Relations for classical communication capacity and entanglement capability of two-qubit operations

Bipartite operations underpin both classical communication and entanglement generation. Using a superposition of classical messages, we show that the capacity of a two-qubit operation for error-free entanglement-assisted bidirectional classical communication can not exceed twice the entanglement capability. In addition we show that any bipartite two-qubit operation can increase the communication that may be performed using an ensemble by twice the entanglement capability.Comment: 4 page

Phase covariant quantum cloning

We consider an N -> M quantum cloning transformation acting on pure two-level states lying on the equator of the Bloch sphere. An upper bound for its fidelity is presented, by establishing a connection between optimal phase covariant cloning and phase estimation. We give the explicit form of a cloning transformation that achieves the bound for the case N=1, M=2, and find a link between this case and optimal eavesdropping in the quantum cryptographic scheme BB84.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur

Multiplicativity of completely bounded p-norms implies a new additivity result

We prove additivity of the minimal conditional entropy associated with a quantum channel Phi, represented by a completely positive (CP), trace-preserving map, when the infimum of S(gamma_{12}) - S(gamma_1) is restricted to states of the form gamma_{12} = (I \ot Phi)(| psi >< psi |). We show that this follows from multiplicativity of the completely bounded norm of Phi considered as a map from L_1 -> L_p for L_p spaces defined by the Schatten p-norm on matrices; we also give an independent proof based on entropy inequalities. Several related multiplicativity results are discussed and proved. In particular, we show that both the usual L_1 -> L_p norm of a CP map and the corresponding completely bounded norm are achieved for positive semi-definite matrices. Physical interpretations are considered, and a new proof of strong subadditivity is presented.Comment: Final version for Commun. Math. Physics. Section 5.2 of previous version deleted in view of the results in quant-ph/0601071 Other changes mino

Quantum Zeno effect in a probed downconversion process

The distorsion of a spontaneous downconvertion process caused by an auxiliary mode coupled to the idler wave is analyzed. In general, a strong coupling with the auxiliary mode tends to hinder the downconversion in the nonlinear medium. On the other hand, provided that the evolution is disturbed by the presence of a phase mismatch, the coupling may increase the speed of downconversion. These effects are interpreted as being manifestations of quantum Zeno or anti-Zeno effects, respectively, and they are understood by using the dressed modes picture of the device. The possibility of using the coupling as a nontrivial phase--matching technique is pointed out.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Glueball operators and the microscopic approach to N=1 gauge theories

We explain how to generalize Nekrasov's microscopic approach to N=2 gauge theories to the N=1 case, focusing on the typical example of the U(N) theory with one adjoint chiral multiplet X and an arbitrary polynomial tree-level superpotential Tr W(X). We provide a detailed analysis of the generalized glueball operators and a non-perturbative discussion of the Dijkgraaf-Vafa matrix model and of the generalized Konishi anomaly equations. We compute in particular the non-trivial quantum corrections to the Virasoro operators and algebra that generate these equations. We have performed explicit calculations up to two instantons, that involve the next-to-leading order corrections in Nekrasov's Omega-background.Comment: 38 pages, 1 figure and 1 appendix included; v2: typos and the list of references corrected, version to appear in JHE

A note on instanton counting for N=2 gauge theories with classical gauge groups

We study the prepotential of N=2 gauge theories using the instanton counting techniques introduced by Nekrasov. For the SO theories without matter we find a closed expression for the full prepotential and its string theory gravitational corrections. For the more subtle case of Sp theories without matter we discuss general features and compute the prepotential up to instanton number three. We also briefly discuss SU theories with matter in the symmetric and antisymmetric representations. We check all our results against the predictions of the corresponding Seiberg-Witten geometries.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX. v2: refs added. v3: typos correcte

Gauge Invariance and Tachyon Condensation in Cubic Superstring Field Theory

The gauge invariance of cubic open superstring field theory is considered in a framework of level truncation, and applications to the tachyon condensation problem are discussed. As it is known, in the bosonic case the Feynman-Siegel gauge is not universal within the level truncation method. We explore another gauge that is more suitable for calculation of the tachyon potential for fermionic string at level (2,6). We show that this new gauge has no restrictions on the region of its validity at least at this level.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures, LaTeX 2e; references added, typos correcte

Identifying topological edge states in 2D optical lattices using light scattering

We recently proposed in a Letter [Physical Review Letters 108 255303] a novel scheme to detect topological edge states in an optical lattice, based on a generalization of Bragg spectroscopy. The scope of the present article is to provide a more detailed and pedagogical description of the system - the Hofstadter optical lattice - and probing method. We first show the existence of topological edge states, in an ultra-cold gas trapped in a 2D optical lattice and subjected to a synthetic magnetic field. The remarkable robustness of the edge states is verified for a variety of external confining potentials. Then, we describe a specific laser probe, made from two lasers in Laguerre-Gaussian modes, which captures unambiguous signatures of these edge states. In particular, the resulting Bragg spectra provide the dispersion relation of the edge states, establishing their chiral nature. In order to make the Bragg signal experimentally detectable, we introduce a "shelving method", which simultaneously transfers angular momentum and changes the internal atomic state. This scheme allows to directly visualize the selected edge states on a dark background, offering an instructive view on topological insulating phases, not accessible in solid-state experiments.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Revised and extended version, to appear in EJP Special Topic for the special issue on "Novel Quantum Phases and Mesoscopic Physics in Quantum Gases". Extended version of arXiv:1203.124

Quantum feedback with weak measurements

The problem of feedback control of quantum systems by means of weak measurements is investigated in detail. When weak measurements are made on a set of identical quantum systems, the single-system density matrix can be determined to a high degree of accuracy while affecting each system only slightly. If this information is fed back into the systems by coherent operations, the single-system density matrix can be made to undergo an arbitrary nonlinear dynamics, including for example a dynamics governed by a nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. We investigate the implications of such nonlinear quantum dynamics for various problems in quantum control and quantum information theory, including quantum computation. The nonlinear dynamics induced by weak quantum feedback could be used to create a novel form of quantum chaos in which the time evolution of the single-system wave function depends sensitively on initial conditions.Comment: 11 pages, TeX, replaced to incorporate suggestions of Asher Pere