We propose a general theoretical approach to quantum measurements based on the path (histories) summation technique. For a given dynamical variable A, the Schrödinger state of a system in a Hilbert space of arbitrary dimensionality is decomposed into a set of substates, each of which corresponds to a particular detailed history of the system. The coherence between the substates may then be destroyed by meter(s) to a degree determined by the nature and the accuracy of the measurement(s) which may be of von Neumann, finite-time or continuous type. Transformations between the histories obtained for non-commuting variables and construction of simultaneous histories for non-commuting observables are discussed. Important cases of a particle described by Feynman paths in the coordinate space and a qubit in a two dimensional Hilbert space are studied in some detail.
Dirac particle dynamics is encoded as a unitary path summation rule and implemented on a qubit array, where the qubit array represents both spacetime and the fermions contained therein. The unitary path summation rule gives a quantum algorithm to model a many-body system of Dirac particles in a gauge field with Lorentz invariance down to the grid scale (Planck scale)--the lattice-based model neither suffers the Fermi-sign problem nor breaks Lorentz invariance. Yet, for the Dirac Hamiltonian to generate the unitary evolution of the 4-spinor field at the Planck scale, there is time dilation betw…
In this paper, a three-party secure semiquantum summation protocol, which can calculate the modulo 2 addition of the private bits from one quantum participant and two classical participants, is constructed by only using single qubits as the initial quantum resource. This protocol needs none of quantum entanglement swapping, the unitary operation or a pre-shared private key. This protocol only requires the quantum participant to perform the Z basis measurements, the X basis measurements and the Bell basis measurements. Compared with the existing only semiquantum summation protocol (Int J Theor …
On the basis of the method of iterative summation of path integrals (ISPI), we develop a numerically exact transfer-matrix method to describe the nonequilibrium properties of interacting quantum-dot systems. For this, we map the ISPI scheme to a transfer-matrix approach, which is more accessible to physical interpretation, allows for a more transparent formulation of the theory, and substantially improves the efficiency. In particular, the stationary limit is directly implemented, without the need of extrapolation. The resulting new method, referred to as "transfer-matrix summation of path int…
We present a secure multi-party quantum summation protocol based on quantum teleportation, in which a malicious, but non-collusive, third party (TP) helps compute the summation. In our protocol, TP is in charge of entanglement distribution and Bell states are shared between participants. Users encode the qubits in their hand according to their private bits and perform Bell-state measurements. After obtaining participants' measurement results, TP can figure out the summation. The participants do not need to send their encoded states to others, and the protocol is therefore congenitally free fro…
In this paper, a lightweight three-user secure quantum summation protocol is put forward by using single-particle states, which can accomplish the goal that three users cooperate together to calculate the modulo 2 addition of their private messages without the help of a third party. This protocol only requires single-particle states rather than quantum entangled states as the initial quantum resource, and only needs single-particle measurements and Bell basis measurements. This protocol needs none of quantum entanglement swapping, the Pauli operations, the controlled-not (CNOT) operation, the …
Fault tolerance is a prerequisite for scalable quantum computing. Architectures based on 2D topological codes are effective for near-term implementations of fault tolerance. To obtain high performance with these architectures, we require a decoder which can adapt to the wide variety of error models present in experiments. The typical approach to the problem of decoding the surface code is to reduce it to minimum-weight perfect matching in a way that provides a suboptimal threshold error rate, and is specialized to correct a specific error model. Recently, optimal threshold error rates for a va…
A fundamental principle of quantum theory, clearly manifested in the two-slit experiment, is that for any alternatives that cannot be distinguished by measurement physical predictions are obtained by summation of their amplitudes. In particle oscillation experiments, a particle's time of detection is not directly measured, consequently, the detection probability should involve the summation over amplitudes corresponding to different detection times. However, in contrast to the principle above, standard treatments involve summation over probabilities rather than amplitudes; this implicitly assu…
In this paper, I consider the issue of how two mathematical models of modern physics, the variational principles and the quantum path integral formalism, relate to reality. I assume that the observed phenomena are consistent with the calculations because both of these models have some common ontological foundations. According to the hypothesis of the summation of coexisting alternative possibilities, at the quantum level, the system at once moves along all histories that possible in given boundary conditions. The actual history is a mere result of the summation of all these alternative possibl…
In the present work we introduce a computational approach to the absolute rovibrational quantum partition function using the path-integral formalism of quantum mechanics in combination with the nested sampling technique. The numerical applicability of path-integral nested sampling is demonstrated for small molecules of spectroscopic interest. The computational cost of the method is determined by the evaluation time of a point on the potential-energy surface (PES). For efficient PES implementations, the path-integral nested-sampling method can be a viable alternative to the direct Boltzmann sum…
Quantum coherence and quantum correlations lie in the center of quantum information science, since they both are considered as fundamental reasons for significant features of quantum mechanics different from classical mechanics. We present a group of complementary relations for quantum coherence and quantum correlations; specifically, we focus on thermal discord and conditional information in scenarios of multiple measurements. We show that the summation of quantum coherence quantified in different bases has a lower bound, resulting from entropic uncertainty relations with multiple measurement…
The concept of measurement is discussed. It is argued that counting process in mathematics is also measurement which requires a basic unit. The idea of scale is put forward. The basic unit itself, which are composed of the infinitesimal of uncertainty quantum, can be regarded as infinite in another scale. Thus infinite, infinitesimal and integer " 1 " are unified. It is proposed that multiplication changes to summation when it is transformed to a larger scale. The Continuum Hypothesis is proved to be correct after a scale transformation.
We study path integration on a quantum computer that performs quantum summation. We assume that the measure of path integration is Gaussian, with the eigenvalues of its covariance operator of order j^{-k} with k>1. For the Wiener measure occurring in many applications we have k=2. We want to compute an $\e$-approximation to path integrals whose integrands are at least Lipschitz. We prove: 1. Path integration on a quantum computer is tractable. 2. Path integration on a quantum computer can be solved roughly $\e^{-1}$ times faster than on a classical computer using randomization, and exponential…
We discuss both the restricted path integral (RPI) and the wave equation (WE) techniques in the theory of continuous quantum measurements. We intend to make Mensky's fresh review complete by transforming his "effective" WE with complex Hamiltonian into Ito-differential equations.
We consider a finite-dimensional quantum system, making a transition between known initial and final states. The outcomes of several accurate measurements, which {\it could be} made in the interim, define virtual paths, each endowed with a probability amplitude. If the measurements are {\it actually made}, the paths, which may now be called "real", acquire also the probabilities, related to the frequencies, with which a path is seen to be travelled in a series of identical trials. Different sets of measurements, made on the same system, can produce different, or incompatible, statistical ensem…
Hardy's paradox is analysed within Feynman's formulation of quantum mechanics. A transition amplitude is represented as a sum over virtual paths which different intermediate measurements convert into different sets of real pathways. Contradictory statements emerge when applying to the same statistical ensemble. The "strange" weak values result is also investigated in this context.
The relation between the restricted path integral approach to quantum measurement theory and the commonly accepted von Neumann wavefunction collapse postulate is presented. It is argued that in the limit of impulsive measurements the two approaches lead to the same predictions. The example of repeated impulsive quantum measurements of position performed on a harmonic oscillator is discussed in detail and the quantum nondemolition strategies are recovered in both the approaches.
We study both the wave-like behavior and particle-like behavior in a general Mach-Zehnder interferometer with its asymmetric beam splitter. A error-free measurement in the detector is used to extract the which-path information. The fringe visibility V and the which-path information Ipath are derived: their complementary relation V + Ipath less than or equal to 1 are found, and the condition for the equality is also presented.
A path-integral approach for delta-function potentials is presented. Particular attention is paid to the two-dimensional case, which illustrates the realization of a quantum anomaly for a scale invariant problem in quantum mechanics. Our treatment is based on an infinite summation of perturbation theory that captures the nonperturbative nature of the delta-function bound state. The well-known singular character of the two-dimensional delta-function potential is dealt with by considering the renormalized path integral resulting from a variety of schemes: dimensional, momentum-cutoff, and real-s…
In this letter, we show that for all the so-called path-symmetric states, the measurement of parity of photon number at the output of an optical interferometer achieves maximal phase sensitivity at the quantum Cramer-Rao bound. Such optimal phase sensitivity with parity is attained at a suitable bias phase, which can be determined a priori. Our scheme is applicable for local phase estimation.
We propose a method for preparing maximal path entanglement with a definite photon number N, larger than two, using projective measurements. In contrast with the previously known schemes, our method uses only linear optics. Specifically, we exhibit a way of generating four-photon, path-entangled states of the form |4,0> + |0,4>, using only four beam splitters and two detectors. These states are of major interest as a resource for quantum interferometric sensors as well as for optical quantum lithography and quantum holography.
It is shown that classical control diagrams can be mapped one-to-one onto quantum path integrals over measurement amplitudes. To show the practical utility of this method, exact closed-form expressions are derived for the control dynamics and quantum noise levels of a test mass observed by a Fabry-Perot interferometer. This formalism provides an efficient yet rigorous method for analyzing complex systems such as interferometric gravity wave detectors and magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) experiments. Quantum limits are conjectured for the sensitivity of interferometric observation of …
The restricted-path-integral (RPI) theory of continuous quantum measurements including the evolution of the measured systems and phenomenon of decoherence is reviewed. The measured system is considered as an open quantum system but without usage of any model of the measurement (of the measuring medium or the system's environment). The propagator of a measured system (conditioned by the measurement readout) is presented by RPI. In the important special case of monitoring an observable the propagator and the system's wave function satisfy Schroedinger equation with a complex Hamiltonian (dependi…
The essential feature of weak measurements on quantum systems is the reduction of measurement back-action to negligible levels. To observe the non-classical features of weak measurements, it is therefore more important to avoid additional back-action errors than it is to avoid errors in the actual measurement outcome. In this paper, it is shown how an optical weak measurement of diagonal (PM) polarization can be realized by path interference between the horizontal (H) and vertical (V) polarization components of the input beam. The measurement strength can then be controlled by rotating the H a…
We analyze the trade-off between the amounts of information obtainable on complementary properties of a qubit state by simultaneous measurements. We consider a "state discrimination" scenario wherein the same measurements are repeated, but the input states must be guessed in every run. We find a general complementarity relation for path-phase guesses by any generalized measurements in this scenario. The counterpart of this input-output mutual information (MI) reveals a hitherto unknown aspect of complementarity.
The outcomes of a series of measurements, made on a quantum system, form a sequence of random events which occur in a particular order. The system, together with a meter or meters, can be seen as following the paths of a stochastic network connecting all possible outcomes. The paths are shaped from the virtual paths of the system, and the corresponding probabilities are determined by the measuring devices employed. If the measurements are highly accurate, the virtual paths become "real", and the mean values of a quantity (a functional) is directly related to the frequencies with which the path…
Weak values, obtained from weak measurements, attempt to describe the properties of a quantum system as it evolves from an initial to a final state, without practically altering this evolution. Trajectories can be defined from weak measurements of the position, or inferred from weak values of the momentum operator. The former can be connected to the asymptotic form of the Feynman propagator and the latter to Bohmian trajectories. Employing a time-dependent oscillator as a model, this work analyzes to what extent weak measurements can shed light on the underlying dynamics of a quantum system ex…
We study how the information of the beam path is related to the Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with two pulsed light sources. Through a simple model in which two photons in the form of pulses pass a beamsplitter and are observed at two detectors, we investigate how, during the measurement process, information about the paths of the two photons can be erased. There are two ways to clear the information of the beam path, the first being that from the beginning, during the physical measurement process, the time information is not obtained. The other is after measuring the information, to erase the t…
Quantum-to-classical transition and the emergence of trajectory level Darwinism with measurements distributed in time: a path integral approach
Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science（印度科学学院纳米科学与工程中心）；Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras（印度理工学院马德拉斯分校物理系）；Center for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing, Indian Institute of Technology Madras（印度理工学院马德拉斯分校量子信息、通信与计算中心）；Instrumentation and Applied Physics, Indian Institute of Science（印度科学学院仪器与应用物理系）
Weak measurements can be seen as an attempt at answering the 'Which way?' question without destroying interference between the pathways involved. Unusual mean values obtained in such measurements represent the response of a quantum system to this 'forbidden' question, in which the 'true' composition of virtual pathways is hidden from the observer. Such values indicate a failure of a measurement where the uncertainty principle says it must fail, rather than provide an additional insight into physical reality.
Measurements of the position of a relativistic particle is considered in the framework of the Restricted-Path-Integral (RPI) approach. The amplitude describing such a measurement is shown to be exponentially small outside the light cone of the space-time point corresponding to the measurement output, in a qualitative agreement with the Hellwig and Kraus' postulate of relativistic state reduction. Theory of the measurement including the probability distribution for different measurement outputs is suggested. It is shown that correct theory does not exist (for arbitrary initial states) if the er…
We generalize and extend the stochastic path integral formalism and action principle for continuous quantum measurement introduced in [A. Chantasri, J. Dressel and A. N. Jordan, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 88}, 042110 (2013)], where the optimal dynamics, such as the most-likely paths, are obtained by extremizing the action of the path integral. In this work, we apply exact functional methods as well as develop a perturbative approach to investigate the statistical behaviour of continuous quantum measurement, with examples given for the qubit case. For qubit measurement with zero qubit Hamiltonian, we fi…
From each of Feynman's and von Neumann's postulates to the restricted Feynman path integrals: a mathematical theory of temporally continuous quantum measurements
本文严格证明了在简单近似下，Mensky 的受限 Feynman 路径积分可由 Feynman 量子化公理和 von Neumann 瞬时测量公理导出，并应用于自旋系统及多种量子效应的表述。
Determination of the path taken by a quantum particle leads to a suppression of interference and to a classical behavior. We employ here a quantum 'which path' detector to perform accurate path determination in a two-path-electron-interferometer; leading to full suppression of the interference. Following the dephasing process we recover the interference by measuring the cross-correlation between the interferometer and detector currents. Under our measurement conditions every interfering electron is dephased by approximately a single electron in the detector - leading to mutual entanglement of …
