Simple Non-Markovian Microscopic Models for the Depolarizing Channel of a Single Qubit

The archetypal one-qubit noisy channels ---depolarizing, phase-damping and amplitude-damping channels--- describe both Markovian and non-Markovian evolution. Simple microscopic models for the depolarizing channel, both classical and quantum, are considered. Microscopic models which describe phase damping and amplitude damping channels are briefly reviewed.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures. Title corrected. Paper rewritten. Added references. Some typos and errors corrected. Author adde

Classical models may be a better explanation of the Jiuzhang 1.0 Gaussian Boson Sampler than its targeted squeezed light model

Recently, Zhong et al. performed landmark Gaussian boson sampling experiments with up to 144 modes using threshold detectors. The authors claim to have achieved quantum computational advantage with the implementation of these experiments, named Jiuzhang 1.0 and Jiuzhang 2.0. Their experimental results are validated against several classical hypotheses and adversaries using tests such as the comparison of statistical correlations between modes, Bayesian hypothesis testing and the Heavy Output Generation (HOG) test. We propose an alternative classical hypothesis for the validation of these experiments using the probability distribution of mixtures of coherent states sent into a lossy interferometer; these input mixed states, which we term squashed states, have vacuum fluctuations in one quadrature and excess fluctuations in the other. We find that for configurations in the high photon number density regime, the comparison of statistical correlations does not tell apart the ground truth of the experiment (two-mode squeezed states sent into an interferometer) from our alternative hypothesis. The Bayesian test indicates that, for all configurations excepting Jiuzhang 1.0, the ground truth is a more likely explanation of the experimental data than our alternative hypothesis. A similar result is obtained for the HOG test: for all configurations of Jiuzhang 2.0, the test indicates that the experimental samples have higher ground truth probability than the samples obtained form our alternative distribution; for Jiuzhang 1.0 the test is inconclusive. Our results provide a new hypothesis that should be considered in the validation of future GBS experiments, and shed light into the need to identify proper metrics to verify quantum advantage in the context of GBS. They also indicate that a classical explanation of the Jiuzhang 1.0 experiment, lacking any quantum features, has not been ruled out.Comment: The code used to calculate threshold probabilities can be found in the repository https://github.com/ polyquantique/torontonian-julia . All the data used in the computation of the validation tests is available upon reasonable request, or at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.714102

Anisotropic Dirac cones in monatomic hexagonal lattices

In the last few years, the fascinating properties of graphene have been thoroughly investigated. The existence of Dirac cones is the most important characteristic of the electronic band-structure of graphene. In this theoretical paper, hexagonal monolayers of silicon (h-Si) and germanium (h-Ge) are examined using density functional theory, within the generalized gradient approximation. Our numerical results indicate that both h-Si and h-Ge are chemically stable. The lattice parameters, electronic dispersion relations and densities of states for these systems are reported. The electronic dispersion relations display Dirac cones with the symmetry of an equilateral triangle (the group D$_3$) in the vicinity of the K points. Hence, the Fermi velocity depends on the wave vector direction around $K$ points. Fermi velocities for holes and electrons are significantly different. The maximum and minimum Fermi velocities are also reported.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in The European Physical Journal B (EPJB

An Exact Approach to the Oscillator Radiation Process in an Arbitrarily Large Cavity

Starting from a solution of the problem of a mechanical oscillator coupled to a scalar field inside a reflecting sphere of radius $R$, we study the behaviour of the system in free space as the limit of an arbitrarily large radius in the confined solution. From a mathematical point of view we show that this way of facing the problem is not equivalent to consider the system {\it a} {\it priori} embedded in infinite space. In particular, the matrix elements of the transformation turning the system to principal axis, do not tend to distributions in the limit of an arbitrarily large sphere as it should be the case if the two procedures were mathematically equivalent. Also, we introduce "dressed" coordinates which allow an exact description of the oscillator radiation process for any value of the coupling, strong or weak. In the case of weak coupling, we recover from our exact expressions the well known decay formulas from perturbation theory.Comment: 27 page