Selective cloning of Gaussian states by linear optics

We investigate the performances of a selective cloning machine based on linear optical elements and Gaussian measurements, which allows to clone at will one of the two incoming input states. This machine is a complete generalization of a 1 to 2 cloning scheme demonstrated by U. L. Andersen et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. vol. 94, 240503 (2005)]. The input-output fidelity is studied for generic Gaussian input state and the effect of non-unit quantum efficiency is also taken into account. We show that if the states to be cloned are squeezed states with known squeezing parameter, then the fidelity can be enhanced using a third suitable squeezed state during the final stage of the cloning process. A binary communication protocol based on the selective cloning machne is also discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Photon subtracted states and enhancement of nonlocality in the presence of noise

We address nonlocality of continuous variable systems in the presence of dissipation and noise. Three nonlocality tests have been considered, based on the measurement of displaced-parity, field-quadrature and pseudospin-operator, respectively. Nonlocality of twin beam has been investigated, as well as that of its non-Gaussian counterparts obtained by inconclusive subtraction of photons. Our results indicate that: i) nonlocality of twin beam is degraded but not destroyed by noise; ii) photon subtraction enhances nonlocality in the presence of noise, especially in the low-energy regime.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Continuous variable entanglement dynamics in structured reservoirs

We address the evolution of entanglement in bimodal continuous variable quantum systems interacting with two independent structured reservoirs. We derive an analytic expression for the entanglement of formation without performing the Markov and the secular approximations and study in details the entanglement dynamics for various types of structured reservoirs and for different reservoir temperatures, assuming the two modes initially excited in a twin-beam state. Our analytic solution allows us to identify three dynamical regimes characterized by different behaviors of the entanglement: the entanglement sudden death, the non-Markovian revival and the non-secular revival regimes. Remarkably, we find that, contrarily to the Markovian case, the short-time system-reservoir correlations in some cases destroy quickly the initial entanglement even at zero temperature.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

A model independent approach to non dissipative decoherence

We consider the case when decoherence is due to the fluctuations of some classical variable or parameter of a system and not to its entanglement with the environment. Under few and quite general assumptions, we derive a model-independent formalism for this non-dissipative decoherence, and we apply it to explain the decoherence observed in some recent experiments in cavity QED and on trapped ions.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Stabilization in relation to wavenumber in HDG methods

Simulation of wave propagation through complex media relies on proper understanding of the properties of numerical methods when the wavenumber is real and complex. Numerical methods of the Hybrid Discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) type are considered for simulating waves that satisfy the Helmholtz and Maxwell equations. It is shown that these methods, when wrongly used, give rise to singular systems for complex wavenumbers. A sufficient condition on the HDG stabilization parameter for guaranteeing unique solvability of the numerical HDG system, both for Helmholtz and Maxwell systems, is obtained for complex wavenumbers. For real wavenumbers, results from a dispersion analysis are presented. An asymptotic expansion of the dispersion relation, as the number of mesh elements per wave increase, reveal that some choices of the stabilization parameter are better than others. To summarize the findings, there are values of the HDG stabilization parameter that will cause the HDG method to fail for complex wavenumbers. However, this failure is remedied if the real part of the stabilization parameter has the opposite sign of the imaginary part of the wavenumber. When the wavenumber is real, values of the stabilization parameter that asymptotically minimize the HDG wavenumber errors are found on the imaginary axis. Finally, a dispersion analysis of the mixed hybrid Raviart-Thomas method showed that its wavenumber errors are an order smaller than those of the HDG method

Non-Gaussian quantum discord for Gaussian states

In recent years the paradigm based on entanglement as the unique measure of quantum correlations has been challenged by the rise of new correlation concepts, such as quantum discord, able to reveal quantum correlations that are present in separable states. It is in general difficult to compute quantum discord, because it involves a minimization over all possible local measurements in a bipartition. In the realm of continuous variable (CV) systems, a Gaussian version of quantum discord has been put forward upon restricting to Gaussian measurements. It is natural to ask whether non-Gaussian measurements can lead to a stronger minimization than Gaussian ones. Here we focus on two relevant classes of two-mode Gaussian states: squeezed thermal states (STS) and mixed thermal states (MTS), and allow for a range of experimentally feasible non-Gaussian measurements, comparing the results with the case of Gaussian measurements. We provide evidence that Gaussian measurements are optimal for Gaussian states.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures (3 appendices

Quantum contextuality in N-boson systems

Quantum contextuality in systems of identical bosonic particles is explicitly exhibited via the maximum violation of a suitable inequality of Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt type. Unlike the approaches considered so far, which make use of single-particle observables, our analysis involves collective observables constructed using multi-boson operators. An exemplifying scheme to test this violation with a quantum optical setup is also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, LaTe

Characterization of qubit chains by Feynman probes

We address the characterization of qubit chains and assess the performances of local measurements compared to those provided by Feynman probes, i.e. nonlocal measurements realized by coupling a single qubit regis- ter to the chain. We show that local measurements are suitable to estimate small values of the coupling and that a Bayesian strategy may be successfully exploited to achieve optimal precision. For larger values of the coupling Bayesian local strategies do not lead to a consistent estimate. In this regime, Feynman probes may be exploited to build a consistent Bayesian estimator that saturates the Cram\'er-Rao bound, thus providing an effective characterization of the chain. Finally, we show that ultimate bounds to precision, i.e. saturation of the quantum Cram\'er-Rao bound, may be achieved by a two-step scheme employing Feynman probes followed by local measurements.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure