28,364 research outputs found
Rapid purification of quantum systems by measuring in a feedback-controlled unbiased basis
Rapid-purification by feedback --- specifically, reducing the mean impurity
faster than by measurement alone --- can be achieved by making the eigenbasis
of the density matrix to be unbiased relative to the measurement basis. Here we
further examine the protocol introduced by Combes and Jacobs [Phys.Rev.Lett.
{\bf 96}, 010504 (2006)] involving continuous measurement of the observable
for a -dimensional system. We rigorously re-derive the lower bound
on the achievable speed-up factor, and also an upper bound, namely
, for all feedback protocols that use measurements in unbiased bases.
Finally we extend our results to independent measurements on a register of
qubits, and derive an upper bound on the achievable speed-up factor that
scales linearly with .Comment: v2: published versio
Classical Robustness of Quantum Unravellings
We introduce three measures which quantify the degree to which quantum
systems possess the robustness exhibited by classical systems when subjected to
continuous observation. Using these we show that for a fixed environmental
interaction the level of robustness depends on the measurement strategy, or
unravelling, and that no single strategy is maximally robust in all ways.Comment: 8 Pages, 2 figures, Version 2. Minor changes to wording for
clarification and some references added. Accepted for publication in
Europhysics Letter
Ultrafast charge transfer and vibronic coupling in a laser-excited hybrid inorganic/organic interface
Hybrid interfaces formed by inorganic semiconductors and organic molecules are intriguing materials for opto-electronics. Interfacial charge transfer is primarily responsible for their peculiar electronic structure and optical response. Hence, it is essential to gain insight into this fundamental process also beyond the static picture. Ab initio methods based on real-time time-dependent density-functional theory coupled to the Ehrenfest molecular dynamics scheme are ideally suited for this problem. We investigate a laser-excited hybrid inorganic/organic interface formed by the electron acceptor molecule 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyano-quinodimethane (F4TCNQ) physisorbed on a hydrogenated silicon cluster, and we discuss the fundamental mechanisms of charge transfer in the ultrashort time window following the impulsive excitation. The considered interface is p-doped and exhibits charge transfer in the ground state. When it is excited by a resonant laser pulse, the charge transfer across the interface is additionally increased, but contrary to previous observations in all-organic donor/acceptor complexes, it is not further promoted by vibronic coupling. In the considered time window of 100 fs, the molecular vibrations are coupled to the electron dynamics and enhance intramolecular charge transfer. Our results highlight the complexity of the physics involved and demonstrate the ability of the adopted formalism to achieve a comprehensive understanding of ultrafast charge transfer in hybrid materials
Tradeoff between extractable mechanical work, accessible entanglement, and ability to act as a reference system, under arbitrary superselection rules
Superselection rules (SSRs) limit the mechanical and quantum processing
resources represented by quantum states. However SSRs can be violated using
reference systems to break the underlying symmetry. We show that there is a
duality between the ability of a system to do mechanical work and to act as a
reference system. Further, for a bipartite system in a globally symmetric pure
state, we find a triality between the system's ability to do local mechanical
work, its ability to do ``logical work'' due to its accessible entanglement,
and its ability to act as a shared reference system.Comment: 5 pages, no figures. Extended resubmitted version. Slightly modified
title. Transferred to PR
Floppy modes and the free energy: Rigidity and connectivity percolation on Bethe Lattices
We show that negative of the number of floppy modes behaves as a free energy
for both connectivity and rigidity percolation, and we illustrate this result
using Bethe lattices. The rigidity transition on Bethe lattices is found to be
first order at a bond concentration close to that predicted by Maxwell
constraint counting. We calculate the probability of a bond being on the
infinite cluster and also on the overconstrained part of the infinite cluster,
and show how a specific heat can be defined as the second derivative of the
free energy. We demonstrate that the Bethe lattice solution is equivalent to
that of the random bond model, where points are joined randomly (with equal
probability at all length scales) to have a given coordination, and then
subsequently bonds are randomly removed.Comment: RevTeX 11 pages + epsfig embedded figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
The biogeochemical influence of nitrate, dissolved oxygen, and dissolved organic carbon on stream nitrate uptake
Streams are potential hotspots for retention and removal of NO3−, and understanding the mechanisms that enhance NO3− reactivity in stream systems is critical for predicting and preventing eutrophication. Both dissolved organic C (DOC) and dissolved O2 (DO) influence NO3− removal processes. Assessing the individual impacts of NO3−, DO, and DOC concentrations on stream NO3− removal is difficult because these factors covary and are coupled through the C and N cycles. We used an experimental approach to quantify the influences of NO3−, DOC, and DO on NO3− transport in headwater streams of the Ipswich and Parker River watersheds (Massachusetts, USA) with contrasting levels of DOC and DO. In a 1st set of experiments, we added NO3− to address how uptake kinetics differed between a low-DO/high-DOC stream (Cedar Swamp Creek) and a high-DO/low-DOC stream (Cart Creek). In a 2nd set of experiments, we manipulated, for the first time at the reach scale, both DO and DOC in a factorial experiment. DO was added to the low-DO stream by injecting O2 and was removed from the high-DO stream by adding sodium sulfite. DOC was added both alone and in combination with the DO manipulations. NO3− concentration was an important control of NO3− uptake velocity in our study streams, consistent with previous findings. The results of the DOC and DO manipulations suggested that DO determines whether a stream has net NO3− uptake or production and that the presence of DOC magnifies the DO response processes. Addition of DOC by itself did not lead to increased NO3− uptake. In addition, we observed organic matter priming effects, wherein the addition of labile organic matter resulted in accelerated metabolism of naturally occurring DOC in the water column. Priming effects have not been reported previously in stream systems. Results from our experiments suggest that NO3− uptake in streams might arise from complex interactions among DOC, DO, and NO3−, and ultimately, from the influence of DO on dominant stream processes
Phonon number quantum jumps in an optomechanical system
We describe an optomechanical system in which the mean phonon number of a
single mechanical mode conditionally displaces the amplitude of the optical
field. Using homodyne detection of the output field we establish the conditions
under which phonon number quantum jumps can be inferred from the measurement
record: both the cavity damping rate and the measurement rate of the phonon
number must be much greater than the thermalization rate of the mechanical
mode. We present simulations of the conditional dynamics of the measured system
using the stochastic master equation. In the good-measurement limit, the
conditional evolution of the mean phonon number shows quantum jumps as phonons
enter and exit the mechanical resonator via the bath.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures. minor revisions since first versio
Heralded Two-Photon Entanglement from Probabilistic Quantum Logic Operations on Multiple Parametric Down-Conversion Sources
An ideal controlled-NOT gate followed by projective measurements can be used
to identify specific Bell states of its two input qubits. When the input qubits
are each members of independent Bell states, these projective measurements can
be used to swap the post-selected entanglement onto the remaining two qubits.
Here we apply this strategy to produce heralded two-photon polarization
entanglement using Bell states that originate from independent parametric
down-conversion sources, and a particular probabilistic controlled-NOT gate
that is constructed from linear optical elements. The resulting implementation
is closely related to an earlier proposal by Sliwa and Banaszek
[quant-ph/0207117], and can be intuitively understood in terms of familiar
quantum information protocols. The possibility of producing a ``pseudo-demand''
source of two-photon entanglement by storing and releasing these heralded pairs
from independent cyclical quantum memory devices is also discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; submitted to IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in
Quantum Electronics, special issue on "Quantum Internet Technologies
Rapid state purification protocols for a Cooper pair box
We propose techniques for implementing two different rapid state purification
schemes, within the constraints present in a superconducting charge qubit
system. Both schemes use a continuous measurement of charge (z) measurements,
and seek to minimize the time required to purify the conditional state. Our
methods are designed to make the purification process relatively insensitive to
rotations about the x-axis, due to the Josephson tunnelling Hamiltonian. The
first proposed method, based on the scheme of Jacobs [Phys. Rev. A 67,
030301(R) (2003)] uses the measurement results to control bias (z) pulses so as
to rotate the Bloch vector onto the x-axis of the Bloch sphere. The second
proposed method, based on the scheme of Wiseman and Ralph [New J. Phys. 8, 90
(2006)] uses a simple feedback protocol which tightly rotates the Bloch vector
about an axis almost parallel with the measurement axis. We compare the
performance of these and other techniques by a number of different measures.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures. v2: Revised version after referee comments.
Accepted for publication by Physical Review
Superlinear Scaling for Innovation in Cities
Superlinear scaling in cities, which appears in sociological quantities such
as economic productivity and creative output relative to urban population size,
has been observed but not been given a satisfactory theoretical explanation.
Here we provide a network model for the superlinear relationship between
population size and innovation found in cities, with a reasonable range for the
exponent.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, submitted to Phys. Rev. E; references
corrected; figures corrected, references and brief discussion adde
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