The rise of quantum technology has put control at the centre of advancements in quantum mechanics. The union of quantum mechanics with mathematical control theory is a meeting that is leading to a much deeper insight into our interaction with the bizarre properties of quantum theory. Often, the study of discrete variable systems is the focus for making this union. Here, we look at how control theory may be applied to the continuous variable theory of Gaussian states. Special emphasis is given to control of the covariance matrix of these states, as it is here that we find the entanglement and entropic properties of the state. We begin by exploring some initial results for the geometry of Gaussian states, revealing different manifold structures dependent on symplectic eigenvalue degeneracy. In this geometrical setting a proposal for an extension of Williamson's theorem is put forward and partially completed. It is often interesting to look at restricted sets of Hamiltonians and ask what transformations can be performed with concatenations of their corresponding unitaries. Controllable systems are those for which the entire group of interest is possible to enact. We explore an uncontrollable system in a single mode and give a physical analysis as to why it behaves this way. This leads to ideas to move forwards for a necessary and sufficient condition for control on the symplectic group that has been conjectured since 1972. Later, we transfer to the question of open dynamics. We focus on a particular and ubiquitous channel known as 'lossy' or 'the attenuation channel'. An equation is derived describing the evolution for the symplectic invariants of a Gaussian state undergoing such dynamics. The equation of the former chapter is used to explore the evolution of entropy and entanglement. Optimal protocols are developed for the manipulation of these properties undergoing lossy dynamics.
The rise of quantum technology has put control at the centre of advancements in quantum mechanics. The union of quantum mechanics with mathematical control theory is a meeting that is leading to a much deeper insight into our interaction with the bizarre properties of quantum theory. Often, the study of discrete variable systems is the focus for making this union. Here, we look at how control theory may be applied to the continuous variable theory of Gaussian states. Special emphasis is given to control of the covariance matrix of these states, as it is here that we find the entanglement and entropic properties of the state. We begin by exploring some initial results for the geometry of Gaussian states, revealing different manifold structures dependent on symplectic eigenvalue degeneracy. In this geometrical setting a proposal for an extension of Williamson's theorem is put forward and partially completed. It is often interesting to look at restricted sets of Hamiltonians and ask what transformations can be performed with concatenations of their corresponding unitaries. Controllable systems are those for which the entire group of interest is possible to enact. We explore an uncontrollable system in a single mode and give a physical analysis as to why it behaves this way. This leads to ideas to move forwards for a necessary and sufficient condition for control on the symplectic group that has been conjectured since 1972. Later, we transfer to the question of open dynamics. We focus on a particular and ubiquitous channel known as 'lossy' or 'the attenuation channel'. An equation is derived describing the evolution for the symplectic invariants of a Gaussian state undergoing such dynamics. The equation of the former chapter is used to explore the evolution of entropy and entanglement. Optimal protocols are developed for the manipulation of these properties undergoing lossy dynamics.
The relaxation of a system to a steady state is a central point of interest in many \nattempts to advance control over the quantum world. In this paper, we consider control through \ninstantaneous Gaussian unitary operations on the ubiquitous lossy channel, and find locally \noptimal conditions for the cooling and heating of a multimode Gaussian state subject to losses \nand possibly thermal noise. This is done by isolating the parameters that encode entropy and \ntemperature and by deriving an equation for their evolution. This equation is in such a form that \nit grants clear insight into how relaxation may be helped by instantaneous quantum control. It \nis thus shown that squeezing is a crucial element in optimising the rate of change of entropic \nproperties under these channels. Exact relaxation times for heating and cooling are derived, up \nto an arbitrarily small distance from the fixed point of the lossy channel with locally optimal \nstrategies. Keywords: Gaussian states, coherent control, open quantum systems
Gaussian operations, as one usually refers to CP-maps that send Gaussian states to Gaussian states, are apt to model a wide range of situations of practical interest and may often be controlled and applied on demand in the laboratory, in a variety of set-ups (that will be the subject matter of Chapter 9 ). Furthermore, they can be classified in a hierarchy of compact, powerful and far-reaching theoretical descriptions, which will be introduced by degrees and discussed in the current chapter. Note that here we are dealing with discrete quantum operations, rather than dynamical equations, which will be dealt with in the next chapter. We shall start from Gaussian unitary operations, corresponding to the symplectic group already introduced in Chapter 3 , and will also clarify how other basic manipulations such as tensoring and partial tracing carry over to the Gaussian picture. Then, we shall broaden our view to include all deterministic (trace-preserving) maps resulting from Gaussian unitary dilations, which are often known as the set of ‘bosonic Gaussian channels’ and encompass open dynamics subject to noise and ‘decoherence’ (the loss of quantum coherence due to the interaction with an environment). Next, we will move on to consider POVMs corresponding to the well-known homodyne and heterodyne detection schemes which, when acting on a subsystem, preserve the Gaussian character of the initial state both when the system is filtered by recording the measurement outcomes, and when acting unconditionally (that is, when the outcome of the measurement is not recorded). Our description will be further enlarged to the wider class of ‘general-dyne’ detections, and we will also introduce methods to account for imperfect detections. The ability to accommodate noise in the analytical description, often daunting with discrete variable and, more generally, outside the Gaussian regime, is probably one of the greatest strengths of the formalism under discussion. Finally, we shall introduce the Gaussian version of the Choi–Jamiolkowski isomorphism, and attain a unified description of all the Gaussian maps previously defined. Throughout our exposition, we will refer to quantum optical systems to exemplify the practical relevance of the operations encountered.
In this thesis we study the roles played by symplectic geometry in quantum mechanics,in particular quantum dynamics and quantum information theory treated as two separate parts. The common ground for both parts is the geometrical formulation of quantum mechanics. In Chapter 2, we review the associated complex projective Hilbert space of quantum pure states, with symplectic and Riemannian structures and their roles in quantum dynamics and kinematics. In Chapter 3, we motivate the idea of information-theoretic constraint on the differentiable manifold of probability distributions through the maximum uncertainty principle and the linear Schrodinger equation by introduction of the wave function. In Chapter 4, we review both regular and singular symplectic reduction of a symplectic manifold, which is acted upon properly and symplectically by a compact Lie group. Chapter 5 contains the author's original contributions to the first part of the thesis. In this chapter, by using the same information-theoretic discussion of the Chapter 3 we propose a non-relativistic, spin-less, non-linear quantum dynamical equation,with the Fisher information metric replaced by the Jensen-Shannon distance information. Furthermore, we show that the non-linear Schrodinger equation is in fact a Hamiltonian dynamics, namely it preserves the symplectic structure of the complex Hilbert space. The projected dynamics on the corresponding projective Hilbert space is derived and its properties are highlighted in further details. Chapter 6 contains the author's primary contributions to the second part of the thesis. In particular, by using the singular symplectic reduction of the Chapter 4 we explicitly construct the space of entanglement types of three-qubit pure states with a specific (shifted) spectra of single-particle reduced density matrices. Moreover, we obtain the image of the symplectic quotient under the induced Hilbert map, by using local unitary invariant polynomials. Then the symplectic structure on the principal stratum of the symplectic quotient is derived. Finally, it is discussed that other lower dimensional strata are relative equilibria on the original manifold and their stability properties are investigated under compact subgroups of the local unitary transformations.
This thesis develops a comprehensive framework for the use of continuous variable (CV) Gaussian states under environmental interactions and continuous measurements. Gaussian states provide an experimentally relevant class of quantum states because they are fully described by their first and second statistical moments. This thesis begins by representing Gaussian operations as symplectic transformations on the statistical moments and formulates the evolution of a Gaussian state under both unconditional and conditional open system dynamics. Stochastic methods are introduced in a physicist-accessible manner by sacrificing mathematical rigor over physical intuition. These methods are necessary to model environmental noise and continuous measurements represented by a Wiener process. From stochastic principles, a stochastic version of the Schr\"{o}dinger equation and a master equation are derived that capture the measurement-induced back-action. From these principles a conditional equation of motion for the covariance matrix of a Gaussian state is derived, leading to the Riccati equation. Unconditional evolution always leads to diffusive dynamics when the noise is modeled by a Wiener process. The key difference between unconditional and conditional equations of motion is that monitoring always leads to a reduction of uncertainty because a measurement gains information about the system. At the same time, all correlations to the part of the system being measured are lost, which in many cases can lead to an impure quantum state. At some cases, a sufficient measurement scheme can even be used to stabilize the unconditional equation at all scales. The developed formalism is applied to a system of multiple parametric flux pumps based on spontaneous parametric down-conversion to analyze entanglement generation in a complex network of modes. A simple formula relevant to all symmetric pumping architectures, also relevant for asymmetric cases, is derived with graph theoretical tools. The investigation revealed fundamental challenges in entanglement-generation based on multiple two-mode squeezed modes. Overall, the thesis provides a complete framework of Gaussian state dynamics connecting symplectic geometry, open quantum systems, quantum measurement theory, and stochastic methods. The results highlight the importance of Gaussian states in modern quantum technologies and future improvements in quantum computation and communication.
In this work we explore the implications of applying the formalism of symplectic geometry to quantum mechanics, particularly focusing on many-particle systems. We extend the concept of a symplectic indicator of entanglement, originally introduced by Sawicki et al., Commun. Math. Phys. 305, 441 (2011), to these complex systems. Specifically, we demonstrate that the restriction of the symplectic structure to manifolds comprising all states characterized by isospectral reduced one-particle density matrices ${M}_{\ensuremath{\mu}(\ensuremath{\psi})}^{0}$ exhibits degeneracy for nonseparable states. We prove that the degree of degeneracy at any given state $|\ensuremath{\varphi}\ensuremath{\rangle}\ensuremath{\in}{M}_{\ensuremath{\mu}(\ensuremath{\psi})}^{0}$ corresponds to the degree of degeneracy of the symplectic form $\ensuremath{\omega}$ when restricted to the manifold of states that are locally unitary equivalent with $|\ensuremath{\varphi}\ensuremath{\rangle}$. Additionally, we provide a physical interpretation of this symplectic indicator of entanglement, articulating it as an inherent ambiguity within the associated classical dynamical framework. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of symplectic geometry in elucidating entanglement properties in quantum mechanics and suggest avenues for further exploration into the geometric structures underlying quantum state spaces.
Abstract The relaxation of a system to a steady state is a central point of interest in many attempts to advance control over the quantum world. In this paper, we consider control through instantaneous Gaussian unitary operations on the ubiquitous lossy channel, and find locally optimal conditions for the cooling and heating of a multimode Gaussian state subject to losses and possibly thermal noise. This is done by isolating the parameters that encode entropy and temperature and by deriving an equation for their evolution. This equation is in such a form that it grants clear insight into how relaxation may be helped by instantaneous quantum control. It is thus shown that squeezing is a crucial element in optimising the rate of change of entropic properties under these channels. Exact relaxation times for heating and cooling are derived, up to an arbitrarily small distance from the fixed point of the lossy channel with locally optimal strategies.