Many quantum information protocols rely on the ability to distinguish between entangled quantum states known as Bell states. However, theoretical limits exist on the maximal distinguishability of these entangled states using linear evolution and local measurement (LELM) devices. In the case of two particles entangled in multiple qubit variables, the maximum number of distinguishable Bell states is known. However, in the more general case of two particles entangled in multiple qudit variables, only an upper bound is known under additional assumptions. I have written software in Matlab and Mathematica to explore computationally the maximum number of Bell states that can be distinguished in the case of two particles entangled in a qutrit variable, and the case of two particles entangled in both a qutrit and qubit variable. Using code I have written in Mathematica, I have reduced the number of cases to check for sets of 9 qubit x qutrit Bell states from 94,143,280 to 10,365. Further work needs to be done to computationally check these cases for distinguishability by an LELM apparatus.

<p>Optical control of interactions in ultracold gases opens new fields of research by creating ``designer" interactions with high spatial and temporal resolution. However, previous optical methods using single optical fields generally suffer from atom loss due to spontaneous scattering. This thesis reports new optical methods, employing two optical fields to control interactions in ultracold gases, while suppressing spontaneous scattering by quantum interference. In this dissertation, I will discuss the experimental demonstration of two optical field methods to control narrow and broad magnetic Feshbach resonances in an ultracold gas of $^6$Li atoms. The narrow Feshbach resonance is shifted by $30$ times its width and atom loss suppressed by destructive quantum interference. Near the broad Feshbach resonance, the spontaneous lifetime of the atoms is increased from $0.5$ ms for single field methods to $400$ ms using our two optical field method. Furthermore, I report on a new theoretical model, the continuum-dressed state model, that calculates the optically induced scattering phase shift for both the broad and narrow Feshbach resonances by treating them in a unified manner. The continuum-dressed state model fits the experimental data both in shape and magnitude using only one free parameter. Using the continuum-dressed state model, I illustrate the advantages of our two optical field method over single-field optical methods.</p> / Dissertation

Cette thèse se concentre sur la dynamique d'un système atomique froid qui se composede deux états internes d'atomes piégés dans un potentiel magnétique . La motivation decette thèse est une série d'expériences sur ce système réalisées en 2010, où un grandtemps de cohérence surprenante entre les deux états internes ont été observés. Cephénomène a été expliqué par la théorie cinétique qui a utilisé une approche de champmoyen. Dans cette thèse, nous essayons d'utiliser une approche différente et étudier leseffets de corrélations quantiques dans la dynamique du système. De plus, nous sommeségalement intéressés au phénomène de compression de spin qui est la redistribution desfluctuations quantiques dans le système de spin. Afin d'étudier les effets des corrélationsquantiques, nous proposons un modèle simplifié qui divise les atomes froids en deuxgroupes en fonction de leurs énergies de mouvement orbital dans le potentiel de piégeageet traitons chaque groupe comme un macro-spin. Les principaux ingrédients de ce modèlesont l'inhomogénéité du champ externe qui déphase les deux macro-spins et l'interactiond'échange entre les deux macro-spins, qui imite l'effet de rotation des spins identiques(ISRE), avec la condition initiale que les deux spins sont parallèle dans le plan transversaldu champ externe. Ensuite, nous étudions la dynamique du système classique où ladynamique ne dépendent pas de la taille des spins et une transition de synchronisation esttrouvée lorsque l'interaction d'échange est plus grande que le seuil , la moitié de l'inhomogénéité du champ externe. Une analyse de l'espace de phase révèle que cettetransition de synchronisation est liée à une transition de bifurcation et de la conditioninitiale. Ensuite, la dynamique quantique est étudiée où la taille de spin joue un rôleimportant dans la dynamique. Il n'y a pas de transition de synchronisation dans lessystèmes quantiques et du comportement dynamique très riche est trouvée. Dans ladynamique quantique , plusieurs échelles de temps caractéristiques apparaissent commela taille de spin augmente, ce qui est d'origine quantique. Ces échelles de temps dépendde la taille de spin et tous deviennent infinies lorsque la taille de spin est infinie. De cettefaçon, la limite classique est récupéré. Basé sur l’intensité de l'interaction d'échange ,deux modèles effectifs sont proposés pour calculer les échelles du temps quantiques lesplus petites, ce qui coïncide bien avec les résultats numériques. La compression de spinest également étudié avec ces modèles effectifs. / This thesis focuses on the dynamics of a cold atomic system which consists of two internalstates of atoms trapped in a magnetic trapping potential. The motivation of this thesis is aseries of experiments on such system carried out in 2010, where a surprising longcoherence time between the two internal states were observed. This phenomenon wasexplained by the kinetic theory which has used a mean-field approach. In this thesis, wetry to use a different approach and study the effects of quantum correlations in thedynamics of the system. In addition to that, we are also interested in the phenomenon ofspin squeezing which is the redistribution of quantum fluctuations in the spin system. Inorder to study the effects of the quantum correlations, we propose a simplified which splitsthe cold atoms into two groups based on their orbital movement energies in the trappingpotential and treat each group as a macro-spin. The main ingredients in this model are theinhomogeneity of the external field which dephases the two macro-spins and theexchange interaction between the two macro-spins, which mimics the identical spinrotation effect (ISRE), with the initial condition that the two spins lie parallel in thetransverse plane of the external field. Then we study the classical dynamics of the systemwhere the dynamics do not depend on the size of the spins and a synchronizationtransition is found when the exchange interaction is larger than the threshold, the half ofthe inhomogeneity of the external field. A phase space analysis reveals that thissynchronization transition is related to a bifurcation transition and the initial condition. Thenthe quantum dynamics is studied where the spin size plays an important role in thedynamics. There is no synchronization transition in the quantum systems and very richdynamical behavior is found. In the quantum dynamics, many characteristic time scalesemerge as the size of spin is increased, which are of quantum origin. These time scales isdependent of the spin size and all become infinite when the size of spin is infinite. In theway, the classical limit is recovered. Based on the strength of the exchange interaction,two effective models are proposed to calculate the smallest quantum characteristic timescales, which give very good agreement with the numerical results. Spin squeezing is alsostudied with these effective models.

Atualmente, a Alfabetização Científica e a Natureza da Ciência são perspectivas de reconhecida importância no Ensino de Ciências, a serem utilizadas com o objetivo de formar cidadãos responsáveis, críticos, reflexivos e atuantes na sociedade. No entanto, apesar do reconhecimento da importância dessas perspectivas, há pouco consenso sobre o seu significado, como elas devem ser ensinadas e em que medida elas realmente contribuem para o exercício da cidadania. Muitos desses questionamentos se devem à falta de uma abordagem histórico-social, que leve em conta, além dos fatores sociais que influenciam a ciência, os fatores que influenciam na apropriação e na circulação do conhecimento científico em meios não-científicos. Nesse contexto, podemos destacar os diferentes usos e interpretações dos conceitos e da teoria da Física Quântica que vêm sido feitos nas últimas décadas em meios não-científicos, culminando no fenômeno cultural denominado misticismo quântico. Trata-se de um exemplo concreto de um conhecimento científico, que foi apropriado e adquiriu novos significados e interpretações, ao circular no meio sociocultural. Os novos usos adquiridos por essa teoria são considerados, principalmente por cientistas e educadores de ciências, como sendo inapropriados, porém pouco se sabe sobre sua origem e sobre o seu processo de difusão no meio social. O presente trabalho investiga as possíveis origens histórico-sociais e os processos de difusão dos diferentes usos e interpretações da Física Quântica e a gênese da sua relação com o misticismo, tomando como principal referencial teórico a epistemologia do médico e filósofo da ciência Ludwik Fleck, acerca da circulação do conhecimento. Também se fará a Análise do Discurso de dois livros místicos que utilizam a Física Quântica, a fim de compreender as características que esse fenômeno assumiu mais recentemente. A partir disso, se fará uma reflexão acerca das implicações desse estudo para o Ensino de Ciências, mais especificamente sobre os objetivos da Alfabetização Científica e de se trabalhar a Natureza da Ciência em sala de aula. / Currently, scientific literacy and Nature of Science are two Science Education perspectives of recognized importance. They aim to train people to be responsible, critical, reflexive and active citizens. However, besides the recognition of their importance, there is no consensus about what exactly they mean, on how they must be taught, and if they really contribute for practicing citizenship. Many of these questions are due to a lack of a social-historical approach that includes social factors which influence science, and elements that influence on appropriation and circulation of scientific knowledge on non-scientific groups. In this context, the different uses and interpretation of Quantum Physics that have been made by non-scientific groups in the last decades are highlighted. These uses and interpretations culminated on the cultural phenomenon called quantum mysticism. This is a concrete example of a scientific knowledge that was appropriated and that acquired new meanings and interpretation, when it circulated on society. These new uses acquired by this theory are usually considered as inappropriate by scientists and science educators. However, little is known about its origins and about its diffusion processes in society. The present work investigates the possible social-historical origins and the diffusion processes of the different uses and interpretations of Quantum Physics and the genesis of its relationship with mysticism. For this, we based the research on the epistemology of the philosopher of science Ludwik Fleck, about the circulation of knowledge. And, to understand better the more actual characteristics of this cultural phenomenon, we also make the Discourse Analysis of two mystical books that talk about Quantum Physics. Based on this analysis, we also show the possible implications of this study to Science Education, more specifically about the objectives of scientific literacy and of teaching about the Nature of Science.

Après plusieurs décennies de développement, l'interférométrie atomique est devenue un outil extrêmement performant pour mesurer des effets inertiels, tels que des accélérations et des rotations. De telles techniques sont maintenant envisagées pour une future génération de détecteurs d'ondes gravitationnelles afin de pousser les limites de l'état de l'art des détecteurs actuels. L'instrument MIGA (Matter-wave laser Interferometer Gravitation Antenna) couplera interférométrie atomique et optique pour étudier des perturbations du champ gravitationnel à basse fréquence (Hz et sub-Hz). Il consistera en un réseau de 3 interféromètres atomiques, simultanément interrogés par le champ électromagnétique résonnant au sein de deux cavités optiques de 150 m de long, en utilisant un ensemble d'impulsions de Bragg d'ordre π/2 - π - π/2. Des mesures gradiométriques permettront d'acquérir une forte immunité aux bruits sismique et newtonien, qui sont limitants pour les détecteurs terrestres optiques tels que LIGO et Virgo. Une expérience préliminaire est en développement au LP2N, à Talence (France), où un interféromètre est interrogé par deux cavités de 80 cm de long. Pour avoir une taille de faisceau suffisante afin d'interroger efficacement les atomes de 87Rb dans des cavités de cette longueur, nous utilisons une géométrie de cavité marginalement stable, constituée de deux miroirs plans situés à la focale d'une lentille biconvexe, où un mode gaussien de rayon de plusieurs mm peut résonner. / After few decades of development, atom interferometry has become an extremely efficient tool for measuring inertial effects such as accelerations and rotations. Such techniques are now envisioned for a future generation of gravitational wave detectors to push further the limit of the current optical detectors. The Matter-Wave Laser Interferometer Gravitation Antenna (MIGA) instrument will couple atom and optical interferometry to study perturbations of the gravitational field at low-frequencies (Hz and sub-Hz). It will consist of an array of 3 atom interferometers, simultaneously interrogated by the light field resonating inside two 150 m long optical cavities, using a set of high order Bragg pulses π/2 - π - π/2. Gradiometric measurements allows a strong immunity to seismic and newtonian noises which limit optical ground-based detectors such as LIGO and Virgo. A preliminary experiment is being developed at the LP2N laboratory, in Talence (France), where a single atomic cloud is interrogated inside two 80 cm long cavities. In order to interrogate efficiently the 87Rb atoms, a gaussian beam with a radius of several mm resonating inside these cavities is required. This can be achieved by using a marginally stable cavity geometry, composed by two plane mirrors located in the focal planes of a biconvex lens.

This thesis contributes to the fields of digital technology, consciousness studies and cultural theory by reassessing the relation of the contemporary subject to physical and digital worlds. By moving beyond the materiality of these worlds, this investigation will position the subject as a cyborg: a series of relations within consciousness that defines the reality and psychological construction of the subject across and through physical and digital perspectives. The functions of consciousness are set out as Existence, Meaning, Virtual, and Real, and their shifting relations defined in terms of physical and digital modes of consciousness. Using Slavoj Žižek's conception of parallax, applied ontologically to digital technology, and introducing a new framework for analysing consciousness as a series of relations between functions, the void of subjectivity is defined as the gap between physical and digital worlds. Within this framework the work of Gilles Deleuze and the philosophy of quantum physics are employed to negotiate a disruption of conventional reality with the Virtuality of thought and matter respectively, towards the conception of the subject as an engaged spectator. These methodological tools are developed to analyse cultural phenomena that highlight and challenge our consciousness of the relation between physical and digital worlds. Online and gallery-based digital art interventions, avatar-mediated spaces, computer games and representations of digital technology and culture in literature are examined in order to assess specific relations between functions, drawing the discussion towards the antagonism between Virtuality and Reality within the construction of the cyborg subject. Through these analyses, a critical position is established through which the contemporary subject is able to achieve the rupture of a minimal distance towards its own parallax position to confront the void of subjectivity between Virtual and Real functions of consciousness and between physical and digital modes of cyborg reality.

Quantum information processing (QIP) is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the development of computers and information processing systems that utilize quantum mechanical properties of nature to carry out their function. QIP systems have become vastly more practical since the turn of the century. Today, QIP applications span imaging, cryptographic security, computation, and simulation (quantum systems that mimic other quantum systems). Many important strategies improve quantum versions of classical information system hardware, such as single photon detectors and quantum repeaters. Another more abstract strategy engineers high-dimensional quantum state spaces, so that each successful event carries more information than traditional two-level systems allow. Photonic states in particular bring the added advantages of weak environmental coupling and data transmission near the speed of light, allowing for simpler control and lower system design complexity. In this dissertation, numerous novel, scalable designs for practical high-dimensional linear-optical QIP systems are presented. First, a correlated photon imaging scheme using orbital angular momentum (OAM) states to detect rotational symmetries in objects using measurements, as well as building images out of those interactions is reported. Then, a statistical detection method using chains of OAM superpositions distributed according to the Fibonacci sequence is established and expanded upon. It is shown that the approach gives rise to schemes for sorting, detecting, and generating the recursively defined high-dimensional states on which some quantum cryptographic protocols depend. Finally, an ongoing study based on a generalization of the standard optical multiport for applications in quantum computation and simulation is reported upon. The architecture allows photons to reverse momentum inside the device. This in turn enables realistic implementation of controllable linear-optical scattering vertices for carrying out quantum walks on arbitrary graph structures, a powerful tool for any quantum computer. It is shown that the novel architecture provides new, efficient capabilities for the optical quantum simulation of Hamiltonians and topologically protected states. Further, these simulations use exponentially fewer resources than feedforward techniques, scale linearly to higher-dimensional systems, and use only linear optics, thus offering a concrete experimentally achievable implementation of graphical models of discrete-time quantum systems.

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’appliquer la théorie du contrôle optimal à la dynamique d’ensembles inhomogènes de spins. La première partie est dévouée au contrôle d’un ensemble de spins couplé à une cavité. La théorie est introduite en détail, et une méthode générale pour contrôler efficacement les spins est présentée. Plusieurs pulses sont déterminés dans les régimes de bonne et de mauvaise cavité. De même, les fonctions non linéaires généralisées sont utilisées afin de déterminer des approximations simples. Dans un second temps, le problème de la maximisation du Signal-sur-Bruit d’un écho de spin est abordé, et des conditions d’optimisations sont établies. Il est montré que les nouveaux pulses sont supérieurs à ceux de l’état de l’art, en termes de fidélité et d’augmentation du Signal-sur-Bruit. Par ailleurs, ils permettent d’explorer de nouvelles situations (e.g. mesure de FID (Free Induction Decay) en CQED avec un taux de perte de cavité plus long que T2∗). La seconde partie est dévouée à des problèmes de RMN/IRM standard. Deux situations de "sélectivité" sont étudiées. La première consiste à déterminer le pulse le plus court qui produit la transformation la plus sélective par rapport aux offsets. Dans le cas ultra-sélectif, la solution optimale est un arc singulier d’amplitude constante. Cependant, si des contraintes de robustesse sont ajoutées, la solution optimale peut-être un arc régulier. La seconde est celle de l’optimisation de base de données pour des expériences de MR-fingerprinting. Dans ce cas, un champ de contrôle est conçu pour générer une base de données "d’empreinte digitale" qui maximise le processus de reconnaissance entre spins de paramètres différents. / The goal of this thesis is to apply optimal control theory to the dynamics ofinhomogeneous spin ensembles. The first part focuses on the control of a spin ensemble coupled to a cavity. The theory is introduced in detail, and a general method to efficiently control spins ispresented. Several pulses are derived in the bad/good cavity regimes using numerical optimal control techniques. Additionally, non-linear generalized functions are used in order to derivesimple approximated solutions. In a second step, the problem of spin echo Signal to Noise Ratio maximization is investigated, and maximization conditions are derived. It is shown that new pulses are superior to state-of-the-art square pulses in terms of fidelity and SNR maximization. Moreover, they allow us to explore new situations (e.g. Free Induction Decay measurementsin cavity-QED with a cavity damping longer than T2∗). The second part focuses on standard NMR/MRI problems. Two distinct situations of selectivity are investigated. The first one consists of determining the time minimum pulse which produces the most offset-selective transformation. In the ultra-selectivity case, the optimal solution is a singular arc of constant amplitude. However,if additional robustness constraints are taken into account, the optimal solution can be a regular arc. The second situation is the optimization of databases for MR-fingerprinting experiments. In this case, a control field is designed so that it generates a fingerprint database which maximizesthe recognition process between several spins with different parameters.

An experiment currently underway at BYU is designed to test whether the size of a free electron wave packet affects the character of scattered radiation. Using a semi-classical argument wherein the wave packet is treated as a diffuse charge distribution, one would expect strong suppression of radiation in the direction perpendicular to the propagating field as the wave packet grows in size to be comparable to the wavelength of the driving field. If one disallows the interaction of the wave packet with itself, as is the case when calculating the rate of emission using QED, then regardless of size, the electron wave packet radiates with the strength of a point-like emitter. In support of this experiment, we explore a variety of physical parameters that impact the rate of scattered photons. We employ a classical model to characterize the exposure of electrons to high-intensity laser light in a situation where the electrons are driven by strong ponderomotive gradients. Free electrons are modeled as being donated by low-density helium, which undergoes strong-field ionization early on in the pulse or during a pre-pulse. When exposed to relativistic intensities (i.e. intensities sufficient to cause a Lorentz drift at a significant fraction of c), free electrons experience a Lorentz drift that causes redshifting of the scattered 800 nm laser light. This redshift can be used as a key signature to discern light scattered from the more intense regions of the focus. We characterize the focal volume of initial positions leading to significant redshifting, given a peak intensity of 2 x 10^18 W/cm 2 , which is sufficient to cause a redshift in scattered light of approximately 100 nm. Under this scenario, the beam waist needs to be larger than several wavelengths for a pulse duration of 35 fs in order to ensure free electrons remain in the focus sufficiently long to experience intensities near the peak pulse intensity despite strong ponderomotive gradients. We compute the rate of redshifted scattered photons from an ensemble of electrons distributed throughout the focus and relate the result to the scattered-photon rate of a single electron. We also estimate to what extent the ionization process may produce unwanted light in the redshifted spectral region that may confound the measurement of light scattered from electrons experiencing intensities greater than 1.5 x 10^18 W/cm^2.

Charge-Conjugation (C) and Charge-Conjugation-Parity (CP) Violation is one of the three Sakharov conditions to explain via baryogenesis the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe (BAU). The Standard Model of particle physics (SM) contains sources of CP violation, but cannot explain the BAU. This motivates searches for new physics beyond the standard model (BSM) which address the Sakharov criteria, including high-precision searches for new sources of CPV in systems for which the SM contribution is small, but larger effects may be present in BSM theories. A promising example is the search for the electric dipole moment of the neutron (nEDM), which is a novel system to observe CPV due to the initial and final state being identical. A non-zero measurement necessarily requires violation of P and T discrete symmetries; invoking CPT invariance requires that CP is violated. There are BSM theories which predict a magnitude for the nEDM larger than SM predictions, so that such studies are beneficial at setting constraints on new physics. The current experimental limit of dn < 3.0 x 10-26 e cm at 90% CL as set by the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) [1] was largely limited by systematic effects related to the magnetic field. The research presented here supported technical progress toward a new measurement of the nEDM, with the goal of improving the result by an order of magnitude. A novel approach to the problem of limiting systematics is proposed, studied in Monte Carlo simulations, and an optimized prototype was constructed for use in a magnetic resonance experiment.