arXiv subjects

Achim Kempf

Publications and source records attributed to Achim Kempf.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

Covariant Predictions for Planck-Scale Features in Primordial Power Spectra

In this companion to our letter (arXiv:2208.10514), we elaborate the full details of the predicted corrections to the primordial scalar and tensor power spectra that arise from quantum gravity-motivated, natural, covariant ultraviolet cutoffs. We implement these cutoffs by covariantly restricting the fields which are summed over in the path integrals for the primordial correlators, and we discuss in detail the functional analytic techniques necessary for evaluating such path integrals. Our prediction, which is given in terms of measured cosmological parameters and without assuming any particular inflationary potential, is that the corrections take the form of small oscillations which are superimposed on the conventional power spectra. The frequency of these oscillations only depends on the location of the cutoff scale and the first inflationary slow-roll parameter, while the amplitude and phase are also moderately sensitive to how smoothly the cutoff turns on. The specificity of the new predictions offers an opportunity to significantly enhance experimental sensitivity in observations of the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure. This may be used to place ever higher bounds on the scale at which quantum gravity effects become important in quantum field theory or may even provide positive evidence for quantum gravity effects.

hep-th↗

arXiv2022

The Transfer of Entanglement Negativity at the Onset of Interactions

Quantum information, in the form of entanglement with an ancilla, can be transmitted to a third system through interaction. Here, we investigate this process of entanglement transmission perturbatively in time. Using the entanglement monotone negativity, we determine how the proclivity of an interaction to either generate, transfer or lose entanglement depends on the choice of Hamiltonians and initial states. These three proclivities are captured by Hamiltonian- and state-dependent quantities that we call negativity susceptibility, negativity transmissibility and negativity vulnerability respectively. These notions could serve, for example, as cost functions in quantum technologies such as machine-learned quantum error correction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Second-quantized Unruh-DeWitt detectors and their quantum reference frame transformations

We generalize the Unruh-DeWitt detector model to second quantization. We illustrate this model by applying it to an excited particle in a superposition of relativistic velocities. We calculate, to first order, how its decay depends on whether its superposition of velocities is coherent or incoherent. Further, we generalize the framework of quantum reference frames to allow transformations to the rest frames of second-quantized Unruh DeWitt detectors. As an application, we show how to transform into the rest frame of a decaying particle that, in the laboratory frame, is in a linear superposition of relativistically differing velocities.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Transmission of coherent information at the onset of interactions

In this work, we investigate the parameters governing the rate at which a quantum channel arises at the onset of an interaction between two systems, $A$ and $B$. In particular, when system $A$ is pre-entangled with an ancilla, $\tilde{A}$, we quantify the early-time transmission of pre-existing entanglement by calculating the leading order change in coherent information of the complementary channel ($A\rightarrow B'$). We show that, when $A$ and $B$ are initially unentangled and $B$ is pure, there is no change in coherent information to first order, while the leading (second) order change is divergent. However, this divergence may be regulated by embedding the conventional notion of coherent information into what we call the family of $n$-coherent informations, defined using $n$-Rényi entropies. We find that the rate of change of the $n$-coherent information at the onset of the interaction is governed by a quantity, which we call the $n$-exposure, which captures the extent to which the initial coherent information of $A$ with $\tilde{A}$ is exposed to or `seen by' the interaction Hamiltonian between $A$ and $B$. We give examples in qubit systems and in the light-matter interaction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Replacing the Notion of Spacetime Distance by the Notion of Correlation

Spacetime is conventionally viewed as a stage on which actors, in the form of fields, move. Here, we explore what may lie beyond this picture. The starting point is the observation that quantum fluctuations of fields are the more strongly correlated the shorter their spacetime distance. As a consequence, the notion of spacetime distance, including the metric as its infinitesimal version, can be replaced by the notion of correlation strength. This suggests a new picture in which abstract (2-point and multi-point) correlators are the primary structure. In general, these abstract correlators can only be described as information theoretic structures and, in principle, they need not bear any relationship to quantum fields or spacetimes. These correlators may allow approximations, however, so that, in certain regimes, they can be mathematically approximately represented as the 2-point and multi-point functions of quantum fields living on a spacetime. In this way, the standard picture of a curved spacetime with fields whose correlators arise from Feynman rules would merely be a convenient approximate picture, while the underlying picture is that of a spacetime-less and field-less information-theoretic structure of abstract correlations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Towards a more algebraic footing for quantum field theory

The predictions of the standard model of particle physics are highly successful in spite of the fact that several parts of the underlying quantum field theoretical framework are analytically problematic. Indeed, it has long been suggested, by Einstein, Schrödinger and others, that analytic problems in the formulation of fundamental laws could be overcome by reformulating these laws without reliance on analytic methods namely, for example, algebraically. In this spirit, we focus here on the analytic ill-definedness of the quantum field theoretic Fourier and Legendre transforms of the generating series of Feynman graphs, including the path integral. To this end, we develop here purely algebraic and combinatorial formulations of the Fourier and Legendre transforms, employing rings of formal power series. These are all-purpose transform methods and when applied in quantum field theory to the generating functionals of Feynman graphs, the new transforms are well defined and thereby help explain the robustness and success of the predictions of perturbative quantum field theory in spite of analytic difficulties. Technically, we overcome here the problem of the possible divergence of the various generating series of Feynman graphs by constructing Fourier and Legendre transforms of formal power series that operate in a well defined way on the coefficients of the power series irrespective of whether or not these series converge. Our new methods could, therefore, provide new algebraic and combinatorial perspectives on quantum field theoretic structures that are conventionally thought of as analytic in nature, such as the occurrence of anomalies from the path integral measure.

math-ph↗

arXiv2021

Gravitational wave emission from the CMB and other thermal fields

We calculate the gravitational wave power density emitted by quantum thermal sources. As particular cases, we calculate the emission of gravitational waves from the cosmic microwave background and from stellar sources. We study how treating gravity classically affects the prediction of the thermal emission. We find that the predicted emitted gravitational wave radiation does not exhibit an ultraviolet divergence, even if gravity is treated classically, as long as the fields describing the thermal source are quantum mechanical.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Acceleration-induced effects in stimulated light-matter interactions

The interaction between light and an atom proceeds via three paradigmatic mechanisms: spontaneous emission, stimulated emission, and absorption. All three are resonant processes in the sense that they require that the radiation field be resonant with the atomic transition. The non-resonant counterparts of these effects, while necessary to maintain locality of the interaction in principle, are usually negligible because their effects tend to average out over multiple cycles of the radiation field. This state of affairs does not hold if the atom is accelerated. We show that, when accelerated, the non-resonant effects can be made to dominate over the conventional resonant effects. In fact we show that the non-resonant effects can be vastly enhanced by stimulation, and that suitably chosen acceleration can entirely suppress the resonant effects. In the class of effects that we study, the Unruh effect is the special case of vanishing stimulation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Unruh Effect of Detectors with Quantized Center-of-Mass

The Unruh effect is the prediction that particle detectors accelerated through the vacuum get excited by the apparent presence of radiation quanta -- a fundamental quantum phenomenon in the presence of acceleration. Prior treatments of the Unruh effect, that presume a classically prescribed trajectory, do not account for the quantum dynamics of the detector's center-of-mass. Here, we study more realistic detectors whose center of mass is a quantized degree of freedom being accelerated by an external classical field. We investigate the detector's recoil due to the emission of Unruh quanta. Vice versa, we also study the recoil's impact on the emission of Unruh quanta and the excitation of the detector. We find that the recoil due to the emission of Unruh quanta may be a relevant experimental signature of the Unruh effect.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Learning to Utilize Correlated Auxiliary Noise: A Possible Quantum Advantage

This paper has two messages. First, we demonstrate that neural networks that process noisy data can learn to exploit, when available, access to auxiliary noise that is correlated with the noise on the data. In effect, the network learns to use the correlated auxiliary noise as an approximate key to decipher its noisy input data. Second, we show that, for this task, the scaling behavior with increasing noise is such that future quantum machines could possess an advantage. In particular, decoherence generates correlated auxiliary noise in the environment. The new approach could, therefore, help enable future quantum machines by providing machine-learned quantum error correction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

The Dynamics of Entropies at the Onset of Interactions

At the onset of an interaction between two initially independent systems, each system tends to experience an increase in its n-Renyi entropies, such as its von Neumann entropy (n = 1) and its mixedness (n = 2). We here ask which properties of a system determine how quickly its Renyi entropies increase and, therefore, how sensitive the system is to becoming entangled. We find that the rate at which the n-Renyi entropy increases in an interaction is determined by a quantity which we term the n-fragility of the system. The 2-fragility is closely related to the notion of 2-norm coherence, in that it too quantifies the extent to which a density matrix is off-diagonal with respect to the eigenbasis of a reference operator. Nevertheless, the 2-fragility is not a coherence monotone in the resource theoretic sense since it depends also on the eigenvalues of the reference operator. It is this additional sensitivity to the eigenvalues of the reference operator, here the interaction Hamiltonian, which enables the 2-fragility to quantify the rate of entropy production in interactions. We give an example using the light-matter interaction and we anticipate applications to the study of the rates at which two systems exchange classical and quantum information when starting to interact.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Random number generation & distribution out of thin (or thick) air

Much scientific work has focused on the generation of random numbers as well as the distribution of said random numbers for use as a cryptographic key. However, emphasis is often placed on one of the two to the exclusion of the other, but both are often simultaneously important. Here we present a simple hybrid free-space link scheme for both the generation and secure distribution of (pseudo-)random numbers between two remote parties, drawing the randomness from the stochastic nature of atmospheric turbulence. The atmosphere is simulated using digital micro-mirror devices for efficient, all-digital control. After outlining one potential algorithm for extracting random numbers based on finding the centre-of-mass (COM) of turbulent beam intensity profiles, the statistics of our experimental COM measurements is studied and found to agree well with the literature. After implementing the scheme in the laboratory, Alice and Bob are able to establish a string of correlated random bits with an 84% fidelity. Finally, we make a simple modification to the original setup in an attempt to thwart the hacking attempts of an eavesdropper, Eve, who has access to the free-space portion of the link. We find that the fidelity between Eve's key and that of Alice/Bob is 54%, only slightly above the theoretical minimum. Atmospheric turbulence could hence be leveraged as an added security measure, rather than being seen as a drawback.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2020

Lorentzian Spectral Geometry with Causal Sets

We study discrete Lorentzian spectral geometry by investigating to what extent causal sets can be identified through a set of geometric invariants such as spectra. We build on previous work where it was shown that the spectra of certain operators derived from the causal matrix possess considerable but not complete power to distinguish causal sets. We find two especially successful methods for classifying causal sets and we computationally test them for all causal sets of up to $9$ elements. One of the spectral geometric methods that we study involves holding a given causal set fixed and collecting a growing set of its geometric invariants such as spectra (including the spectra of the commutator of certain operators). The second method involves obtaining a limited set of geometric invariants for a given causal set while also collecting these geometric invariants for small `perturbations' of the causal set, a novel method that may also be useful in other areas of spectral geometry. We show that with a suitably chosen set of geometric invariants, this new method fully resolves the causal sets we considered. Concretely, we consider for this purpose perturbations of the original causal set that are formed by adding one element and a link. We discuss potential applications to the path integral in quantum gravity.

hep-th↗

arXiv2020

Entanglement harvesting with coherently delocalized matter

We study entanglement harvesting for matter systems such as atoms, ions or molecules, whose center of mass degrees of freedom are quantum delocalized and which couple to a relativistic quantum field. We employ a generalized Unruh-deWitt detector model for the light-matter interaction, and we investigate how the coherent spreading of the quantum center of mass wave function of two delocalized detector systems impacts their ability to become entangled with one another, via their respective interaction with a quantum field. For very massive detectors with initially highly localized centers of mass, we recover the results of entanglement harvesting for pointlike Unruh-deWitt detectors with classical center of mass degrees of freedom. We find that entanglement harvesting is Gaussian suppressed in the initial center of mass delocalization of the detectors. We further find that spatial smearing profiles, which are commonly employed to model the finite size of atoms due to their atomic orbitals, are not suited to model center of mass delocalization. Finally, for coherently delocalized detectors, we compare entanglement harvesting in the vacuum to entanglement harvesting in media. We find that entanglement harvesting is significantly suppressed in media in which the wave propagation speed is much smaller than the vacuum speed of light.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Communication through quantum fields near a black hole

We study the quantum channel between two localized first-quantized systems that communicate in 3+1 dimensional Schwarzschild spacetime via a quantum field. We analyze the information carrying capacity of direct and black hole-orbiting null geodesics as well as of the timelike contributions that arise because the strong Huygens principle does not hold on the Schwarzschild background. We find, in particular, that the non-direct-null and timelike contributions, which do not possess an analog on Minkowski spacetime, can dominate over the direct null contributions. We cover the cases of both geodesic and accelerated emitters. Technically, we apply tools previously designed for the study of wave propagation in curved spacetimes to a relativistic quantum information communication setup, first for generic spacetimes, and then for the case of Schwarzschild spacetime in particular.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Superadditivity of channel capacity through quantum fields

Given that any communication is communication through quantum fields, we here study the scenario where a sender, Alice, causes information-carrying disturbances in a quantum field. We track the exact spread of these disturbances in space and time by using the technique of quantum information capsules (QIC). We find that the channel capacity between Alice and a receiver, Bob, is enhanced by Bob placing detectors not only inside but in addition also outside the causal future of Alice's encoding operation. Intuitively, this type of superadditivity arises because the field outside the causal future of Alice is entangled with the field inside Alice's causal future. Hence, the quantum noise picked up by Bob's detectors outside Alice's causal future is correlated with the noise of Bob's detectors inside Alice's causal future. In effect, this correlation allows Bob to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of those of his detectors which are in the causal future of Alice. Further, we develop the multimode generalization of the QIC technique. This allows us to extend the analysis to the case where Alice operates multiple localized and optionally entangled emitters. We apply the new techniques to the case where Alice enhances the channel capacity by operating multiple emitters that are suitably lined up and pre-timed to generate a quantum shockwave in the field.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Duality in the dynamics of Unruh-DeWitt detectors in conformally related spacetimes

We prove a nonperturbative duality concerning the dynamics of harmonic-oscillator-type Unruh-DeWitt detectors in curved spacetimes. Concretely, using the Takagi transformation we show that the action of a harmonic oscillator Unruh-DeWitt detector with one frequency in a spacetime is equal to that of a detector with a different frequency in a conformally related spacetime. As an example, we show that the dynamics of simple stationary detectors in flat spacetime is dual to that of detectors in a cosmological scenario. The nonperturbative duality enables us to investigate entanglement harvesting in new scenarios in curved spacetime by using results obtained in simpler, conformally related spacetimes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Efficient method to create superoscillations with generic target behavior

We introduce a new numerically stable method for constructing superoscillatory wave forms inan arbitrary number of dimensions. The method allows the construction of superoscillatory square-integrable functions that match any desired smooth behavior in their superoscillatory region toarbitrary accuracy.

physics.optics↗