1,720,966 research outputs found
Topology and energy transport in networks of interacting photosynthetic complexes
Full text linkWe address the role of topology in the energy transport process that occurs in networks of photosynthetic complexes. We take inspiration from light-harvesting networks present in purple bacteria and simulate an incoherent dissipative energy transport process on more general and abstract networks, considering both regular structures (Cayley trees and hyperbranched fractals) and randomly generated ones. We focus on the the two primary light-harvesting complexes of purple bacteria, i.e., the LH1 and LH2, and we use network-theoretical centrality measures in order to select different LH1 arrangements. We show that different choices cause significant differences in the transport efficiencies, and that for regular networks, centrality measures allow us to identify arrangements that ensure transport efficiencies which are better than those obtained with a random disposition of the complexes. The optimal arrangements strongly depend on the dissipative nature of the dynamics and on the topological properties of the networks considered, and depending on the latter, they are achieved by using global versus local centrality measures. For randomly generated networks, a random arrangement of the complexes already provides efficient transport, and this suggests the process is strong with respect to limited amount of control in the structure design and to the disorder inherent in the construction of randomly assembled structures. Finally, we compare the networks considered with the real biological networks and find that the latter have in general better performances, due to their higher connectivity, but the former with optimal arrangements can mimic the real networks' behavior for a specific range of transport parameters. These results show that the use of network-theoretical concepts can be crucial for the characterization and design of efficient artificial energy transport networks. © 2012 American Physical Society
Entanglement in Extended Hubbard models and Quantum Phase Transitions
Full text linkThe role of two-point and multipartite entanglement at quantum phase transitions (QPTs) in correlated electron systems is investigated. We consider a bond-charge extended Hubbard model exactly solvable in one dimension which displays various QPTs—with two (qubit) as well as more (qudit) on-site degrees of freedom involved. The analysis is carried out by means of appropriate measures of bipartite/multipartite quantum correlations. It is found that all transitions ascribed to two-point correlations are characterized by an entanglement range which diverges at the transition points. The exponent coincides with that of the correlation length at the transitions. We introduce the correlation ratio, namely, the ratio of quantum mutual information and single-site entanglement. We show that at T=0, it captures the relative role of two-point and multipartite quantum correlations at transition points, generalizing to qudit systems the entanglement ratio. Moreover, a finite value of quantum mutual information between infinitely distant sites is seen to quantify the presence of off-diagonal long-range order induced by multipartite entanglemen
Quantum discord and classical correlations in the bond-charge Hubbard model: Quantum phase transitions, off-diagonal long-range order, and violation of the monogamy property for discord
No full textWe study the quantum discord (QD) and the classical correlations (CC) in a reference model for strongly correlated electrons, the one-dimensional bond-charge extended Hubbard model. We show that the comparison of QD and CC and of their derivatives in the direct and reciprocal lattice allows one to efficiently inspect the structure of two-points driven quantum phase transitions, discriminating those at which off diagonal long-range order (ODLRO) is involved. Moreover, we observe that QD between pair of sites is a monotonic function of ODLRO, thus establishing a direct relation between the latter and two point quantum correlations that differ from the entanglement. The study of the ground-state properties allows us to show that for a whole class of permutation invariant (η-pair) states quantum discord can violate the monogamy property, both in presence and in absence of bipartite entanglement. In the thermodynamic limit, due to the presence of ODLRO, the violation for η-pair states is maximal, while, for the purely fermionic ground state, it is finite. From a general perspective, all our results validate the importance of the concepts of QD and CC for the study of critical condensed-matter systems. © 2011 American Physical Society
Coherence in quantum estimation
Full text linkThe geometry of quantum states provides a unifying framework for estimation processes based on quantum probes, and it establishes the ultimate bounds of the achievable precision. We show a relation between the statistical distance between infinitesimally close quantum states and the second order variation of the coherence of the optimal measurement basis with respect to the state of the probe. In quantum phase estimation protocols, this leads to propose coherence as the relevant resource that one has to engineer and control to optimize the estimation precision. Furthermore, the main object of the theory i.e. the symmetric logarithmic derivative, in many cases allows one to identify a proper factorization of the whole Hilbert space in two subsystems. The factorization allows one to discuss the role of coherence versus correlations in estimation protocols; to show how certain estimation processes can be completely or effectively described within a single-qubit subsystem; and to derive lower bounds for the scaling of the estimation precision with the number of probes used. We illustrate how the framework works for both noiseless and noisy estimation procedures, in particular those based on multiqubit GHZ-states. Finally we succinctly analyze estimation protocols based on zero-temperature critical behavior. We identify the coherence that is at the heart of their efficiency, and we show how it exhibits the non-analyticities and scaling behavior proper of a large class of quantum phase transitions
Two-qubit correlations revisited: average mutual information, relevant (and useful) observables and an application to remote state preparation
Full text linkUnderstanding how correlations can be used for quantum communication protocols is a central goal of quantum information science. While many authors have linked the global measures of correlations such as entanglement or discord to the performance of specific protocols, in general the latter may require only correlations between specific observables. In this work, we first introduce a general measure of correlations for two-qubit states, based on the classical mutual information between local observables. Our measure depends on the state's purity and the symmetry in the correlation distribution, according to which we provide a classification of maximally mixed marginal states (MMMS). We discuss the complementarity relation between correlations and coherence. By focusing on a simple yet paradigmatic example, i.e. the remote state preparation protocol, we introduce a method to systematically define the proper protocol-tailored measures of the correlations. The method is based on the identification of those correlations that are relevant (useful) for the protocol. On the one hand, the approach allows the role of the symmetry of the correlation distribution to be discussed in determining the efficiency of the protocol, both for MMMS and general two-qubit quantum states, and on the other hand, it allows an optimized protocol for non-MMMS to be devised, which is more efficient with respect to the standard one. Overall, our findings clarify how the key resources in simple communication protocols are the purity of the state used and the symmetry of the correlation distribution
Two-point versus multipartite entanglement in quantum phase transitions
Full text linkWe analyze correlations between subsystems for an extended Hubbard model exactly solvable in one dimension, which exhibits a rich structure of quantum phase transitions (QPTs). The T=0 phase diagram is exactly reproduced by studying singularities of single-site entanglement. It is shown how comparison of the latter quantity and quantum mutual information allows one to recognize whether two-point or shared quantum correlations are responsible for each of the occurring QPTs. The method works in principle for any number D of degrees of freedom per site. As a by-product, we are providing a benchmark for direct measures of bipartite entanglement; in particular, here we discuss the role of negativity at the transition
Quantum discord for Gaussian states with non-Gaussian measurements
Full text linkIn recent years the paradigm based on entanglement as the unique measure of quantum correlations has been challenged by the rise of new correlation concepts, such as quantum discord, able to reveal quantum correlations that are present in separable states. It is in general difficult to compute quantum discord, because it involves a minimization over all possible local measurements in a bipartition. In the realm of continuous-variable (CV) systems, a Gaussian version of quantum discord has been put forward upon restricting to Gaussian measurements. It is natural to ask whether non-Gaussian measurements can lead to a stronger minimization than Gaussian ones. Here we focus on two relevant classes of two-mode Gaussian states: squeezed thermal states and mixed thermal states, and allow for a range of experimentally feasible non-Gaussian measurements, comparing the results with the case of Gaussian measurements. We provide evidence that Gaussian measurements are optimal for Gaussian states. © 2012 American Physical Society
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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