Optical study of lateral carrier transfer in (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum-dot chains

We have studied the lateral carrier transfer in a specially designed quantum dot chain structure by means of time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) and polarization PL. The PL decay time increases with temperature, following the T-1/2 law for the typical one-dimensional quantum system. The decay time depends strongly on the emission energy: it decreases as the photon energy increases. Moreover, a strong polarization anisotropy is observed. These results are attributed to the efficient lateral transfer of carriers along the chain direction. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

Dephasing rate in an InAs/GaAs single-electron quantum dot qubit

We have obtained the parameter-phase diagram, which unambiguously defines the parameter region for the use of InAs/GaAs quantum dot as two-level quantum system in quantum computation in the framework of the effective-mass envelope function theory. Moreover, static electric field is found to efficiently prolong decoherence time. As a result, decoherence time may reach the order of magnitude of milli-seconds as external static electric field goes beyond 20 kV/cm if only vacuum fluctuation is taken as the main source for decoherence. Our calculated results are useful for guiding the solid-state implementation of quantum computing.

InAs/GaAs single-electron quantum dot qubit

The time evolution of the quantum mechanical state of an electron is calculated in the framework of the effective-mass envelope function theory for an InAs/GaAs quantum dot. The results indicate that the superposition state electron density oscillates in the quantum dot, with a period on the order of femtoseconds. The interaction energy E-ij between two electrons located in different quantum dots is calculated for one electron in the ith pure quantum state and another in the jth pure quantum state. We find that E-11]E-12]E-22, and E-ij decreases as the distance between the two quantum dots increases. We present a parameter-phase diagram which defines the parameter region for the use of an InAs/GaAs quantum dot as a two-level quantum system in quantum computation. A static electric field is found to efficiently prolong the decoherence time. Our results should be useful for designing the solid-state implementation of quantum computing. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Quantum behavior in mesoscopic systems

In this thesis I present the work done during my PhD. The Thesis is divided into two parts; in the first one I present the study of mesoscopic quantum systems whereas in the second one I address the problem of the definition of Markov regime for quantum system dynamics. The first work presented is the study of vortex patterns in (quasi) two dimensional rotating Bose Einstein condensates (BECs). I consider the case of an anisotropy trapping potential and I shall show that the ground state of the system hosts vortex patterns that are unstable. In a second work I designed an experimental scheme to transfer entanglement from two entangled photons to two BECs. This work is meant to propose a feasible experimental set up to bring entanglement from microscopic to macroscopic systems for both the study of fundamental questions (quantum to classical transition) and technological applications. In the last work of the first part another experimental scheme is presented in order to detect coherences of a mechanical oscillator which is assumed to have been previously cooled down to the quantum regime. In this regime in fact the system can rapidly undergo decoherence so that new techniques have to be employed in order to detect and manipulate their states. In the scheme I propose a micro-mechanical oscillator is coupled to a BEC and the detection is performed by monitoring the BEC with a negligible back-action on the cantilever. In the second part of the thesis I give a definition of Markov regime for open quantum dynamics. The importance of such definition comes from both the mathematical description of the system dynamics and from the understanding of the role played by the environment in the evolution of an open system. In the Markov regime the mathematical description can be simplified and the role of the environment is a passive one.

Self-consistent non-Markovian theory of a quantum-state evolution for quantum-information processing

We study non-Markovian decoherence phenomena by employing projection-operator formalism when a quantum system (a quantum bit or a register of quantum bits) is coupled to a reservoir. By projecting out the degree of freedom of the reservoir, we derive a non-Markovian master equation for the system, which is reduced to a Lindblad master equation in Markovian limit, and obtain the operator sum representation for the time evolution. It is found that the system is decohered slower in the non- Markovian reservoir than the Markovian because the quantum information of the system is memorized in the non-Markovian reservoir. We discuss the potential importance of non-Markovian reservoirs for quantum-information processing.

Correspondence between continuous-variable and discrete quantum systems of arbitrary dimensions

We establish a mapping between a continuous-variable (CV) quantum system and a discrete quantum system of arbitrary dimension. This opens up the general possibility to perform any quantum information task with a CV system as if it were a discrete system. The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen state is mapped onto the maximally entangled state in any finite-dimensional Hilbert space and thus can be considered as a universal resource of entanglement. An explicit example of the map and a proposal for its experimental realization are discussed.

Nature of quantum measurement for quantities not represented by Hermitian operators

In the case of a simple quantum system, we investigate the possibility of defining meaningful probabilities for a quantity that cannot be represented by a Hermitian operator. We find that the consistent-histories approach, recently applied to the case of quantum traversal time [N. Yamada, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 3350 (1999)], does not provide a suitable criterion and we dispute Yamada's claim of finding a simple solution to the tunneling-time problem. Rather, we define the probabilities for certain types of generally nonorthogonal decomposition of the system's quantum state. These relate to the interaction between the system and its environment, can be observed in a generalized von Neumann measurement, and are consistent with a particular class of positive-operator-valued measures.

Imaging quantum vibrations on an ultrashort timescale: the deuterium molecular ion

The vibrational wavepacket revival of a basic quantum system is demonstrated experimentally. Using few-cycle laser pulse technology, pump and probe imaging of the vibrational motion of D+2 molecules is conducted, and together with a quantum-mechanical simulation of the excited wavepacket motion, the vibrational revival phenomenon has been characterised. The simulation shows good correlation with the temporal motion and structural features obtained from the data, relaying fundamental information on this diatomic system.

One-way quantum computing in a decoherence-free subspace

We introduce a novel scheme for one-way quantum computing (QC) based on the use of information encoded qubits in an effective cluster state resource. With the correct encoding structure, we show that it is possible to protect the entangled resource from phase damping decoherence, where the effective cluster state can be described as residing in a decoherence-free subspace (DFS) of its supporting quantum system. One-way QC then requires either single or two-qubit adaptive measurements. As an example where this proposal can be realized, we describe an optical lattice set-up where the scheme provides robust quantum information processing. We also outline how one can adapt the model to provide protection from other types of decoherence.

Faithful nonclassicality indicators and extremal quantum correlations in two-qubit states

The state disturbance induced by locally measuring a quantum system yields a signature of nonclassical correlations beyond entanglement. Here, we present a detailed study of such correlations for two-qubit mixed states. To overcome the asymmetry of quantum discord and the unfaithfulness of measurement-induced disturbance (severely overestimating quantum correlations), we propose an ameliorated measurement-induced disturbance as nonclassicality indicator, optimized over joint local measurements, and we derive its closed expression for relevant two-qubit states. We study its analytical relation with discord, and characterize the maximally quantum-correlated mixed states, that simultaneously extremize both quantifiers at given von Neumann entropy: among all two-qubit states, these states possess the most robust quantum correlations against noise.

Almost all quantum states have nonclassical correlations

Quantum discord quantifies nonclassical correlations in a quantum system including those not captured by entanglement. Thus, only states with zero discord exhibit strictly classical correlations. We prove that these states are negligible in the whole Hilbert space: typically a state picked out at random has positive discord and, given a state with zero discord, a generic arbitrarily small perturbation drives it to a positive-discord state. These results hold for any Hilbert-space dimension and have direct implications for quantum computation and for the foundations of the theory of open systems. In addition, we provide a simple necessary criterion for zero quantum discord. Finally, we show that, for almost all positive-discord states, an arbitrary Markovian evolution cannot lead to a sudden, permanent vanishing of discord.

A no-go result on the purification of quantum states

The information encoded in a quantum system is generally spoiled by the influences of its environment, leading to a transition from pure to mixed states. Reducing the mixedness of a state is a fundamental step in the quest for a feasible implementation of quantum technologies. Here we show that it is impossible to transfer part of such mixedness to a trash system without losing some of the initial information. Such loss is lower-bounded by a value determined by the properties of the initial state to purify. We discuss this interesting phenomenon and its consequences for general quantum information theory, linking it to the information theoretical primitive embodied by the quantum state-merging protocol and to the behaviour of general quantum correlations.

Linear Optics Simulation of Quantum Non-Markovian Dynamics

The simulation of open quantum dynamics has recently allowed the direct investigation of the features of system-environment interaction and of their consequences on the evolution of a quantum system. Such interaction threatens the quantum properties of the system, spoiling them and causing the phenomenon of decoherence. Sometimes however a coherent exchange of information takes place between system and environment, memory effects arise and the dynamics of the system becomes non-Markovian. Here we report the experimental realisation of a non-Markovian process where system and environment are coupled through a simulated transverse Ising model. By engineering the evolution in a photonic quantum simulator, we demonstrate the role played by system-environment correlations in the emergence of memory effects.

Dynamical symmetries and crossovers in a three-spin system with collective dissipation

We consider the non-equilibrium dynamics of a simple system consisting of interacting spin-1/2 particles subjected to a collective damping. The model is close to situations that can be engineered in hybrid electro/opto-mechanical settings. Making use of large-deviation theory, we find a Gallavotti-Cohen symmetry in the dynamics of the system as well as evidence for the coexistence of two dynamical phases with different activity levels. We show that additional damping processes smooth out this behavior. Our analytical results are backed up by Monte Carlo simulations that reveal the nature of the trajectories contributing to the different dynamical phases.

Out-of-equilibrium thermodynamics of quantum optomechanical systems

We address the out-of-equilibrium thermodynamics of an isolated quantum system consisting of a cavity optomechanical device. We explore the dynamical response of the system when driven out of equilibrium by a sudden quench of the coupling parameter and compute analytically the full distribution of the work generated by the process. We consider linear and quadratic optomechanical coupling, where the cavity field is parametrically coupled to either the position or the square of the position of a mechanical oscillator, respectively. In the former case we find that the average work generated by the quench is zero, whilst the latter leads to a non-zero average value. Through fluctuations theorems we access the most relevant thermodynamical figures of merit, such as the free energy difference and the amount of irreversible work generated. We thus provide a full charac- terization of the out-of-equilibrium thermodynamics in the quantum regime for nonlinearly coupled bosonic modes. Our study is the first due step towards the construction and full quantum analysis of an optomechanical machine working fully out of equilibrium.