No Arabic abstract
We show that the phase shift of {pi}/2 is crucial for the phase space translation covariance of the measured high-amplitude limit observable in eight-port homodyne detection. However, for an arbitrary phase shift {theta} we construct explicitly a different nonequivalent projective representation of R$^2$ such that the observable is covariant with respect to this representation. As a result we are able to determine the measured observable for an arbitrary parameter field and phase shift. Geometrically the change in the phase shift corresponds to the tilting of one axis in the phase space of the system.
Quantum correlations encoded in photonic Laguerre-Gaussian modes were shown to be related to the Gouy phase shifts (D. Kawase et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 050501 (2008)) allowing for a non-destructive manipulation of photonic quantum states. In this work we exploit the relation between phase space correlations of biphotons produced by spontaneously parametric down conversion (SPDC) as encoded in the logarithmic negativity (LN) and the Gouy phase as they are diffracted through an asymmetrical double slit setup. Using an analytical approach based on a double-gaussian approximation for type-I SPDC biphotons, we show that measurements of Gouy phase differences provide information on their phase space entanglement variation, governed by the physical parameters of the experiment and expressed by the LN via covariance matrix elements.
We study the Mott phase of the Bose-Hubbard model on a tilted lattice. On the (Gutzwiller) mean-field level, the tilt has no effect -- but quantum fluctuations entail particle-hole pair creation via tunneling. For small potential gradients (long-wavelength limit), we derive a quantitative analogy to the Sauter-Schwinger effect, i.e., electron-positron pair creation out of the vacuum by an electric field. For large tilts, we obtain resonant tunneling related to Bloch oscillations.
The representation of quantum states via phase-space functions constitutes an intuitive technique to characterize light. However, the reconstruction of such distributions is challenging as it demands specific types of detectors and detailed models thereof to account for their particular properties and imperfections. To overcome these obstacles, we derive and implement a measurement scheme that enables a reconstruction of phase-space distributions for arbitrary states whose functionality does not depend on the knowledge of the detectors, thus defining the notion of detector-agnostic phase-space distributions. Our theory presents a generalization of well-known phase-space quasiprobability distributions, such as the Wigner function. We implement our measurement protocol, using state-of-the-art transition-edge sensors without performing a detector characterization. Based on our approach, we reveal the characteristic features of heralded single- and two-photon states in phase space and certify their nonclassicality with high statistical significance.
Quantifying the degree of irreversibility of an open system dynamics represents a problem of both fundamental and applied relevance. Even though a well-known framework exists for thermal baths, the results give diverging results in the limit of zero temperature and are also not readily extended to nonequilibrium reservoirs, such as dephasing baths. Aimed at filling this gap, in this paper we introduce a phase-space-entropy production framework for quantifying the irreversibility of spin systems undergoing Lindblad dynamics. The theory is based on the spin Husimi-Q function and its corresponding phase-space entropy, known as Wehrl entropy. Unlike the von Neumann entropy production rate, we show that in our framework, the Wehrl entropy roduction rate remains valid at any temperature and is also readily extended to arbitrary nonequilibrium baths. As an application, we discuss the irreversibility associated with the interaction of a two-level system with a single-photon pulse, a problem which cannot be treated using the conventional approach.
We introduce a new approach to evaluating entangled quantum networks using information geometry. Quantum computing is powerful because of the enhanced correlations from quantum entanglement. For example, larger entangled networks can enhance quantum key distribution (QKD). Each network we examine is an n-photon quantum state with a degree of entanglement. We analyze such a state within the space of measured data from repeated experiments made by n observers over a set of identically-prepared quantum states -- a quantum state interrogation in the space of measurements. Each observer records a 1 if their detector triggers, otherwise they record a 0. This generates a string of 1s and 0s at each detector, and each observer can define a binary random variable from this sequence. We use a well-known information geometry-based measure of distance that applies to these binary strings of measurement outcomes, and we introduce a generalization of this length to area, volume and higher-dimensional volumes. These geometric equations are defined using the familiar Shannon expression for joint and mutual entropy. We apply our approach to three distinct tripartite quantum states: the GHZ state, the W state, and a separable state P. We generalize a well-known information geometry analysis of a bipartite state to a tripartite state. This approach provides a novel way to characterize quantum states, and it may have favorable scaling with increased number of photons.