The fundamental limit on the rate of quantum dynamics: the unified bound is tight

The question of how fast a quantum state can evolve has attracted a considerable attention in connection with quantum measurement, metrology, and information processing. Since only orthogonal states can be unambiguously distinguished, a transition from a state to an orthogonal one can be taken as the elementary step of a computational process. Therefore, such a transition can be interpreted as the operation of "flipping a qubit", and the number of orthogonal states visited by the system per unit time can be viewed as the maximum rate of operation. A lower bound on the orthogonalization time, based on the energy spread DeltaE, was found by Mandelstam and Tamm. Another bound, based on the average energy E, was established by Margolus and Levitin. The bounds coincide, and can be exactly attained by certain initial states if DeltaE=E; however, the problem remained open of what the situation is otherwise. Here we consider the unified bound that takes into account both DeltaE and E. We prove that there exist no initial states that saturate the bound if DeltaE is not equal to E. However, the bound remains tight: for any given values of DeltaE and E, there exists a one-parameter family of initial states that can approach the bound arbitrarily close when the parameter approaches its limit value. The relation between the largest energy level, the average energy, and the orthogonalization time is also discussed. These results establish the fundamental quantum limit on the rate of operation of any information-processing system.Comment: 4 pages 1 PS figure Late

Input-output Gaussian channels: theory and application

Setting off from the classic input-output formalism, we develop a theoretical framework to characterise the Gaussian quantum channels relating the initial correlations of an open bosonic system to those of properly identified output modes. We then proceed to apply our formalism to the case of quantum harmonic oscillators, such as the motional degrees of freedom of trapped ions or nanomechanical oscillators, interacting with travelling electromagnetic modes through cavity fields and subject to external white noise. Thus, we determine the degree of squeezing that can be transferred from an intra-cavity oscillator to light, and also show that the intra-cavity squeezing can be transformed into distributed optical entanglement if one can access both output fields of a two-sided cavity.Comment: 13+7 pages, 3 figure

Evidence of columnar order in the fully frustrated transverse field Ising model on the square lattice

Using extensive classical and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate the ground-state phase diagram of the fully frustrated transverse field Ising model on the square lattice. We show that pure columnar order develops in the low-field phase above a surprisingly large length scale, below which an effective U(1) symmetry is present. The same conclusion applies to the Quantum Dimer Model with purely kinetic energy, to which the model reduces in the zero-field limit, as well as to the stacked classical version of the model. By contrast, the 2D classical version of the model is shown to develop plaquette order. Semiclassical arguments show that the transition from plaquette to columnar order is a consequence of quantum fluctuations.Comment: 5 pages (including Supplemental Material), 5 figure

Realistic and verifiable coherent control of excitonic states in a light harvesting complex

We explore the feasibility of coherent control of excitonic dynamics in light harvesting complexes, analyzing the limits imposed by the open nature of these quantum systems. We establish feasible targets for phase and phase/amplitude control of the electronically excited state populations in the Fenna-Mathews-Olson (FMO) complex and analyze the robustness of this control with respect to orientational and energetic disorder, as well as decoherence arising from coupling to the protein environment. We further present two possible routes to verification of the control target, with simulations for the FMO complex showing that steering of the excited state is experimentally verifiable either by extending excitonic coherence or by producing novel states in a pump-probe setup. Our results provide a first step toward coherent control of these complex biological quantum systems in an ultrafast spectroscopy setup.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

The Density Profiles of Massive, Relaxed Galaxy Clusters. I. The Total Density Over Three Decades in Radius

Clusters of galaxies are excellent locations to probe the distribution of baryons and dark matter (DM) over a wide range of scales. We study a sample of seven massive, relaxed galaxy clusters with centrally-located brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) at z=0.2-0.3. Using the observational tools of strong and weak gravitational lensing, combined with resolved stellar kinematics within the BCG, we measure the total radial density profile, comprising both dark and baryonic matter, over scales of ~3-3000 kpc. Lensing-derived mass profiles typically agree with independent X-ray estimates within ~15%, suggesting that departures from hydrostatic equilibrium are small and that the clusters in our sample (except A383) are not strongly elongated along the line of sight. The inner logarithmic slope gamma_tot of the total density profile measured over r/r200=0.003-0.03, where rho_tot ~ r^(-gamma_tot), is found to be nearly universal, with a mean = 1.16 +- 0.05 (random) +0.05-0.07 (systematic) and an intrinsic scatter of < 0.13 (68% confidence). This is further supported by the very homogeneous shape of the observed velocity dispersion profiles, obtained via Keck spectroscopy, which are mutually consistent after a simple scaling. Remarkably, this slope agrees closely with numerical simulations that contain only dark matter, despite the significant contribution of stellar mass on the scales we probe. The Navarro-Frenk-White profile characteristic of collisionless cold dark matter is a better description of the total mass density at radii >~ 5-10 kpc than that of dark matter alone. Hydrodynamical simulations that include baryons, cooling, and feedback currently provide a poorer match. We discuss the significance of our findings for understanding the assembly of BCGs and cluster cores, particularly the influence of baryons on the inner DM halo. [abridged]Comment: Updated to matched the published version in Ap