Frames, Graphs and Erasures

Two-uniform frames and their use for the coding of vectors are the main subject of this paper. These frames are known to be optimal for handling up to two erasures, in the sense that they minimize the largest possible error when up to two frame coefficients are set to zero. Here, we consider various numerical measures for the reconstruction error associated with a frame when an arbitrary number of the frame coefficients of a vector are lost. We derive general error bounds for two-uniform frames when more than two erasures occur and apply these to concrete examples. We show that among the 227 known equivalence classes of two-uniform (36,15)-frames arising from Hadamard matrices, there are 5 that give smallest error bounds for up to 8 erasures.Comment: 28 pages LaTeX, with AMS macros; v.3: fixed Thm 3.6, added comment, Lemma 3.7 and Proposition 3.8, to appear in Lin. Alg. App

Equiangular tight frames from complex Seidel matrices containing cube roots of unity

We derive easily verifiable conditions which characterize when complex Seidel matrices containing cube roots of unity have exactly two eigenvalues. The existence of such matrices is equivalent to the existence of equiangular tight frames for which the inner product between any two frame vectors is always a common multiple of the cube roots of unity. We also exhibit a relationship between these equiangular tight frames, complex Seidel matrices, and highly regular, directed graphs. We construct examples of such frames with arbitrarily many vectors.Comment: New version comments: A few minor typos corrected. Accepted for publication in Linear Algebra App

Complexity and capacity bounds for quantum channels

We generalise some well-known graph parameters to operator systems by considering their underlying quantum channels. In particular, we introduce the quantum complexity as the dimension of the smallest co-domain Hilbert space a quantum channel requires to realise a given operator system as its non-commutative confusability graph. We describe quantum complexity as a generalised minimum semidefinite rank and, in the case of a graph operator system, as a quantum intersection number. The quantum complexity and a closely related quantum version of orthogonal rank turn out to be upper bounds for the Shannon zero-error capacity of a quantum channel, and we construct examples for which these bounds beat the best previously known general upper bound for the capacity of quantum channels, given by the quantum Lov\'asz theta number

DFT Calculations as a Tool to Analyse Quadrupole Splittings of Spin Crossover Fe(II) complexes

Density functional methods have been applied to calculate the quadrupole splitting of a series of iron(II) spin crossover complexes. Experimental and calculated values are in reasonable agreement. In one case spin-orbit coupling is necessary to explain the very small quadrupole splitting value of 0.77 mm/s at 293 K for a high-spin isomer

An automated and versatile ultra-low temperature SQUID magnetometer

We present the design and construction of a SQUID-based magnetometer for operation down to temperatures T = 10 mK, while retaining the compatibility with the sample holders typically used in commercial SQUID magnetometers. The system is based on a dc-SQUID coupled to a second-order gradiometer. The sample is placed inside the plastic mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator and is thermalized directly by the 3He flow. The movement though the pickup coils is obtained by lifting the whole dilution refrigerator insert. A home-developed software provides full automation and an easy user interface.Comment: RevTex, 10 pages, 10 eps figures. High-resolution figures available upon reques