Interferometric sensing of the tilt angle of a Gaussian beam

We investigate interferometric techniques to estimate the deflection angle of an optical beam and compare them to the direct detection of the beam deflection. We show that quantum metrology methods lead to a unifying treatment for both single photons and classical fields. Using the Fisher information to assess the precision limits of the interferometric schemes, we show that the precision can be increased by exploiting the initial transverse displacement of the beam. This gain, which is present for both Sagnac and Mach-Zehnder-like configurations, can be considerable when compared to non-interferometric methods. In addition to the fundamental increase in precision, the interferometric schemes have the technical advantage that (i) the precision limits can be saturated by a sole polarization measurement on the field, and that (ii) the detection system can be placed at any longitudinal position along the beam. We also consider position-dependent polarization measurements, and show that in this case the precision increases with the propagation distance, as well as the initial transverse displacement.Comment: Comments are welcom

Experimental Observation of Environment-induced Sudden Death of Entanglement

We demonstrate the difference between local, single-particle dynamics and global dynamics of entangled quantum systems coupled to independent environments. Using an all-optical experimental setup, we show that, while the environment-induced decay of each system is asymptotic, quantum entanglement may suddenly disappear. This "sudden death" constitutes yet another distinct and counter-intuitive trait of entanglement.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Quantum Non-Demolition Test of Bipartite Complementarity

We present a quantum circuit that implements a non-demolition measurement of complementary single- and bi-partite properties of a two-qubit system: entanglement and single-partite visibility and predictability. The system must be in a pure state with real coefficients in the computational basis, which allows a direct operational interpretation of those properties. The circuit can be realized in many systems of interest to quantum information.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Direct measurement of finite-time disentanglement induced by a reservoir

We propose a method for directly probing the dynamics of disentanglement of an initial two-qubit entangled state, under the action of a reservoir. We show that it is possible to detect disentanglement, for experimentally realizable examples of decaying systems, through the measurement of a single observable, which is invariant throughout the decay. The systems under consideration may lead to either finite-time or asymptotic disentanglement. A general prescription for measuring this observable, which yields an operational meaning to entanglement measures, is proposed, and exemplified for cavity quantum electrodynamics and trapped ions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Fundamental solution method applied to time evolution of two energy level systems: exact and adiabatic limit results

A method of fundamental solutions has been used to investigate transitions in two energy level systems with no level crossing in a real time. Compact formulas for transition probabilities have been found in their exact form as well as in their adiabatic limit. No interference effects resulting from many level complex crossings as announced by Joye, Mileti and Pfister (Phys. Rev. {\bf A44} 4280 (1991)) have been detected in either case. It is argued that these results of this work are incorrect. However, some effects of Berry's phases are confirmed.Comment: LaTeX2e, 23 pages, 8 EPS figures. Style correcte

Methods for Reliable Teleportation

Recent experimental results and proposals towards implementation of quantum teleportation are discussed. It is proved that reliable (theoretically, 100% probability of success) teleportation cannot be achieved using the methods applied in recent experiments, i.e., without quantum systems interacting one with the other. Teleportation proposal involving atoms and electro-magnetic cavities are reviewed and the most feasible methods are described. In particular, the language of nonlocal measurements has been applied which has also been used for presenting a method for teleportation of quantum states of systems with continuous variables.Comment: 11 pages, 5eps figure

Kondo resonance effect on persistent currents through a quantum dot in a mesoscopic ring

The persistent current through a quantum dot inserted in a mesoscopic ring of length L is studied. A cluster representing the dot and its vicinity is exactly diagonalized and embedded into the rest of the ring. The Kondo resonance provides a new channel for the current to flow. It is shown that due to scaling properties, the persistent current at the Kondo regime is enhanced relative to the current flowing either when the dot is at resonance or along a perfect ring of same length. In the Kondo regime the current scales as $L^{-1/2}$, unlike the $L^{-1}$ scaling of a perfect ring. We discuss the possibility of detection of the Kondo effect by means of a persistent current measurement.Comment: 11 pages, 3 Postscript figure

Modelling the Recoherence of Mesoscopic Superpositions in Dissipative Environments

A model is presented to describe the recently proposed experiment (J. Raimond, M. Brune and S. Haroche Phys. Rev. Lett {\bf 79}, 1964 (1997)) where a mesoscopic superposition of radiation states is prepared in a high-Q cavity which is coupled to a similar resonator. The dynamical coherence loss of such state in the absence of dissipation is reversible and can in principle be observed. We show how this picture is modified due to the presence of the environmental couplings. Analytical expressions for the experimental conditional probabilities and the linear entropy are given. We conclude that the phenomenon can still be observed provided the ratio between the damping constant and the inter-cavities coupling does not exceed about a few percent. This observation is favored for superpositions of states with large overlap.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure