A fundamental problem in quantum information is to explore the roles of different quantum correlations in a quantum information procedure. Recent work [Phys. Rev. Lett., 107 (2011) 080401] shows that the protocol for assisted optimal state discrimina
tion (AOSD) may be implemented successfully without entanglement, but with another correlation, quantum dissonance. However, both the original work and the extension to discrimination of $d$ states [Phys. Rev. A, 85 (2012) 022328] have only proved that entanglement can be absent in the case with equal a emph{priori} probabilities. By improving the protocol in [Sci. Rep., 3 (2013) 2134], we investigate this topic in a simple case to discriminate three nonorthogonal states of a qutrit, with positive real overlaps. In our procedure, the entanglement between the qutrit and an auxiliary qubit is found to be completely unnecessary. This result shows that the quantum dissonance may play as a key role in optimal state discrimination assisted by a qubit for more general cases.
We present a unified view of the Berry phase of a quantum system and its entanglement with surroundings. The former reflects the nonseparability between a system and a classical environment as the latter for a quantum environment, and the concept of
geometric time-energy uncertainty can be adopted as a signature of the nonseparability. Based on this viewpoint, we study their relationship in the quantum-classical transition of the environment, with the aid of a spin-half particle (qubit) model exposed to a quantum-classical hybrid field. In the quantum-classical transition, the Berry phase has a similar connection with the time-energy uncertainty as the case with only a classical field, whereas the geometric phase for the mixed state of the qubit exhibits a complementary relationship with the entanglement. Namely, for a fixed time-energy uncertainty, the entanglement is gradually replaced by the mixed geometric phase as the quantum field vanishes. And the mixed geometric phase becomes the Berry phase in the classical limit. The same results can be draw out from a displaced harmonic oscillator model.
We show that Bogoliubovs quasiparticle in superfluid $^3He-B$ undergoes the Zitterbewegung, as a free relativistic Diracs electron does. The expectation value of position, as well as spin, of the quasiparticle is obtained and compared with that of th
e Diracs electron. In particular, the Zitterbewegung of Bogoliubovs quasiparticle has a frequency approximately $10^5$ lower than that of an electron, rendering a more promising experimental observation.
Recent experimental progress in prolonging the coherence time of a quantum system prompts us to explore the behavior of quantum entanglement at the beginning of the decoherence process. The response of the entanglement under an infinitesimal noise ca
n serve as a signature of the robustness of entangled states. A crucial problem of this topic in multipartite systems is to compute the degree of entanglement in a mixed state. We find a family of global noise in three-qubit systems, which is composed of four W states. Under its influence, the linear response of the tripartite entanglement of a symmetrical three-qubit pure state is studied. A lower bound of the linear response is found to depend completely on the initial tripartite and bipartite entanglement. This result shows that the decay of tripartite entanglement is hastened by the bipartite one.
We study the procedure for sequential unambiguous state discrimination. A qubit is prepared in one of two possible states, and measured by two observers Bob and Charlie sequentially. A necessary condition for the state to be unambiguously discriminat
ed by Charlie is the absence of entanglement between the principal qubit, prepared by Alice, and Bobs auxiliary system. In general, the procedure for both Bob and Charlie to recognize between two nonorthogonal states conclusively relies on the availability of quantum discord which is precisely the quantum dissonance when the entanglement is absent. In Bobs measurement, the left discord is positively correlated with the information extracted by Bob, and the right discord enhances the information left to Charlie. When their product achieves its maximum the probability for both Bob and Charlie to identify the state achieves its optimal value.
For a spin-1/2 particle moving in a background magnetic field in noncommutative phase space, Dirac equation is solved when the particle is allowed to move off the plane that the magnetic field is perpendicular to. It is shown that the motion of the c
harged particle along the magnetic field has the effect to increase the magnetic field. In the classical limit, matrix elements of the velocity operator related to the probability give a clear physical picture: Along an effective magnetic field the mechanical momentum is conserved and the motion perpendicular to the effective magnetic field follows a round orbit. If using the velocity operator defined by the coordinate operators, the motion becomes complicated.
A prepotential approach to constructing the quantum systems with dynamical symmetry is proposed. As applications, we derive generalizations of the hydrogen atom and harmonic oscillator, which can be regarded as the systems with position-dependent mas
s. They have the symmetries which are similar to the corresponding ones, and can be solved by using the algebraic method.
The orbits and the dynamical symmetries for the screened Coulomb potentials and isotropic harmonic oscillators have been studied by Wu and Zeng [Z. B. Wu and J. Y. Zeng, Phys. Rev. A 62,032509 (2000)]. We find the similar properties in the responding
systems in a spherical space, whose dynamical symmetries are described by Higgs Algebra. There exists a conserved aphelion and perihelion vector, which, together with angular momentum, constitute the generators of the geometrical symmetry group at the aphelia and perihelia points $(dot{r}=0)$.
A fundamental problem in quantum information is to explore what kind of quantum correlations is responsible for successful completion of a quantum information procedure. Here we study the roles of entanglement, discord, and dissonance needed for opti
mal quantum state discrimination when the latter is assisted with an auxiliary system. In such process, we present a more general joint unitary transformation than the existing results. The quantum entanglement between a principal qubit and an ancilla is found to be completely unnecessary, as it can be set to zero in the arbitrary case by adjusting the parameters in the general unitary without affecting the success probability. This result also shows that it is quantum dissonance that plays as a key role in assisted optimal state discrimination and not quantum entanglement. A necessary criterion for the necessity of quantum dissonance based on the linear entropy is also presented.
For a two-qubit system under local depolarizing channels, the most robust and most fragile states are derived for a given concurrence or negativity. For the one-sided channel, the pure states are proved to be the most robust ones, with the aid of the
evolution equation for entanglement given by Konrad et al. [Nat. Phys. 4, 99 (2008)]. Based on a generalization of the evolution equation for entanglement, we classify the ansatz states in our investigation by the amount of robustness, and consequently derive the most fragile states. For the two-sided channel, the pure states are the most robust for a fixed concurrence. Under the uniform channel, the most fragile states have the minimal negativity when the concurrence is given in the region [1/2,1]. For a given negativity, the most robust states are the ones with the maximal concurrence, and the most fragile ones are the pure states with minimum of concurrence. When the entanglement approaches zero, the most fragile states under general nonuniform channels tend to the ones in the uniform channel. Influences on robustness by entanglement, degree of mixture, and asymmetry between the two qubits are discussed through numerical calculations. It turns out that the concurrence and negativity are major factors for the robustness. When they are fixed, the impact of the mixedness becomes obvious. In the nonuniform channels, the most fragile states are closely correlated with the asymmetry, while the most robust ones with the degree of mixture.
