Quantum Physics Commons^™

Effects Of Turbulence On Cosmic Ray Propagation In Protostars And Young Stars, M. Fatuzzo, F. C. Adams

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Quantumness And Coherence In Photosynthesis, Brian Doolittle

Honors Theses

Long-lived oscillations lasting up to 1800 fs have been observed in the Fenna--Mathews--Olsen (FMO) Pigment-Protein complex. It is unclear if the oscillations are quantum or classical in origin. Quantized intra-pigment normal modes are responsible for these long-lived oscillations. In this thesis we simulate a bacteriachlorophyll dimer in the FMO Complex at physiological conditions. Our model describes two electronically coupled pigments coupled to the vibrational protein environment. Our goal is to find system parameters that allow long-lived quantum coherences to exist in photosynthetic complexes. We calculate the time evolution of our system's density matrix using the numerically exact quantum adiabatic path …

Spectroscopy And Polarization Measurements Of The Resonant Excitation Of Quantum Dots, Quinn Campbell

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Integrability, Recursion Operators And Soliton Interactions, Boyka Aneva, Georgi Grahovski, Rossen Ivanov, Dimitar Mladenov

Book chapter/book

This volume contains selected papers based on the talks,presentedat the Conference Integrability, Recursion Operators and Soliton Interactions, held in Sofia, Bulgaria (29-31 August 2012) at the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Included are also invited papers presenting new research developments in the thematic area. The Conference was dedicated to the 65-th birthday of our esteemed colleague and friend Vladimir Gerdjikov. The event brought together more than 30 scientists, from 6 European countries to celebrate Vladimir's scientific achievements. All participants enjoyed a variety of excellent talks in a friendly and stimulating atmosphere. …

Experimental Realization Of Slowly Rotating Modes Of Light, Fangzhao A. An

HMC Senior Theses

Beams of light can carry spin and orbital angular momentum. Spin angular momentum describes how the direction of the electric field rotates about the propagation axis, while orbital angular momentum describes the rotation of the field amplitude pattern. These concepts are well understood for monochromatic beams, but previous theoretical studies have constructed polychromatic superpositions where the connection between angular momentum and rotation of the electric field becomes much less clear. These states are superpositions of two states of light carrying opposite signs of angular momentum and slightly detuned frequencies. They rotate at the typically small detuning frequency and thus we …

The Pilot-Wave Perspective On Spin, Travis Norsen

Physics: Faculty Publications

The alternative pilot-wave theory of quantum phenomena—associated especially with Louis de Broglie, David Bohm, and John Bell—reproduces the statistical predictions of ordinary quantum mechanics but without recourse to special ad hoc axioms pertaining to measurement. That (and how) it does so is relatively straightforward to understand in the case of position measurements and, more generally, measurements, whose outcome is ultimately registered by the position of a pointer. Despite a widespread belief to the contrary among physicists, the theory can also account successfully for phenomena involving spin. The main goal of this paper is to explain how the pilot- wave theory’s …

Mathematical And Physical Aspects Of Complex Symmetric Operators, Stephan Ramon Garcia, Emil Prodan, Mihai Putinar

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

Recent advances in the theory of complex symmetric operators are presented and related to current studies in non-hermitian quantum mechanics. The main themes of the survey are: the structure of complex symmetric operators, C-selfadjoint extensions of C-symmetric unbounded operators, resolvent estimates, reality of spectrum, bases of C-orthonormal vectors, and conjugate-linear symmetric operators. The main results are complemented by a variety of natural examples arising in field theory, quantum physics, and complex variables.

Demonstrating Entanglement By Testing Bell's Theorem In Majorana Wires, David E. Drummond, Alexey Kovalev, Chang-Yu Hou, Kirill Shtengel, Leonid P. Pryadko

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We propose an experiment that would establish the entanglement of Majorana zero modes in semiconductor nanowires by testing the Bell and Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequalities. Our proposal is viable with realistic system parameters, simple “keyboard” gating, and projective measurement. Theoretical models and simulation results indicate entanglement can be demonstrated with moderately accurate gate operations. In addition to providing further evidence for the existence of the Majorana bound states, our proposal could be used as an experimental stepping stone to more complicated braiding experiments.

Nlo Bfkl And Anomalous Dimensions Of Light Ray Operators, Ian Balitsky

Physics Faculty Publications

The anomalous dimensions of light-ray operators of twist two are obtained by analytical continuation of the anomalous dimensions of corresponding local operators. I demonstrate that the asymptotics of these anomalous dimensions at the “BFKL point” j → 1 can be obtained by comparing the light-cone operator expansion with the high-energy expansion in Wilson lines

Induced Polarization Of Λ1116 In Kaon Electroproduction, Clas Collaboration, D. Adikaram, M. J. Amaryan, L. El Fassi, S. Koirala, S. E. Kuhn, M. Mayer

Physics Faculty Publications

We have measured. the induced polarization of the Λ (1116) in the reaction ep →e′K⁺Λ , detecting the scattered e′ and K⁺ in the final state along with the proton from the decay Λ → pπ⁻ . The present study used the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS), which allowed for a large kinematic acceptance in invariant energy W (1.6≤ W ≤ 2.7 GeV) and covered the full range of the kaon production angle at an average momentum transfer Q² = 1.90GeV² . In this experiment a 5.50-GeV electron beam was incident upon …

High Precision Determination Of The Q² Evolution Of The Bjorken Sum, A. Deur, Y. Prok, V. Burkert, D. Crabb, F. X. Girod, K. A. Griffioen, N. Guler, S. E. Kuhn, N. Kvaltine

Physics Faculty Publications

We present a significantly improved determination of the Bjorken sum for 0.6 ≤ Q² ≤ 4.8 GeV² using precise new g^p₁ and g^d₁ data taken with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. A higher-twist analysis of the Q² dependence of the Bjorken sum yields the twist-4 coefficient f ^p-n₂= -0.064 ± 0.009 ± ^0.032 _0.036. This leads to the color polarizabilities χ ^p-n _E= -0.032 ± 0.024 and χ^p-n_B= 0.032 ± 0.013. The strong force coupling is determined to be α ^MS_S (M²_{Z …}

Φ-Meson Photoproduction On Hydrogen In The Neutral Decay Mode, H. Seraydaryan, M. J. Amaryan, G. Gavalian, L. Weinstein, K. P. Adhikari, D. Adikaram, R. P. Bennett, S. Bültmann, N. Guler, C. E. Hyde, S. Koirala, S. E. Kuhn, L. B. Weinstein

Physics Faculty Publications

We report the first measurement of the photoproduction cross section of the ϕ meson in its neutral decay mode in the reaction γp→pϕ(K_SK_L) . The experiment was performed with a tagged photon beam of energy 1.6 ≤ E_γ ≤ 3.6 GeV incident on a liquid hydrogen target of the CLAS spectrometer at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The pϕ final state is identified via reconstruction of K_S in the invariant mass of two oppositely charged pions and by requiring the missing particle in the reaction γp→pK_SX to be K_L. …

Publisher’S Note: Data Analysis Techniques, Differential Cross Sections, And Spin Density Matrix Elements For The Reaction 𝛾p -> Φp (Phys. Rev. C. Vol 89, 055208, 2014), K. P. Adhikari, D. Adikaram, M. J. Amaryan, C. E. Hyde, A. Klein, S. Koirala, S. E. Kuhn, M. Mayer, I. Niculescu, J. Zhang, Et Al., The Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Is The Quantum State Real? An Extended Review Of Psi-Ontology Theorems, Matthew S. Leifer

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Towards the end of 2011, Pusey, Barrett and Rudolph derived a theorem that aimed to show that the quantum state must be ontic (a state of reality) in a broad class of realist approaches to quantum theory. This result attracted a lot of attention and controversy. The aim of this review article is to review the background to the Pusey–Barrett–Rudolph Theorem, to provide a clear presentation of the theorem itself, and to review related work that has appeared since the publication of the Pusey–Barrett–Rudolph paper. In particular, this review: Explains what it means for the quantum state to be ontic …

A Bayesian Approach To Compatibility, Improvement, And Pooling Of Quantum States, Matthew S. Leifer, Robert W. Spekkens

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In approaches to quantum theory in which the quantum state is regarded as a representation of knowledge, information, or belief, two agents can assign different states to the same quantum system. This raises two questions: when are such state assignments compatible? and how should the state assignments of different agents be reconciled? In this paper, we address these questions from the perspective of the recently developed conditional states formalism for quantum theory [1]. Specifically, we derive a compatibility criterion proposed by Brun, Finkelstein and Mermin from the requirement that, upon acquiring data, agents should update their states using a quantum …

Quantum Non-Barking Dogs, Sara Imari Walker, Paul C. W. Davies, Prasant Samantray, Yakir Aharonov

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Quantum weak measurements with states both pre- and post-selected offer a window into a hitherto neglected sector of quantum mechanics. A class of such systems involves time dependent evolution with transitions possible. In this paper we explore two very simple systems in this class. The first is a toy model representing the decay of an excited atom. The second is the tunneling of a particle through a barrier. The post-selection criteria are chosen as follows: at the final time, the atom remains in its initial excited state for the first example and the particle remains behind the barrier for the …

Foundations And Applications Of Weak Quantum Measurements, Yakir Aharonov, Eliahu Cohen, Avshalom C. Elitzur

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Weak quantum measurement (WM) is unique in measuring noncommuting operators and other peculiar, otherwise-undetectable phenomena predicted by the two-state-vector-formalism (TSVF). The aim of this article is threefold: (i) introducing the foundations of WM and TSVF, (ii) studying temporal peculiarities predicted by TSVF and manifested by WM, and (iii) presenting applications of WM to single particles.

New Insights On Emergence From The Perspective Of Weak Values And Dynamical Non-Locality, Jeff Tollaksen

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this article, we will examine new fundamental aspects of "emergence" and "information" using novel approaches to quantum mechanics which originated from the group around Aharonov. The two-state vector formalism provides a complete description of pre- and post-selected quantum systems and has uncovered a host of new quantum phenomena which were previously hidden. The most important feature is that any weak coupling to a pre- and post-selected system is effectively a coupling to a "weak value" which is given by a simple expression depending on the two-state vector. In particular, weak values, are the outcomes of so called "weak measurements" …

Quantum Harmonic Oscillator With Superoscillating Initial Datum, Roman V. Buniy, Fabrizio Colombo, Irene Sabadini, Daniele C. Struppa

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In this paper, we study the evolution of superoscillating initial data for the quantum driven harmonic oscillator. Our main result shows that superoscillations are amplified by the harmonic potential and that the analytic solution develops a singularity in finite time. We also show that for a large class of solutions of the Schrodinger equation, superoscillating behavior at any given time implies superoscillating behavior at any other time.

Parafermion Stabilizer Codes, Utkan Güngördü, Rabindra Nepal, Alexey Kovalev

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We define and study parafermion stabilizer codes, which can be viewed as generalizations of Kitaev’s onedimensional (1D) model of unpaired Majorana fermions. Parafermion stabilizer codes can protect against lowweight errors acting on a small subset of parafermion modes in analogy to qudit stabilizer codes. Examples of several smallest parafermion stabilizer codes are given. A locality-preserving embedding of qudit operators into parafermion operators is established that allows one to map known qudit stabilizer codes to parafermion codes. We also present a local 2D parafermion construction that combines topological protection of Kitaev’s toric code with additional protection relying on parity conservation.

Numerical Techniques For Finding The Distances Of Quantum Codes, Ilya Dumer, Alexey Kovalev, Leonid P. Pryadko

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

We survey the existing techniques for calculating code distances of classical codes and apply these techniques to generic quantum codes. For classical and quantum LDPC codes, we also present a new linked-cluster technique. It reduces complexity exponent of all existing deterministic techniques designed for codes with small relative distances (which include all known families of quantum LDPC codes), and also surpasses the probabilistic technique for sufficiently high code rates.

The Talbot Effect, Malia Kawamura

Honors Theses

The goal of this project is to experimentally investigate the optical Talbot effect and the electron Talbot effect. The Talbot effect is a near-field diffraction effect which occurs when plane waves are incident upon a grating. The Talbot effect creates full grating revivals at integral Talbot lengths and revivals with greater spatial periodicity at fractional Talbot lengths. We use a green helium neon laser and Ronchi rulings to take CCD camera images of the fractional Talbot revivals directly. Additionally, a photodiode records light intensity as a function of time as a second identical grating is moved to verify the presence …

Momentum And Spin In Entropic Quantum Dynamics, Shahid Nawaz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

We study quantum theory as an example of entropic inference. Our goal is to remove conceptual difficulties that arise in quantum mechanics. Since probability is a common feature of quantum theory and of any inference problem, we briefly introduce probability theory and the entropic methods to update probabilities when new information becomes available. Nelson's stochastic mechanics and Caticha's derivation of quantum theory are discussed in the subsequent chapters. Our first goal is to understand momentum and angular momentum within an entropic dynamics framework and to derive the corresponding uncertainty relations. In this framework momentum is an epistemic concept -- it …

Observation Of A Quantum Cheshire Cat In A Matter-Wave Interferometer Experiment, Tobias Denkmayr, Hermann Geppert, Stephan Sponar, Hartmut Lemmel, Alexandre Matzkin, Jeff Tollaksen, Yuji Hasegawa

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

From its very beginning, quantum theory has been revealing extraordinary and counter-intuitive phenomena, such as wave-particle duality, Schrodinger cats and quantum non-locality. Another paradoxical phenomenon found within the framework of quantum mechanics is the 'quantum Cheshire Cat': if a quantum system is subject to a certain pre- and postselection, it can behave as if a particle and its property are spatially separated. It has been suggested to employ weak measurements in order to explore the Cheshire Cat's nature. Here we report an experiment in which we send neutrons through a perfect silicon crystal interferometer and perform weak measurements to probe …

Ψ-Epistemic Models Are Exponentially Bad At Explaining The Distinguishability Of Quantum States, Matthew S. Leifer

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The status of the quantum state is perhaps the most controversial issue in the foundations of quantum theory. Is it an epistemic state (state of knowledge) or an ontic state (state of reality)? In realist models of quantum theory, the epistemic view asserts that nonorthogonal quantum states correspond to overlapping probability measures over the true ontic states. This naturally accounts for a large number of otherwise puzzling quantum phenomena. For example, the indistinguishability of nonorthogonal states is explained by the fact that the ontic state sometimes lies in the overlap region, in which case there is nothing in reality that …

From Quanta To Qualia: How A Paradigm Shift Turns Into Science. Philosophy Study Vol. 4, Deepak Chopra, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Ever since the development of quantum mechanics in the first part of the 20th century, a new world view has emerged. Today, the physicalist objective assumption that objects exist independently of acts of observation has been challenged. The repercussions of this radical challenge to our common-sense perception of the world are far-reaching, although not yet generally realized. Here we argue that there is a complementary view to the way science which is being practiced, and that consciousness itself is primary and qualia form the foundation of experience. We outline the arguments of why the new science of qualia will tie …

Measurement Of The Structure Function Of The Nearly Free Neutron Using Spectator Tagging In Inelastic ²H(E,E'Pˢ) X Scattering With Clas, S. Tkachenko, S. E. Kuhn, J. Zhang, K. P. Adhikari, M. J. Amaryan, A. Klein, S. Koirala, M. Mayer, L. Zana, Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Background: Much less is known about neutron structure than that of the proton due to the absence of free neutron targets. Neutron information is usually extracted from data on nuclear targets such as deuterium, requiring corrections for nuclear binding and nucleon off-shell effects. These corrections are model dependent and have significant uncertainties, especially for large values of the Bjorken scaling variable x . As a consequence, the same data can lead to different conclusions, for example, about the behavior of the d quark distribution in the proton at large x .

Purpose: The Barely Off-shell Nucleon Structure experiment at Jefferson …

Data Analysis Techniques, Differential Cross Sections, And Spin Density Matrix Elements For The Reaction 𝛾p → Φp, K. P. Adhikari, D. Adikaram, M. J. Amaryan, C. E. Hyde, S. Koirala, S. E. Kuhn, M. Mayer, I. Niculescu, Et Al., The Clas Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

High-statistics measurements of differential cross sections and spin density matrix elements for the reaction γp→ϕp have been made using the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. We cover center-of-mass energies (√s) from 1.97 to 2.84 GeV, with an extensive coverage in the ϕ production angle. The high statistics of the data sample made it necessary to carefully account for the interplay between the ϕ natural lineshape and effects of the detector resolution, that are found to be comparable in magnitude. We study both the charged- (ϕ→K⁺K⁻) and neutral- (ϕ→K⁰_SK⁰_L) K^{→ …}

The Dijet Cross Section Measurement In Proton-Proton Collisions At A Center Of Mass Energy Of 500 Gev At Star, Grant D. Webb

Theses and Dissertations--Physics and Astronomy

Polarized deep inelastic scattering experiments play a vital role in the exploration of the spin structure of the proton. The polarized proton-proton collider at RHIC provides direct access to the gluon spin distribution through longitudinal double spin asymmetry measurements of inclusive jets, pions, and dijets. This thesis presents the measurement of the dijet double differential cross-section in proton-proton collisions at center of mass energies of √s = 500 GeV. The data represent an integrated luminosity of 8.7 pb^-1 recorded by the STAR detector during the 2009 RHIC run. A comprehensive jet analysis was performed to determine the ideal …