In quantum physics, the density operator completely describes the state. Instead, in classical physics the mean value of every physical quantity is evaluated by means of a probability distribution. We study the possibility to describe pure quantum states and events with classical probability distributions and conditional probabilities and prove that the distributions can not be quadratic functions of the quantum state. Some examples are considered. Finally, we deal with the exponential complexity problem of quantum physics and introduce the concept of classical dimension for a quantum system.
It is argued that the recent definition of a realistic physics theory by N. Gisin cannot be considered comprehensive unless it is supplemented with requirement that any realistic theory must be computationally realistic as well.
It is argued that any possible definition of a realistic physics theory -- i.e., a mathematical model representing the real world -- cannot be considered comprehensive unless it is supplemented with requirement of being computationally realistic. That is, the mathematical structure of a realistic model of a physical system must allow the collection of all the system's physical quantities to compute all possible measurement outcomes on some computational device not only in an unambiguous way but also in a reasonable amount of time. In the paper, it is shown that a deterministic quantum model of…
Reimann [Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 190403 (2008)] claimed that generic isolated macroscopic quantum system will equilibrate under experimentally realistic conditions by proving a theorem. We here show that the proof is invalid for most many-body systems and is unable to demonstrate equilibration in realistic experiment.
We study the possibility to describe pure quantum states and evens with classical probability distributions and conditional probabilities and show that the distributions and/or conditional probabilities have to assume negative values, except for a simple model whose realistic space dimension is not smaller than the Hilbert space dimension of the quantum system. This gives a negative answer to a question proposed by Montina [Phys.Rev.Lett.{\bf 97}, 180401 (2006)] whether or not does there exist a classical theory whose phase-space dimension is much smaller than the Hilbert space dimension for a…
Without access to the full quantum state, modeling dissipation in an open system requires approximations. The physical soundness of such approximations relies on using realistic microscopic models of dissipation that satisfy completely positive dynamical maps. Here we present an approach based on the use of the Bohmian conditional wave function that, by construction, ensures a completely positive dynamical map for either Markovian or non-Markovian scenarios, while allowing the implementation of realistic dissipation sources. Our approach is applied to compute the current-voltage characteristic…
Quantum trajectories describe the stochastic evolution of an open quantum system conditioned on continuous monitoring of its output, such as by an ideal photodetector. Here we derive (non-Markovian) quantum trajectories for realistic photodetection, including the effects of efficiency, dead time, bandwidth, electronic noise, and dark counts. We apply our theory to a realistic cavity QED scenario and investigate the impact of such detector imperfections on the conditional evolution of the system state. A practical theory of quantum trajectories with realistic detection will be essential for exp…
A recent paper [L. Heaney, A. Cabello, M. F. Santos, and V. Vedral, New Journal of Physics, 13, 053054 (2011)] revealed that a single quantum symmetrically delocalized over N modes, namely a W state, effectively allows for all-versus-nothing proofs of nonlocality in the limit of large N. Ideally, this finding opens up the possibility of using the robustness of the W states while realizing the nonlocal behavior previously thought to be exclusive to the more complex class of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states. We show that in practice, however, the slightest decoherence or inefficiency of …
We perform the analysis of probabilistic assumptions of Bell's approach. We emphasize that J. Bell wrote about probability without to specify the concrete axiomatics of probability theory. The careful analysis demonstrated that (surprisingly) J. Bell did not apply the classical probability model (Kolmogorov) to describe ``classical physical framework.'' In fact, he created his own probabilistic model and compared it with the quantum one. The crucial point is that J. Bell did not pay attention to {\it conditional probabilities.} We show that conditional probability in his model cannot be define…
We present the necessary and sufficient condition for the violation of a new series of multipartite Bell's inequalities with many measurement settings.
The best mathematical arguments against a realistic interpretation of quantum mechanics - that gives definite but partially unknown values to all observables - are analysed and shown to be based on reasoning that is not compelling. This opens the door for an interpretation that, while respecting the indeterministic nature of quantum mechanics, allows to speak of definite values for all observables at any time that are, however, only partially measurable. The analysis also suggests new ways to test the foundations of quantum theory.
Decoherence free subspaces (DFS) is a theoretical tool towards experimental implementation of quantum information storage and processing. However, they represent an experimental challenge, since conditions for their existence are very stringent. This work explores the situation in which a system of $N$ oscillators coupled to a bath of harmonic oscillators is close to satisfy the conditions for the existence of DFS. We show, in the Born-Markov limit and for small deviations from separability and degeneracy conditions, that there are {\emph{weak decoherence subspaces}} which resemble the origina…
In the preceding paper [Warszawski and Wiseman] we presented a general formalism for determining the state of a quantum system conditional on the output of a realistic detector, including effects such as a finite bandwidth and electronic noise. We applied this theory to two sorts of photodetectors: avalanche photodiodes and photoreceivers. In this paper we present simulations of these realistic quantum trajectories for a cavity QED scenario in order to ascertain how the conditioned state varies from that obtained with perfect detection. Large differences are found, and this is manifest in the …
In how far does an non-equilibrium initial ensemble evolve towards a stationary long time behavior for an isolated macroscopic quantum system? We demonstrate that deviations from a steady state indeed become unmeasurably small or exceedingly rare after initial transients have died out under the following conditions: The Hamilonian does not exhibit exceedingly large degeneracies of energy eigenvalues and energy gaps. A large number of energy levels is significantly populated by the initial ensemble. The system is observed by a measurement device with a reasonably bound working range compared to…
We study a quantum-enhanced differential measurement scheme that uses quantum probes and single-photon detectors to measure a minute defect in the absorption parameter of an analyte under investigation. For the purpose, we consider two typical non-classical states of light as a probe, a twin-Fock state and a two-mode squeezed vacuum state. Their signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) that quantifies the capability of detecting the defect are compared with a corresponding classical imaging scheme that employs a coherent state input. A quantitative comparison is made in terms of typical system imperfecti…
The unavoidable effect of the environmental noise due to nuclear spins and charge traps is included in the study of the hybrid qubit dynamics. Hybrid qubit dues its name to the advantageous combination of manipulation speed of a charge qubit with the longevity of a spin qubit. It consists of three electrons confined through external gate voltages in a double quantum dot and deserves special interest in quantum computation applications due to its advantages in terms of fabrication, control and only electrical manipulation. Hybrid qubit is protected against global magnetic fluctuations since it …
In usual security proofs of quantum protocols the adversary (Eve) is expected to have full control over any quantum communication between any communicating parties (Alice and Bob). Eve is also expected to have full access to an authenticated classical channel between Alice and Bob. Unconditional security against any attack by Eve can be proved even in the realistic setting of device and channel imperfection. In this Letter we show that the security of QKD protocols is ruined if one allows Eve to possess a very limited access to the random sources used by Alice. Such knowledge should always be …
Quantum trajectories describe the stochastic evolution of an open quantum system conditioned on continuous monitoring of its output, such as by an ideal photodetector. In practice an experimenter has access to an output filtered through various electronic devices, rather than the microscopic states of the detector. This introduces several imperfections into the measurement process, of which only inefficiency has previously been incorporated into quantum trajectory theory. However, all electronic devices have finite bandwidths, and the consequent delay in conveying the output signal to the obse…
We focus on the depth optimization of CNOT circuits on hardwares with limited connectivity. We adapt the algorithm from Kutin et al. that implements any $n$-qubit CNOT circuit in depth at most $5n$ on a Linear Nearest Neighbour (LNN) architecture. Our proposal is a block version of Kutin et al.'s algorithm that is scalable with the number of interactions available in the hardware: the more interactions we have the less the depth. We derive better theoretical upper bounds and we provide a simple implementation of the algorithm. Overall, we achieve better depth complexity for CNOT circuits on so…
Focusing on isolated macroscopic systems, described either in terms of a quantum mechanical or a classical model, our two key questions are: In how far does an initial ensemble (usually far from equilibrium and largely unknown in detail) evolve towards a stationary long-time behavior ("equilibration")? In how far is this steady state in agreement with the microcanonical ensemble as predicted by Statistical Mechanics ("thermalization")? In the first part of the paper, a recently developed quantum mechanical treatment of the problem is briefly summarized, putting particular emphasis on the reali…
Shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) are techniques allowing rapid variation of the system Hamiltonian without inducing excess heating. Fast optical transfer of atoms between different locations is a prime example of an STA application. We show that the boundary conditions on the atomic position, which are imposed to find the STA trajectory, lead to highly non-practical boundary conditions for the optical trap. Our experimental results demonstrate that, as a result, previously suggested STA trajectories generally do not perform well. We develop and demonstrate two complementary methods that solve t…
Quantum entanglement is the key to many applications like quantum key distribution, quantum teleportation, and quantum sensing. However, reliably generating quantum entanglement in macroscopic systems has proved to be a challenge. Here, we present a detailed analysis of ponderomotive entanglement generation which utilizes optomechanical interactions to create quantum correlations. We numerically calculate an entanglement measure -- the logarithmic negativity -- for the quantitative assessment of the entanglement. Experimental limitations, including thermal noise and optical loss, from measurem…
It has been shown that quantum paradoxes have followed from one special assumption, i.e., from attributing basic physical meaning to Hamiltonian eigenfunctions and representing all physical states by vectors of the Hilbert space spanned on these eigenfunctions. However, any paradoxical properties disappear if the physical states are represented by vectors from the extended Hilbert space on which the scattering theory of Lax and Phillips has been based. On the other side, all stationary characteristics and experimentally verified quantum-mechanical predictions remain the same. The extended math…
This paper presents a realistic model that describes radiation-matter interactions. This is achieved by a generalization of first quantization, where the Maxwell equations are interpreted as the electromagnetic component of the Schroedinger equation. This picture is complemented by the consideration of electrons and photons as real particles in three-dimensional space, following guiding conditions derived from the particle-wave-functions to which they are associated. The guiding condition for the electron is taken from Bohmian mechanics, while the photon velocity is defined as the ratio betwee…
The light-harvesting efficiency of a photoactive molecular complex is largely determined by the properties of its electronic quantum states. Those, in turn, are influenced by molecular vibrational states of the nuclear degrees of freedom. Here, we reexamine two recently formulated concepts that a coherent vibronic coupling between molecular states would either extend the electronic coherence lifetime or enhance the amplitude of the anticorrelated vibrational mode at longer times. For this, we study a vibronically coupled dimer and calculate the nonlinear two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectra…
The ability to transport quantum information across some distance can facilitate the design and operation of a quantum processor. One-dimensional spin chains provide a compact platform to realize scalable spin transport for a solid-state quantum computer. Here, we model odd-sized donor chains in silicon under a range of experimental non-idealities, including variability of donor position within the chain. We show that the tolerance against donor placement inaccuracies is greatly improved by operating the spin chain in a mode where the electrons are confined at the Si-SiO$_2$ interface. We then…
We present a new model for the continuous measurement of a coupled quantum dot charge qubit. We model the effects of a realistic measurement, namely adding noise to, and filtering, the current through the detector. This is achieved by embedding the detector in an equivalent circuit for measurement. Our aim is to describe the evolution of the qubit state conditioned on the macroscopic output of the external circuit. We achieve this by generalizing a recently developed quantum trajectory theory for realistic photodetectors [P. Warszawski, H. M. Wiseman and H. Mabuchi, Phys. Rev. A_65_ 023802 (20…
We show that combination of a linearly polarized resonant microwave field and a parallel static electric field may be used to create a non-dispersive electronic wavepacket in Rydberg atoms. The static electric field allows for manipulation of the shape of the elliptical trajectory the wavepacket is propagating on. Exact quantum numerical calculations for realistic experimental parameters show that the wavepacket evolving on a linear orbit can be very easily prepared in a laboratory either by a direct optical excitation or by preparing an atom in an extremal Stark state and then slowly switchin…
The machinery of quantum mechanics is fully capable of describing a single realistic world. Here we discuss the converse: in spite of appearances, and indeed numerous claims to the contrary, any quantum mechanical model can be mimicked, up to any finite accuracy, by a completely classical system of equations. An implication of this observation is that Bell's theorem is not applicable in the cases considered. This is explained by scrutinising Bell's assumptions concerning causality, retrocausality, statistical (in-)dependence, and his fear of `conspiracy' (there is no conspiracy in the language…
Regardless of past proposals (already disproved in experimental work by Brida et al), the Wigner picture of Parametric Down Conversion (works by Casado et al) can be interpreted as a local-realistic formalism, without the need to depart from quantum mechanical predictions at any step, at least for the relevant subset of QED-states. This involves reinterpreting the expressions for the detection probabilities, by means of an additional mathematical manipulation; though such manipulation seemingly provides enough freedom to guarantee consistency with the expectable, experimentally testable behavi…
