arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G. Alber.
A six-qubit quantum network consisting of conditional unitary gates is presented which is capable of implementing a large class of covariant two-qubit quantum operations. Optimal covariant NOT operations for one and two-qubit systems are special cases contained in this class. The design of this quantum network exploits basic algebraic properties which also shed new light onto these covariant quantum processes.
The structure of all completely positive quantum operations is investigated which transform pure two-qubit input states of a given degree of entanglement in a covariant way. Special cases thereof are quantum NOT operations which transform entangled pure two-qubit input states of a given degree of entanglement into orthogonal states in an optimal way. Based on our general analysis all covariant optimal two-qubit quantum NOT operations are determined. In particular, it is demonstrated that only in the case of maximally entangled input states these quantum NOT operations can be performed perfectly.
An embedded selective recoupling method is proposed which is based on the idea of embedding the recently proposed deterministic selective recoupling scheme of Yamaguchi et al. [quant-ph/0411099] into a stochastic dynamical decoupling method, such as the recently proposed Pauli-random-error-correction-(PAREC) scheme [Eur. Phys. J. D 32, 153, quant-ph/0407262]. The recoupling scheme enables the implementation of elementary quantum gates in a quantum information processor by partial suppression of the unwanted interactions. The random dynamical decoupling method cancels a significant part of the residual interactions. Thus the time scale of reliable quantum computation is increased significantly. Numerical simulations are presented for a conditional two-qubit swap gate and for a complex iterative quantum algorithm.
It is demonstrated that for the entanglement-based version of the Bennett-Brassard (BB84) quantum key distribution protocol, Alice and Bob share provable entanglement if and only if the estimated qubit error rate is below 25% or above 75%. In view of the intimate relation between entanglement and security, this result sheds also new light on the unconditional security of the BB84 protocol in its original prepare-and-measure form. In particular, it indicates that for small qubit error rates 25% is the ultimate upper security bound for any prepare-and-measure BB84-type QKD protocol. On the contrary, for qubit error rates between 25% and 75% we demonstrate that the correlations shared between Alice and Bob can always be explained by separable states and thus, no secret key can be distilled in this regime.
We investigate the problem of copying pure two-qubit states of a given degree of entanglement in an optimal way. Completely positive covariant quantum operations are constructed which maximize the fidelity of the output states with respect to two separable copies. These optimal copying processes hint at the intricate relationship between fundamental laws of quantum theory and entanglement.
A general error correction method is presented which is capable of correcting coherent errors originating from static residual inter-qubit couplings in a quantum computer. It is based on a randomization of static imperfections in a many-qubit system by the repeated application of Pauli operators which change the computational basis. This Pauli-Random-Error-Correction (PAREC)-method eliminates coherent errors produced by static imperfections and increases significantly the maximum time over which realistic quantum computations can be performed reliably. Furthermore, it does not require redundancy so that all physical qubits involved can be used for logical purposes.
We discuss the application of the momentum-shell renormalization group method to the interacting homogeneous Bose gas in the symmetric and in the symmetry-broken phases. It is demonstrated that recently discussed discrepancies are artifacts of not taking proper care of infrared divergencies appearing at finite temperature. If these divergencies are taken into account and treated properly by means of the epsilon-expansion, the resulting renormalization group equations and the corresponding universal properties are identical in the symmetric and the symmetry-broken phases.
We apply perturbative renormalization group theory to the symmetric phase of a dilute interacting Bose gas which is trapped in a three-dimensional harmonic potential. Using Wilsonian energy-shell renormalization and the epsilon-expansion, we derive the flow equations for the system. We relate these equations to the flow for the homogeneous Bose gas. In the thermodynamic limit, we apply our results to study the transition temperature as a function of the scattering length. Our results compare well to previous studies of the problem.
Entanglement is a powerful resource for processing quantum information. In this context pure, maximally entangled states have received considerable attention. In the case of bipartite qubit-systems the four orthonormal Bell-states are of this type. One of these Bell states, the singlet Bell-state, has the additional property of being antisymmetric with respect to particle exchange. In this contribution we discuss possible generalizations of this antisymmetric Bell-state to cases with more than two particles and with single-particle Hilbert spaces involving more than two dimensions. We review basic properties of these totally antisymmetric states. Among possible applications of this class of states we analyze a new quantum key sharing protocol and methods for comparing quantum states.
A universal set of quantum gates is constructed for the recently developed jump-error correcting quantum codes. These quantum codes are capable of correcting errors arising from the spontaneous decay of distinguishable qubits into statistically independent reservoirs. The proposed universal quantum gates are constructed with the help of Heisenberg- and Ising-type Hamiltonians acting on these physical qubits. This way it is guaranteed that the relevant error correcting code space is not left at any time even during the application of one of these quantum gates. The proposed entanglement gate is particularly well suited for scalable quantum processing units whose elementary registers are based on four-qubit systems.
The recently introduced detected-jump correcting quantum codes are capable of stabilizing qubit-systems against spontaneous decay processes arising from couplings to statistically independent reservoirs. These embedded quantum codes exploit classical information about which qubit has emitted spontaneously and correspond to an active error-correcting code embedded in a passive error-correcting code. The construction of a family of one detected jump-error correcting quantum codes is shown and the optimal redundancy, encoding and recovery as well as general properties of detected jump-error correcting quantum codes are discussed. By the use of design theory multiple jump-error correcting quantum codes can be constructed. The performance of one jump-error correcting quantum codes under non-ideal conditions is studied numerically by simulating a quantum memory and Grover's algorithm.
A new class of error-correcting quantum codes is introduced capable of stabilizing qubits against spontaneous decay arising from couplings to statistically independent reservoirs. These quantum codes are based on the idea of using an embedded quantum code and exploiting the classical information available about which qubit has been affected by the environment. They are immediately relevant for quantum computation and information processing using arrays of trapped ions or nuclear spins. Interesting relations between these quantum codes and basic notions of design theory are established.
Universal two-particle entanglement processes are analyzed in arbitrary dimensional Hilbert spaces. On the basis of this analysis the class of possible optimal universal entanglement processes is determined whose resulting output states do not contain any separable states. It is shown that these processes form a one-parameter family. For all Hilbert space dimensions larger than two the resulting optimally entangled output states are mixtures of anti-symmetric states which are freely entangled and which also preserve information about input states. Within this one-parameter family there is only one process by which all information about any input state is destroyed completely.
Quantum revivals are investigated for the dynamics of an atom in a driven gravitational cavity. It is demonstrated that the external driving field influences the revival time significantly. Analytical expressions are presented which are based on second order perturbation theory and semiclassical secular theory. These analytical results explain the dependence of the revival time on the characteristic parameters of the problem quantitatively in a simple way. They are in excellent agreement with numerical results.
A renormalization group method is developed with which thermodynamic properties of a weakly interacting, confined Bose gas can be investigated. Thereby effects originating from a confining potential are taken into account by periodic boundary conditions and by treating the resulting discrete energy levels of the confined degrees of freedom properly. The resulting density of states modifies the flow equations of the renormalization group in momentum space. It is shown that as soon as the characteristic length of confinement becomes comparable to the thermal wave length of a weakly interacting and trapped Bose gas its thermodynamic properties are changed significantly. This is exemplified by investigating characteristic bunching properties of the interacting Bose gas which manifest themselves in the second order coherence factor.
The dynamics of a laser-excited Rydberg electron under the influence of a fluctuating laser field are investigated. Rate equations are developed which describe these dynamics in the limit of large laser bandwidths for arbitrary types of laser fluctuations. These equations apply whenever all coherent effects have already been damped out. The range of validity of these rate equations is investigated in detail for the case of phase fluctuations. The resulting asymptotic power laws are investigated which characterize the long time dynamics of the laser-excited Rydberg electron and it is shown to which extent these power laws depend on details of the laser spectrum.
Optimal universal entanglement processes are discussed which entangle two quantum systems in an optimal way for all possible initial states. It is demonstrated that the linear character of quantum theory which enforces the peaceful coexistence of quantum mechanics and relativity imposes severe restrictions on the structure of the resulting optimally entangled states. Depending on the dimension of the one-particle Hilbert space such a universal process generates either a pure Bell state or mixed entangled states. In the limit of very large dimensions of the one-particle Hilbert space the von-Neumann entropy of the optimally entangled state differs from the one of the maximally mixed two-particle state by one bit only.
The main aim of this article is to discuss characteristic physical phenomena which govern the destruction of quantum coherence of material wave packets.