The role of entanglement in dynamical evolution

Entanglement or entanglement generating interactions permit to achieve the maximum allowed speed in the dynamical evolution of a composite system, when the energy resources are distributed among subsystems. The cases of pre-existing entanglement and of entanglement-building interactions are separately addressed. The role of classical correlations is also discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Revised versio

Quantum channels and their entropic characteristics

One of the major achievements of the recently emerged quantum information theory is the introduction and thorough investigation of the notion of quantum channel which is a basic building block of any data-transmitting or data-processing system. This development resulted in an elaborated structural theory and was accompanied by the discovery of a whole spectrum of entropic quantities, notably the channel capacities, characterizing information-processing performance of the channels. This paper gives a survey of the main properties of quantum channels and of their entropic characterization, with a variety of examples for finite dimensional quantum systems. We also touch upon the "continuous-variables" case, which provides an arena for quantum Gaussian systems. Most of the practical realizations of quantum information processing were implemented in such systems, in particular based on principles of quantum optics. Several important entropic quantities are introduced and used to describe the basic channel capacity formulas. The remarkable role of the specific quantum correlations - entanglement - as a novel communication resource, is stressed.Comment: review article, 60 pages, 5 figures, 194 references; Rep. Prog. Phys. (in press

Limits to clock synchronization induced by completely dephasing communication channels

Clock synchronization procedures are analyzed in the presence of imperfect communications. In this context we show that there are physical limitations which prevent one from synchronizing distant clocks when the intervening medium is completely dephasing, as in the case of a rapidly varying dispersive medium.Comment: 6 Pages. Revised version as published in PR

Improved transfer of quantum information using a local memory

We demonstrate that the quantum communication between two parties can be significantly improved if the receiver is allowed to store the received signals in a quantum memory before decoding them. In the limit of an infinite memory, the transfer is perfect. We prove that this scheme allows the transfer of arbitrary multipartite states along Heisenberg chains of spin-1/2 particles with random coupling strengths.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; added references to homogenization and asymptotic completenes

A solution of the Gaussian optimizer conjecture

The long-standing conjectures of the optimality of Gaussian inputs for Gaussian channel and Gaussian additivity are solved for a broad class of covariant or contravariant Bosonic Gaussian channels (which includes in particular thermal, additive classical noise, and amplifier channels) restricting to the class of states with finite second moments. We show that the vacuum is the input state which minimizes the entropy at the output of such channels. This allows us to show also that the classical capacity of these channels (under the input energy constraint) is additive and is achieved by Gaussian encodings.Comment: 24 pages, no figures (minor typos corrected

Selective writing and read-out of a register of static qubits

We propose a setup comprising an arbitrarily large array of static qubits (SQs), which interact with a flying qubit (FQ). The SQs work as a quantum register, which can be written or read-out by means of the FQ through quantum state transfer (QST). The entire system, including the FQ's motional degrees of freedom, behaves quantum mechanically. We demonstrate a strategy allowing for selective QST between the FQ and a single SQ chosen from the register. This is achieved through a perfect mirror located beyond the SQs and suitable modulation of the inter-SQ distances.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Full control by locally induced relaxation

We demonstrate a scheme for controlling a large quantum system by acting on a small subsystem only. The local control is mediated to the larger system by some fixed coupling Hamiltonian. The scheme allows to transfer arbitrary and unknown quantum states from a memory on the large system (``upload access'') as well as the inverse (``download access''). We study sufficient conditions of the coupling Hamiltonian and give lower bounds on the fidelities for downloading and uploading.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Quantum metrology

We point out a general framework that encompasses most cases in which quantum effects enable an increase in precision when estimating a parameter (quantum metrology). The typical quantum precision-enhancement is of the order of the square root of the number of times the system is sampled. We prove that this is optimal and we point out the different strategies (classical and quantum) that permit to attain this bound.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

High-temperature, high-pressure spherical segment valve Patent

High-temperature, high-pressure spherical segment valv