arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Asher Peres.
In the standard physical interpretation of quantum theory, prediction and retrodiction are not symmetric. The opposite assertion by some authors results from their use of non-standard interpretations of the theory.
If a physical system contains a single particle, and if two distant detectors test the presence of linear superpositions of one-particle and vacuum states, a violation of classical locality can occur. It is due to the creation of a two-particle component by the detecting process itself.
The momentum operator for a particle in a box is represented by an infinite order Hermitian matrix $P$. Its square $P^2$ is well defined (and diagonal), but its cube $P^3$ is ill defined, because $P P^2\neq P^2 P$. Truncating these matrices to a finite order restores the associative law, but leads to other curious results.
Generalized quantum measurements with N distinct outcomes are used for determining the density matrix, of order d, of an ensemble of quantum systems. The resulting probabilities are represented by a point in an N-dimensional space. It is shown that this point lies in a convex domain having at most d^2-1 dimensions.
Given a finite set of linearly independent quantum states, an observer who examines a single quantum system may sometimes identify its state with certainty. However, unless these quantum states are orthogonal, there is a finite probability of failure. A complete solution is given to the problem of optimal distinction of three states, having arbitrary prior probabilities and arbitrary detection values. A generalization to more than three states is outlined.
A measuring apparatus is described by quantum mechanics while it interacts with the quantum system under observation, and then it must be given a classical description so that the result of the measurement appears as objective reality. Alternatively, the apparatus may always be treated by quantum mechanics, and be measured by a second apparatus which has such a dual description. This article examines whether these two different descriptions are mutually consistent. It is shown that if the dynamical variable used in the first apparatus is represented by an operator of the Weyl-Wigner type (for example, if it is a linear coordinate), then the conversion from quantum to classical terminology does not affect the final result. However, if the first apparatus encodes the measurement in a different type of operator (e.g., the phase operator), the two methods of calculation may give different results.
This is an "Essay-Review" of a book with the same title, by Jeffrey Bub (Cambridge University Press, 1997).
Entanglement is essential for quantum computation. However, disentanglement is also necessary. It can be achieved without the need of classical operations (measurements). Two examples are analyzed: the discrete Fourier transform and error correcting codes.
The state of a quantum system, consisting of two distinct subsystems, is called separable if it can be prepared by two distant experimenters who receive instructions from a common source, via classical communication channels. A necessary condition is derived and is shown to be more sensitive than Bell's inequality for detecting quantum inseparability. Moreover, collective tests of Bell's inequality (namely, tests that involve several composite systems simultaneously) may sometimes lead to a violation of Bell's inequality, even if the latter is satisfied when each composite system is tested separately.
The Wheeler-DeWitt equation is based on the use of canonical quantization rules that may be inconsistent for constrained dynamical systems, such as minisuperspaces subject to Einstein's equations. The resulting quantum dynamics has no classical limit and it suffers from the infamous ``problem of time.'' In this article, it is shown how a dynamical time (an internal clock) can be constructed by means of a Hamilton-Jacobi formalism, and then used for a consistent canonical quantization, with the correct classical limit.
We consider the Bennett-Brassard cryptographic scheme, which uses two conjugate quantum bases. An eavesdropper who attempts to obtain information on qubits sent in one of the bases causes a disturbance to qubits sent in the other basis. We derive an upper bound to the accessible information in one basis, for a given error rate in the conjugate basis. Independently fixing the error rate in the conjugate bases, we show that both bounds can be attained simultaneously by an optimal eavesdropping probe, consisting of two qubits. The qubits' interaction and their subsequent measurement are described explicitly. These results are combined to give an expression for the optimal information an eavesdropper can obtain for a given average disturbance when her interaction and measurements are performed signal by signal. Finally, the relation between quantum cryptography and violations of Bell's inequalities is discussed.
Errors in quantum computers are of two kinds: sudden perturbations to isolated qubits, and slow random drifts of all the qubits. The latter may be reduced, but not eliminated, by means of symmetrization, namely by using many replicas of the computer, and forcing their joint quantum state to be completely symmetric. On the other hand, isolated errors can be corrected by quantum codewords that represent a logical qubit in a redundant way, by several physical qubits. If one of the physical qubits is perturbed, for example if it gets entangled with an unknown environment, there still is enough information encoded in the other physical qubits to restore the logical qubit, and disentangle it from the environment. The recovery procedure may consist of unitary operations, without the need of actually identifying the error.
Quantum codewords are highly entangled combinations of two-state systems. The standard assumptions of local realism lead to logical contradictions similar to those found by Bell, Kochen and Specker, Greenberger, Horne and Zeilinger, and Mermin. The new contradictions have some noteworthy features that did not appear in the older ones.
A quantum system consisting of two subsystems is separable if its density matrix can be written as $ρ=\sum w_K ρ_K'\otimes ρ_K''$, where $ρ_K'$ and $ρ_K''$ are density matrices for the two subsytems, and the positive weights $w_K$ satisfy $\sum w_K=1$. A necessary condition for separability is derived and is shown to be more sensitive than Bell's inequality for detecting quantum inseparability. Moreover, collective tests of Bell's inequality (namely, tests that involve several composite systems simultaneously) may sometimes lead to a violation of Bell's inequality, even if the latter is satisfied when each composite system is tested separately.
A quantum codeword is a redundant representation of a logical qubit by means of several physical qubits. It is constructed in such a way that if one of the physical qubits is perturbed, for example if it gets entangled with an unknown environment, there still is enough information encoded in the other physical qubits to restore the logical qubit, and disentangle it from the environment. The recovery procedure may consist of the detection of an error syndrome, followed by the correction of the error, as in the classical case. However, it can also be performed by means of unitary operations, without having to know the error syndrome. Since quantum codewords span only a restricted subspace of the complete physical Hilbert space, the unitary operations that generate quantum dynamics (that is, the computational process) are subject to considerable arbitrariness, similar to the gauge freedom in quantum field theory. Quantum codewords can thus serve as a toy model for investigating the quantization of constrained dynamical systems.
A quantum system consisting of two subsystems is separable if its density matrix can be written as $ρ=\sum_A w_A\,ρ_A'\otimesρ_A''$, where $ρ_A'$ and $ρ_A''$ are density matrices for the two subsytems. In this Letter, it is shown that a necessary condition for separability is that a matrix, obtained by partial transposition of $ρ$, has only non-negative eigenvalues. This criterion is stronger than Bell's inequality.
If scattering amplitudes are ordinary complex numbers (not quaternions) there is a universal algebraic relationship between the six coherent cross sections of any three scatterers (taken singly and pairwise). A violation of this relationship would indicate either that scattering amplitudes are quaternions, or that the superposition principle fails. Some possible experimental tests involve neutron interferometry, K_S-meson regeneration, and low energy proton-proton scattering.
It is possible to reduce some types of quantum computation errors by symmetrizing the quantum state of a redundant array. Various models are discussed.