7,256 research outputs found
Cognitive demands of face monitoring: Evidence for visuospatial overload
Young children perform difficult communication tasks better face to face than when they cannot see one another (e.g., Doherty-Sneddon & Kent, 1996). However, in recent studies, it was found that children aged 6 and 10 years, describing abstract shapes, showed evidence of face-to-face interference rather than facilitation. For some communication tasks, access to visual signals (such as facial expression and eye gaze) may hinder rather than help children’s communication. In new research we have pursued this interference effect. Five studies are described with adults and 10- and 6-year-old participants. It was found that looking at a face interfered with children’s abilities to listen to descriptions of abstract shapes. Children also performed visuospatial memory tasks worse when they looked at someone’s face prior to responding than when they looked at a visuospatial pattern or at the floor. It was concluded that performance on certain tasks was hindered by monitoring another person’s face. It is suggested that processing of visual communication signals shares certain processing resources with the processing of other visuospatial information
Continuous quantum error correction via quantum feedback control
We describe a protocol for continuously protecting unknown quantum states
from decoherence that incorporates design principles from both quantum error
correction and quantum feedback control. Our protocol uses continuous
measurements and Hamiltonian operations, which are weaker control tools than
are typically assumed for quantum error correction. We develop a cost function
appropriate for unknown quantum states and use it to optimize our
state-estimate feedback. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we study our protocol
for the three-qubit bit-flip code in detail and demonstrate that it can improve
the fidelity of quantum states beyond what is achievable using quantum error
correction when the time between quantum error correction cycles is limited.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, REVTeX; references fixe
Sensitivity optimization in quantum parameter estimation
We present a general framework for sensitivity optimization in quantum
parameter estimation schemes based on continuous (indirect) observation of a
dynamical system. As an illustrative example, we analyze the canonical scenario
of monitoring the position of a free mass or harmonic oscillator to detect weak
classical forces. We show that our framework allows the consideration of
sensitivity scheduling as well as estimation strategies for non-stationary
signals, leading us to propose corresponding generalizations of the Standard
Quantum Limit for force detection.Comment: 15 pages, RevTe
Effects of motion in cavity QED
We consider effects of motion in cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments
where single cold atoms can now be observed inside the cavity for many Rabi
cycles. We discuss the timescales involved in the problem and the need for good
control of the atomic motion, particularly the heating due to exchange of
excitation between the atom and the cavity, in order to realize nearly unitary
dynamics of the internal atomic states and the cavity mode which is required
for several schemes of current interest such as quantum computing. Using a
simple model we establish ultimate effects of the external atomic degrees of
freedom on the action of quantum gates. The perfomance of the gate is
characterized by a measure based on the entanglement fidelity and the motional
excitation caused by the action of the gate is calculated. We find that schemes
which rely on adiabatic passage, and are not therefore critically dependent on
laser pulse areas, are very much more robust against interaction with the
external degrees of freedom of atoms in the quantum gate.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, REVTeX, to be published in Walls Symposium
Special Issue of Journal of Optics
Local Quantum Measurement and No-Signaling Imply Quantum Correlations
We show that, assuming that quantum mechanics holds locally, the finite speed
of information is the principle that limits all possible correlations between
distant parties to be quantum mechanical as well. Local quantum mechanics means
that a Hilbert space is assigned to each party, and then all local
positive-operator-valued measurements are (in principle) available; however,
the joint system is not necessarily described by a Hilbert space. In
particular, we do not assume the tensor product formalism between the joint
systems. Our result shows that if any experiment would give nonlocal
correlations beyond quantum mechanics, quantum theory would be invalidated even
locally.Comment: Published version. 5 pages, 1 figure
A Quantum Non-demolition measurement of Fock states of mesoscopic mechanical oscillators
We investigate a scheme that makes a quantum non-demolition measurement of
the excitation level of a mesoscopic mechanical oscillator by utilizing the
anharmonic coupling between two elastic beam bending modes. The non-linear
coupling between the two modes shifts the resonant frequency of the readout
oscillator proportionate to the excitation of the system oscillator. This
frequency shift may be detected as a phase shift of the readout oscillation
when driven on resonance. We show that in an appropriate regime this
measurement approaches a quantum non-demolition measurement of the phonon
number of the system oscillator. As phonon energies in micromechanical
oscillators become comparable to or greater than the thermal energy, the
individual phonon dynamics within each mode can be resolved. As a result it
should be possible to monitor jumps between Fock states caused by the coupling
of the system to the thermal reservoirs.Comment: revised, 21 pages, 9 figure
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