Angular performance measure for tighter uncertainty relations

The uncertainty principle places a fundamental limit on the accuracy with which we can measure conjugate physical quantities. However, the fluctuations of these variables can be assessed in terms of different estimators. We propose a new angular performance that allows for tighter uncertainty relations for angle and angular momentum. The differences with previous bounds can be significant for particular states and indeed may be amenable to experimental measurement with the present technology.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figures. Comments welcom

Orbital angular momentum from marginals of quadrature distributions

We set forth a method to analyze the orbital angular momentum of a light field. Instead of using the canonical formalism for the conjugate pair angle-angular momentum, we model this latter variable by the superposition of two independent harmonic oscillators along two orthogonal axes. By describing each oscillator by a standard Wigner function, we derive, via a consistent change of variables, a comprehensive picture of the orbital angular momentum. We compare with previous approaches and show how this method works in some relevant examples.Comment: 7 pages, 2 color figure

An empirical mean-field model of symmetry-breaking in a turbulent wake

Improved turbulence modeling remains a major open problem in mathematical physics. Turbulence is notoriously challenging, in part due to its multiscale nature and the fact that large-scale coherent structures cannot be disentangled from small-scale fluctuations. This closure problem is emblematic of a greater challenge in complex systems, where coarse-graining and statistical mechanics descriptions break down. This work demonstrates an alternative data-driven modeling approach to learn nonlinear models of the coherent structures, approximating turbulent fluctuations as state-dependent stochastic forcing. We demonstrate this approach on a high-Reynolds number turbulent wake experiment, showing that our model reproduces empirical power spectra and probability distributions. The model is interpretable, providing insights into the physical mechanisms underlying the symmetry-breaking behavior in the wake. This work suggests a path toward low-dimensional models of globally unstable turbulent flows from experimental measurements, with broad implications for other multiscale systems

Entanglement verification for quantum key distribution systems with an underlying bipartite qubit-mode structure

We consider entanglement detection for quantum key distribution systems that use two signal states and continuous variable measurements. This problem can be formulated as a separability problem in a qubit-mode system. To verify entanglement, we introduce an object that combines the covariance matrix of the mode with the density matrix of the qubit. We derive necessary separability criteria for this scenario. These criteria can be readily evaluated using semidefinite programming and we apply them to the specific quantum key distribution protocol.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, v2: final versio

RONAALP: Reduced-Order Nonlinear Approximation with Active Learning Procedure

Many engineering applications rely on the evaluation of expensive, non-linear high-dimensional functions. In this paper, we propose the RONAALP algorithm (Reduced Order Nonlinear Approximation with Active Learning Procedure) to incrementally learn a fast and accurate reduced-order surrogate model of a target function on-the-fly as the application progresses. First, the combination of nonlinear auto-encoder, community clustering and radial basis function networks allows to learn an efficient and compact surrogate model with limited training data. Secondly, the active learning procedure overcome any extrapolation issue when evaluating the surrogate model outside of its initial training range during the online stage. This results in generalizable, fast and accurate reduced-order models of high-dimensional functions. The method is demonstrated on three direct numerical simulations of hypersonic flows in chemical nonequilibrium. Accurate simulations of these flows rely on detailed thermochemical gas models that dramatically increase the cost of such calculations. Using RONAALP to learn a reduced-order thermodynamic model surrogate on-the-fly, the cost of such simulation was reduced by up to 75% while maintaining an error of less than 10% on relevant quantities of interest.Comment: 38 pages, 16 figure

Improvement of continuous-variable quantum key distribution systems by using optical preamplifiers

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocols, based on Gaussian modulation of the quadratures of coherent states, have been implemented in recent experiments. A present limitation of such systems is the finite efficiency of the detectors, which can in principle be compensated for by the use of classical optical preamplifiers. Here we study this possibility in detail, by deriving the modified secret key generation rates when an optical parametric amplifier is placed at the output of the quantum channel. After presenting a general set of security proofs, we show that the use of preamplifiers does compensate for all the imperfections of the detectors when the amplifier is optimal in terms of gain and noise. Imperfect amplifiers can also enhance the system performance, under conditions which are generally satisfied in practice.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Phys. B (special issue on Few Atoms Optics

Wigner function for twisted photons

A comprehensive theory of the Weyl-Wigner formalism for the canonical pair angle-angular momentum is presented, with special emphasis in the implications of rotational periodicity and angular-momentum discreteness.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure