Samuel Braunstein | University of York (original) (raw)

Papers by Samuel Braunstein

Ima Journal of Mathematical Control and Information, Oct 8, 2009

This work proposes a complete algebraic model for classical information theory. As a precursor th... more This work proposes a complete algebraic model for classical information theory. As a precursor the essential probabilistic concepts have been defined and analyzed in the algebraic setting. Examples from probability and information theory demonstrate that in addition to theoretical insights provided by the algebraic model one obtains new computational and anlytical tools. Several important theorems of classical probahility and information theory are formulated and proved in the algebraic framework.

We study a class of optical circuits with vacuum input states consisting of Gaussian sources with... more We study a class of optical circuits with vacuum input states consisting of Gaussian sources without coherent displacements such as down-converters and squeezers, together with detectors and passive interferometry (beam-splitters, polarisation rotations, phase-shifters etc.). We show that the outgoing state leaving the optical circuit can be expressed in terms of so-called multi-dimensional Hermite polynomials and give their recursion and orthogonality relations. We show how quantum teleportation of photon polarisation can be modelled using this description.

Physical Review a, Jun 1, 2002

We investigate the utility of nonclassical states of simple harmonic oscillators, particularly a ... more We investigate the utility of nonclassical states of simple harmonic oscillators, particularly a superposition of coherent states, for sensitive force detection. We find that like squeezed states, a superposition of coherent states allows displacement measurements at the Heisenberg limit. Entangling many superpositions of coherent states offers a significant advantage over a single-mode superposition state with the same mean photon number.

We demonstrate an unconditional high-fidelity teleporter capable of preserving the broadband enta... more We demonstrate an unconditional high-fidelity teleporter capable of preserving the broadband entanglement in an optical squeezed state. In particular, we teleport a squeezed state of light and observe −0.8pm0.2-0.8 \pm 0.2−0.8pm0.2dB of squeezing in the teleported (output) state. We show that the squeezing criterion translates directly into a sufficient criterion for entanglement of the upper and lower sidebands of the optical field. Thus, this result demonstrates the first unconditional teleportation of broadband entanglement. Our teleporter achieves sufficiently high fidelity to allow the teleportation to be cascaded, enabling, in principle, the construction of deterministic non-Gaussian operations.

Gisin and Popescu [PRL, 83, 432 (1999)] have shown that more information about their direction ca... more Gisin and Popescu [PRL, 83, 432 (1999)] have shown that more information about their direction can be obtained from a pair of anti-parallel spins compared to a pair of parallel spins, where the first member of the pair (which we call the pointer member) can point equally along any direction in the Bloch sphere. They argued that this was due to the difference in dimensionality spanned by these two alphabets of states. Here we consider similar alphabets, but with the first spin restricted to a fixed small circle of the Bloch sphere. In this case, the dimensionality spanned by the anti-parallel versus parallel alphabet is now equal. However, the anti-parallel alphabet is found to still contain more information in general. We generalize this to having N parallel spins and M anti-parallel spins. When the pointer member is restricted to a small circle these alphabets again span spaces of equal dimension, yet in general, more directional information can be found for sets with smaller |N-M| for any fixed total number of spins. We find that the optimal POVMs for extracting directional information in these cases can always be expressed in terms of the Fourier basis. Our results show that dimensionality alone cannot explain the greater information content in anti-parallel combinations of spins compared to parallel combinations. In addition, we describe an LOCC protocol which extract optimal directional information when the pointer member is restricted to a small circle and a pair of parallel spins are supplied.

Eprint Arxiv Quant Ph 0303124, Mar 1, 2003

Arbitrary quantum states cannot be copied. In fact, to make a copy we must provide complete infor... more Arbitrary quantum states cannot be copied. In fact, to make a copy we must provide complete information about the system. However, can a quantum system self-replicate? This is not answered by the no-cloning theorem. In the classical context, Von Neumann showed that a `universal constructor' can exist which can self-replicate an arbitrary system, provided that it had access to instructions for making copy of the system. We question the existence of a universal constructor that may allow for the self-replication of an arbitrary quantum system. We prove that there is no deterministic universal quantum constructor which can operate with finite resources. Further, we delineate conditions under which such a universal constructor can be designed to operate dterministically and probabilistically.

An efficient coding circuit is given for the perfect quantum error correction of a single qubit a... more An efficient coding circuit is given for the perfect quantum error correction of a single qubit against arbitrary 1-qubit errors within a 5 qubit code. The circuit presented employs a double `classical' code, i.e., one for bit flips and one for phase shifts. An implementation of this coding circuit on an ion-trap quantum computer is described that requires 26 laser pulses. A further circuit is presented requiring only 24 laser pulses, making it an efficient protection scheme against arbitrary 1-qubit errors. In addition, the performance of two error correction schemes, one based on the quantum Zeno effect and the other using standard methods, is compared. The quantum Zeno error correction scheme is found to fail completely for a model of noise based on phase-diffusion.

The preeminent view that evaporating black holes should simply be smaller black holes has been ch... more The preeminent view that evaporating black holes should simply be smaller black holes has been challenged by the firewall paradox. In particular, this paradox suggests that something different occurs once a black hole has evaporated to one-half its original surface area. Here we derive variations of the firewall paradox by tracking the thermodynamic entropy within a black hole across its entire lifetime. Our approach sweeps away many unnecessary assumptions, allowing us to demonstrate a paradox exists even after its initial onset (when conventional assumptions render earlier analyses invalid). Our results suggest that not only is the formation of a firewall the most natural resolution, but provides a mechanism for it. Finally, although firewalls cannot have evolved for modest-sized black holes, within the age of the universe, we speculate on the implications if they were ever unambiguously observed.

J Mod Optic, 2004

We study the properties of a photodetector that has a number-resolving capability. In the absence... more We study the properties of a photodetector that has a number-resolving capability. In the absence of dark counts, due to its finite quantum efficiency, photodetection with such a detector can only eliminate the possibility that the incident field corresponds to a number of photons less than the detected photon number. We show that such a non-photon number-discriminating detector, however, provides a useful tool in the reconstruction of the photon number distribution of the incident field even in the presence of dark counts.

Eprint Arxiv Quant Ph 9712032, Dec 1, 1997

Recently, Torgerson and Mandel [Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 3939 (1996)] have reported a disagreement be... more Recently, Torgerson and Mandel [Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 3939 (1996)] have reported a disagreement between two schemes for measuring the phase difference of a pair of optical fields. We analyze these schemes and derive their associated phase-difference probability distributions, including both their strong and weak field limits. Our calculation confirms the main point of Torgerson and Mandel of the non-uniqueness of an operational definition of the phase distribution. We further discuss the role of postselection of data and argue that it cannot meaningfully improve the sensitivity.

The Partition Ensemble Fallacy was recently applied to claim no quantum coherence exists in coher... more The Partition Ensemble Fallacy was recently applied to claim no quantum coherence exists in coherent states produced by lasers. We show that this claim relies on an untestable belief of a particular prior distribution of absolute phase. One's choice for the prior distribution for an unobservable quantity is a matter of `religion'. We call this principle the Partition Ensemble Fallacy Fallacy. Further, we show an alternative approach to construct a relative-quantity Hilbert subspace where unobservability of certain quantities is guaranteed by global conservation laws. This approach is applied to coherent states and constructs an approximate relative-phase Hilbert subspace.

Nature, 1998

The article by Bouwmeester et al. on experimental quantum teleportation constitutes an important ... more The article by Bouwmeester et al. on experimental quantum teleportation constitutes an important advance in the burgeoning field of quantum information. The experiment was motivated by the proposal of Bennett et al. in which an unknown quantum state is `teleported' by Alice to Bob. As illustrated in Fig. 1, in the implementation of this procedure by Bouwmeester et al., an input quantum state is `disembodied' into quantum and classical components, as in the original protocol. However, in contrast to the original scheme, Bouwmeester et al.'s procedure necessarily destroys the state at Bob's receiving terminal, so a `teleported' state can never emerge as a freely propagating state for subsequent examination or exploitation. In fact, teleportation is achieved only as a postdiction.

Ann Comb, 2006

We study entanglement properties of mixed density matrices obtained from combinatorial Laplacians... more We study entanglement properties of mixed density matrices obtained from combinatorial Laplacians. This is done by introducing the notion of the density matrix of a graph. We characterize the graphs with pure density matrices and show that the density matrix of a graph can be always written as a uniform mixture of pure density matrices of graphs. We consider the von Neumann entropy of these matrices and we characterize the graphs for which the minimum and maximum values are attained. We then discuss the problem of separability by pointing out that separability of density matrices of graphs does not always depend on the labelling of the vertices. We consider graphs with a tensor product structure and simple cases for which combinatorial properties are linked to the entanglement of the state. We calculate the concurrence of all graph on four vertices representing entangled states. It turns out that for some of these graphs the value of the concurrence is exactly fractional.

Eprint Arxiv Gr Qc 9610056, Oct 1, 1996

We present a toy model for growing wormholes as a model of effective low-energy topology changes.... more We present a toy model for growing wormholes as a model of effective low-energy topology changes. We study the propagation of quantum fields on a 1+11+11+1 spacetime analogous to the trouser-leg topology change. A low-energy effective topology change is produced by a physical model which corresponds to a barrier smoothly changing the tunneling probability between two spatial regions.

We propose entangled (M+1)-mode quantum states as a multiuser quantum channel for continuous-vari... more We propose entangled (M+1)-mode quantum states as a multiuser quantum channel for continuous-variable communication. Arbitrary quantum states can be sent via this channel simultaneously to M remote and separated locations with equal minimum excess noise in each output mode. For a set of coherent-state inputs, the channel realizes optimum symmetric 1-to-M cloning at a distance (``telecloning''). It also provides the optimal cloning of coherent states without the need of amplifying the state of interest. The generation of the multiuser quantum channel requires no more than two 10\log_{10}[(\sqrt{M}-1)/(\sqrt{M}+1)] dB squeezed states and M beam splitters.

Simultaneity is a well-defined notion in special relativity once a Minkowski metric structure is ... more Simultaneity is a well-defined notion in special relativity once a Minkowski metric structure is fixed on the spacetime continuum (manifold) of events. In quantum gravity, however, the metric is not expected to be a fixed, classical structure, but a fluctuating quantum operator which may assume a coherent superposition of two classically-distinguishable values. A natural question to ask is what happens to the notion of simultaneity and synchronization when the metric is in a quantum superposition. Here we show that the resource of distributed entanglement of the same kind as used by Jozsa et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2010 (2000)] gives rise to an experimental probe that is sensitive to coherent quantum fluctuations in the spacetime metric.

Eprint Arxiv Quant Ph 0407259, Jul 30, 2004

We derive the relativistic transformation laws for the annihilation operators of the scalar field... more We derive the relativistic transformation laws for the annihilation operators of the scalar field, the massive spin-1 vector field, the electromagnetic field and the spinor field. The technique developed here involves straightforward mathematical techniques based on fundamental quantum field theory, and is applicable to the study of entanglement in arbitrary coordinate transformations. In particular, it predicts particle creation for non-inertial motion. Furthermore, we present a unified description of relativistic transformations and multi-particle interferometry with bosons and fermions, which encompasses linear optical quantum computing.