arXiv subjects

Simone Severini

Publications and source records attributed to Simone Severini.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2011

Zero forcing, linear and quantum controllability for systems evolving on networks

We study the dynamics of systems on networks from a linear algebraic perspective. The control theoretic concept of controllability describes the set of states that can be reached for these systems. Under appropriate conditions, there is a connection between the quantum (Lie theoretic) property of controllability and the linear systems (Kalman) controllability condition. We investigate how the graph theoretic concept of a zero forcing set impacts the controllability property. In particular, we prove that if a set of vertices is a zero forcing set, the associated dynamical system is controllable. The results open up the possibility of further exploiting the analogy between networks, linear control systems theory, and quantum systems Lie algebraic theory. This study is motivated by several quantum systems currently under study, including continuous quantum walks modeling transport phenomena. Additionally, it proposes zero forcing as a new notion in the analysis of complex networks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Kochen-Specker Sets and the Rank-1 Quantum Chromatic Number

The quantum chromatic number of a graph $G$ is sandwiched between its chromatic number and its clique number, which are well known NP-hard quantities. We restrict our attention to the rank-1 quantum chromatic number $χ_q^{(1)}(G)$, which upper bounds the quantum chromatic number, but is defined under stronger constraints. We study its relation with the chromatic number $χ(G)$ and the minimum dimension of orthogonal representations $ξ(G)$. It is known that $ξ(G) \leq χ_q^{(1)}(G) \leq χ(G)$. We answer three open questions about these relations: we give a necessary and sufficient condition to have $ξ(G) = χ_q^{(1)}(G)$, we exhibit a class of graphs such that $ξ(G) < χ_q^{(1)}(G)$, and we give a necessary and sufficient condition to have $χ_q^{(1)}(G) < χ(G)$. Our main tools are Kochen-Specker sets, collections of vectors with a traditionally important role in the study of noncontextuality of physical theories, and more recently in the quantification of quantum zero-error capacities. Finally, as a corollary of our results and a result by Avis, Hasegawa, Kikuchi, and Sasaki on the quantum chromatic number, we give a family of Kochen-Specker sets of growing dimension.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

The Kirchhoff's Matrix-Tree Theorem revisited: counting spanning trees with the quantum relative entropy

By revisiting the Kirchhoff's Matrix-Tree Theorem, we give an exact formula for the number of spanning trees of a graph in terms of the quantum relative entropy between the maximally mixed state and another state specifically obtained from the graph. We use properties of the quantum relative entropy to prove tight bounds for the number of spanning trees in terms of basic parameters like degrees and number of vertices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Spin systems dynamics and faults detection in threshold networks

We consider an agent on a fixed but arbitrary node of a known threshold network, with the task of detecting an unknown missing link/node. We obtain analytic formulas for the probability of success, when the agent's tool is the free evolution of a single excitation on an XX spin system paired with the network. We completely characterize the parameters allowing for an advantageous solution. From the results emerges an optimal (deterministic) algorithm for quantum search, therefore gaining a quadratic speed-up with respect to the optimal classical analogue, and in line with well-known results in quantum computation. When attempting to detect a faulty node, the chosen setting appears to be very fragile and the probability of success too small to be of any direct use.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

The Shannon and the Von Neumann entropy of random networks with heterogeneous expected degree

Entropic measures of complexity are able to quantify the information encoded in complex network structures. Several entropic measures have been proposed in this respect. Here we study the relation between the Shannon entropy and the Von Neumann entropy of networks with a given expected degree sequence. We find in different examples of network topologies that when the degree distribution contains some heterogeneity, an intriguing correlation emerges between the two entropies. This result seems to suggest that this kind of heterogeneity is implying an equivalence between a quantum and a classical description of networks, which respectively correspond to the Von Neumann and the Shannon entropy.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2010

Matrix permanent and quantum entanglement of permutation invariant states

We point out that a geometric measure of quantum entanglement is related to the matrix permanent when restricted to permutation invariant states. This connection allows us to interpret the permanent as an angle between vectors. By employing a recently introduced permanent inequality by Carlen, Loss and Lieb, we can prove explicit formulas of the geometric measure for permutation invariant basis states in a simple way.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

The 3-dimensional cube is the only periodic, connected cubic graph with perfect state transfer

There is perfect state transfer between two vertices of a graph, if a single excitation can travel with fidelity one between the corresponding sites of a spin system modeled by the graph. When the excitation is back at the initial site, for all sites at the same time, the graph is said to be periodic. A graph is cubic if each of its vertices has a neighbourhood of size exactly three. We prove that the 3-dimensional cube is the only periodic, connected cubic graph with perfect state transfer. We conjecture that this is also the only connected cubic graph with perfect state transfer.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

(Non-)Contextuality of Physical Theories as an Axiom

We show that the noncontextual inequality proposed by Klyachko et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 020403 (2008)] belongs to a broader family of inequalities, one associated to each compatibility structure of a set of events (a graph), and its independence number. These have the surprising property that the maximum quantum violation is given by the Lovasz theta-function of the graph, which was originally proposed as an upper bound on its Shannon capacity. Furthermore, probabilistic theories beyond quantum mechanics may have an even larger violation, which is given by the so-called fractional packing number. We discuss in detail, and compare, the sets of probability distributions attainable by noncontextual, quantum, and generalized models; the latter two are shown to have semidefinite and linear characterizations, respectively. The implications for Bell inequalities, which are examples of noncontextual inequalities, are discussed. In particular, we show that every Bell inequality can be recast as a noncontextual inequality a la Klyachko et al.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

A characterization of horizontal visibility graphs and combinatorics on words

An Horizontal Visibility Graph (for short, HVG) is defined in association with an ordered set of non-negative reals. HVGs realize a methodology in the analysis of time series, their degree distribution being a good discriminator between randomness and chaos [B. Luque, et al., Phys. Rev. E 80 (2009), 046103]. We prove that a graph is an HVG if and only if outerplanar and has a Hamilton path. Therefore, an HVG is a noncrossing graph, as defined in algebraic combinatorics [P. Flajolet and M. Noy, Discrete Math., 204 (1999) 203-229]. Our characterization of HVGs implies a linear time recognition algorithm. Treating ordered sets as words, we characterize subfamilies of HVGs highlighting various connections with combinatorial statistics and introducing the notion of a visible pair. With this technique we determine asymptotically the average number of edges of HVGs.

physics.data-an↗

arXiv2010

On the degeneracy of $SU(3)_k$ topological phases

The ground state degeneracy of an $SU(N)_k$ topological phase with $n$ quasiparticle excitations is relevant quantity for quantum computation, condensed matter physics, and knot theory. It is an open question to find a closed formula for this degeneracy for any $N > 2$. Here we present the problem in an explicit combinatorial way and analyze the case N=3. While not finding a complete closed-form solution, we obtain generating functions and solve some special cases.

math.CO↗

arXiv2010

Increased entropy of signal transduction in the cancer metastasis phenotype

Studies into the statistical properties of biological networks have led to important biological insights, such as the presence of hubs and hierarchical modularity. There is also a growing interest in studying the statistical properties of networks in the context of cancer genomics. However, relatively little is known as to what network features differ between the cancer and normal cell physiologies, or between different cancer cell phenotypes. Based on the observation that frequent genomic alterations underlie a more aggressive cancer phenotype, we asked if such an effect could be detectable as an increase in the randomness of local gene expression patterns. Using a breast cancer gene expression data set and a model network of protein interactions we derive constrained weighted networks defined by a stochastic information flux matrix reflecting expression correlations between interacting proteins. Based on this stochastic matrix we propose and compute an entropy measure that quantifies the degree of randomness in the local pattern of information flux around single genes. By comparing the local entropies in the non-metastatic versus metastatic breast cancer networks, we here show that breast cancers that metastasize are characterised by a small yet significant increase in the degree of randomness of local expression patterns. We validate this result in three additional breast cancer expression data sets and demonstrate that local entropy better characterises the metastatic phenotype than other non-entropy based measures. We show that increases in entropy can be used to identify genes and signalling pathways implicated in breast cancer metastasis. Further exploration of such integrated cancer expression and protein interaction networks will therefore be a fruitful endeavour.

q-bio.MN↗

arXiv2010

A quantum Bose-Hubbard model with evolving graph as toy model for emergent spacetime

We present a toy model for interacting matter and geometry that explores quantum dynamics in a spin system as a precursor to a quantum theory of gravity. The model has no a priori geometric properties, instead, locality is inferred from the more fundamental notion of interaction between the matter degrees of freedom. The interaction terms are themselves quantum degrees of freedom so that the structure of interactions and hence the resulting local and causal structures are dynamical. The system is a Hubbard model where the graph of the interactions is a set of quantum evolving variables. We show entanglement between spatial and matter degrees of freedom. We study numerically the quantum system and analyze its entanglement dynamics. We analyze the asymptotic behavior of the classical model. Finally, we discuss analogues of trapped surfaces and gravitational attraction in this simple model.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2010

Entanglement manipulation via dynamics in multiple quantum spin systems

We study manipulation of entanglement between two identical networks of quantum mechanical particles. Firstly, we reduce the problem of entanglement transfer to the problem of quantum state transfer. Then, we consider entanglement concentration and purification based on free dynamics on the networks and local measurements on the vertices. By introducing an appropriate measure of efficiency, we characterize the performance of the protocol. We give evidence that such a measure does not depend on the network topology, and we estimate the contribution given by the number of entangled pairs initially shared by the two networks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Zero-error communication via quantum channels, non-commutative graphs and a quantum Lovasz theta function

We study the quantum channel version of Shannon's zero-error capacity problem. Motivated by recent progress on this question, we propose to consider a certain operator space as the quantum generalisation of the adjacency matrix, in terms of which the plain, quantum and entanglement-assisted capacity can be formulated, and for which we show some new basic properties. Most importantly, we define a quantum version of Lovasz' famous theta function, as the norm-completion (or stabilisation) of a "naive" generalisation of theta. We go on to show that this function upper bounds the number of entanglement-assisted zero-error messages, that it is given by a semidefinite programme, whose dual we write down explicitly, and that it is multiplicative with respect to the natural (strong) graph product. We explore various other properties of the new quantity, which reduces to Lovasz' original theta in the classical case, give several applications, and propose to study the operator spaces associated to channels as "non-commutative graphs", using the language of Hilbert modules.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Entanglement and area law with a fractal boundary in a topologically ordered phase

Quantum systems with short range interactions are known to respect an area law for the entanglement entropy: the von Neumann entropy $S$ associated to a bipartition scales with the boundary $p$ between the two parts. Here we study the case in which the boundary is a fractal. We consider the topologically ordered phase of the toric code with a magnetic field. When the field vanishes it is possible to analytically compute the entanglement entropy for both regular and fractal bipartitions $(A,B)$ of the system, and this yields an upper bound for the entire topological phase. When the $A$-$B$ boundary is regular we have $S/p =1$ for large $p$. When the boundary is a fractal of Hausdorff dimension $D$, we show that the entanglement between the two parts scales as $S/p=γ\leq1/D$, and $γ$ depends on the fractal considered.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

Weight of quadratic forms and graph states

We prove a connection between Schmidt-rank and weight of quadratic forms. This provides a new tool for the classification of graph states based on entanglement. Our main tool arises from a reformulation of previously known results concerning the weight of quadratic forms in terms of graph states properties. As a byproduct, we obtain a straightforward characterization of the weight of functions associated with pivot-minor of bipartite graphs.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

Tensor 2-sums and entanglement

To define a minimal mathematical framework for isolating some of the characteristic properties of quantum entanglement, we introduce a generalization of the tensor product of graphs. Inspired by the notion of a density matrix, the generalization is a simple one: every graph can be obtained by addition modulo two, possibly with many summands, of tensor products of adjacency matrices. In this picture, we are still able to prove a combinatorial analogue of the Peres-Horodecki criterion for testing separability.

math.CO↗

arXiv2009

Diffusion on an Ising chain with kinks

We count the number of histories between the two degenerate minimum energy configurations of the Ising model on a chain, as a function of the length n and the number d of kinks that appear above the critical temperature. This is equivalent to count permutations of length n avoiding certain subsequences depending on d. We give explicit generating functions and compute the asymptotics. The setting considered has a role when describing dynamics induced by quantum Hamiltonians with deconfined quasi-particles.

math.CO↗