arXiv subjects

Michel Planat

Publications and source records attributed to Michel Planat.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Twin "Fano-Snowflakes" Over the Smallest Ring of Ternions

Given a finite associative ring with unity, $R$, any free (left) cyclic submodule (FCS) generated by a $uni$modular ($n+1$)-tuple of elements of $R$ represents a point of the $n$-dimensional projective space over $R$. Suppose that $R$ also features FCSs generated by ($n+1$)-tuples that are $not$ unimodular: what kind of geometry can be ascribed to such FCSs? Here, we (partially) answer this question for $n=2$ when $R$ is the (unique) non-commutative ring of order eight. The corresponding geometry is dubbed a "Fano-Snowflake" due to its diagrammatic appearance and the fact that it contains the Fano plane in its center. There exist, in fact, two such configurations -- each being tied to either of the two maximal ideals of the ring -- which have the Fano plane in common and can, therefore, be viewed as twins. Potential relevance of these noteworthy configurations to quantum information theory and stringy black holes is also outlined.

math-ph↗

arXiv2008

On group theory for quantum gates and quantum coherence

Finite group extensions offer a natural language to quantum computing. In a nutshell, one roughly describes the action of a quantum computer as consisting of two finite groups of gates: error gates from the general Pauli group P and stabilizing gates within an extension group C. In this paper one explores the nice adequacy between group theoretical concepts such as commutators, normal subgroups, group of automorphisms, short exact sequences, wreath products... and the coherent quantum computational primitives. The structure of the single qubit and two-qubit Clifford groups is analyzed in detail. As a byproduct, one discovers that M20, the smallest perfect group for which the commutator subgroup departs from the set of commutators, underlies quantum coherence of the two-qubit system. One recovers similar results by looking at the automorphisms of a complete set of mutually unbiased bases.

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arXiv2007

Qudits of composite dimension, mutually unbiased bases and projective ring geometry

The $d^2$ Pauli operators attached to a composite qudit in dimension $d$ may be mapped to the vectors of the symplectic module $\mathcal{Z}_d^{2}$ ($\mathcal{Z}_d$ the modular ring). As a result, perpendicular vectors correspond to commuting operators, a free cyclic submodule to a maximal commuting set, and disjoint such sets to mutually unbiased bases. For dimensions $d=6,~10,~15,~12$, and 18, the fine structure and the incidence between maximal commuting sets is found to reproduce the projective line over the rings $\mathcal{Z}_{6}$, $\mathcal{Z}_{10}$, $\mathcal{Z}_{15}$, $\mathcal{Z}_6 \times \mathbf{F}_4$ and $\mathcal{Z}_6 \times \mathcal{Z}_3$, respectively.

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arXiv2007

The Veldkamp Space of Two-Qubits

Given a remarkable representation of the generalized Pauli operators of two-qubits in terms of the points of the generalized quadrangle of order two, W(2), it is shown that specific subsets of these operators can also be associated with the points and lines of the four-dimensional projective space over the Galois field with two elements - the so-called Veldkamp space of W(2). An intriguing novelty is the recognition of (uni- and tri-centric) triads and specific pentads of the Pauli operators in addition to the "classical" subsets answering to geometric hyperplanes of W(2).

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arXiv2007

On the Pauli graphs of N-qudits

A comprehensive graph theoretical and finite geometrical study of the commutation relations between the generalized Pauli operators of N-qudits is performed in which vertices/points correspond to the operators and edges/lines join commuting pairs of them. As per two-qubits, all basic properties and partitionings of the corresponding Pauli graph are embodied in the geometry of the generalized quadrangle of order two. Here, one identifies the operators with the points of the quadrangle and groups of maximally commuting subsets of the operators with the lines of the quadrangle. The three basic partitionings are (a) a pencil of lines and a cube, (b) a Mermin's array and a bipartite-part and (c) a maximum independent set and the Petersen graph. These factorizations stem naturally from the existence of three distinct geometric hyperplanes of the quadrangle, namely a set of points collinear with a given point, a grid and an ovoid, which answer to three distinguished subsets of the Pauli graph, namely a set of six operators commuting with a given one, a Mermin's square, and set of five mutually non-commuting operators, respectively. The generalized Pauli graph for multiple qubits is found to follow from symplectic polar spaces of order two, where maximal totally isotropic subspaces stand for maximal subsets of mutually commuting operators. The substructure of the (strongly regular) N-qubit Pauli graph is shown to be pseudo-geometric, i. e., isomorphic to a graph of a partial geometry. Finally, the (not strongly regular) Pauli graph of a two-qutrit system is introduced; here it turns out more convenient to deal with its dual in order to see all the parallels with the two-qubit case and its surmised relation with the generalized quadrangle Q(4, 3), the dual ofW(3).

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arXiv2006

Projective Ring Line Encompassing Two-Qubits

The projective line over the (non-commutative) ring of two-by-two matrices with coefficients in GF(2) is found to fully accommodate the algebra of 15 operators - generalized Pauli matrices - characterizing two-qubit systems. The relevant sub-configuration consists of 15 points each of which is either simultaneously distant or simultaneously neighbor to (any) two given distant points of the line. The operators can be identified with the points in such a one-to-one manner that their commutation relations are exactly reproduced by the underlying geometry of the points, with the ring geometrical notions of neighbor/distant answering, respectively, to the operational ones of commuting/non-commuting. This remarkable configuration can be viewed in two principally different ways accounting, respectively, for the basic 9+6 and 10+5 factorizations of the algebra of the observables. First, as a disjoint union of the projective line over GF(2) x GF(2) (the "Mermin" part) and two lines over GF(4) passing through the two selected points, the latter omitted. Second, as the generalized quadrangle of order two, with its ovoids and/or spreads standing for (maximum) sets of five mutually non-commuting operators and/or groups of five maximally commuting subsets of three operators each. These findings open up rather unexpected vistas for an algebraic geometrical modelling of finite-dimensional quantum systems and give their numerous applications a wholly new perspective.

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arXiv2006

Multiple Qubits as Symplectic Polar Spaces of Order Two

It is surmised that the algebra of the Pauli operators on the Hilbert space of N-qubits is embodied in the geometry of the symplectic polar space of rank N and order two, W_{2N - 1}(2). The operators (discarding the identity) answer to the points of W_{2N - 1}(2), their partitionings into maximally commuting subsets correspond to spreads of the space, a maximally commuting subset has its representative in a maximal totally isotropic subspace of W_{2N - 1}(2) and, finally, "commuting" translates into "collinear" (or "perpendicular").

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arXiv2006

A Classification of the Projective Lines over Small Rings

A compact classification of the projective lines defined over (commutative) rings (with unity) of all orders up to thirty-one is given. There are altogether sixty-five different types of them. For each type we introduce the total number of points on the line, the number of points represented by coordinates with at least one entry being a unit, the cardinality of the neighbourhood of a generic point of the line as well as those of the intersections between the neighbourhoods of two and three mutually distant points, the number of `Jacobson' points per a neighbourhood, the maximum number of pairwise distant points and, finally, a list of representative/base rings. The classification is presented in form of a table in order to see readily not only the fine traits of the hierarchy, but also the changes in the structure of the lines as one goes from one type to the other. We hope this study will serve as an impetus to a search for possible applications of these remarkable geometries in physics, chemistry, biology and other natural sciences as well.

math.AG↗

arXiv2006

A Classification of the Projective Lines over Small Rings II. Non-Commutative Case

A list of different types of a projective line over non-commutative rings with unity of order up to thirty-one inclusive is given. Eight different types of such a line are found. With a single exception, the basic characteristics of the lines are identical to those of their commutative counterparts. The exceptional projective line is that defined over the non-commutative ring of order sixteen that features ten zero-divisors and it most pronouncedly differs from its commutative sibling in the number of shared points by the neighbourhoods of three pairwise distant points (three versus zero), that of "Jacobson" points (zero versus five) and in the maximum number of mutually distant points (five versus three).

math.AG↗

arXiv2006

Projective Planes Over "Galois" Double Numbers and a Geometrical Principle of Complementarity

The paper deals with a particular type of a projective ring plane defined over the ring of double numbers over Galois fields, R\_{\otimes}(q) \equiv GF(q) \otimes GF(q) \cong GF(q)[x]/(x(x-1)). The plane is endowed with (q^2 + q + 1)^2 points/lines and there are (q + 1)^2 points/lines incident with any line/point. As R\_{\otimes}(q) features two maximal ideals, the neighbour relation is not an equivalence relation, i. e. the sets of neighbour points to two distant points overlap. Given a point of the plane, there are 2q(q+1) neighbour points to it. These form two disjoint, equally-populated families under the reduction modulo either of the ideals. The points of the first family merge with (the image of) the point in question, while the points of the other family go in a one-to-one fashion to the remaining q(q + 1) points of the associated ordinary (Galois) projective plane of order q. The families swap their roles when switching from one ideal to the other, which can be regarded as a remarkable, finite algebraic geometrical manifestation/representation of the principle of complementarity. Possible domains of application of this finding in (quantum) physics, physical chemistry and neurophysiology are briefly mentioned.

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arXiv2006

The Projective Line Over the Finite Quotient Ring GF(2)[$x$]/$< x^{3} - x>$ and Quantum Entanglement I. Theoretical Background

The paper deals with the projective line over the finite factor ring $R\_{\clubsuit} \equiv$ GF(2)[$x$]/$ $. The line is endowed with 18 points, spanning the neighbourhoods of three pairwise distant points. As $R\_{\clubsuit}$ is not a local ring, the neighbour (or parallel) relation is not an equivalence relation so that the sets of neighbour points to two distant points overlap. There are nine neighbour points to any point of the line, forming three disjoint families under the reduction modulo either of two maximal ideals of the ring. Two of the families contain four points each and they swap their roles when switching from one ideal to the other; the points of the one family merge with (the image of) the point in question, while the points of the other family go in pairs into the remaining two points of the associated ordinary projective line of order two. The single point of the remaining family is sent to the reference point under both the mappings and its existence stems from a non-trivial character of the Jacobson radical, ${\cal J}\_{\clubsuit}$, of the ring. The factor ring $\widetilde{R}\_{\clubsuit} \equiv R\_{\clubsuit}/ {\cal J}\_{\clubsuit}$ is isomorphic to GF(2) $\otimes$ GF(2). The projective line over $\widetilde{R}\_{\clubsuit}$ features nine points, each of them being surrounded by four neighbour and the same number of distant points, and any two distant points share two neighbours. These remarkable ring geometries are surmised to be of relevance for modelling entangled qubit states, to be discussed in detail in Part II of the paper.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

On the Fine Structure of the Projective Line Over GF(2) x GF(2) x GF(2)

The paper gives a succinct appraisal of the properties of the projective line defined over the direct product ring $R\_{\triangle} \equiv$ GF(2)$\otimesGF(2)\otimes$GF(2). The ring is remarkable in that except for unity, all the remaining seven elements are zero-divisors, the non-trivial ones forming two distinct sets of three; elementary ('slim') and composite ('fat'). Due to this fact, the line in question is endowed with a very intricate structure. It contains twenty-seven points, every point has eighteen neighbour points, the neighbourhoods of two distant points share twelve points and those of three pairwise distant points have six points in common -- namely those with coordinates having both the entries `fat' zero-divisors. Algebraically, the points of the line can be partitioned into three groups: a) the group comprising three distinguished points of the ordinary projective line of order two (the 'nucleus'), b) the group composed of twelve points whose coordinates feature both the unit(y) and a zero-divisor (the 'inner shell') and c) the group of twelve points whose coordinates have both the entries zero-divisors (the 'outer shell'). The points of the last two groups can further be split into two subgroups of six points each; while in the former case there is a perfect symmetry between the two subsets, in the latter case the subgroups have a different footing, reflecting the existence of the two kinds of a zero-divisor. The structure of the two shells, the way how they are interconnected and their link with the nucleus are all fully revealed and illustrated in terms of the neighbour/distant relation. Possible applications of this finite ring geometry are also mentioned.

math.AG↗

arXiv2006

The Projective Line Over the Finite Quotient Ring GF(2)[$x$]/$< x^{3} - x>$ and Quantum Entanglement II. The Mermin "Magic" Square/Pentagram

In 1993, Mermin (Rev. Mod. Phys. 65, 803--815) gave lucid and strikingly simple proofs of the Bell-Kochen-Specker (BKS) theorem in Hilbert spaces of dimensions four and eight by making use of what has since been referred to as the Mermin(-Peres) "magic square" and the Mermin pentagram, respectively. The former is a $3 \times 3$ array of nine observables commuting pairwise in each row and column and arranged so that their product properties contradict those of the assigned eigenvalues. The latter is a set of ten observables arranged in five groups of four lying along five edges of the pentagram and characterized by similar contradiction. An interesting one-to-one correspondence between the operators of the Mermin-Peres square and the points of the projective line over the product ring ${\rm GF}(2) \otimes \rm{GF}(2)$ is established. Under this mapping, the concept "mutually commuting" translates into "mutually distant" and the distinguishing character of the third column's observables has its counterpart in the distinguished properties of the coordinates of the corresponding points, whose entries are both either zero-divisors, or units. The ten operators of the Mermin pentagram answer to a specific subset of points of the line over GF(2)[$x$]/$ $. The situation here is, however, more intricate as there are two different configurations that seem to serve equally well our purpose. The first one comprises the three distinguished points of the (sub)line over GF(2), their three "Jacobson" counterparts and the four points whose both coordinates are zero-divisors; the other features the neighbourhood of the point ($1, 0$) (or, equivalently, that of ($0, 1$)). Some other ring lines that might be relevant for BKS proofs in higher dimensions are also mentioned.

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arXiv2005

Hjelmslev Geometry of Mutually Unbiased Bases

The basic combinatorial properties of a complete set of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) of a q-dimensional Hilbert space H\_q, q = p^r with p being a prime and r a positive integer, are shown to be qualitatively mimicked by the configuration of points lying on a proper conic in a projective Hjelmslev plane defined over a Galois ring of characteristic p^2 and rank r. The q vectors of a basis of H\_q correspond to the q points of a (so-called) neighbour class and the q+1 MUBs answer to the total number of (pairwise disjoint) neighbour classes on the conic.

math-ph↗

arXiv2005

Quantum phase uncertainty in mutually unbiased measurements and Gauss sums

Mutually unbiased bases (MUBs), which are such that the inner product between two vectors in different orthogonal bases is constant equal to the inverse $1/\sqrt{d}$, with $d$ the dimension of the finite Hilbert space, are becoming more and more studied for applications such as quantum tomography and cryptography, and in relation to entangled states and to the Heisenberg-Weil group of quantum optics. Complete sets of MUBs of cardinality $d+1$ have been derived for prime power dimensions $d=p^m$ using the tools of abstract algebra (Wootters in 1989, Klappenecker in 2003). Presumably, for non prime dimensions the cardinality is much less. The bases can be reinterpreted as quantum phase states, i.e. as eigenvectors of Hermitean phase operators generalizing those introduced by Pegg & Barnett in 1989. The MUB states are related to additive characters of Galois fields (in odd characteristic p) and of Galois rings (in characteristic 2). Quantum Fourier transforms of the components in vectors of the bases define a more general class of MUBs with multiplicative characters and additive ones altogether. We investigate the complementary properties of the above phase operator with respect to the number operator. We also study the phase probability distribution and variance for physical states and find them related to the Gauss sums, which are sums over all elements of the field (or of the ring) of the product of multiplicative and additive characters. Finally we relate the concepts of mutual unbiasedness and maximal entanglement. This allows to use well studied algebraic concepts as efficient tools in our quest of minimal uncertainty in quantum information primitives.

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arXiv2004

Sets of Mutually Unbiased Bases as Arcs in Finite Projective Planes?

This note is a short elaboration of the conjecture of Saniga et al (J. Opt. B: Quantum Semiclass. 6 (2004) L19-L20) by regarding a set of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) in a d-dimensional Hilbert space, d being a power of a prime, as an analogue of an arc in a (Desarguesian) projective plane of order d. Complete sets of MUBs thus correspond to (d+1)-arcs, i.e., ovals. The existence of two principally distinct kinds of ovals for d even and greater than four, viz. conics and non-conics, implies the existence of two qualitatively different groups of the complete sets of MUBs for the Hilbert spaces of corresponding dimensions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2004

Mutually Unbiased Bases and Finite Projective Planes

It is conjectured that the question of the existence of projective planes whose order is not a power of prime is intimately linked with the problem whether there exists a set of d+1 mutually unbiased bases in a d-dimensional Hilbert space if d differs from a power of prime.

math-ph↗

arXiv2004

On the Cyclotomic Quantum Algebra of Time Perception

I develop the idea that time perception is the quantum counterpart to time measurement. Phase-locking and prime number theory were proposed as the unifying concepts for understanding the optimal synchronization of clocks and their 1/f frequency noise. Time perception is shown to depend on the thermodynamics of a quantum algebra of number and phase operators already proposed for quantum computational tasks, and to evolve according to a Hamiltonian mimicking Fechner's law. The mathematics is Bost and Connes quantum model for prime numbers. The picture that emerges is a unique perception state above a critical temperature and plenty of them allowed below, which are parametrized by the symmetry group for the primitive roots of unity. Squeezing of phase fluctuations close to the phase transition temperature may play a role in memory encoding and conscious activity.

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