Fast simulation of a quantum phase transition in an ion-trap realisable unitary map

We demonstrate a method of exploring the quantum critical point of the Ising universality class using unitary maps that have recently been demonstrated in ion trap quantum gates. We reverse the idea with which Feynman conceived quantum computing, and ask whether a realisable simulation corresponds to a physical system. We proceed to show that a specific simulation (a unitary map) is physically equivalent to a Hamiltonian that belongs to the same universality class as the transverse Ising Hamiltonian. We present experimental signatures, and numerical simulation for these in the six-qubit case.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Measurement-Based Teleportation Along Quantum Spin Chains

We consider teleportation of an arbitrary spin-1/2 target quantum state along the ground state of a quantum spin chain. We present a decomposition of the Hilbert space of the many body quantum state into 4 vector spaces. Within each of these subspaces, it is possible to take any superposition of states, and use projective measurements to perform unit fidelity teleportation. Any such superposition is necessarily a spin liquid state. We also show that all total spin-0 quantum states belong in the same space, so that it is possible to perform unit fidelity teleportation over any one-dimensional spin-0 many body quantum state. We generalise to $n$-Bell states, and present some general bounds on fidelity of teleportation given a general state of a quantum spin chain.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, presented as posters at "Quantum entanglement in physical and information sciences", Pisa, 2004 and at the AIP Congress, Canberra, 200

Ground state fidelity and quantum phase transitions in free Fermi systems

We compute the fidelity between the ground states of general quadratic fermionic hamiltonians and analyze its connections with quantum phase transitions. Each of these systems is characterized by a $L\times L$ real matrix whose polar decomposition, into a non-negative $\Lambda$ and a unitary $T$, contains all the relevant ground state (GS) information. The boundaries between different regions in the GS phase diagram are given by the points of, possibly asymptotic, singularity of $\Lambda$. This latter in turn implies a critical drop of the fidelity function. We present general results as well as their exemplification by a model of fermions on a totally connected graph.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

From density-matrix renormalization group to matrix product states

In this paper we give an introduction to the numerical density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithm, from the perspective of the more general matrix product state (MPS) formulation. We cover in detail the differences between the original DMRG formulation and the MPS approach, demonstrating the additional flexibility that arises from constructing both the wavefunction and the Hamiltonian in MPS form. We also show how to make use of global symmetries, for both the Abelian and non-Abelian cases.Comment: Numerous small changes and clarifications, added a figur

New Spirometry Indices for Detecting Mild Airflow Obstruction.

The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) relies on demonstration of airflow obstruction. Traditional spirometric indices miss a number of subjects with respiratory symptoms or structural lung disease on imaging. We hypothesized that utilizing all data points on the expiratory spirometry curves to assess their shape will improve detection of mild airflow obstruction and structural lung disease. We analyzed spirometry data of 8307 participants enrolled in the COPDGene study, and derived metrics of airflow obstruction based on the shape on the volume-time (Parameter D), and flow-volume curves (Transition Point and Transition Distance). We tested associations of these parameters with CT measures of lung disease, respiratory morbidity, and mortality using regression analyses. There were significant correlations between FEV1/FVC with Parameter D (r = -0.83; p < 0.001), Transition Point (r = 0.69; p < 0.001), and Transition Distance (r = 0.50; p < 0.001). All metrics had significant associations with emphysema, small airway disease, dyspnea, and respiratory-quality of life (p < 0.001). The highest quartile for Parameter D was independently associated with all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 3.22,95% CI 2.42-4.27; p < 0.001) but a substantial number of participants in the highest quartile were categorized as GOLD 0 and 1 by traditional criteria (1.8% and 33.7%). Parameter D identified an additional 9.5% of participants with mild or non-recognized disease as abnormal with greater burden of structural lung disease compared with controls. The data points on the flow-volume and volume-time curves can be used to derive indices of airflow obstruction that identify additional subjects with disease who are deemed to be normal by traditional criteria

Phase diagram of a Bose-Fermi mixture in a one-dimensional optical lattice in terms of fidelity and entanglement

We study the ground-state phase diagram of a Bose-Fermi mixture loaded in a one-dimensional optical lattice by computing the ground-state fidelity and quantum entanglement. We find that the fidelity is able to signal quantum phase transitions between the Luttinger liquid phase, the density-wave phase, and the phase separation state of the system; and the concurrence can be used to signal the transition between the density-wave phase and the Ising phase.Comment: 4 pages 3 figure

Ground-state fidelity of Luttinger liquids: A wave functional approach

We use a wave functional approach to calculate the fidelity of ground states in the Luttinger liquid universality class of one-dimensional gapless quantum many-body systems. The ground-state wave functionals are discussed using both the Schrodinger (functional differential equation) formulation and a path integral formulation. The fidelity between Luttinger liquids with Luttinger parameters K and K' is found to decay exponentially with system size, and to obey the symmetry F(K,K')=F(1/K,1/K') as a consequence of a duality in the bosonization description of Luttinger liquids.Comment: 13 pages, IOP single-column format. Sec. 3 expanded with discussion of short-distance cut-off. Some typos corrected. Ref. 44 in v2 is now footnote 2 (moved by copy editor). Published versio

Clinical Significance of Bronchodilator Responsiveness Evaluated by Forced Vital Capacity in COPD: SPIROMICS Cohort Analysis.

ObjectiveBronchodilator responsiveness (BDR) is prevalent in COPD, but its clinical implications remain unclear. We explored the significance of BDR, defined by post-bronchodilator change in FEV1 (BDRFEV1) as a measure reflecting the change in flow and in FVC (BDRFVC) reflecting the change in volume.MethodsWe analyzed 2974 participants from a multicenter observational study designed to identify varying COPD phenotypes (SPIROMICS). We evaluated the association of BDR with baseline clinical characteristics, rate of prospective exacerbations and mortality using negative binomial regression and Cox proportional hazards models.ResultsA majority of COPD participants exhibited BDR (52.7%). BDRFEV1 occurred more often in earlier stages of COPD, while BDRFVC occurred more frequently in more advanced disease. When defined by increases in either FEV1 or FVC, BDR was associated with a self-reported history of asthma, but not with blood eosinophil counts. BDRFVC was more prevalent in subjects with greater emphysema and small airway disease on CT. In a univariate analysis, BDRFVC was associated with increased exacerbations and mortality, although no significance was found in a model adjusted for post-bronchodilator FEV1.ConclusionWith advanced airflow obstruction in COPD, BDRFVC is more prevalent in comparison to BDRFEV1 and correlates with the extent of emphysema and degree of small airway disease. Since these associations appear to be related to the impairment of FEV1, BDRFVC itself does not define a distinct phenotype nor can it be more predictive of outcomes, but it can offer additional insights into the pathophysiologic mechanism in advanced COPD.Clinical trials registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01969344T4