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Jordan Cotler

Publications and source records attributed to Jordan Cotler.

78 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Rigorous free fermion entanglement renormalization from wavelet theory

We construct entanglement renormalization schemes which provably approximate the ground states of non-interacting fermion nearest-neighbor hopping Hamiltonians on the one-dimensional discrete line and the two-dimensional square lattice. These schemes give hierarchical quantum circuits which build up the states from unentangled degrees of freedom. The circuits are based on pairs of discrete wavelet transforms which are approximately related by a "half-shift": translation by half a unit cell. The presence of the Fermi surface in the two-dimensional model requires a special kind of circuit architecture to properly capture the entanglement in the ground state. We show how the error in the approximation can be controlled without ever performing a variational optimization.

quant-ph↗

Temporal Observables and Entangled Histories

We demonstrate that temporal observables, which are sensitive to a system's history (as opposed to its state), implicate entangled histories. We exemplify protocols for measuring such observables, and algorithms for predicting the (stochastic) outcomes of such measurements. Temporal observables allow us to define, and potentially to measure, precise mathematical consequences of intrinsically disjoint, yet mutually accessible, branches within the evolution of a pure quantum state.

quant-ph↗

Entangled Histories

We introduce quantum history states and their mathematical framework, thereby reinterpreting and extending the consistent histories approach to quantum theory. Through thought experiments, we demonstrate that our formalism allows us to analyze a quantum version of history in which we reconstruct the past by observations. In particular, we can pass from measurements to inferences about "what happened" in a way that is sensible and free of paradox. Our framework allows for a richer understanding of the temporal structure of quantum theory, and we construct history states that embody peculiar, non-classical correlations in time.

quant-ph↗

Experimental Test of Entangled Histories

We propose and demonstrate experimentally a scheme to create entangled history states of the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) type. In our experiment, the polarization states of a single photon at three different times are prepared as a GHZ entangled history state. We define a GHZ functional which attains a maximum value $1$ on the ideal GHZ entangled history state and is bounded above by $1/16$ for any three-time history state lacking tripartite entanglement. We have measured the GHZ functional on a state we have prepared experimentally, yielding a value of $0.656\pm 0.005$, clearly demonstrating the contribution of entangled histories.

quant-ph↗

Entanglement Entropy and Variational Methods: Interacting Scalar Fields

We develop a variational approximation to the entanglement entropy for scalar $ϕ^4$ theory in 1+1, 2+1, and 3+1 dimensions, and then examine the entanglement entropy as a function of the coupling. We find that in 1+1 and 2+1 dimensions, the entanglement entropy of $ϕ^4$ theory as a function of coupling is monotonically decreasing and convex. While $ϕ^4$ theory with positive bare coupling in 3+1 dimensions is thought to lead to a trivial free theory, we analyze a version of $ϕ^4$ with infinitesimal negative bare coupling, an asymptotically free theory known as precarious $ϕ^4$ theory, and explore the monotonicity and convexity of its entanglement entropy as a function of coupling. Within the variational approximation, the stability of precarious $ϕ^4$ theory is related to the sign of the first and second derivatives of the entanglement entropy with respect to the coupling.

hep-th↗

Entanglement Enabled Intensity Interferometry

Intensity interferometry (Hanbury Brown - Twiss effect) is an interesting and useful concept that is usually presented as a manifestation of the quantum statistics of indistinguishable particles. Here, by exploiting possibilities for project and entanglement, we substantially widen the scope of its central idea, removing the requirement of indistinguishability. We thereby potentially gain access to a host of new observables, including subtle polarization correlations and entanglement itself. Our considerations also shed light on the physical significance of superselection.

quant-ph↗