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arXiv · 1105.0174

Experimental investigation of initial system-environment correlations via trace distance evolution

Andrea Smirne·Davide Brivio·Simone Cialdi·Bassano Vacchini·Matteo G. A. Paris
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Abstract

The trace distance between two states of an open quantum system quantifies their distinguishability, and for a fixed environmental state can increase above its initial value only in the presence of initial system-environment correlations. We provide for the first time experimental evidence of such a behavior. In our all-optical apparatus we exploit spontaneous parametric down conversion as a source of polarization entangled states, and a spatial light modulator to introduce in a general fashion correlations between the polarization and the momentum degrees of freedom, which act as environment.

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Andrea Smirne, Davide Brivio, Simone Cialdi, Bassano Vacchini, Matteo G. A. Paris. 2011-09-19. Experimental investigation of initial system-environment correlations via trace distance evolution. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.84.032112

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