1,744 research outputs found
Testing quantum adiabaticity with quench echo
Adiabaticity of quantum evolution is important in many settings. One example
is the adiabatic quantum computation. Nevertheless, up to now, there is no
effective method to test the adiabaticity of the evolution when the
eigenenergies of the driven Hamiltonian are not known. We propose a simple
method to check adiabaticity of a quantum process for an arbitrary quantum
system. We further propose a operational method for finding a uniformly
adiabatic quench scheme based on Kibble-Zurek mechanism for the case when the
initial and the final Hamiltonians are given. This method should help in
implementing adiabatic quantum computation.Comment: This is a new version. Some typos in the New Journal of Physics
version have been correcte
Decoherence, Chaos, and the Second Law
We investigate implications of decoherence for quantum systems which are
classically chaotic. We show that, in open systems, the rate of von Neumann
entropy production quickly reaches an asymptotic value which is: (i)
independent of the system-environment coupling, (ii) dictated by the dynamics
of the system, and (iii) dominated by the largest Lyapunov exponent. These
results shed a new light on the correspondence between quantum and classical
dynamics as well as on the origins of the ``arrow of time.''Comment: 13 Pages, 2 Figures available upon request, Preprint LA-UR-93-, The
new version contains the text, the previous one had only the Macros: sorry
Consistent quantum mechanics admits no mereotopology
It is standardly assumed in discussions of quantum theory that physical
systems can be regarded as having well-defined Hilbert spaces. It is shown here
that a Hilbert space can be consistently partitioned only if its components are
assumed not to interact. The assumption that physical systems have well-defined
Hilbert spaces is, therefore, physically unwarranted.Comment: 10 pages; to appear in Axiomathe
Measurement of energy eigenstates by a slow detector
We propose a method for a weak continuous measurement of the energy
eigenstates of a fast quantum system by means of a "slow" detector. Such a
detector is only sensitive to slowly-changing variables, e. g. energy, while
its back-action can be limited solely to decoherence of the eigenstate
superpositions. We apply this scheme to the problem of detection of quantum
jumps between energy eigenstates in a harmonic oscillator.Comment: 4 page
Dynamics of an inhomogeneous quantum phase transition
We argue that in a second order quantum phase transition driven by an
inhomogeneous quench density of quasiparticle excitations is suppressed when
velocity at which a critical point propagates across a system falls below a
threshold velocity equal to the Kibble-Zurek correlation length times the
energy gap at freeze-out divided by . This general prediction is
supported by an analytic solution in the quantum Ising chain. Our results
suggest, in particular, that adiabatic quantum computers can be made more
adiabatic when operated in an "inhomogeneous" way.Comment: 7 pages; version to appear in a special issue of New J. Phy
Environment--Induced Decoherence, Classicality and Consistency of Quantum Histories
We prove that for an open system, in the Markovian regime, it is always
possible to construct an infinite number of non trivial sets of histories that
exactly satisfy the probability sum rules. In spite of being perfectly
consistent, these sets manifest a very non--classical behavior: they are quite
unstable under the addition of an extra instant to the list of times defining
the history. To eliminate this feature --whose implications for the
interpretation of the formalism we discuss-- and to achieve the stability that
characterizes the quasiclassical domain, it is necessary to separate the
instants which define the history by time intervals significantly larger than
the typical decoherence time. In this case environment induced superselection
is very effective and the quasiclassical domain is characterized by histories
constructed with ``pointer projectors''.Comment: 32 pages (1 figure, postcript included at the end: use epsf.tex and
follow instructions before Texing) LA-UR-93-141
How to fix a broken symmetry: Quantum dynamics of symmetry restoration in a ferromagnetic Bose-Einstein condensate
We discuss the dynamics of a quantum phase transition in a spin-1
Bose-Einstein condensate when it is driven from the magnetized
broken-symmetry phase to the unmagnetized ``symmetric'' polar phase. We
determine where the condensate goes out of equilibrium as it approaches the
critical point, and compute the condensate magnetization at the critical point.
This is done within a quantum Kibble-Zurek scheme traditionally employed in the
context of symmetry-breaking quantum phase transitions. Then we study the
influence of the nonequilibrium dynamics near a critical point on the
condensate magnetization. In particular, when the quench stops at the critical
point, nonlinear oscillations of magnetization occur. They are characterized by
a period and an amplitude that are inversely proportional. If we keep driving
the condensate far away from the critical point through the unmagnetized
``symmetric'' polar phase, the amplitude of magnetization oscillations slowly
decreases reaching a non-zero asymptotic value. That process is described by
the equation that can be mapped onto the classical mechanical problem of a
particle moving under the influence of harmonic and ``anti-friction'' forces
whose interplay leads to surprisingly simple fixed-amplitude oscillations. We
obtain several scaling results relating the condensate magnetization to the
quench rate, and verify numerically all analytical predictions.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, final version accepted in NJP (slight changes
with respect to the former submission
Inhomogeneous Kibble-Zurek mechanism: vortex nucleation during Bose-Einstein condensation
The Kibble-Zurek mechanism is applied to the spontaneous formation of
vortices in a harmonically trapped thermal gas following a temperature quench
through the critical value for Bose-Einstein condensation. While in the
homogeneous scenario vortex nucleation is always expected, we show that it can
be completely suppressed in the presence of the confinement potential, whenever
the speed of the spatial front undergoing condensation is lower than a
threshold velocity. Otherwise, the interplay between the geometry and causality
leads to different scaling laws for the density of vortices as a function of
the quench rate, as we also illustrate for the case of a toroidal trapping
potential.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
What is "system": the information-theoretic arguments
The problem of "what is 'system'?" is in the very foundations of modern
quantum mechanics. Here, we point out the interest in this topic in the
information-theoretic context. E.g., we point out the possibility to manipulate
a pair of mutually non-interacting, non-entangled systems to employ
entanglement of the newly defined '(sub)systems' consisting the one and the
same composite system. Given the different divisions of a composite system into
"subsystems", the Hamiltonian of the system may perform in general
non-equivalent quantum computations. Redefinition of "subsystems" of a
composite system may be regarded as a method for avoiding decoherence in the
quantum hardware. In principle, all the notions refer to a composite system as
simple as the hydrogen atom.Comment: 13 pages, no figure
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