum computer, and Kitaev's toric code. Our result provides insights into the quantum statistics of elementary excitations in these models, and into the reason why a non-local transformation, such as the Jordan-Wigner transformation, is necessary for some many-body systems.Comment: 4 pages, no figur