96 research outputs found
Brachistochrone of Entanglement for Spin Chains
We analytically investigate the role of entanglement in time-optimal state
evolution as an appli- cation of the quantum brachistochrone, a general method
for obtaining the optimal time-dependent Hamiltonian for reaching a target
quantum state. As a model, we treat two qubits indirectly cou- pled through an
intermediate qubit that is directly controllable, which represents a typical
situation in quantum information processing. We find the time-optimal unitary
evolution law and quantify residual entanglement by the two-tangle between the
indirectly coupled qubits, for all possible sets of initial pure quantum states
of a tripartite system. The integrals of the motion of the brachistochrone are
determined by fixing the minimal time at which the residual entanglement is
maximized. Entan- glement plays a role for W and GHZ initial quantum states,
and for the bi-separable initial state in which the indirectly coupled qubits
have a nonzero value of the 2-tangle.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Magnetic Field Dependent Tunneling in Glasses
We report on experiments giving evidence for quantum effects of
electromagnetic flux in barium alumosilicate glass. In contrast to expectation,
below 100 mK the dielectric response becomes sensitive to magnetic fields. The
experimental findings include both, the complete lifting of the dielectric
saturation by weak magnetic fields and oscillations of the dielectric response
in the low temperature resonant regime. As origin of these effects we suggest
that the magnetic induction field violates the time reversal invariance leading
to a flux periodicity in the energy levels of tunneling systems. At low
temperatures, this effect is strongly enhanced by the interaction between
tunneling systems and thus becomes measurable.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Driven Tunneling Dynamics: Bloch-Redfield Theory versus Path Integral Approach
In the regime of weak bath coupling and low temperature we demonstrate
numerically for the spin-boson dynamics the equivalence between two widely used
but seemingly different roads of approximation, namely the path integral
approach and the Bloch-Redfield theory. The excellent agreement between these
two methods is corroborated by a novel efficient analytical high-frequency
approach: it well approximates the decay of quantum coherence via a series of
damped coherent oscillations. Moreover, a suitably tuned control field can
selectively enhance or suppress quantum coherence.Comment: 4 pages including 3 figures, submitted for publicatio
Scaling and universality in the anisotropic Kondo model and the dissipative two-state system
Scaling and universality in the Ohmic two-state system is investigated by
exploiting the equivalence of this model to the anisotropic Kondo model. For
the Ohmic two-state system, we find universal scaling functions for the
specific heat, , static susceptibility, , and
spin relaxation function depending on the reduced
temperature (frequency ), with
the renormalized tunneling frequency, and uniquely specified by the dissipation
strength (). The scaling functions can be used to extract
and in experimental realizations.Comment: 5 pages (LaTeX), 4 EPS figures. Minor changes, typos corrected,
journal reference adde
Spin Star as Switch for Quantum Networks
Quantum state transfer is an important task in quantum information
processing. It is known that one can engineer the couplings of a
one-dimensional spin chain to achieve the goal of perfect state transfer. To
leverage the value of these spin chains, a spin star is potentially useful for
connecting different parts of a quantum network. In this work, we extend the
spin-chain engineering problem to the problems with a topology of a star
network. We show that a permanently coupled spin star can function as a network
switch for transferring quantum states selectively from one node to another by
varying the local potentials only. Together with one-dimensional chains, this
result allows applications of quantum state transfer be applied to more general
quantum networks.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figur
Phase diffusion as a model for coherent suppression of tunneling in the presence of noise
We study the stabilization of coherent suppression of tunneling in a driven
double-well system subject to random periodic function ``kicks''. We
model dissipation due to this stochastic process as a phase diffusion process
for an effective two-level system and derive a corresponding set of Bloch
equations with phase damping terms that agree with the periodically kicked
system at discrete times. We demonstrate that the ability of noise to localize
the system on either side of the double-well potenital arises from overdamping
of the phase of oscillation and not from any cooperative effect between the
noise and the driving field. The model is investigated with a square wave
drive, which has qualitatively similar features to the widely studied
cosinusoidal drive, but has the additional advantage of allowing one to derive
exact analytic expressions.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Measuring the decoherence rate in a semiconductor charge qubit
We describe a method by which the decoherence time of a solid state qubit may
be measured. The qubit is coded in the orbital degree of freedom of a single
electron bound to a pair of donor impurities in a semiconductor host. The qubit
is manipulated by adiabatically varying an external electric field. We show
that, by measuring the total probability of a successful qubit rotation as a
function of the control field parameters, the decoherence rate may be
determined. We estimate various system parameters, including the decoherence
rates due to electromagnetic fluctuations and acoustic phonons. We find that,
for reasonable physical parameters, the experiment is possible with existing
technology. In particular, the use of adiabatic control fields implies that the
experiment can be performed with control electronics with a time resolution of
tens of nanoseconds.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, revtex
Effect of Nuclear Quadrupole Interaction on the Relaxation in Amorphous Solids
Recently it has been experimentally demonstrated that certain glasses display
an unexpected magnetic field dependence of the dielectric constant. In
particular, the echo technique experiments have shown that the echo amplitude
depends on the magnetic field. The analysis of these experiments results in the
conclusion that the effect seems to be related to the nuclear degrees of
freedom of tunneling systems. The interactions of a nuclear quadrupole
electrical moment with the crystal field and of a nuclear magnetic moment with
magnetic field transform the two-level tunneling systems inherent in amorphous
dielectrics into many-level tunneling systems. The fact that these features
show up at temperatures , where the properties of amorphous materials
are governed by the long-range interaction between tunneling systems,
suggests that this interaction is responsible for the magnetic field dependent
relaxation. We have developed a theory of many-body relaxation in an ensemble
of interacting many-level tunneling systems and show that the relaxation rate
is controlled by the magnetic field. The results obtained correlate with the
available experimental data. Our approach strongly supports the idea that the
nuclear quadrupole interaction is just the key for understanding the unusual
behavior of glasses in a magnetic field.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure
LISA pathfinder optical interferometry
The LISA Technology Package (LTP) aboard of LISA pathfinder mission is dedicated to demonstrate and verify key technologies for LISA, in particular drag free control, ultra-precise laser interferometry and gravitational sensor. Two inertial sensor, the optical interferometry in between combined with the dimensional stable Glass ceramic Zerodur structure are setting up the LTP. The validation of drag free operation of the spacecraft is planned by measuring laser interferometrically the relative displacement and tilt between two test masses (and the optical bench) with a noise levels of 10pm/[square root of]Hz and 10 nrad/[square root of]Hz between 3mHz and 30mHz. This performance and additionally overall environmental tests was currently verified on EM level. The OB structure is able to support two inertial sensors ([approximate]17kg each) and to withstand 25 g design loads as well as 0...40°C temperature range. Optical functionality was verified successfully after environmental tests. The engineering model development and manufacturing of the optical bench and interferometry hardware and their verification tests will be presented
Attentional Processing of Food Cues in Overweight and Obese Individuals
The incentive sensitization model of obesity hypothesizes that obese individuals in the western world have acquired an enhanced attention bias to food cues, because of the overwhelming exposure to food. This article gives an overview of recent studies regarding attention to food and obesity. In general, an interesting approach-avoidance pattern in food-related attention has been found in overweight/obese individuals in a number of studies. However, it should be noted that study results are contradictory. This might be due to methodological issues, such as the choice of attention measurements, possibly tapping different underlying components of information processing. Although attention research is challenging, researchers are encouraged to further explore important issues, such as the exact circumstances in which obese persons demonstrate enhanced attention to food, the directional relationship between food-related attention bias, overeating and weight gain, and the underlying involvement of the reward system. Knowledge on these issues could help improve treatment programs
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