668 research outputs found
Observations of Binary and Single Wolf-Rayet Stars with XMM-Newton and Chandra
We present an overview of recent X-ray observations of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars
with XMM-Newton and Chandra. A new XMM spectrum of the nearby WN8 + OB binary
WR 147 shows hard absorbed X-ray emission, including the Fe K-alpha line
complex, characteristic of colliding wind shock sources. In contrast, sensitive
observations of four of the closest known single WC (carbon-rich) WR stars have
yielded only non-detections. These results tentatively suggest that single WC
stars are X-ray quiet. The presence of a companion may thus be an essential
factor in elevating the X-ray emission of WC + OB stars to detectable levels.Comment: To appear in conf. proceedings: Close Binaries in the 21st Century -
New Opportunities and Challenges, eds. A. Gimenez, E. Guinan, P. Niarchos, S.
Rucinski; Astrophys. and Space Sci. (special issue), 2006. 4 pages, 2 figure
Parameter estimation with mixed quantum states
We consider quantum enhanced measurements with initially mixed states. We
show very generally that for any linear propagation of the initial state that
depends smoothly on the parameter to be estimated, the sensitivity is bound by
the maximal sensitivity that can be achieved for any of the pure states from
which the initial density matrix is mixed. This provides a very general proof
that purely classical correlations cannot improve the sensitivity of parameter
estimation schemes in quantum enhanced measurement schemes.Comment: 6 page
Separability in 2xN composite quantum systems
We analyze the separability properties of density operators supported on
\C^2\otimes \C^N whose partial transposes are positive operators. We show
that if the rank of equals N then it is separable, and that bound
entangled states have rank larger than N. We also give a separability criterion
for a generic density operator such that the sum of its rank and the one of its
partial transpose does not exceed 3N. If it exceeds this number we show that
one can subtract product vectors until decreasing it to 3N, while keeping the
positivity of and its partial transpose. This automatically gives us a
sufficient criterion for separability for general density operators. We also
prove that all density operators that remain invariant after partial
transposition with respect to the first system are separable.Comment: Extended version of quant-ph/9903012 with new results. 11 page
Optimization of entanglement witnesses
An entanglement witness (EW) is an operator that allows to detect entangled
states. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for such operators to be
optimal, i.e. to detect entangled states in an optimal way. We show how to
optimize general EW, and then we particularize our results to the
non-decomposable ones; the latter are those that can detect positive partial
transpose entangled states (PPTES). We also present a method to systematically
construct and optimize this last class of operators based on the existence of
``edge'' PPTES, i.e. states that violate the range separability criterion
[Phys. Lett. A{\bf 232}, 333 (1997)] in an extreme manner. This method also
permits the systematic construction of non-decomposable positive maps (PM). Our
results lead to a novel sufficient condition for entanglement in terms of
non-decomposable EW and PM. Finally, we illustrate our results by constructing
optimal EW acting on H=\C^2\otimes \C^4. The corresponding PM constitute the
first examples of PM with minimal ``qubit'' domain, or - equivalently - minimal
hermitian conjugate codomain.Comment: 18 pages, two figures, minor change
Positive Maps Which Are Not Completely Positive
The concept of the {\em half density matrix} is proposed. It unifies the
quantum states which are described by density matrices and physical processes
which are described by completely positive maps. With the help of the
half-density-matrix representation of Hermitian linear map, we show that every
positive map which is not completely positive is a {\em difference} of two
completely positive maps. A necessary and sufficient condition for a positive
map which is not completely positive is also presented, which is illustrated by
some examples.Comment: 4pages,The Institute of Theoretical Physics, Academia Sinica, Beijing
100080, P.R. Chin
Some Properties of the Computable Cross Norm Criterion for Separability
The computable cross norm (CCN) criterion is a new powerful analytical and
computable separability criterion for bipartite quantum states, that is also
known to systematically detect bound entanglement. In certain aspects this
criterion complements the well-known Peres positive partial transpose (PPT)
criterion. In the present paper we study important analytical properties of the
CCN criterion. We show that in contrast to the PPT criterion it is not
sufficient in dimension 2 x 2. In higher dimensions we prove theorems
connecting the fidelity of a quantum state with the CCN criterion. We also
analyze the behaviour of the CCN criterion under local operations and identify
the operations that leave it invariant. It turns out that the CCN criterion is
in general not invariant under local operations.Comment: 7 pages; accepted by Physical Review A; error in Appendix B correcte
Continuous-variable Werner state: separability, nonlocality, squeezing and teleportation
We investigate the separability, nonlocality and squeezing of
continuous-variable analogue of the Werner state: a mixture of pure two-mode
squeezed vacuum state with local thermal radiations. Utilizing this Werner
state, coherent-state teleportation in Braunstein-Kimble setup is discussed.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Separability of Two-Party Gaussian States
We investigate the separability properties of quantum two-party Gaussian
states in the framework of the operator formalism for the density operator.
Such states arise as natural generalizations of the entangled state originally
introduced by Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen. We present explicit forms of
separable and nonseparable Gaussian states.Comment: Brief Report submitted to Physical Review A, 4 pages, 1 figur
Reversibility of continuous-variable quantum cloning
We analyze a reversibility of optimal Gaussian quantum cloning of a
coherent state using only local operations on the clones and classical
communication between them and propose a feasible experimental test of this
feature. Performing Bell-type homodyne measurement on one clone and anti-clone,
an arbitrary unknown input state (not only a coherent state) can be restored in
the other clone by applying appropriate local unitary displacement operation.
We generalize this concept to a partial LOCC reversal of the cloning and we
show that this procedure converts the symmetric cloner to an asymmetric cloner.
Further, we discuss a distributed LOCC reversal in optimal Gaussian
cloning of coherent states which transforms it to optimal cloning for
. Assuming the quantum cloning as a possible eavesdropping attack on
quantum communication link, the reversibility can be utilized to improve the
security of the link even after the attack.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Role of many-body entanglement in decoherence processes
A pure state decoheres into a mixed state as it entangles with an
environment. When an entangled two-mode system is embedded in a thermal
environment, however, each mode may not be entangled with its environment by
their simple linear interaction. We consider an exactly solvable model to study
the dynamics of a total system, which is composed of an entangled two-mode
system and a thermal environment, and also an array of infinite beam splitters.
It is shown that many-body entanglement of the system and the environment plays
a crucial role in the process of disentangling the system.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
- …