Urn models & operator ordering procedures

Ordering of operators is purely combinatorial task involving a number of commutators shuffling components of operator expression to desired form. Here we show how it can be illustrated by simple urn models in which normal ordering procedure is equivalent to enumeration of urn histories

On Urn Models, Non-commutativity and Operator Normal Forms

Non-commutativity is ubiquitous in mathematical modeling of reality and in many cases same algebraic structures are implemented in different situations. Here we consider the canonical commutation relation of quantum theory and discuss a simple urn model of the latter. It is shown that enumeration of urn histories provides a faithful realization of the Heisenberg-Weyl algebra. Drawing on this analogy we demonstrate how the operator normal forms facilitate counting of histories via generating functions, which in turn yields an intuitive combinatorial picture of the ordering procedure itself.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

Combinatorial Route to Algebra: The Art of Composition & Decomposition

We consider a general concept of composition and decomposition of objects, and discuss a few natural properties one may expect from a reasonable choice thereof. It will be demonstrated how this leads to multiplication and co-multiplication laws, thereby providing a generic scheme furnishing combinatorial classes with an algebraic structure. The paper is meant as a gentle introduction to the concepts of composition and decomposition with the emphasis on combinatorial origin of the ensuing algebraic constructions

On safe post-selection for Bell tests with ideal detectors: Causal diagram approach

Reasoning about Bell nonlocality from the correlations observed in post-selected data is always a matter of concern. This is because conditioning on the outcomes is a source of non-causal correlations, known as a selection bias, rising doubts whether the conclusion concerns the actual causal process or maybe it is just an effect of processing the data. Yet, even in the idealised case without detection inefficiencies, post-selection is an integral part of experimental designs, not least because it is a part of the entanglement generation process itself. In this paper we discuss a broad class of scenarios with post-selection on multiple spatially distributed outcomes. A simple criterion is worked out, called the all-but-one principle, showing when the conclusions about nonlocality from breaking Bell inequalities with post-selected data remain in force. Generality of this result, attained by adopting the high-level diagrammatic tools of causal inference, provides safe grounds for systematic reasoning based on the standard form of multipartite Bell inequalities in a wide array of entanglement generation schemes, without worrying about the dangers of selection bias. In particular, it can be applied to post-selection defined by single-particle events in each detection chanel when the number of particles in the system is conserved.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure

One-parameter groups and combinatorial physics

In this communication, we consider the normal ordering of sums of elements of the form (a*^r a a*^s), where a* and a are boson creation and annihilation operators. We discuss the integration of the associated one-parameter groups and their combinatorial by-products. In particular, we show how these groups can be realized as groups of substitutions with prefunctions.Comment: 15 pages, 23 references. Presented at the Third International Workshop on Contemporary Problems in Mathematical Physics (COPROMAPH3), Porto-Novo (Benin), November 200