arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Asher Peres.
We consider the gravity field of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a quantum superposition. The gravity field then is also in a quantum superposition which is in principle observable. Hence we have ``quantum gravity'' far away from the so-called Planck scale.
The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox (1935) is reexamined in the light of Shannon's information theory (1948). The EPR argument did not take into account that the observers' information was localized, like any other physical object. General relativity introduces new problems: there are horizons which act as one-way membranes for the propagation of quantum information, in particular black holes which act like sinks.
The city of lions. Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. The war starts. Drole de guerre. Going to work. Going to school. Fleeing from village to village. Playing cat and mouse. The second landing. Return to Beaulieu. Return to Paris. Joining the boyscouts. Learning languages. Israel becomes independent. Arrival in Haifa. Kalay high school. Military training. The Hebrew Technion in Haifa. Relativity. Asher Peres. Metallurgy. Return to France. Escape from jail. Aviva.
Following Meyer's argument (quant-ph/9905080) the set of all directions in space is replaced by the dense subset of rational directions. The result conflicts with Euclidean geometry.
The EPR paradox (1935) is reexamined in the light of Shannon's information theory (1948). The EPR argument did not take into account that the observers' information was localized, like any other physical object.
Quantum mechanics, information theory, and relativity theory are the basic foundations of theoretical physics. The acquisition of information from a quantum system is the interface of classical and quantum physics. Essential tools for its description are Kraus matrices and positive operator valued measures (POVMs). Special relativity imposes severe restrictions on the transfer of information between distant systems. Quantum entropy is not a Lorentz covariant concept. Lorentz transformations of reduced density matrices for entangled systems may not be completely positive maps. Quantum field theory, which is necessary for a consistent description of interactions, implies a fundamental trade-off between detector reliability and localizability. General relativity produces new, counterintuitive effects, in particular when black holes (or more generally, event horizons) are involved. Most of the current concepts in quantum information theory may then require a reassessment.
The orientation in space of a Cartesian coordinate system can be indicated by the two vectorial constants of motion of a classical Keplerian orbit: the angular momentum and the Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector. In quantum mechanics, the states of a hydrogen atom that mimic classical elliptic orbits are the coherent states of the SO(4) rotation group.It is known how to produce these states experimentally. They have minimal dispersions of the two conserved vectors and can be used as direction indicators. We compare the fidelity of this transmission method with that of the idealized optimal method.
There are no ``unknown quantum states.'' It's a contradiction in terms. Moreover, Alice and Bob are only inanimate objects. They know nothing. What is teleported instantaneously from one system (Alice) to another system (Bob) is the applicability of the preparer's knowledge to the state of a particular qubit in these systems. The operation necessitates dual classical and quantum channels. Other examples of dual transmission, including ``unspeakable information,'' will be presented and discussed. This article also includes a narrative of how I remember that quantum teleportation was conceived.
When an electromagnetic signal propagates in vacuo, a polarization detector cannot be rigorously perpendicular to the wave vector because of diffraction effects. The vacuum behaves as a noisy channel, even if the detectors are perfect. The ``noise'' can however be reduced and nearly cancelled by a relative motion of the observer toward the source. The standard definition of a reduced density matrix fails for photon polarization, because the transversality condition behaves like a superselection rule. We can however define an effective reduced density matrix which corresponds to a restricted class of positive operator-valued measures. There are no pure photon qubits, and no exactly orthogonal qubit states.
The ``little group'' for massless particles (namely, the Lorentz transformations $Λ$ that leave a null vector invariant) is isomorphic to the Euclidean group E2: translations and rotations in a plane. We show how to obtain explicitly the rotation angle of E2 as a function of $Λ$ and we relate that angle to Berry's topological phase. Some particles admit both signs of helicity, and it is then possible to define a reduced density matrix for their polarization. However, that density matrix is physically meaningless, because it has no transformation law under the Lorentz group, even under ordinary rotations.
Relativistic effects affect nearly all notions of quantum information theory. The vacuum behaves as a noisy channel, even if the detectors are perfect. The standard definition of a reduced density matrix fails for photon polarization because the transversality condition behaves like a superselection rule. We can however define an effective reduced density matrix which corresponds to a restricted class of positive operator-valued measures. There are no pure photon qubits, and no exactly orthogonal qubit states. Reduced density matrices for the spin of massive particles are well-defined, but are not covariant under Lorentz transformations. The spin entropy is not a relativistic scalar and has no invariant meaning. The distinguishability of quantum signals and their entanglement depend on the relative motion of observers.
Recent observations of the fine structure of spectral lines in the early universe have been interpreted as a variation of the fine structure constant. From the assumed validity of Maxwell equations in general relativity and well known experimental facts, it is proved that $e$ and $\hbar$ are absolute constants. On the other hand, the speed of light need not be constant.
If the fine structure constant is not really constant, is this due to a variation of $e$, $\hbar$, or $c$? It is argued that the only reasonable conclusion is a variable speed of light.
An imprecise measurement of a dynamical variable (such as a spin component) does not, in general, give the value of another dynamical variable (such as a spin component along a slightly different direction). The result of the measurement cannot be interpreted as the value of any observable that has a classical analogue.
We consider a single free spin 1/2 particle. The reduced density matrix for its spin is not covariant under Lorentz transformations. The spin entropy is not a relativistic scalar and has no invariant meaning.
I was the referee who approved the publication of Nick Herbert's FLASH paper, knowing perfectly well that it was wrong. I explain why my decision was the correct one, and I briefly review the progress to which it led.
PP-waves have recently been of interest to string theorists. This is the original, hard to find, original article on plane polarized gravitational waves.