Fidelity for imperfect postselection

We describe a simple measure of fidelity for mixed state postselecting devices. The measure is most appropriate for postselection where the task performed by the output is only effected by a specific state.Comment: 8 Pages, 8 Figure

Testing quantum nonlocality by generalized quasiprobability functions

We derive a Bell inequality based on a generalized quasiprobability function which is parameterized by one non-positive real value. Two types of known Bell inequalities formulated in terms of the Wigner and Q functions are included as limiting cases. We investigate violations of our Bell inequalities for single photon entangled states and two-mode squeezed vacuum states when varying the detector efficiency. We show that the Bell inequality for the Q function allows the lowest detection efficiency for violations of local realism.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Measurement of the ac Stark shift with a guided matter-wave interferometer

We demonstrate the effectiveness of a guided-wave Bose-Einstein condensate interferometer for practical measurements. Taking advantage of the large arm separations obtainable in our interferometer, the energy levels of the 87Rb atoms in one arm of the interferometer are shifted by a calibrated laser beam. The resulting phase shifts are used to determine the ac polarizability at a range of frequencies near and at the atomic resonance. The measured values are in good agreement with theoretical expectations. However, we observe a broadening of the transition near the resonance, an indication of collective light scattering effects. This nonlinearity may prove useful for the production and control of squeezed quantum states.Comment: 5 pages, three figure

Atomic and itinerant effects at the transition metal x-ray absorption K-pre-edge exemplified in the case of V2_2O3_3

X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a well established tool for obtaining information about orbital and spin degrees of freedom in transition metal- and rare earth-compounds. For this purpose usually the dipole transitions of the L- (2p to 3d) and M- (3d to 4f) edges are employed, whereas higher order transitions such as quadrupolar 1s to 3d in the K-edge are rarely studied in that respect. This is due to the fact that usually such quadrupolar transitions are overshadowed by dipole allowed 1s to 4p transitions and, hence, are visible only as minor features in the pre-edge region. Nonetheless, these features carry a lot of valuable information, similar to the dipole L-edge transition, which is not accessible in experiments under pressure due to the absorption of the diamond anvil pressurecell. We recently performed a theoretical and experimental analysis of such a situation for the metal insulator transition of (V(1-x)Crx)2O3. Since the importance of the orbital degrees of freedom in this transition is widely accepted, a thorough understanding of quadrupole transitions of the vanadium K-pre-edge provides crucial information about the underlying physics. Moreover, the lack of inversion symetry at the vanadium site leads to onsite mixing of vanadium 3d- and 4p- states and related quantum mechanical interferences between dipole and quadrupole transitions. Here we present a theoretical analysis of experimental high resolution x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the V pre-K edge measured in partial fluorescence yield mode for single crystals. We carried out density functional as well as configuration interaction calculations in order to capture effects coming from both, itinerant and atomic limits

Effect of an atom on a quantum guided field in a weakly driven fiber-Bragg-grating cavity

We study the interaction of an atom with a quantum guided field in a weakly driven fiber-Bragg-grating (FBG) cavity. We present an effective Hamiltonian and derive the density-matrix equations for the combined atom-cavity system. We calculate the mean photon number, the second-order photon correlation function, and the atomic excited-state population. We show that, due to the confinement of the guided cavity field in the fiber cross-section plane and in the space between the FBG mirrors, the presence of the atom in the FBG cavity can significantly affect the mean photon number and the photon statistics even though the cavity finesse is moderate, the cavity is long, and the probe field is weak.Comment: Accepted for Phys. Rev.

Quantum rings as electron spin beam splitters

Quantum interference and spin-orbit interaction in a one-dimensional mesoscopic semiconductor ring with one input and two output leads can act as a spin beam splitter. Different polarization can be achieved in the two output channels from an originally totally unpolarized incoming spin state, very much like in a Stern-Gerlach apparatus. We determine the relevant parameters such that the device has unit efficiency.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; minor change

Calculations on the Size Effects of Raman Intensities of Silicon Quantum Dots

Raman intensities of Si quantum dots (QDs) with up to 11,489 atoms (about 7.6 nm in diameter) for different scattering configurations are calculated. First, phonon modes in these QDs, including all vibration frequencies and vibration amplitudes, are calculated directly from the lattice dynamic matrix by using a microscopic valence force field model combined with the group theory. Then the Raman intensities of these quantum dots are calculated by using a bond-polarizability approximation. The size effects of the Raman intensity in these QDs are discussed in detail based on these calculations. The calculations are compared with the available experimental observation. We are expecting that our calculations can further stimulate more experimental measurements.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure

Full Quantum Analysis of Two-Photon Absorption Using Two-Photon Wavefunction: Comparison with One-Photon Absorption

For dissipation-free photon-photon interaction at the single photon level, we analyze one-photon transition and two-photon transition induced by photon pairs in three-level atoms using two-photon wavefunctions. We show that the two-photon absorption can be substantially enhanced by adjusting the time correlation of photon pairs. We study two typical cases: Gaussian wavefunction and rectangular wavefunction. In the latter, we find that under special conditions one-photon transition is completely suppressed while the high probability of two-photon transition is maintained.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Conditional control of quantum beats in a cavity QED system

We probe a ground-state superposition that produces a quantum beat in the intensity correlation of a two-mode cavity QED system. We mix drive with scattered light from an atomic beam traversing the cavity, and effectively measure the interference between the drive and the light from the atom. When a photon escapes the cavity, and upon detection, it triggers our feedback which modulates the drive at the same beat frequency but opposite phase for a given time window. This results in a partial interruption of the beat oscillation in the correlation function, that then returns to oscillate.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, XVII Reuni\'on Iberoamericana de \'Optica, X Encuentro de \'Optica, L\'aseres y Aplicaciones (RIAO-OPTILAS-2010

Quantum phase space picture of Bose-Einstein Condensates in a double well: Proposals for creating macroscopic quantum superposition states and a study of quantum chaos

We present a quantum phase space model of Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a double well potential. In a two-mode Fock-state analysis we examine the eigenvectors and eigenvalues and find that the energy correlation diagram indicates a transition from a delocalized to a fragmented regime. Phase space information is extracted from the stationary quantum states using the Husimi distribution function. It is shown that the quantum states are localized on the known classical phase space orbits of a nonrigid physical pendulum, and thus the novel phase space characteristics of a nonrigid physical pendulum such as the $\pi$ motions are seen to be a property of the exact quantum states. Low lying states are harmonic oscillator like libration states while the higher lying states are Schr\"odinger cat-like superpositions of two pendulum rotor states. To study the dynamics in phase space, a comparison is made between a displaced quantum wavepacket and the trajectories of a swarm of points in classical phase space. For a driven double well, it is shown that the classical chaotic dynamics is manifest in the dynamics of the quantum states pictured using the Husimi distribution. Phase space analogy also suggests that a $\pi$ phase displaced wavepacket put on the unstable fixed point on a separatrix will bifurcate to create a superposition of two pendulum rotor states - a Schr\"odinger cat state (number entangled state) for BEC. It is shown that the choice of initial barrier height and ramping, following a $\pi$ phase imprinting on the condensate, can be used to generate controlled entangled number states with tunable extremity and sharpness.Comment: revised version, 13 pages, 13 figure