13,026 research outputs found
Advances in delimiting the Hilbert-Schmidt separability probability of real two-qubit systems
We seek to derive the probability--expressed in terms of the Hilbert-Schmidt
(Euclidean or flat) metric--that a generic (nine-dimensional) real two-qubit
system is separable, by implementing the well-known Peres-Horodecki test on the
partial transposes (PT's) of the associated 4 x 4 density matrices). But the
full implementation of the test--requiring that the determinant of the PT be
nonnegative for separability to hold--appears to be, at least presently,
computationally intractable. So, we have previously implemented--using the
auxiliary concept of a diagonal-entry-parameterized separability function
(DESF)--the weaker implied test of nonnegativity of the six 2 x 2 principal
minors of the PT. This yielded an exact upper bound on the separability
probability of 1024/{135 pi^2} =0.76854$. Here, we piece together
(reflection-symmetric) results obtained by requiring that each of the four 3 x
3 principal minors of the PT, in turn, be nonnegative, giving an
improved/reduced upper bound of 22/35 = 0.628571. Then, we conclude that a
still further improved upper bound of 1129/2100 = 0.537619 can be found by
similarly piecing together the (reflection-symmetric) results of enforcing the
simultaneous nonnegativity of certain pairs of the four 3 x 3 principal minors.
In deriving our improved upper bounds, we rely repeatedly upon the use of
certain integrals over cubes that arise. Finally, we apply an independence
assumption to a pair of DESF's that comes close to reproducing our numerical
estimate of the true separability function.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, a few inadvertent misstatements made near the
end are correcte
Spin state transition in LaCoO3 by variational cluster approximation
The variational cluster approximation is applied to the calculation of
thermodynamical quantities and single-particle spectra of LaCoO3. Trial
self-energies and the numerical value of the Luttinger-Ward functional are
obtained by exact diagonalization of a CoO6 cluster. The VCA correctly predicts
LaCoO3 as a paramagnetic insulator and a gradual and relatively smooth increase
of the occupation of high-spin Co3+ ions causes the temperature dependence of
entropy and magnetic susceptibility. The single particle spectral function
agrees well with experiment, the experimentally observed temperature dependence
of photoelectron spectra is reproduced satisfactorily. Remaining discrepancies
with experiment highlight the importance of spin orbit coupling and local
lattice relaxation.Comment: Revtex file with 10 eps figure
Bures distance between two displaced thermal states
The Bures distance between two displaced thermal states and the corresponding
geometric quantities (statistical metric, volume element, scalar curvature) are
computed. Under nonunitary (dissipative) dynamics, the statistical distance
shows the same general features previously reported in the literature by
Braunstein and Milburn for two--state systems. The scalar curvature turns out
to have new interesting properties when compared to the curvature associated
with squeezed thermal states.Comment: 3 pages, RevTeX, no figure
Correlated band structure of NiO, CoO and MnO by variational cluster approximation
The variational cluster approximation proposed by Potthoff is applied to the
calculation of the single-particle spectral function of the transition metal
oxides MnO, CoO and NiO. Trial self-energies and the numerical value of the
Luttinger-Ward functional are obtained by exact diagonalization of a
TMO6-cluster. The single-particle parameters of this cluster serve as
variational parameters to construct a stationary point of the grand potential
of the lattice system. The stationary point is found by a crossover procedure
which allows to go continuously from an array of disconnected clusters to the
lattice system. The self-energy is found to contain irrelevant degrees of
freedom which have marginal impact on the grand potential and which need to be
excluded to obtain meaningful results. The obtained spectral functions are in
good agreement with experimental data.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figure
Traveling sealer for contoured table Patent
Sealing apparatus for joining two pieces of frangible material
A priori probability that a qubit-qutrit pair is separable
We extend to arbitrarily coupled pairs of qubits (two-state quantum systems)
and qutrits (three-state quantum systems) our earlier study (quant-ph/0207181),
which was concerned with the simplest instance of entangled quantum systems,
pairs of qubits. As in that analysis -- again on the basis of numerical
(quasi-Monte Carlo) integration results, but now in a still higher-dimensional
space (35-d vs. 15-d) -- we examine a conjecture that the Bures/SD (statistical
distinguishability) probability that arbitrarily paired qubits and qutrits are
separable (unentangled) has a simple exact value, u/(v Pi^3)= >.00124706, where
u = 2^20 3^3 5 7 and v = 19 23 29 31 37 41 43 (the product of consecutive
primes). This is considerably less than the conjectured value of the Bures/SD
probability, 8/(11 Pi^2) = 0736881, in the qubit-qubit case. Both of these
conjectures, in turn, rely upon ones to the effect that the SD volumes of
separable states assume certain remarkable forms, involving "primorial"
numbers. We also estimate the SD area of the boundary of separable qubit-qutrit
states, and provide preliminary calculations of the Bures/SD probability of
separability in the general qubit-qubit-qubit and qutrit-qutrit cases.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, LaTeX, we utilize recent exact
computations of Sommers and Zyczkowski (quant-ph/0304041) of "the Bures
volume of mixed quantum states" to refine our conjecture
Cortical pain responses in human infants
Despite the recent increase in our understanding of the development of pain processing, it is still not known whether premature infants are capable of processing pain at a cortical level. In this study, changes in cerebral oxygenation over the somatosensory cortex were measured in response to noxious stimulation using real-time near-infrared spectroscopy in 18 infants aged between 25 and 45 weeks postmenstrual age. The noxious stimuli were heel lances performed for routine blood sampling; no blood tests were performed solely for the purpose of the study. Noxious stimulation produced a clear cortical response, measured as an increase in total hemoglobin concentration [HbT] in the contralateral somatosensory cortex, from 25 weeks (mean Delta[HbT] = 7.74 mu mol/L; SE, 1.10). Cortical responses were significantly greater in awake compared with sleeping infants, with a mean difference of 6.63 mu mol/L [95% confidence interval (CI) limits: 2.35, 10.91 mu mol/L; mean age, 35.2 weeks]. In awake infants, the response in the contralateral somatosensory cortex increased with age ( regression coefficient, 0.698 mu mol/L/week; 95% CI limits: 0.132, 1.265 mu mol/L/week) and the latency decreased with age (regression coefficient, -0.9861 mu mol/L/week; 95% CI limits: -1.5361, -0.4361 mu mol/L/week; age range, 25-38 weeks). The response was modality specific because no response was detected after non-noxious stimulation of the heel, even when accompanied by reflex withdrawal of the foot. We conclude that noxious information is transmitted to the preterm infant cortex from 25 weeks, highlighting the potential for both higher-level pain processing and pain-induced plasticity in the human brain from a very early age
High-Temperature Expansions of Bures and Fisher Information Priors
For certain infinite and finite-dimensional thermal systems, we obtain ---
incorporating quantum-theoretic considerations into Bayesian thermostatistical
investigations of Lavenda --- high-temperature expansions of priors over
inverse temperature beta induced by volume elements ("quantum Jeffreys' priors)
of Bures metrics. Similarly to Lavenda's results based on volume elements
(Jeffreys' priors) of (classical) Fisher information metrics, we find that in
the limit beta -> 0, the quantum-theoretic priors either conform to Jeffreys'
rule for variables over [0,infinity], by being proportional to 1/beta, or to
the Bayes-Laplace principle of insufficient reason, by being constant. Whether
a system adheres to one rule or to the other appears to depend upon its number
of degrees of freedom.Comment: Six pages, LaTeX. The title has been shortened (and then further
modified), at the suggestion of a colleague. Other minor change
An experimental test of all theories with predictive power beyond quantum theory
According to quantum theory, the outcomes of future measurements cannot (in
general) be predicted with certainty. In some cases, even with a complete
physical description of the system to be measured and the measurement
apparatus, the outcomes of certain measurements are completely random. This
raises the question, originating in the paper by Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen,
of whether quantum mechanics is the optimal way to predict measurement
outcomes. Established arguments and experimental tests exclude a few specific
alternative models. Here, we provide a complete answer to the above question,
refuting any alternative theory with significantly more predictive power than
quantum theory. More precisely, we perform various measurements on distant
entangled photons, and, under the assumption that these measurements are chosen
freely, we give an upper bound on how well any alternative theory could predict
their outcomes. In particular, in the case where quantum mechanics predicts two
equally likely outcomes, our results are incompatible with any theory in which
the probability of a prediction is increased by more than ~0.19. Hence, we can
immediately refute any already considered or yet-to-be-proposed alternative
model with more predictive power than this.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
Open-independent, Open-locating-dominating Sets
A distinguishing set for a graph G = (V, E) is a dominating set D, each vertex being the location of some form of a locating device, from which one can detect and precisely identify any given "intruder" vertex in V(G). As with many applications of dominating sets, the set might be required to have a certain property for <D>, the subgraph induced by D (such as independence, paired, or connected). Recently the study of independent locating-dominating sets and independent identifying codes was initiated. Here we introduce the property of open-independence for open-locating-dominating sets
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