A central problem in modern mathematical physics is to study interacting systems beyond the reach of perturbation theory. This thesis studies interacting quantum systems using the mathematical theory of operator algebras. In the first part of this thesis, we consider how to construct quantum many-body systems from one-particle systems. This problem has a well-established solution - namely, the second quantization (or the Gaussian functor). However, it seems difficult for the second quantization to go beyond generalized free field constructions without the help of perturbation theory. The second quantization takes real Hilbert spaces as inputs. Using only information from one-particle Hilbert spaces, it is mathematically impossible for the second quantization to produce connected higher-point correlation functions. Moreover, from the perspectives of mathematical quantization and operator algebra theory, it is more natural to have a quantization procedure that takes an algebra along with a functional as the input. Such a pair of mathematical objects contains more information about the underlying one-particle system and includes the Hilbert space of states (via the GNS construction) as part of the data. Inspired by quantum probability theory, we introduce an alternative approach to construct quantum many-body systems. This approach is based on a noncommutative generalization of the classical Poisson random measure. We call this construction Poissonization. Mathematically, Poissonization is a functor from the category of von Neumann algebras with normal semi nite faithful weights to the category of von Neumann algebras with normal faithful states. It is a natural adaptation of the second quantization to the context of von Neumann algebras. This thesis discusses several properties of Poissonization, and uses Poissonization as a tool to construct various toy models of algebraic quantum field theories relevant to high energy physics. This collection of examples aims at demonstrating the versatility of Poissonization. In the second part of this thesis, we study the noisy interactions between an open quantum system and its environment. One of the challenges in quantum information science is to control open quantum systems with a large number of qubits. An important aspect of many-body systems is the emergence of collective phenomena. One collective noise model is an open atomic system in an electromagnetic environment. This model was considered by Dicke in the 50's. In this thesis, we study the entropic decay in Dicke's model and other related collective noise models. Specifically, we develop a general framework to estimate the spectral gap and modified logarithmic Sobolev constant of these collective noise models. In addition, we study the necessary mixing conditions a general Dicke's model must satisfy in order to have a unique equilibrium state.
A central problem in modern mathematical physics is to study interacting systems beyond the reach of perturbation theory. This thesis studies interacting quantum systems using the mathematical theory of operator algebras. In the first part of this thesis, we consider how to construct quantum many-body systems from one-particle systems. This problem has a well-established solution - namely, the second quantization (or the Gaussian functor). However, it seems difficult for the second quantization to go beyond generalized free field constructions without the help of perturbation theory. The second quantization takes real Hilbert spaces as inputs. Using only information from one-particle Hilbert spaces, it is mathematically impossible for the second quantization to produce connected higher-point correlation functions. Moreover, from the perspectives of mathematical quantization and operator algebra theory, it is more natural to have a quantization procedure that takes an algebra along with a functional as the input. Such a pair of mathematical objects contains more information about the underlying one-particle system and includes the Hilbert space of states (via the GNS construction) as part of the data. Inspired by quantum probability theory, we introduce an alternative approach to construct quantum many-body systems. This approach is based on a noncommutative generalization of the classical Poisson random measure. We call this construction Poissonization. Mathematically, Poissonization is a functor from the category of von Neumann algebras with normal semi nite faithful weights to the category of von Neumann algebras with normal faithful states. It is a natural adaptation of the second quantization to the context of von Neumann algebras. This thesis discusses several properties of Poissonization, and uses Poissonization as a tool to construct various toy models of algebraic quantum field theories relevant to high energy physics. This collection of examples aims at demonstrating the versatility of Poissonization. In the second part of this thesis, we study the noisy interactions between an open quantum system and its environment. One of the challenges in quantum information science is to control open quantum systems with a large number of qubits. An important aspect of many-body systems is the emergence of collective phenomena. One collective noise model is an open atomic system in an electromagnetic environment. This model was considered by Dicke in the 50's. In this thesis, we study the entropic decay in Dicke's model and other related collective noise models. Specifically, we develop a general framework to estimate the spectral gap and modified logarithmic Sobolev constant of these collective noise models. In addition, we study the necessary mixing conditions a general Dicke's model must satisfy in order to have a unique equilibrium state.
Quantum information theory has become a central area in the two fields of quantum mechanics and information science. The focus of this work is mathematical modelling of quantum information with the use of operator algebras, in a way that accentuates the modelling, and acting or manipulation of observables and quantum states. The fundamental aim is to utilise C*-algebras, von Neumann algebras, and other frameworks in operator algebra to formally describe the behaviour of quantum systems, understand the nature of quantum entanglement, and support quantum error correction. Operator algebra usage provides a firm mathematical foundation that guarantees accuracy and contributes to the incorporation of topological mechanisms and algebraic rules necessary for explaining noncommutative concepts in quantum mechanics. In this paper, we will present some original notions of operator algebra and explain their usefulness when it comes to modeling the key dynamics, features of quantum states, measurement, and evolution. We will use a method that combines algebraic techniques to chart qubit interactions, entropic inequalities, and characterize transformations of level in unitary evolution. Through the use of Hilbert spaces and bounded linear operators, we build models in multi-qubit systems and see what the specifications have to say about quantum computing and quantum communication protocols. The paper provide a comprehensive discussion, including algebraic formulations, simulation outputs, and a critical comparison with traditional Hilbert space methods. It is quite notable that the operator algebras can say more about the non-local correlations and decoherence processes. There are extensive literature reviews, useful modelling tools, and implementation outcomes in the paper when symbolic computation tools have been utilised. This combination gives both theoretical strength and modelling instruments to develop quantum technologies in the future.
In this thesis we examine a variety of question regarding several quantum information-theoretic concepts as they manifest in the context of relativistic quantum fields. In particular, we study the qualitative and quantitative structure of entanglement (as well as more generalized quantum correlations) in field theory. Primarily we study the nature of vacuum entanglement, but consider spatial correlations in more general field states as well. We also discuss several novel aspects of particle creation phenomena, which generally go hand in hand with the presence of field entanglement. Such investigations are important from two perspectives. First, we gain enlightening new insight into the nature of quantum fields and, therefore, into the fundamental constituents of the matter contained in our universe. Second, we are able to consider the possibility of utilizing the relativistic nature of quantum fields as a resource for quantum technological tasks such as entanglement distribution, information processing, and metrology. \n \nAs a general guiding principle, here we approach such questions from an operational perspective. That is, we focus less on the mathematical facts derivable from a given theory and instead attempt to answer in what concretely physical ways such facts manifest themselves. For example, in what ways can vacuum entanglement actually be experimentally detected and measured, at least in principle? Such an approach allows us to circumvent otherwise problematic interpretational issues. It also lends itself more naturally to the proposal of real world experiments regarding, and utilizations of, the physics being investigated. In this thesis we utilize two models of detection as applied to field theory. \n \nThe first is one that we will develop from scratch and use to great effect in a number of studies; this is the non-perturbative oscillator detector. In this context, a ``detector" is simply some quantum system that is allowed to interact in some way with a quantum field. The response of this system then gives us information about the field properties. Typically such studies are done perturbatively, which presents several severe limitations on what may be investigated. We develop an alternative model, in which the detector is identified as a quantum harmonic oscillator, that allows non-perturbative solutions. We go on to apply this model to a variety of studies. We start by the examining the Unruh effect in a cavity setting. Not only are we able to examine the thermalization behavior of such a detector (which is stronger than what can be achieved perturbatively), we also demonstrate that the Unruh response is largely independent of the cavity boundary conditions, indicating a surprising amount of generality and universality to the phenomenon. We also consider the spacelike extraction of spatial entanglement by a set of such detectors. This includes the harvesting of genuine tripartite entanglement out of the vacuum, as well as the observation that the extractable quantum discord (a generalized measure of quantum correlations) can be greatly amplified by thermal fluctuations in the field, in opposite behavior to entanglement. This calls into question the nature of quantum discord, but also suggests at the possibility of actually using environmental noise as a quantum computational resource. Next, we use the oscillator detector model to great effect by proposing a method of reliably and sustainably generating and distributing entanglement via a cavity field. This protocol is inherently non-perturbative, and we refer to it as entanglement farming. Lastly, we modify the farming scenario to discover a very sensitive resonance effect that generates a large difference in the protocol output due to a minute change in system parameters, including the length of cavity being used. We put this forth as a potential method of quantum seismic metrology. \n \nThe second model that we will consider simply involves performing projective measurements onto a given set of field modes. We will find, however, that such an approach allows us to solve previously intractable problems. In particular, we apply this procedure to the physically sensible choice of localized, positive frequency field modes. Using this model we perform two different studies. In the first, we consider the response of an observer accelerating not through the vacuum state but rather a thermal state. Such a setting has not been (properly) studied previously, due to the computational challenges involved. By applying the localized projective measurement model we are able determine that such an observer sees both an Unruh response from acceleration and a response from the field thermality and that, critically, these responses are distinguishable. We then go on to examine the degradation of quantum correlations between two observers due to the acceleration of one of the observers. This is a prototypical scenario of interest and, by applying realistic measurement assumptions, we obtain results qualitatively different from many previous works on the issue. \n \nIn addition to these models, we question the nature of vacuum entanglement and particle creation by considering an operationally straightforward procedure that greatly demystifies these phenomena and puts them on to solid, physically concrete grounds. This operation is that of very quickly introducing a boundary condition onto one's field, for example by creating a mirror. The real particles generated in this process will then be quantum entangled with each other, even if they are created at spatially separate locations, and this entanglement derives exactly from the previously present vacuum entanglement. Not only does this realization provide an operationally satisfying interpretation of vacuum entanglement, it also suggests a straightforward procedure for its experimental verification. \n \nIn all of this, the computational framework that we will rely upon is that of Gaussian quantum mechanics. This is a restriction of continuous variable quantum mechanics that, while limited in its applicability, provides extremely powerful computational tools in the cases that it may be used. The scenarios of interest in this thesis fall within this category and lend themselves naturally to a Gaussian approach. With this we are able to perform, near trivially, many otherwise intractable studies.
This dissertation investigates the theory of quantum stochastic processes and its applications in quantum many-body physics. The main goal is to analyse complexity-theoretic aspects of both static and dynamic properties of physical systems modelled by quantum stochastic processes. The thesis consists of two parts: the first one addresses the computational complexity of certain quantum and classical divisibility questions, whereas the second one addresses the topic of Hamiltonian complexity theory. In the divisibility part, we discuss the question whether one can efficiently sub-divide a map describing the evolution of a system in a noisy environment, i.e. a CPTP- or stochastic map for quantum and classical processes, respectively, and we prove that taking the nth root of a CPTP or stochastic map is an NP-complete problem. Furthermore, we show that answering the question whether one can divide up a random variable X into a sum of n iid random variables Yi, i.e. X=∑i=1nYi, is poly-time computable; relaxing the iid condition renders the problem NP-hard. In the local Hamiltonian part, we study computation embedded into the ground state of a many-body quantum system, going beyond "history state" constructions with a linear clock. We first develop a series of mathematical techniques which allow us to study the energy spectrum of the resulting Hamiltonian, and extend classical string rewriting to the quantum setting. This allows us to construct the most physically-realistic QMAEXP-complete instances for the LOCAL HAMILTONIAN problem (i.e. the question of estimating the ground state energy of a quantum many-body system) known to date, both in one- and three dimensions. Furthermore, we study weighted versions of linear history state constructions, allowing us to obtain tight lower and upper bounds on the promise gap of the LOCAL HAMILTONIAN problem in various cases. We finally study a classical embedding of a Busy Beaver Turing Machine into a low-dimensional lattice spin model, which allows us to dictate a transition from a purely classical phase to a Toric Code phase at arbitrarily large and potentially even uncomputable system sizes.
Abstract Quantum information science is a new and rapidly developing discipline that studies the general laws governing the transmission, storage, and processing of information in systems that obey the laws of quantum mechanics. It makes extensive use of matrix theory and operator theory on Hilbert spaces to investigate the capabilities of such systems and to develop principles for their rational design. An important consequence of the development of quantum information science is a substantial clarification of the logical structure and foundations of quantum mechanics and of its relation to reality. These lectures are devoted to the foundations of the mathematical theory of quantum systems: states, observables, communication channels, their entropic and information characteristics, and quantum information-processing protocols. The lectures provide a detailed introduction to the statistical structure of quantum theory and the necessary background from classical information theory; hence, knowledge of the basic mathematical subjects—analysis, linear algebra, and probability theory—is sufficient for understanding the material. In the first part of the course, we use the “standard” statistical model of a quantum system, but consider it in comparison with the classical statistical description. A consistent development of this approach leads to a generalized statistical model of quantum mechanics, in which observables (in general, “unsharp”) are described by probability operator-valued measures, while evolutions (in general, irreversible) are described by completely positive maps. Introductory material on these concepts, which underlie mathematical models of quantum information systems in the presence of noise and errors and have numerous applications in quantum information science, is presented in the second part of the course.
This book studies the foundations of quantum theory through its relationship to classical physics. This idea goes back to the Copenhagen Interpretation (in the original version due to Bohr and Heisenberg), which the author relates to the mathematical formalism of operator algebras originally created by von Neumann. The book therefore includes comprehensive appendices on functional analysis and C*-algebras, as well as a briefer one on logic, category theory, and topos theory. Matters of foundational as well as mathematical interest that are covered in detail include symmetry (and its "spontaneous" breaking), the measurement problem, the Kochen-Specker, Free Will, and Bell Theorems, the Kadison-Singer conjecture, quantization, indistinguishable particles, the quantum theory of large systems, and quantum logic, the latter in connection with the topos approach to quantum theory.
We present a hierarchical viewpoint on the operator-algebraic formulation of quantum systems, in which C∗-algebras are responsible for the universal and intrinsic description, whereas von Neumann algebras provide the detailed account obtained after fixing a state compatible with the dynamics. From this standpoint, for bosonic many-body systems the resolvent algebra, rather than the Weyl algebra, is the natural object; in particular, its nuclearity, trivial center, and rich ideal structure faithfully reflect purely quantum-mechanical structures. Macroscopic variables or sector structures associated with phase transitions are captured as the center appearing in the weak closure of the GNS representation. Moreover, the equivalence between representations of operator algebras and functional integrals allows powerful probabilistic methods to be employed. Taking these as guiding principles, we outline research perspectives on concrete objects in constructive quantum field theory and rigorous statistical mechanics.