Deligne-Beilinson cohomology and abelian link invariants: torsion case

For the abelian Chern-Simons field theory, we consider the quantum functional integration over the Deligne-Beilinson cohomology classes and present an explicit path-integral non-perturbative computation of the Chern-Simons link invariants in $SO(3)\simeq\mathbb{R}P^3$, a toy example of 3-manifold with torsion

Will spin-relaxation times in molecular magnets permit quantum information processing?

Using X-band pulsed electron spin resonance, we report the intrinsic spin-lattice ($T_1$) and phase coherence ($T_2$) relaxation times in molecular nanomagnets for the first time. In Cr$_7M$ heterometallic wheels, with $M$ = Ni and Mn, phase coherence relaxation is dominated by the coupling of the electron spin to protons within the molecule. In deuterated samples $T_2$ reaches 3 $\mu$s at low temperatures, which is several orders of magnitude longer than the duration of spin manipulations, satisfying a prerequisite for the deployment of molecular nanomagnets in quantum information applications.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, in press at Physical Review Letter

Host isotope mass effects on the hyperfine interaction of group-V donors in silicon

The effects of host isotope mass on the hyperfine interaction of group-V donors in silicon are revealed by pulsed electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy of isotopically engineered Si single crystals. Each of the hyperfine-split P-31, As-75, Sb-121, Sb-123, and Bi-209 ENDOR lines splits further into multiple components, whose relative intensities accurately match the statistical likelihood of the nine possible average Si masses in the four nearest-neighbor sites due to random occupation by the three stable isotopes Si-28, Si-29, and Si-30. Further investigation with P-31 donors shows that the resolved ENDOR components shift linearly with the bulk-averaged Si mass.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Opening up the Quantum Three-Box Problem with Undetectable Measurements

One of the most striking features of quantum mechanics is the profound effect exerted by measurements alone. Sophisticated quantum control is now available in several experimental systems, exposing discrepancies between quantum and classical mechanics whenever measurement induces disturbance of the interrogated system. In practice, such discrepancies may frequently be explained as the back-action required by quantum mechanics adding quantum noise to a classical signal. Here we implement the 'three-box' quantum game of Aharonov and Vaidman in which quantum measurements add no detectable noise to a classical signal, by utilising state-of-the-art control and measurement of the nitrogen vacancy centre in diamond. Quantum and classical mechanics then make contradictory predictions for the same experimental procedure, however classical observers cannot invoke measurement-induced disturbance to explain this discrepancy. We quantify the residual disturbance of our measurements and obtain data that rule out any classical model by > 7.8 standard deviations, allowing us for the first time to exclude the property of macroscopic state-definiteness from our system. Our experiment is then equivalent to a Kochen-Spekker test of quantum non-contextuality that successfully addresses the measurement detectability loophole