arXiv subjects

Antoine Tilloy

Publications and source records attributed to Antoine Tilloy.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Sourcing semiclassical gravity from spontaneously localized quantum matter

The possibility that a classical space-time and quantum matter cohabit at the deepest level, i.e. the possibility of having a fundamental and not phenomenological semiclassical gravity, is often disregarded for lack of a good candidate theory. The standard semiclassical theory suffers from fundamental inconsistencies (e.g.: Schrödinger cat sources, faster-than-light communication and violation of the Born rule) which can only be ignored in simple typical situations. We harness the power of spontaneous localization models, historically constructed to solve the measurement problem in quantum mechanics, to build a consistent theory of (stochastic) semiclassical gravity in the Newtonian limit. Our model makes quantitative and potentially testable predictions: we recover the Newtonian pair potential up to a short distance cut-off (hence we predict no 1 particle self-interaction) and uncover an additional gravitational decoherence term which depends on the specifics of the underlying spontaneous localization model considered. We hint at a possible program to go past the Newtonian limit, towards a consistent general relativistic semiclassical gravity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Zooming in on Quantum Trajectories

We propose to use the effect of measurements instead of their number to study the time evolution of quantum systems under monitoring. This time redefinition acts like a microscope which blows up the inner details of seemingly instantaneous transitions like quantum jumps. In the simple example of a continuously monitored qubit coupled to a heat bath, we show that this procedure provides well defined and simple evolution equations in an otherwise singular strong monitoring limit. We show that there exists anomalous observable localised on sharp transitions which can only be resolved with our new effective time. We apply our simplified description to study the competition between information extraction and dissipation in the evolution of the linear entropy. Finally, we show that the evolution of the new time as a function of the real time is closely related to a stable Levy process of index 1/2.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Efficient progressive readout of a register of (qu)bits

Recently, a series of articles by Combes et al. has shown that it was possible to greatly improve the measurement rate of a register of qubits for given detector resources by means of a clever feedback control scheme. However, this speed-up came at an exponential cost in terms of complexity and memory use. In this article, I propose a simple efficient algorithm --exponentially more frugal in memory and less complex to implement-- which is asymptotically as fast. I use extensively the implicit classicality of the situation to provide a slightly more straightforward interpretation of the results. I compute the speed-up rates exactly in the case of the proposed model and in the case of the open-loop scheme of Combes et al. and prove that they indeed provide the same asymptotic speed-up.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Spikes in quantum trajectories

A quantum system subjected to a strong continuous monitoring undergoes quantum jumps. This very well known fact hides a neglected subtlety: sharp scale-invariant fluctuations invariably decorate the jump process even in the limit where the measurement rate is very large. This article is devoted to the quantitative study of these remaining fluctuations, which we call spikes, and to a discussion of their physical status. We start by introducing a classical model where the origin of these fluctuations is more intuitive and then jump to the quantum realm where their existence is less intuitive. We compute the exact distribution of the spikes for a continuously monitored qubit. We conclude by discussing their physical and operational relevance.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Computing the Rates of Measurement-Induced Quantum Jumps

Small quantum systems can now be continuously monitored experimentally which allows for the reconstruction of quantum trajectories. A peculiar feature of these trajectories is the emergence of jumps between the eigenstates of the observable which is measured. Using the Stochastic Master Equation (SME) formalism for continuous quantum measurements, we show that the density matrix of a system indeed shows a jumpy behavior when it is subjected to a tight measurement (even if the noise in the SME is Gaussian). We are able to compute the jump rates analytically for any system evolution, i.e. any Lindbladian, and we illustrate how our general recipe can be applied to two simple examples. We then discuss the mathematical, foundational and practical applications of our results. The analysis we present is based on a study of the strong noise limit of a class of stochastic differential equations (the SME) and as such the method may be applicable to other physical situations in which a strong noise limit plays a role.

math-ph↗

arXiv2014

Controlling quantum flux through measurement: an idealised example

Classically, no transfer occurs between two equally filled reservoirs no matter how one looks at them, but the situation can be different quantum mechanically. This paradoxically surprising phenomenon rests on the distinctive property of the quantum world that one cannot stare at a system without disturbing it. It was recently discovered that this seemingly annoying feature could be harnessed to control small quantum systems using weak measurements. Here we present one of the simplest models -- an idealised double quantum dot -- where by toying with the dot measurement strength, i.e. the intensity of the look, it is possible to create a particle flux in an otherwise completely symmetric system. The basic property underlying this phenomena is that measurement disturbances are very different on a system evolving unitarily and a system evolving dissipatively. This effect shows that adaptive measurements can have dramatic effects enabling transport control but possibly inducing biases in the measurement of macroscopic quantities if not handled with care.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Open quantum random walks: bi-stability on pure states and ballistically induced diffusion

Open quantum random walks (OQRWs) deal with quantum random motions on the line for systems with internal and orbital degrees of freedom. The internal system behaves as a quantum random gyroscope coding for the direction of the orbital moves. We reveal the existence of a transition, depending on OQRW moduli, in the internal system behaviors from simple oscillations to random flips between two unstable pure states. This induces a transition in the orbital motions from usual diffusion to ballistically induced diffusion with large mean free path and large effective diffusion constant at large time. We also show that mixed states of the internal system are converted into random pure states during the process. We touch upon possible experimental realizations.

math-ph↗

arXiv2013

The Open Quantum Brownian Motion

Using quantum parallelism on random walks as original seed, we introduce new quantum stochastic processes, the open quantum Brownian motions. They describe the behaviors of quantum walkers -- with internal degrees of freedom which serve as random gyroscopes -- interacting with series of probes. These processes may also be viewed as the scaling limit of open quantum random walks and we develop this approach along three different lines: quantum trajectory, quantum dynamical map, and quantum stochastic differential equation. We also present a study of the simplest case, with a two level system as internal gyroscope, illustrating the interplay between ballistic and diffusive behaviors at work in these processes.

math-ph↗

arXiv2012

The Tension on dsDNA Bound to ssDNA/RecA Filaments May Play an Important Role in Driving Efficient and Accurate Homology Recognition and Strand Exchange

It is well known that during homology recognition and strand exchange the double stranded DNA (dsDNA) in DNA/RecA filaments is highly extended, but the functional role of the extension has been unclear. We present an analytical model that calculates the distribution of tension in the extended dsDNA during strand exchange. The model suggests that the binding of additional dsDNA base pairs to the DNA/RecA filament alters the tension in dsDNA that was already bound to the filament, resulting in a non-linear increase in the mechanical energy as a function of the number of bound base pairs. This collective mechanical response may promote homology stringency and underlie unexplained experimental results.

physics.bio-ph↗