Quantum effects in non-inertial frames and curved space-time have been studied for decades. One of the most intriguing discoveries is the existence of virtual particles in the quantum vacuum. One example in which such particles can be observed is through the Unruh effect, which predicts that a uniformly accelerated observer would see a thermal bath of (virtual) particles in the quantum vacuum. Initial doubts on the existence of these virtual particles were allayed by the Unruh De-Witt (UDW) detector, which promoted these virtual particles to real excitations of the detector. Ever since, semiclassical approaches to relativistic quantum field theory (QFT) in flat and curved space-time have been predominantly analysed through a two-level Unruh De-Witt detector utilizing perturbation theory. It is noted, however, that the change of relativistic frame preserves Gaussian properties (e.g. Gaussian distribution of the Wigner function) of the system. In this thesis, we specifically explore the effects of relativistic (non-inertial) reference frames on QFT by considering relativistic QFT in flat-space time. These systems are analysed from the perspective of Gaussian quantum information, via homodyne detection and UDW detectors with a harmonic oscillator degree of freedom.Our project starts by reviewing and developing bipartite/multi-partite entanglement measures (specifically, entanglement of formation), in the hope that we can utilize these measures to understand the entanglement properties of the quantum vacuum. In general, these measure have infinite degrees of freedom and are incomputable. In this project the multi-partite entanglement measure is applied to the Gaussian regime, which reduces the number of degrees of freedom to a finite one, hence making it a computable measure.In our next project, we attempt to understand how relativistic reference frames affect the communication between different observers. To obtain an intuition of its effect, a passive (time-delay) signal sent from a uniformly accelerated observer to a stationary observer was analysed. When we naively implemented the self-homodyne detection scheme, the signal appeared noisy. This effect was referred to as apparent decoherence, and its effect could be traced back to our naive assumption that all of the signal’s information would be stored in the time-delayed mode; the vacuum entanglement that pre-existed before the (time-delay) signal was created must be accounted for. We follow by analysing the effects that emerge due to communication between different relativistic reference frames. We then develop a communication technique referred to as ideal-homodyne which is a homodyne detection scheme robust to these effects. We used this detection scheme to analyse the correlation/entanglement properties of an accelerated signal (created via accelerated mirror, squeezer and phase shifter) sent to an inertial observer.In our last project, we utilize the knowledge that was gained through the prior projects to analyse (subcycle) electro-optic sampling. In the literature, there were doubts as to whether electro-optic sampling were truly detecting virtual particles in the quantum vacuum, or particle excitations that were created as a by-product of the detection mechanism. We were able to pin-point some similarities between electro-optic sampling and subcycle probe via the UDW detector. The regime in which the electro-optic sampling directly maps virtual particles from the vacuum into real excitations of the probe field was identified by establishing an equivalence to the UDW detector in certain parameter regimes.
It is well known that the quantum fluctuation of entanglement (QFE) between Unruh–De Witt detector (modeled by a two-level atom) is always investigated in a relativistic setting. However, both of the Unruh radiation and quantum fluctuation effects play an important role in precise measurements of quantum entanglement. In this paper, we have quantitatively analyzed how the relativistic motion affects the QFE for two entangled Unruh–De Witt detectors, one of which is accelerated and interacting with the neighbor external scalar field. Our results show that the QFE, which initially increases by the Unruh thermal noise, will suddenly decay when the acceleration reaches to a considerably large value. Therefore, the relativistic effect will lead to non-negligible QFE effect. We also find that the initial QFE (without acceleration effect) reaches its minimum value at the maximally entangled state and the separable state. More importantly, our analysis demonstrates that although the QFE has a huge decay when the acceleration is greater than ∼0.96, the ratio of ΔE/C is still very large, due to the simultaneous decay of concurrence to a very low value. Finally, enlightened by the well-known equivalence principle, we discuss the possibility of applying the above findings to the dynamics of QFE under the influence of gravitation field.
The Schwinger–De Witt expansion for the evolution operator kernel of the Schrödinger equation is studied for convergence. It is established that divergence of this expansion which is usually implied for all continuous potentials, excluding those of the form V(q)=aq2+bq+c, takes place only if the coupling constant g is treated as an independent variable. But the expansion may be convergent for some kinds of potentials and for some discrete values of charge, if the latter is considered as fixed parameter. Class of such potentials is interesting because inside it the property of discreteness of the charge in nature is reproduced in theory in the natural way.