Quantum Information—Quantum Optics and Statistics

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022) | Viewed by 5803

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light , D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
2. Department of Physics, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
3. Institute for Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Interests: optics; quantum physics; quantum information science

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Óptica, Facultad de Fisica, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: quantum optics; quantum information; polarization; tomography; discrete quantum systems; phase–space method
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many phenomena in nature studied by physics are symmetric with respect to time reversal. This does not hold for phenomena described in statistical terms, which are associated with an increase of entropy. Despite the statistical interpretation of the quantum wave function, the evolution of pure quantum systems is unitary and thus symmetric with respect to time reversal, as long as no measurement is performed. The only exception is related to CPT symmetry in high energy physics. In this Special Issue, one focus will be on this time reversal symmetry of quantum physical systems. There is a close link to classical wave phenomena, and we intend to invite contributions also in this context. The time reversal symmetry of a quantum system is closely related to the predictability of its evolution and, thus, to quantum information science applications all the way to quantum computing.

Prof. Gerd Leuchs
Prof. Luis L. Sánchez-Soto
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • quantum dynamics
  • wave dynamics
  • time reversal symmetry
  • quantum information science

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 480 KiB  
Article
Quantum Dynamical Simulation of a Transversal Stern–Gerlach Interferometer
by Mikołaj M. Paraniak and Berthold-Georg Englert
Symmetry 2021, 13(9), 1660; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/sym13091660 - 08 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1650
Abstract
Originally conceived as a thought experiment, an apparatus consisting of two Stern–Gerlach apparatuses joined in an inverted manner touched on the fundamental question of the reversibility of evolution in quantum mechanics. Theoretical analysis showed that uniting the two partial beams requires an extreme [...] Read more.
Originally conceived as a thought experiment, an apparatus consisting of two Stern–Gerlach apparatuses joined in an inverted manner touched on the fundamental question of the reversibility of evolution in quantum mechanics. Theoretical analysis showed that uniting the two partial beams requires an extreme level of experimental control, making the proposal in its original form unrealizable in practice. In this work, we revisit the above question in a numerical study concerning the possibility of partial-beam recombination in a spin-coherent manner. Using the Suzuki–Trotter numerical method of wave propagation and a configurable, approximation-free magnetic field, a simulation of a transversal Stern–Gerlach interferometer under ideal conditions is performed. The result confirms what has long been hinted at by theoretical analyses: the transversal Stern–Gerlach interferometer quantum dynamics is fundamentally irreversible even when perfect control of the associated magnetic fields and beams is assumed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information—Quantum Optics and Statistics)
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16 pages, 902 KiB  
Article
Quantum Retrodiction: Foundations and Controversies
by Stephen M. Barnett, John Jeffers and David T. Pegg
Symmetry 2021, 13(4), 586; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/sym13040586 - 02 Apr 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3455
Abstract
Prediction is the making of statements, usually probabilistic, about future events based on current information. Retrodiction is the making of statements about past events based on current information. We present the foundations of quantum retrodiction and highlight its intimate connection with the Bayesian [...] Read more.
Prediction is the making of statements, usually probabilistic, about future events based on current information. Retrodiction is the making of statements about past events based on current information. We present the foundations of quantum retrodiction and highlight its intimate connection with the Bayesian interpretation of probability. The close link with Bayesian methods enables us to explore controversies and misunderstandings about retrodiction that have appeared in the literature. To be clear, quantum retrodiction is universally applicable and draws its validity directly from conventional predictive quantum theory coupled with Bayes’ theorem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quantum Information—Quantum Optics and Statistics)
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