Within the context of quantum teleportation, a proposed interpretation of bipartite entanglement describes teleportation as consisting of a qubit of information evolving along and against the flow of time of an external observer. We investigate the physicality of such a model by applying time reversal to the Schrödinger equation in the teleportation context. To do so, we first present the theory of time reversal applied to the circuit model. We then show that the outcome of a teleportationlike circuit is consistent with the usual tensor product treatment and is therefore independent of the physical quantum system used to encode the information. Finally, we illustrate these concepts with a proof-of-principle experiment on a liquid-state NMR quantum-information processor. The experimental results are consistent with the interpretation that information can be seen as flowing backward in time through entanglement.

The problem of automatically protecting a quantum system against noise in a closed circuit is analyzed. A general scheme is developed built from two steps. First, a distillation step is induced in which undesired components are removed to another degree of freedom of the system. Later a recovering step is employed in which the system gains back its initial density. An optimal-control method is used to generate the distilling operator. The scheme is demonstrated by a simulation of a two-level bit influenced by white noise. Undesired deviations from the target were shown to be reduced by at least two orders of magnitude on average. The relations between the quantum version of the classical Watt’s governor and the field of quantum information are also discussed.

We investigate the error tolerance of quantum cryptographic protocols using $d$-level systems. In particular, we focus on prepare-and-measure schemes that use two mutually unbiased bases and a key-distillation procedure with two-way classical communication. For arbitrary quantum channels, we obtain a sufficient condition for secret-key distillation which, in the case of isotropic quantum channels, yields an analytic expression for the maximally tolerable error rate of the cryptographic protocols under consideration. The difference between the tolerable error rate and its theoretical upper bound tends slowly to zero for sufficiently large dimensions of the information carriers.

We lay out a unified formalism for the description of radiative electron capture into excited states of heavy, few-electron ions and their subsequent decay, including a full account of many-electron effects and higher-order multipoles of the radiation field. In particular, the density-matrix theory is applied to explore the magnetic sublevel population of the residual ions, as described in terms of alignment parameters. For the electron capture into the initially hydrogenlike ${\mathrm{U}}^{91+}$ and lithiumlike ${\mathrm{U}}^{89+}$ uranium projectiles, the alignment parameters are calculated, within the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock approach, as a function of the collision energy and for different ionic states. From these calculations, we find that the many-electron interactions may result in a small enhancement of the alignment, and that this effect becomes more pronounced for highly excited levels.

We consider the development of pairing in an ideal Fermi gas in the presence of a time-dependent BCS interaction. The pairing amplitude time evolution is controlled by the interplay of linear instability of the unpaired state and nonlinear interactions which limit the growth. This results in oscillatory time dependence with predictable characteristics, selecting periodic soliton trains of a specific form, described by a Jacobi elliptic function. While the parameters of the soliton train, such as the period, amplitude, and time lag, fluctuate among different realizations, the elliptic function form remains robust. The parameter fluctuations are accounted for by the randomness of particle distribution in the initial unpaired state.

We describe the gas of ultracold fermionic atoms by a functional integral for atom and molecule fields. The crossover from Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) to BCS-type superfluidity shows universal features in terms of a concentration parameter for the ratio between scattering length and average interatomic distance. We discuss the relevance of the Yukawa coupling between atoms and molecules, establish an exact narrow resonance limit, and show that renormalized quantities are independent of the Yukawa coupling for the broad resonance and BCS and BEC limits. Within our functional integral formalism we compute the atom scattering in vacuum and the molecular binding energy. This connects the universal concentration parameter to the magnetic field of a given experiment. Beyond mean-field theory we include the fluctuations of the molecule field and the renormalization effects for the atom-molecule coupling. We find excellent agreement with the observed fraction of bare molecules in ${}^6\mathrm{Li}$ and qualitative agreement with the condensate fraction in ${}^6\mathrm{Li}$ and ${}^{40}\mathrm{K}$. In addition to the phase diagram and condensate fraction we compute the correlation length for molecules, the in-medium scattering length for molecules and atoms, and the sound velocity.

We study the dynamics of an ultracold gas of interacting bosons confined in a one-dimensional potential composed of $n$ wells. We derive an effective $N$-particle Hamiltonian for this system that describes the tunneling of particles between adjacent wells and that includes the interactions among the particles within the same well. The problem is discussed in the light of current research on optical lattices. We demonstrate that the effective Hamiltonian gives the possibility of studying the transition from an ideal insulator to a real conductor when the parameters that modulate the interaction and the tunneling of the particles are varied. To show this we numerically solve Schrödinger equation for the case of $n=3$ wells. We find that for a given number of particles it is possible to establish a weak- and a strong-interaction regime. In the limit of strong interaction the tunneling term can be neglected. One important result in our analysis is that in the weak-interaction regime the system reaches a stationary state as a result of the loss of coherence in the transport of particles through the wells.

We present a quantum manipulation of a traveling light pulse using electromagnetically induced transparency-based slow light phenomenon for the generation of two-color stationary light. We theoretically discuss the two-color stationary light for the quantum wavelength conversion process in terms of pulse area, energy transfer, and propagation directions. The condition of the two-color stationary light pulse generation has been found and the quantum light dynamics has been studied analytically in the adiabatic limit. The quantum frequency conversion rate of the traveling light is dependent on the spatial spreading of the two-color stationary light pulse and can be near unity in an optically dense medium for the optimal frequencies of the control laser fields.

It is a difficult engineering task to create distinct solid state single photon sources which nonetheless emit photons at the same frequency. It is also hard to create entangled photon pairs from quantum dots. In the spirit of quantum engineering we propose a simple optical circuit which can, in the right circumstances, make frequency distinguishable photons frequency indistinguishable. Our circuit can supply a downstream solution to both problems, opening up a large window of allowed frequency mismatches between physical mechanisms. The only components used are spectrum analysers or prisms and an acousto-optic modulator. We also note that an acousto-optic modulator can be used to obtain Hong-Ou-Mandel two photon interference effects from the frequency distinguishable photons generated by distinct sources.

We propose an experimental procedure to directly measure the state of an electromagnetic field inside a resonator, corresponding to a superconducting transmission line, coupled to a Cooper-pair box (CPB). The measurement protocol is based on the use of a dispersive interaction between the field and the CPB, and the coupling to an external classical field that is tuned to resonance with either the field or the CPB. We present a numerical simulation that demonstrates the feasibility of this protocol, which is within reach of present technology.

We present a continuous-variable (CV) Gaussian analog of cluster states, a new class of CV multipartite entangled states that can be generated from squeezing and quantum nondemolition coupling $H_I=\hslash \chi X_A{X}_B$. The entanglement properties of these states are studied in terms of classical communication and local operations. The graph states as general forms of the cluster states are presented. A chain for a one-dimensional example of cluster states can be readily experimentally produced only with squeezed light and beam splitters.

The importance of transporting quantum information and entanglement with high fidelity cannot be overemphasized. We present a scheme based on adiabatic passage that allows for transportation of a qubit, operator measurements, and entanglement, using a one-dimensional array of quantum sites with a single sender (Alice) and multiple receivers (Bobs). Alice need not know which Bob is the receiver, and if several Bobs try to receive the signal, they obtain a superposition state that can be used to realize two-qubit operator measurements for the generation of maximally entangled states.

Alice is a charismatic quantum cryptographer who believes her parties are unmissable; Bob is a (relatively) glamorous string theorist who believes he is an indispensable guest. To prevent possibly traumatic collisions of self-perception and reality, their social code requires that decisions about invitation or acceptance be made via a cryptographically secure variable-bias coin toss (VBCT). This generates a shared random bit by the toss of a coin whose bias is secretly chosen, within a stipulated range, by one of the parties; the other party learns only the random bit. Thus one party can secretly influence the outcome, while both can save face by blaming any negative decisions on bad luck. We describe here some cryptographic VBCT protocols whose security is guaranteed by quantum theory and the impossibility of superluminal signaling, setting our results in the context of a general discussion of secure two-party computation. We also briefly discuss other cryptographic applications of VBCT.

Characteristic x rays, emitted by slow (velocity $\nu \sim 0.3\mathrm{a.u.}$) highly charged ${\mathrm{Ta}}^{q+}$ $(q=41–49)$ ions after multiple capture from He or Xe atoms, were investigated in coincidence with recoil ions. The x-ray spectra are distinctly different for single and double capture as well as for different target ionization potentials (He and Xe). For the open $M$-shell configurations of the projectile $(q>45)$ the spectra are dominated by cascade transitions. There is no evidence for direct radiative transitions from Rydberg states into the $M$ shell, indicating dominant capture into angular momentum states that forbids such transitions. From such features we get, by comparison with spectra obtained from the calculation of the radiative cascades, the angular momentum values of the captured electron. A simple model, including autoionization, is used to relate double- and single-capture x-ray spectra and to explain their differences. The x-ray spectra with projectiles having no initial $M$ vacancies $(q<45)$ can have an important contribution from the internal dielectronic excitation (IDE) process. It is found that this channel is drastically reduced for double capture from He and closed for projectiles with $q=41$, as expected from our calculations of the core-excited states in ${\mathrm{Ta}}^{(q-1)+}$. The x-ray spectra and photon yields in these heavy systems are thus determined by a competition between the relaxation channels: radiative relaxation, IDE, and, for multiple capture, autoionization.

We present a study of a gas of bosons confined in one dimension with Feshbach-resonant interactions, at zero temperature. Unlike the gas of one-dimensional bosons with non resonant interactions, which is known to be equivalent to a system of interacting spinless fermions and can be described using the Luttinger liquid formalism, the resonant gas possesses additional features. Depending on its parameters, the gas can be in one of three possible regimes. In the simplest of those, it can still be described by the Luttinger liquid theory, but its Fermi momentum cannot be larger than a certain cutoff momentum dependent on the details of the interactions. In the other two regimes, it is equivalent to a Luttinger liquid at low density only. At higher densities its excitation spectrum develops a minimum, similar to the roton minimum in helium, at momenta where the excitations are in resonance with the Fermi sea. As the density of the gas is increased further, the minimum dips below the Fermi energy, thus making the ground state unstable. At this point the standard ground state gets replaced by a more complicated one, where not only the states with momentum below the Fermi points, but also the ones with momentum close to that minimum, get filled, and the excitation spectrum develops several branches. We are unable so far to study this regime in detail due to the lack of the appropriate formalism.

We consider bosonic atoms that rotate in an anharmonic trapping potential. Using numerical diagonalization of the Hamiltonian, we get evidence for various phases of the gas for different values of the coupling between the atoms and of the rotational frequency of the trap. These include vortex excitation of single and multiple quantization, the phase of center-of-mass excitation, and the unstable phase.

We propose a scheme to generate superposition and entanglement between the mesoscopic squeezed vacuum states by considering the two-photon interaction of $N$ two-level atoms in a cavity with high quality factor, assisted by a strong driving field. By virtue of specific choices of the cavity detuning, a number of multiparty entangled states can be prepared, including the entanglement between the atomic and the squeezed vacuum cavity states and between the squeezed vacuum states and the coherent states of the cavities. We also present how to prepare entangled states and “Schrödinger cats” states regarding the squeezed vacuum states of the cavity modes. The possible extension and application of our scheme are discussed. Our scheme is close to the reach with current cavity QED techniques.

A necessary and sufficient entanglement criterion based on variances of Mermin-Klyshko’s Bell operators is proved for multiqubit pure states. Contrary to Bell’s inequalities, entangled pure states strictly satisfy a quadratic inequality but product ones can attain the equality under some local unitary transformations, which can be obtained by solving a quadratic maximum problem. This presents a characterization of multiqubit pure-state entanglement.