We study the Uhlmann holonomy [Rep. Math. Phys. 24, 229 (1986)] of quantum states for hydrogenlike atoms where the intrinsic spin and orbital angular momentum are coupled by the spin-orbit interaction and are subject to a slowly varying magnetic field. We show that the holonomy for the orbital angular momentum and spin subsystems is non-Abelian while the holonomy of the whole system is Abelian. Quantum entanglement in the states of the whole system is crucially related to the non-Abelian gauge structure of the subsystems. We analyze the phase of the Wilson loop variable associated with the Uhlmann holonomy and find a relation between the phase of the whole system and corresponding marginal phases. Based on the results for the model system, we provide evidence that the phase of the Wilson loop variable and the mixed-state geometric phase [E. Sjöqvist et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2845 (2000).] are generally inequivalent.

The trace distance between two states of an open quantum system quantifies their distinguishability and, for a fixed environmental state, can increase above its initial value only in the presence of initial system-environment correlations. We provide experimental evidence of such a behavior. In our all-optical apparatus, we exploit spontaneous parametric down conversion as a source of polarization entangled states and a spatial light modulator to introduce in a general fashion correlations between the polarization and the momentum degrees of freedom, which act as environment.

The development and use of Monte Carlo algorithms plays a visible role in the study of non-Markovian quantum dynamics due to the provided insight and powerful numerical methods for solving the system dynamics. In the Markovian case, the connections between the various types of methods are fairly well understood while, for the non-Markovian case, there has so far been only a few studies. We focus here on two jumplike unravelings of non-Markovian dynamics: the non-Markovian quantum jump (NMQJ) method and the property state method by Gambetta, Askerud, and Wiseman (GAW). The results for simple quantum optical systems illustrate the connections between the realizations of the two methods and also highlight how the probability currents between the system and environment, or between the property states of the total system, are associated with the decay rates of time-local master equations and, consequently, with the jump rates of the NMQJ method.

A realistic quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol necessarily deals with finite resources, such as the number of signals exchanged by the two parties. We derive a bound on the secret key rate which is expressed as an optimization problem over Rényi entropies. Under the assumption of collective attacks by an eavesdropper, a computable estimate of our bound for the six-state protocol is provided. This bound leads to improved key rates in comparison to previous results.

We present a complete architecture for scalable quantum computation with ultracold atoms in optical lattices using optical tweezers focused to the size of a lattice spacing. We discuss three different two-qubit gates based on local collisional interactions. The gates between arbitrary qubits require the transport of atoms to neighboring sites. We numerically optimize the nonadiabatic transport of the atoms through the lattice and the intensity ramps of the optical tweezer in order to maximize the gate fidelities. We find overall gate times of a few $100\mu$s, while keeping the error probability due to vibrational excitations and spontaneous scattering below ${10}^{-3}$. The requirements on the positioning error and intensity noise of the optical tweezer and the magnetic field stability are analyzed and we show that atoms in optical lattices could meet the requirements for fault-tolerant scalable quantum computing.

We consider the recently proposed “no-go” theorem of Lamata et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 180506 (2008)] on the impossibility of sequential implementation of global unitary operations with the aid of an itinerant ancillary system and view the claim within the language of Kraus representation. By virtue of an extremely useful tool for analyzing entanglement properties of quantum operations, namely, operator-Schmidt decomposition, we provide alternative proof to the no-go theorem and also study the role of initial correlations between the qubits and ancilla in sequential preparation of unitary entanglers. Despite the negative response from the no-go theorem, we demonstrate explicitly how the matrix-product operator (MPO) formalism provides a flexible structure to develop protocols for sequential implementation of such entanglers with an optimal fidelity. The proposed numerical technique, which we call variational matrix-product operator (VMPO), offers a computationally efficient tool for characterizing the “globalness” and entangling capabilities of nonlocal unitary operations.

We study ground-state fidelity defined as the overlap between two ground states of the same quantum system obtained for slightly different values of the parameters of its Hamiltonian. We focus on the thermodynamic regime of the $XY$ model and the neighborhood of its critical points. We describe extensively fidelity when it is dominated by the universal contribution reflecting the quantum criticality of the phase transition. We show that proximity to the multicritical point leads to anomalous scaling of fidelity. We also discuss fidelity in a regime characterized by pronounced oscillations resulting from the change in either the system size or the parameters of the Hamiltonian. Moreover, we show when fidelity is dominated by non-universal contributions, study fidelity in the extended Ising model, and illustrate how our results provide additional insight into dynamics of quantum phase transitions. Special attention is given to studies of fidelity from the momentum space perspective. All our main results are obtained analytically. They are in excellent agreement with numerics.

In a recent paper [Phys. Rev. A 82, 052519 (2010)], the systematic shifts of a resonance due to quantum-mechanical interference from a distant neighboring resonance were derived. In that paper, the simplest three-level closed system was used to calculate analytic expressions for shifts in the resonant line centers. Here, we extend the analysis to the more relevant four-level system, which consists of two ground states and two excited states and which incorporates the physics of dark states. The shifts are shown to depend on the type of experiment performed and can be much larger than the shifts for the three-level system. The analytic formulas obtained are applied to the $2{}^{3}S$-to-$2{}^{3}P$ transitions in atomic helium, where significant shifts are found.

We present experimental and numerical studies on control of rotational population transfer of NO($J=1/2$) molecules to higher rotational states. We are able to transfer 57$\%$ of the population to the $J=5/2$ state and 46$\%$ to $J=9/2$, in good agreement with quantum mechanical simulations. The optimal pulse shapes are composed of pulse sequences with delays corresponding to the beat frequencies of states on the rotational ladder. The evolutionary algorithm is limited by experimental constraints such as volume averaging and the finite laser intensity used, the latter to circumvent ionization. Without these constraints, near-perfect control ($>$98$\%$) is possible. In addition, we show that downward control, moving molecules from high to low rotational states, is also possible.

Modulational instability and discrete matter wave solitons in dipolar BECs, loaded into a deep optical lattice, are investigated analytically and numerically. The process of modulational instability of nonlinear plane matter waves in a dipolar nonlinear lattice is studied and the regions of instability are established. The existence and stability of bulk discrete solitons are analyzed analytically and confirmed by numerical simulations. In marked contrast with the usual discrete nonlinear Schrödinger behavior (no dipolar interactions), we found a region where the two fundamental modes are simultaneously unstable, allowing enhanced mobility across the lattice for large norm values. To study the existence and properties of surface discrete solitons, an analysis of the dimer configuration is performed. The properties of symmetric and antisymmetric modes including stability diagrams and bifurcations are investigated in closed form. For the case of a bulk medium, properties of fundamental on-site and intersite localized modes are analyzed. On-site and intersite surface localized modes are studied, and we find that they do not exist when nonlocal interactions predominate with respect to local ones.

Ultracold atoms in optical lattices undergo a quantum phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator as the lattice potential depth is increased. We describe an approximate theory of interacting bosons in optical lattices which provides a qualitative description of both superfluid and insulator states. The theory is based on a change of variables in which the boson coherent state amplitude is replaced by an effective potential which promotes phase coherence between different number states on each lattice site. It is illustrated here by applying it to uniform and fully frustrated lattice cases but is simple enough that it can be applied to spatially inhomogeneous lattice systems.

We describe and theoretically analyze the self-imaging Talbot effect of entangled photon pairs in the time domain. Rich phenomena are observed in coherence propagation along dispersive media of mode-locked two-photon states with frequency entanglement exhibiting a comblike correlation function. Our results can be used to remotely transfer frequency standards through optical fiber networks with two-photon light, avoiding the requirement of dispersion compensation.

In order to obtain an atomic grating which can diffract light into the high-order directions more efficiently, a gain-phase grating (GPG) based on the spatial modulation of active Raman gain is theoretically presented. This grating is induced by a pump field and a standing wave in ultracold atoms, and it not only diffracts a weak probe field propagating along a direction normal to the standing wave into the high-order directions, but also amplifies the amplitude of the zero-order diffraction. In contrast with electromagnetically induced grating or electromagnetically induced phase grating, the GPG has larger diffraction efficiencies in the high-order directions. Hence it is more suitable to be utilized as an all-optical router in optical networking and communication.

We show that a non-Abelian gauge potential in two nearly degenerated dressed states may be induced by two laser beams interacting with a three-level $\Lambda$ atomic system. We demonstrate that the populations of the atomic states at the end of a composed path formed by two closed loops are dependent on the order of those two loops, showing an unambiguous signature of the non-Abelian geometric phase. Through numerical calculations, we show that the non-Abelian feature of the geometric phases can be tested under realistic conditions.

We study the necessary conditions for systems composed of two distinguishable fermions to exhibit bosonic behavior. We base our analysis on tools of quantum information theory such as entanglement, local operations and classical communication and the majorization criterion for probability distributions. Introduction of these tools yields new insights into the old and important problem of identifying the conditions for existence of composite bosons. We precisely identify the role entanglement plays in the formation and behavior of such composite particles.

Molecular high-order harmonic generation (MHOHG) and molecular orbital ionization rates are calculated for the nonsymmetric OCS and symmetric CS${}_2$ molecules using numerical solutions of Kohn-Sham (KS) equations of time-dependent density functional theory in the nonlinear nonperturbative regime of laser-molecule interactions for different laser-molecule orientations and intensities. It is found that the ionization of inner-shell KS molecular orbitals contributes significantly to the ionization and MHOHG processes for intensities I ≥ 3.5 × 10${}^{14}$ W/cm${}^2$. Ionization rate maxima correspond to the alignment of maximum KS orbital densities with the laser pulse polarization instead of orbital ionization potentials. Furthermore, degeneracies of orbitals are removed as a function of laser-molecule angle, thus affecting ionization rates, the MHOHG spectra, and their polarizations, the latter allowing for identifying inner-orbital ionization.

Most current calculations are based on equilibrium or semi-equilibrium models. However, except for very special scenarios (like ring configuration), the current cannot exist in equilibrium. Moreover, unlike with equilibrium scenarios, there is no generic approach to confront out-of-equilibrium currents. In this paper we used recent studies on transient quantum mechanics to solve the current, which appears in the presence of very high density gradients and fast transients. It shows that the emerging current appears instantaneously, and although the density beyond the discontinuity is initially negligible the currents there have a finite value, and remain constant for a finite period. It is shown that this nonequilibrium effect can be measured in real experiments (such as cooled rubidium atoms), where the discontinuity is replaced with a finite width (hundreds of nanometers) gradient.

Quantum walks are interesting models with potential applications to quantum algorithms and physical processes such as photosynthesis. In this paper, we study two models of one-dimensional quantum walks, namely, quantum walks with a moving absorbing wall and quantum walks with one stationary and one moving absorbing wall. For the former, we calculate numerically the survival probability, the rate of change of average position, and the rate of change of standard deviation of the particle's position in the long time limit for different wall velocities. Moreover, we also study the asymptotic behavior and the dependence of the survival probability on the initial particle's state. While for the latter, we compute the absorption probability of the right stationary wall for different velocities and initial positions of the left wall boundary. The results for these two models are compared with those obtained for the classical model. The difference between the results obtained for the quantum and classical models can be attributed to the difference in the probability distributions.

We introduce the concept of a superlinear threshold detector, a detector that has a higher probability to detect multiple photons if it receives them simultaneously rather than at separate times. Highly superlinear threshold detectors in quantum key distribution systems allow eavesdropping the full secret key without being revealed. Here, we generalize the detector control attack, and analyze how it performs against quantum key distribution systems with moderately superlinear detectors. We quantify the superlinearity in superconducting single-photon detectors based on earlier published data, and gated avalanche photodiode detectors based on our own measurements. The analysis shows that quantum key distribution systems using detector(s) of either type can be vulnerable to eavesdropping. The avalanche photodiode detector becomes superlinear toward the end of the gate. For systems expecting substantial loss, or for systems not monitoring loss, this would allow eavesdropping using trigger pulses containing less than 120 photons per pulse. Such an attack would be virtually impossible to catch with an optical power meter at the receiver entrance.