Coexistence of qubit effects

Two quantum events, represented by positive operators (effects), are coexistent if they can occur as possible outcomes in a single measurement scheme. Equivalently, the corresponding effects are coexistent if and only if they are contained in the ranges of a single (joint) observable. Here we give several equivalent characterizations of coexistent pairs of qubit effects. We also establish the equivalence between our results and those obtained independently by other authors. Our approach makes explicit use of the Minkowski space geometry inherent in the four-dimensional real vector space of selfadjoint operators in a two-dimensional complex Hilbert space

Stability and Dynamics of Cross Solitons in Harmonically Confined Bose-Einstein Condensates

We examine the stability and dynamics of a family of crossed dark solitons in a harmonically confined Bose-Einstein condensate in two dimensions. Working in a regime where the fundamental snake instability is suppressed, we show the existence of an instability which leads to an interesting collapse and revival of the initial state for the fundamental case of two crossed solitons. The instability originates from the singular point where the solitons cross, and we characterise it by examining the Bogoliubov spectrum. Finally, we extend the treatment to systems of higher symmetry.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Maintaining Quantum Coherence in the Presence of Noise through State Monitoring

Unsharp POVM measurements allow the estimation and tracking of quantum wavefunctions in real-time with minimal disruption of the dynamics. Here we demonstrate that high fidelity state monitoring, and hence quantum control, is possible even in the presence of classical dephasing and amplitude noise, by simulating such measurements on a two-level system undergoing Rabi oscillations. Finite estimation fidelity is found to persist indefinitely long after the decoherence times set by the noise fields in the absence of measurement.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Ion induced density bubble in a strongly correlated one dimensional gas

We consider a harmonically trapped Tonks-Girardeau gas of impenetrable bosons in the presence of a single embedded ion, which is assumed to be tightly confined in a RF trap. In an ultracold ion-atom collision the ion's charge induces an electric dipole moment in the atoms which leads to an attractive $r^{-4}$ potential asymptotically. We treat the ion as a static deformation of the harmonic trap potential and model its short range interaction with the gas in the framework of quantum defect theory. The molecular bound states of the ionic potential are not populated due to the lack of any possible relaxation process in the Tonks-Girardeau regime. Armed with this knowledge we calculate the density profile of the gas in the presence of a central ionic impurity and show that a density \textit{bubble} of the order of a micron occurs around the ion for typical experimental parameters. From these exact results we show that an ionic impurity in a Tonks gas can be described using a pseudopotential, allowing for significantly easier treatment.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review A (Rapid Communications)

Measurement-induced generation of spatial entanglement in a two-dimensional quantum walk with single-qubit coin

One of the proposals for the exploitation of two-dimensional quantum walks has been the efficient generation of entanglement. Unfortunately, the technological effort required for the experimental realization of standard two-dimensional quantum walks is significantly demanding. In this respect, an alternative scheme with less challenging conditions has been recently studied, particularly in terms of spatial-entanglement generation [C. Di Franco, M. Mc Gettrick, and Th. Busch, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 080502 (2011)]. Here, we extend the investigation to a scenario where a measurement is performed on the coin degree of freedom after the evolution, allowing a further comparison with the standard two-dimensional Grover walk.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX

Orthogonality catastrophe as a consequence of qubit embedding in an ultra-cold Fermi gas

We investigate the behaviour of a single qubit coupled to a low-dimensional, ultra-cold Fermi gas. The scattering between the system and the fermions leads to the loss of any coherence in the initial state of the qubit and we show that the exact dynamics of this process is strongly influenced by the effect of the orthogonality catastrophe within the gas. We highlight the relationship between the Loschmidt echo and the retarded Green's function - typically used to formulate the dynamical theory of the catastrophe - and demonstrate that the effect can be triggered and characterized via local operations on the qubit. We demonstrate how the expected broadening of the spectral function can be observed using Ramsey interferometry on the qubit.Comment: 4 and a bit pages, 3 figures. Updated versio

Enhanced Pauli blocking of light scattering in a trapped Fermi gas

Pauli blocking of spontaneous emission by a single excited-state atom has been predicted to be dramatic at low temperature when the Fermi energy $E_\mathrm{F}$ exceeds the recoil energy $E_\mathrm{R}$. The photon scattering rate of a ground-state Fermi gas can also be suppressed by occupation of the final states accessible to a recoiling atom, however suppression is diminished by scattering events near the Fermi edge. We analyze two new approaches to improve the visibility of Pauli blocking in a trapped Fermi gas. Focusing the incident light to excite preferentially the high-density region of the cloud can increase the blocking signature by 14%, and is most effective at intermediate temperature. Spontaneous Raman scattering between imbalanced internal states can be strongly suppressed at low temperature, and is completely blocked for a final-state $E_\mathrm{F} > 4 E_\mathrm{R}$ in the high imbalance limit.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. v4: to appear in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physic