Quantum entanglement is a key resource for quantum technologies, including emerging ground-to-satellite quantum communication. In such a scenario, an important challenge to be overcome is to consider entanglement between two or more quantum particles in different inertial frames, potentially experiencing relativistic effects affecting quantum correlations. In this paper, we present a consistent framework that overcomes this challenge. To this end, we establish the notion of factorizable and entangled multi-time trajectories and derive a class of Euler--Lagrange equations under the constraint of a non-entangling behavior. Comparing this restricted evolution to the solutions of the unrestricted equations of motion allows one to investigate the trajectory-based entanglement of general systems. We solve our equations for interacting particles in a Klein--Gordon-type setting, thereby quantifying the dynamic and relativistic impact of entanglement in a self-consistent manner.
Quantum entanglement is a key resource for quantum technologies, including emerging ground-to-satellite quantum communication. In such a scenario, an important challenge to be overcome is to consider entanglement between two or more quantum particles in different inertial frames, potentially experiencing relativistic effects affecting quantum correlations. In this paper, we present a consistent framework that overcomes this challenge. To this end, we establish the notion of factorizable and entangled multi-time trajectories and derive a class of Euler--Lagrange equations under the constraint of a non-entangling behavior. Comparing this restricted evolution to the solutions of the unrestricted equations of motion allows one to investigate the trajectory-based entanglement of general systems. We solve our equations for interacting particles in a Klein--Gordon-type setting, thereby quantifying the dynamic and relativistic impact of entanglement in a self-consistent manner.
Abstract Quantum entanglement is a key resource for quantum technologies, including emerging ground-to-satellite quantum communication. In such a scenario, an important challenge to be overcome is to consider entanglement between two or more quantum particles in different inertial frames, potentially experiencing relativistic effects affecting quantum correlations. In this paper, we present a consistent framework that overcomes this challenge. To this end, we establish the notion of factorizable and entangled multi-time trajectories and derive a class of Euler-Lagrange equations under the constraint of a non-entangling behavior. Comparing this restricted evolution to the solutions of the unrestricted equations of motion allows us to investigate the trajectory-based entanglement of general systems. We solve our equations for interacting particles in a Klein-Gordon-type setting, thereby quantifying the dynamic and relativistic impact of entanglement in a self-consistent manner.
The dynamical behavior of interacting systems plays a fundamental role for determining quantum correlations, such as entanglement. In this Letter, we describe temporal quantum effects of the inseparable evolution of composite quantum states by comparing the trajectories to their classically correlated counterparts. For this reason, we introduce equations of motions describing the separable propagation of any interacting quantum system, which are derived by requiring separability for all times. The resulting Schrödinger-type equations allow for comparing the trajectories in a separable configuration with the actual behavior of the system and, thereby, identifying inseparable and time-dependent quantum properties. As an example, we study bipartite discrete- and continuous-variable interacting systems. The generalization of our developed technique to multipartite scenarios is also provided.
Recently, a self-contained trajectory-based formulation of non-relativistic quantum mechanics was developed [Ann. Phys. 315, 505 (2005); Chem. Phys. 370, 4 (2010); J. Chem. Phys. 136, 031102 (2012)], that makes no use of wavefunctions or complex amplitudes of any kind. Quantum states are represented as ensembles of real-valued quantum trajectories that extremize a suitable action. Here, the trajectory-based approach is developed into a viable, generally covariant, relativistic quantum theory for single (spin-zero, massive) particles. Central to this development is the introduction of a new notion of global simultaneity for accelerated particles--together with basic postulates concerning probability conservation and causality. The latter postulate is found to be violated by the Klein-Gordon equation, leading to its well-known problems as a single-particle theory. Various examples are considered, including the time evolution of a relativistic Gaussian wavepacket.
One of the defining features of quantum theory is entanglement, the notion that quantum systems can display correlations that are impossible from the classical \npoint of view. In quantum information theory entanglement has come to be recognised as a physical resource that enables new technologies that perform information \nprocessing tasks which are beyond the limits of the classical realm. It has been realised only recently that entanglement is dependent on the frame of reference in \nboth inertial and accelerated systems. In this thesis, we investigate the relativistic entanglement of massive spin-1=2 particles in inertial frames by focussing on the \ndependence of entanglement on the geometry of the underlying boost scenario. We first explore the ‘qubit’ of the relativistic setting: a single particle with spin and momentum, with momentum given by a Gaussian distribution. We study the system in a variety of different boost scenarios, analysing the behaviour of entanglement \nfrom a geometric point of view. The spin-spin entanglement of two particle systems is then surveyed for many different discrete product and entangled momenta, with the spins in the Werner state. We also extend the analysis to continuous momentum states and study them in a variety of geometries. The results obtained from the analysis of discrete states are applied to continuous states, leading to a better \nunderstanding of the behaviour of entanglement. We lastly discuss the common view according to which Lorentz boosts leave the total entanglement of the state invariant.
In the context of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, Gaussian wavepacket solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation provide useful physical insight. This is not the case for relativistic quantum mechanics, however, for which both the Klein-Gordon and Dirac wave equations result in strange and counterintuitive wavepacket behaviors, even for free-particle Gaussians. These behaviors include zitterbewegung and other interference effects. As a potential remedy, this paper explores a new trajectory-based formulation of quantum mechanics, in which the wavefunction plays no role [ Phys. Rev. X , 4 , 040002 (2014)]. Quantum states are represented as ensembles of trajectories, whose mutual interaction is the source of all quantum effects observed in nature—suggesting a "many interacting worlds" interpretation. It is shown that the relativistic generalization of the trajectory-based formulation results in well-behaved free-particle Gaussian wavepacket solutions. In particular, probability density is positive and well-localized everywhere, and its spatial integral is conserved over time—in any inertial frame. Finally, the ensemble-averaged wavepacket motion is along a straight line path through spacetime. In this manner, the pathologies of the wave-based relativistic quantum theory, as applied to wavepacket propagation, are avoided.
We develop an extension of the Monte Carlo wave function approach that unambiguously identifies dynamical entanglement in general composite, open systems. Our algorithm performs tangential projections onto the set of separable states, leading to classically correlated quantum trajectories. By comparing this restricted evolution with the unrestricted one, we can characterize the entangling capabilities of quantum channels without making use of input-output relations. Moreover, applying this method is equivalent to solving the nonlinear master equation in Lindblad form introduced in \cite{PAH24} for two-qubit systems. We here extend these equations to multipartite systems of qudits, describing non-entangling dynamics in terms of a stochastic differential equation. We identify the impact of dynamical entanglement in open systems by applying our approach to several correlated decay processes. Therefore, our methodology provides a complete and ready-to-use framework to characterize dynamical quantum correlations caused by arbitrary open-system processes.