Realistic Anisotropic Neutron Stars: Pressure Effects

In this paper, we study the impact of anisotropy on neutron stars with different equations of state, which have been modeled by a piecewise polytropic function with continuous sound speed. Anisotropic pressure in neutron stars is often attributed to interior magnetic fields, rotation, and the presence of exotic matter or condensates. We quantify the presence of anisotropy within the star by assuming a quasi-local relationship. We find that the radial and tangential sound velocities constrain the range of anisotropy allowed within the star. As expected, the anisotropy affects the macroscopic properties of stars, and it can be introduced to reconcile them with astrophysical observations. For instance, the maximum mass of anisotropic neutron stars can be increased by up to 15\% compared to the maximum mass of the corresponding isotropic configuration. This allows neutron stars to reach masses greater than $2.5M_\odot$, which may explain the secondary compact object of the GW190814 event. Additionally, we propose a universal relation for the binding energy of an anisotropic neutron star as a function of the star's compactness and the degree of anisotropy.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Adaptive Phase Estimation with Squeezed Vacuum Approaching the Quantum Limit

Phase estimation plays a central role in communications, sensing, and information processing. Quantum correlated states, such as squeezed states, enable phase estimation beyond the shot-noise limit, and in principle approach the ultimate quantum limit in precision, when paired with optimal quantum measurements. However, physical realizations of optimal quantum measurements for optical phase estimation with quantum correlated states are still unknown. Here we address this problem by introducing an adaptive Gaussian measurement strategy for optical phase estimation with squeezed vacuum states that, by construction, approaches the quantum limit in precision. This strategy builds from a comprehensive set of locally optimal POVMs through rotations and homodyne measurements and uses the Adaptive Quantum State Estimation framework for optimizing the adaptive measurement process, which, under certain regularity conditions, guarantees asymptotic optimality for this quantum parameter estimation problem. As a result, the adaptive phase estimation strategy based on locally-optimal homodyne measurements achieves the quantum limit within the phase interval of $[0, \pi/2)$. Furthermore, we generalize this strategy by including heterodyne measurements, enabling phase estimation across the full range of phases from $[0, \pi)$, where squeezed vacuum allows for unambiguous phase encoding. Remarkably, for this phase interval, which is the maximum range of phases that can be encoded in squeezed vacuum, this estimation strategy maintains an asymptotic quantum-optimal performance, representing a significant advancement in quantum metrology.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Correlated photon pairs generated from a warm atomic ensemble

We present measurements of the cross-correlation function of photon pairs at 780 nm and 1367 nm, generated in a hot rubidium vapor cell. The temporal character of the biphoton is determined by the dispersive properties of the medium where the pair generation takes place. We show that short correlation times occur for optically thick samples, which can be understood in terms of off-resonant pair generation. By modifying the linear response of the sample, we produce near-resonant photon pairs, which could in principle be used for entanglement distribution

The q\textit{q}-metric naked singularity: A viable explanation for the nature of the central object in the Milky Way

In this work, we investigate whether the compact object at the center of the Milky Way is a naked singularity described by the $\textit{q}$-metric spacetime. Our fitting of the astrometric and spectroscopic data for the S2 star implies that similarly to the Schwarzschild black hole, the $\textit{q}$-metric naked singularity offers a satisfactory fit to the observed measurements. Additionally, it is shown that the shadow produced by the naked singularity is consistent with the shadow observed by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration for Sgr-A*. It is worth mentioning that the spatial distribution of the S-stars favors the notion that the compact object at the center of our Galaxy can be described by an almost static spacetime. Based on these findings, the $\textit{q}$-metric naked singularity turns up as a compelling candidate for further investigation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Classical and Quantum Gravit