Transition Amplitudes Research Articles

High-accuracy optical clocks with sensitivity to the fine-structure constant variation based on Sm[formula omitted]

We identify two metastable excited states in Sm10+ highly charged ion as candidates for high accuracy optical clocks. Several atomic properties relevant to optical clock development are calculated using relativistic many-body methods. This includes energy levels, transition amplitudes, lifetimes, scalar polarizabilities, black body radiation shift, and the sensitivity to the fine structure constant variation. We found that the clock transitions are not sensitive to perturbation, e.g., relative black body radiation shifts are ∼10−19. The enhancement factor for the α variation is ∼ 0.8 for one clock transition and ∼ 16 for another.

Power system reliability assessment technique and modeling approach based on quantum computing theory

Aiming at the reliability assessment of power system, the state sampling process as a critical step requires to generate power system states one by one using classical computer. Due to the quantum superposition, all system states can be generated at once using the quantum computing and then assess the reliability, and thus it will improve the assessment efficiency. However, how to sample system states and assess reliability using the quantum computing theory will be very important. Therefore, this paper proposes a power system reliability assessment technique and its modeling approach based on the quantum computing theory. Firstly, this paper develops a quantum model of power system reliability (including reliability models of electrical device and system) and proposes a new system state sampling method based on the quantum computing theory, which samples all system states at once and improves the sampling efficiency. Secondly, this paper proposes a quantum computing theory based on reliability assessment technique and its modeling approach for the reliability indices: Loss of Load Probability (LOLP) and Expected Energy Not Supplied (EENS). Thirdly, this paper uses an iterative quantum amplitude estimation (IQAE) algorithm to measure the reliability indices for improving the measurement accuracy. Finally, this paper investigates both designed Case and RBTS, and results shows the correctness and effectiveness of reliability assessment of power system based on the quantum computing.

A square-root speedup for finding the smallest eigenvalue

We describe a quantum algorithm for finding the smallest eigenvalue of a Hermitian matrix. This algorithm combines quantum phase estimation and quantum amplitude estimation to achieve a quadratic speedup with respect to the best classical algorithm in terms of matrix dimensionality, i.e. O~(N/ε) 9 9In this work O~ ignores terms that are polylogarithmic in N or 1/ε . black-box queries to an oracle encoding the matrix, where N is the matrix dimension and ɛ is the desired precision. In contrast, the best classical algorithm for the same task requires Ω(N)polylog(1/ε) queries. In addition, this algorithm allows the user to select any constant success probability. We also provide a similar algorithm with the same runtime that allows us to prepare a quantum state lying mostly in the matrix’s low-energy subspace. We implement simulations of both algorithms and demonstrate their application to problems in quantum chemistry and materials science.

Final-state interactions in the CP asymmetry of D meson two-body decays

Urgent theoretical progress is needed in order to provide an estimate in the Standard Model of the recent measurement by LHCb of direct CP violation in charm-meson two-body decays. Rescattering effects must be taken into account for a meaningful theoretical description of the amplitudes involved in such category of observables, as signaled by the presence of large strong phases. We discuss the computation of the latter effects based on a two-channel coupled dispersion relation, which exploits isospin-zero phase shifts and inelasticity parameterizations of data coming from the rescattering processes [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. The determination of the subtraction constants of the dispersive integrals relies on the leading contributions to the transition amplitudes from the [Formula: see text] counting, where [Formula: see text] is the number of QCD colors. Furthermore, we use the measured values of the branching ratios to help in selecting the non-perturbative inputs in the isospin limit, from which we predict values for the CP asymmetries. We find that the predicted level of CP violation is much below the experimental value.

Quantum modeling simulates nutrient effect of bioplastic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production in Pseudomonas putida

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) could be used to make sustainable, biodegradable plastics. However, the precise and accurate mechanistic modeling of PHA biosynthesis, especially medium-chain-length PHA (mcl-PHA), for yield improvement remains a challenge to biology. PHA biosynthesis is typically triggered by nitrogen limitation and tends to peak at an optimal carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio. Specifically, simulation of the underlying dynamic regulation mechanisms for PHA bioprocess is a bottleneck owing to surfeit model complexity and current modeling philosophies for uncertainty. To address this issue, we proposed a quantum-like decision-making model to encode gene expression and regulation events as hidden layers by the general transformation of a density matrix, which uses the interference of probability amplitudes to provide an empirical-level description for PHA biosynthesis. We implemented our framework modeling the biosynthesis of mcl-PHA in Pseudomonas putida with respect to external C/N ratios, showing its optimization production at maximum PHA production of 13.81% cell dry mass (CDM) at the C/N ratio of 40:1. The results also suggest the degree of P. putida’s preference in channeling carbon towards PHA production as part of the bacterium’s adaptative behavior to nutrient stress using quantum formalism. Generic parameters (kD, kN and theta θ) obtained based on such quantum formulation, representing P. putida’s PHA biosynthesis with respect to external C/N ratios, was discussed. This work offers a new perspective on the use of quantum theory for PHA production, demonstrating its application potential for other bioprocesses.

Transition Amplitudes at High Momentum Transfer for Electroexcitation of Low Lying Nucleon Resonances in a Light Front Quark Model

Transition Amplitudes at High Momentum Transfer for Electroexcitation of Low Lying Nucleon Resonances in a Light Front Quark Model

Carbon market risk estimation using quantum conditional generative adversarial network and amplitude estimation

AbstractAccurately and efficiently estimating the carbon market risk is paramount for ensuring financial stability, promoting environmental sustainability, and facilitating informed decision‐making. Although classical risk estimation methods are extensively utilized, the implicit pre‐assumptions regarding distribution are predominantly contained and challenging to balance accuracy and computational efficiency. A quantum computing‐based carbon market risk estimation framework is proposed to address this problem with the quantum conditional generative adversarial network‐quantum amplitude estimation (QCGAN‐QAE) algorithm. Specifically, quantum conditional generative adversarial network (QCGAN) is employed to simulate the future distribution of the generated return rate, whereas quantum amplitude estimation (QAE) is employed to measure the distribution. Moreover, the quantum circuit of the QCGAN improved by reordering the data interaction layer and data simulation layer is coupled with the introduction of the quantum fully connected layer. The binary search method is incorporated into the QAE to bolster the computational efficiency. The simulation results based on the European Union Emissions Trading System reveals that the proposed framework markedly enhances the efficiency and precision of Value‐at‐Risk and Conditional Value‐at‐Risk compared to original methods.

Detecting single photons is not always necessary to evidence interference of photon probability amplitudes

Detecting single photons is not always necessary to evidence interference of photon probability amplitudes

Destructive interference as the origin of the Hardy scenario

We cast the Hardy scenario in the language of interfering probability amplitudes, and show that the corresponding counter-intuitive predictions of quantum theory are a consequence of destructive interference.

Quantum Big-Bounce as a phenomenology of RQM in the Mini-superspace

We investigate the emergence of a quantum Big-Bounce in the context of an isotropic Universe, filled by a self-interacting scalar field, which plays the role of a physical clock. The bouncing cosmology is the result of a scattering process, driven by the scalar field potential, which presence breaks down the frequency separation of the Wheeler-DeWitt equation, treated in strict analogy to a relativistic quantum system. Differently from previous analyses, we consider a really perturbative self-interaction potential, affecting the dynamics in a finite range of the time labeled by the scalar clock (and in particular we remove the divergent character previously allowed). The main result of the present analysis is that, when the Relativistic Quantum Mechanics formalism is properly implemented in the Mini-superspace analogy, the probability amplitude for the bounce is, both in the standard and polymerized case, characterized by a maximum in correspondence of the quasi-classical condition of a Universe minimum volume.

Characterization of the periodic dissociation process of the NaI molecule

A theoretical model is proposed to illustrate the periodic dissociation process of NaI molecule. The kinetic energy release (KER) of the fragments is obtained from the theoretical analysis and the quantum wave packet simulation, respectively. It is found that the theoretical model can predict the periodic dissociation results with four parameters, which are expansion coefficient of the eigenstates c E , attenuation factor of the dissociating wave packets α , the vibrational period of the excited state τ e and the time delay τ between the first two dissociation wave packets. The attenuation factor α is equal to 1 due to the different photofragments corresponding to the same probability amplitude. Furthermore, the inherent nonadiabatic coupling only causes the population transfer from the excited state to the ground state, without influencing the periodic motion of the wave packet.

State selective total and angular differential cross sections for positronium formation in [formula omitted]+[formula omitted] collisions

State-selective total and angular differential cross sections for positronium formation are presented in the collision of positron with helium atoms in their ground state by using the four-body formalism of the boundary-corrected continuum-intermediate-states approximation. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the relative importance of intermediate ionization continuum states that has been incorporated with a suitable choice of distorting potential. In addition, the nine-dimensional integrals of the transition amplitude are analytically reduced to a one-dimensional real integral, which can be easily calculated numerically. The influence of the target static electron correlations on the capture probability is investigated using the different bound-state wave functions of He. The theoretical model for the calculation is fairly accurate and predicts a number of interesting features of the state-selective total and differential cross sections in the range of positron impact energy varies from 20 to 250eV. The total cross sections are highly peaked at an impact energy of 50 eV. The results are compared with those of other theories and the available experimental data. The present theoretical results and other measurements show satisfactory agreement in the wide energy range. Moreover, surface plots for the state-selective differential cross sections are also presented to illustrate the interesting feature of the positronium formation in this collision process.

Time-reversed information flow through a wormhole in scalar–tensor gravity

This Letter aims to advance unexplored properties of a new class of Closed Timelike Curves recently discovered in scalar–tensor gravity, reported in Nguyen and Lobo (2023) [31] and Nguyen and Azreg-Aïnou (2023) [30]. Therein, it was shown that when the Weak Energy Condition is violated, the topology of spacetime in scalar–tensor gravity is altered and directly enables the formation of two-way traversable wormholes. Furthermore, each of these wormholes acts a gateway between two time-mirrored worlds, where the two asymptotically flat sheets in the Kruskal–Szekeres diagram are glued antipodally along three directions—time t and the polar and azimuth angles (θ,φ) of the 2-sphere—to form a wormhole throat. This contrasts with the standard embedding diagram which typically glues the sheets only along the θ and φ directions. Crucially, due to the ‘gluing’ along the t direction, the wormhole becomes a portal connecting the two spacetime sheets with opposite physical time flows, enabling the emergence of closed timelike loops which straddle the throat. In this Letter, we shall point out that this portal mathematically permits the possibility of backward propagation of information against time. This feature is ubiquitous for wormholes in scalar–tensor theories. In addition, we formulate the Feynman sum for transition amplitudes of microscopic particles in the proximity of a wormhole throat in which we account for timelike paths that experience time reversal.

Probing Postmeasurement Entanglement without Postselection

We study the problem of observing quantum collective phenomena emerging from large numbers of measurements. These phenomena are difficult to observe in conventional experiments because, in order to distinguish the effects of measurement from dephasing, it is necessary to postselect on sets of measurement outcomes with Born probabilities that are exponentially small in the number of measurements performed. An unconventional approach, which avoids this exponential “postselection problem”, is to construct cross-correlations between experimental data and the results of simulations on classical computers. However, these cross-correlations generally have no definite relation to physical quantities. We first show how to incorporate classical shadows into this framework, thereby allowing for the construction of quantum information-theoretic cross-correlations. We then identify cross-correlations that both upper and lower bound the measurement-averaged von Neumann entanglement entropy, as well as cross-correlations that lower bound the measurement-averaged purity and entanglement negativity. These bounds show that experiments can be performed to constrain postmeasurement entanglement without the need for postselection. To illustrate our technique, we consider how it could be used to observe the measurement-induced entanglement transition in Haar-random quantum circuits. We use exact numerical calculations as proxies for quantum simulations and, to highlight the fundamental limitations of classical memory, we construct cross-correlations with tensor-network calculations at finite bond dimension. Our results reveal a signature of measurement-induced criticality that can be observed using a quantum simulator in polynomial time and with polynomial classical memory. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Symmetry Protected Two-Photon Coherence Time.

We report the observation of symmetry protected two-photon coherence time of biphotons generated from backward spontaneous four-wave mixing in laser-cooled ^{87}Rb atoms. When biphotons are nondegenerate, nonsymmetric photonic absorption loss results in exponential decay of the temporal waveform of the two-photon joint probability amplitude, leading to shortened coherence time. In contrast, in the case of degenerate biphotons, when both paired photons propagate with the same group velocity and absorption coefficient, the two-photon coherence time, protected by space-time symmetry, remains unaffected by medium absorptive losses. Our experimental results validate these theoretical predictions. This outcome highlights the pivotal role of symmetry in manipulating and controlling photonic quantum states.

Quadratic Speed‐ups in Quantum Kernelized Binary Classification

AbstractClassification is at the core of data‐driven prediction and decision‐making, representing a fundamental task in supervised machine learning. Recently, several quantum machine learning algorithms that use quantum kernels as a measure of similarities between data have emerged to perform binary classification on datasets encoded as quantum states. The potential advantages of quantum kernels arise from the ability of quantum computers to construct kernels that are more effective than their classical counterparts in capturing patterns in data or computing kernels more efficiently. However, existing quantum kernel‐based classification algorithms do not harness the capability of having data samples in quantum superposition for additional enhancements. This work demonstrates how such capability can be leveraged in quantum kernelized binary classifiers (QKCs) through Quantum Amplitude Estimation (QAE) for quadratic speed‐up. Additionally, new quantum circuits are proposed for the QKCs in which the number of qubits is reduced by one, and the circuit depth is reduced linearly with respect to the number of sample data. The quadratic speed‐up over previous methods is verified through numerical simulations on the Iris dataset.

A non-perturbative and background-independent formulation of quadratic gravity

A non-perturbative and background-independent quantum formulation of quadratic gravity is provided. A canonical quantization procedure introduced in previous works, named after Dirac and Pauli, is here applied to quadratic gravity to obtain, as required by consistency, a well-defined Euclidean path integral. The theory is unitary: all probabilities are non negative and they sum up to one. We obtain path-integral expressions for the transition amplitudes, Green's functions and generic matrix elements of time-ordered products of the metric. As a byproduct, similar results are also obtained for a scalar-field four-derivative interacting model. In this way, among other things, previous perturbative and background-dependent calculations are justified. The (quantum) quadratic gravity effective action, whose field equations determine the vacuum expectation value of the metric in the presence of a generic energy-momentum tensor, is constructed. The classical limit of the effective action turns out to be equivalent to the starting classical action of quadratic gravity, whose runaway rates were previously shown to be slow enough to be compatible with observations. Finally, the constructed non-perturbative and background-independent quantum quadratic gravity is applied to quantum cosmology to obtain a path-integral expression for the wave function of the universe, which satisfies a sort of Wheeler-DeWitt equation. This application allows us to understand at the quantum level why our universe is nearly homogeneous and isotropic.

Doppler-enhanced quantum magnetometry with thermal Rydberg atoms

We report experimental measurements showing how one can combine quantum interference and thermal Doppler shifts at room temperature to detect weak magnetic fields. We pump 87 Rb atoms to a highly-excited, Rydberg level using a probe and a coupling laser, leading to narrow transmission peaks of the probe due to destructive interference of transition amplitudes, known as Electromagnetically Induced Transparency. While it is customary in such setups to use counterpropagating lasers to minimize the effect of Doppler shifts, here we show, on the contrary, that one can harness Doppler shifts in a copropagating arrangement to produce an enhanced response to a magnetic field. In particular, we demonstrate an order-of-magnitude bigger splitting in the transmission spectrum as compared to the counterpropagating case. We explain and generalize our findings with theoretical modeling and simulations based on a Lindblad master equation. Our results pave the way to using quantum effects for magnetometry in readily deployable room-temperature platforms.

Is the dynamical quantum Cheshire cat detectable?

We explore how one might detect the dynamical quantum Cheshire cat proposed by Aharonov et al We show that, in practice, we need to bias the initial state by adding/subtracting a small probability amplitude (‘field’) of the orthogonal state, which travels with the disembodied property, to make the effect detectable (i.e. if our initial state is |↑z⟩ , we need to bias this with some small amount δ of state |↓z⟩ ). This biasing, which can be done either directly or via weakly entangling the state with a pointer, effectively provides a phase reference with which we can measure the evolution of the state. The outcome can then be measured as a small probability difference in detections in a mutually unbiased basis, proportional to this biasing δ. We show this is different from counterfactual communication, which provably does not require any probe field to travel between sender Bob and receiver Alice for communication. We further suggest an optical polarisation experiment where these phenomena might be demonstrated in a laboratory.

Gravity-induced transparency

We investigate the transition amplitudes of the Unruh-DeWitt detector within the Schwarzschild spacetime background and discover gravity-induced transparency phenomena akin to the earlier acceleration-induced transparency. This is confirmed through calculations performed in both the Hartle-Hawking and Unruh states. The similarity between free-falling detectors in these states and accelerated detectors in electromagnetic fields is noteworthy, as it parallels the scenario in which acceleration-induced transparency phenomena occur. Published by the American Physical Society 2024