The idea to assimilate classical information theory with quantum mechanics resulted in the creation of a new field in physics known as quantum information. One of the first papers in this new field occurred in the early 1970's when Stephen Wiesner wrote the seminal manuscript titled: "Conjugate Coding". However, its importance wasn't imme- diately recognized and wasn't published until 1983. The 1980's and 1990's saw a number of important papers published in quantum information leading to the subfields of quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, quantum entanglement, distinguishability of quantum states, and quantum cloning. It was also during the 1980's, that a new model of computing, known as quantum computation, was beginning to emerge. It offered the possibility of solving certain problems faster than a classical computer by exploiting various properties of quantum mechanics. Research in this field was undoubtedly stimulated by a well known talk given by Richard Feynman in 1981 at MIT on quantum simulations. Both quantum information and quantum computation were initially developed with quantum discrete variables in mind. However, over the course of the last decade, there has been a significant increase in using quantum continuous variables. This thesis will focus on the topic of quantum information and quantum computation using continuous variables. Specifically, we will theoretically consider the cloning of continuous-variable entanglement, the distinguishability of Gaussian states, new continuous-variable quantum cryptography protocols and finally, the universality of quantum computation using continuous-variable cluster states.

This thesis investigates thermalisation, correlations and entanglement in Bose-Einstein condensates. Bose-Einstein condensates are ultra-cold collections of identical bosonic atoms which accumulate in a single quantum state, forming a mesoscopic quantum object. They are clean and controllable quantum many-body systems that permit an unprecedented degree of experimental flexibility compared to other physical systems. Further, a tractable microscopic theory exists which allows a direct and powerful comparison between theory and experiment, propelling the field of quantum atom optics forward at an incredible pace. Here we explore some of the fundamental frontiers of the field, examining how non-classical correlations and entanglement can be created and measured, as well as how non-classical effects can lead to the rapid heating of atom clouds. We first investigate correlations between two weakly coupled condensates, a system analogous to a superconducting Josephson junction. The ground state of this system contains non-classical number correlation arising from the repulsion between the atoms. Such states are of interest because they may lead to more precise measurement devices such as atomic gyroscopes. Unfortunately thermal fluctuations can destroy these correlations, and great care is needed to experimentally observe non-classical effects. We show that adiabatic evolution can drive the isolated quantum system out of thermal equilibrium and decrease thermal noise, in agreement with a recent experiment [Esteve et al. Nature 455, 1216 (2008)]. This technique may be valuable for observing and using quantum correlated states in the future. Next, we analyse the rapid heating that occurs when a condensate is placed in a moving periodic potential. The dynamical instability responsible for the heating was the subject of much uncertainty, which we suggest was due to the inability of the mean-field approximation to account for important spontaneous scattering processes. We show that a model including non-classical spontaneous scattering can describe dynamical instabilities correctly in each of the regimes where they have been observed, and in particular we compare our simulations to an experiment performed at the University of Otago deep inside the spontaneous scattering regime. Finally, we proposed a method to create and detect entangled atomic wave-packets. Entangled atoms are interesting from a fundamental perspective, and may prove useful in future quantum information and precision measurement technologies. Entanglement is generated by interactions, such as atomic collisions in Bose-Einstein condensates. We analyse the type of entanglement generated via atomic collisions and introduce an abstract scheme for detecting entanglement and demonstrating the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox with ultra-cold atoms. We further this result by proposing an experiment where entangled wave-packets are created and detected. The entanglement is generated by the pairwise scattering that causes the instabilities in moving periodic potentials mentioned above. By careful arrangement, the instability process can be controlled to to produce two well-defined atomic wave-packets. The presence of entanglement can be proven by applying a series of laser pulses to interfere the wave-packets and then measuring the output populations. Realising this experiment is feasible with current technology.

Understanding the collective behavior of a quantum many-body system, a system composed of a large number of interacting microscopic degrees of freedom, is a key aspect in many areas of contemporary physics. However, as a direct consequence of the difficultly of the so-called many-body problem, many exotic quantum phenomena involving extended systems, such as high temperature superconductivity, remain not well understood on a theoretical level. Entanglement renormalization is a recently proposed numerical method for the simulation of many-body systems which draws together ideas from the renormalization group and from the field of quantum information. By taking due care of the quantum entanglement of a system, entanglement renormalization has the potential to go beyond the limitations of previous numerical methods and to provide new insight to quantum collective phenomena. This thesis comprises a significant portion of the research development of ER following its initial proposal. This includes exploratory studies with ER in simple systems of free particles, the development of the optimisation algorithms associated to ER, and the early applications of ER in the study of quantum critical phenomena and frustrated spin systems.

The idea to assimilate classical information theory with quantum mechanics resulted in the creation of a new field in physics known as quantum information. One of the first papers in this new field occurred in the early 1970's when Stephen Wiesner wrote the seminal manuscript titled: "Conjugate Coding". However, its importance wasn't imme- diately recognized and wasn't published until 1983. The 1980's and 1990's saw a number of important papers published in quantum information leading to the subfields of quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, quantum entanglement, distinguishability of quantum states, and quantum cloning. It was also during the 1980's, that a new model of computing, known as quantum computation, was beginning to emerge. It offered the possibility of solving certain problems faster than a classical computer by exploiting various properties of quantum mechanics. Research in this field was undoubtedly stimulated by a well known talk given by Richard Feynman in 1981 at MIT on quantum simulations. Both quantum information and quantum computation were initially developed with quantum discrete variables in mind. However, over the course of the last decade, there has been a significant increase in using quantum continuous variables. This thesis will focus on the topic of quantum information and quantum computation using continuous variables. Specifically, we will theoretically consider the cloning of continuous-variable entanglement, the distinguishability of Gaussian states, new continuous-variable quantum cryptography protocols and finally, the universality of quantum computation using continuous-variable cluster states.

This thesis investigates thermalisation, correlations and entanglement in Bose-Einstein condensates. Bose-Einstein condensates are ultra-cold collections of identical bosonic atoms which accumulate in a single quantum state, forming a mesoscopic quantum object. They are clean and controllable quantum many-body systems that permit an unprecedented degree of experimental flexibility compared to other physical systems. Further, a tractable microscopic theory exists which allows a direct and powerful comparison between theory and experiment, propelling the field of quantum atom optics forward at an incredible pace. Here we explore some of the fundamental frontiers of the field, examining how non-classical correlations and entanglement can be created and measured, as well as how non-classical effects can lead to the rapid heating of atom clouds. We first investigate correlations between two weakly coupled condensates, a system analogous to a superconducting Josephson junction. The ground state of this system contains non-classical number correlation arising from the repulsion between the atoms. Such states are of interest because they may lead to more precise measurement devices such as atomic gyroscopes. Unfortunately thermal fluctuations can destroy these correlations, and great care is needed to experimentally observe non-classical effects. We show that adiabatic evolution can drive the isolated quantum system out of thermal equilibrium and decrease thermal noise, in agreement with a recent experiment [Esteve et al. Nature 455, 1216 (2008)]. This technique may be valuable for observing and using quantum correlated states in the future. Next, we analyse the rapid heating that occurs when a condensate is placed in a moving periodic potential. The dynamical instability responsible for the heating was the subject of much uncertainty, which we suggest was due to the inability of the mean-field approximation to account for important spontaneous scattering processes. We show that a model including non-classical spontaneous scattering can describe dynamical instabilities correctly in each of the regimes where they have been observed, and in particular we compare our simulations to an experiment performed at the University of Otago deep inside the spontaneous scattering regime. Finally, we proposed a method to create and detect entangled atomic wave-packets. Entangled atoms are interesting from a fundamental perspective, and may prove useful in future quantum information and precision measurement technologies. Entanglement is generated by interactions, such as atomic collisions in Bose-Einstein condensates. We analyse the type of entanglement generated via atomic collisions and introduce an abstract scheme for detecting entanglement and demonstrating the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox with ultra-cold atoms. We further this result by proposing an experiment where entangled wave-packets are created and detected. The entanglement is generated by the pairwise scattering that causes the instabilities in moving periodic potentials mentioned above. By careful arrangement, the instability process can be controlled to to produce two well-defined atomic wave-packets. The presence of entanglement can be proven by applying a series of laser pulses to interfere the wave-packets and then measuring the output populations. Realising this experiment is feasible with current technology.

Orientador: Manoel Ferreira Borges Neto / Banca: Gilberto Aparecido Pratavieira / Banca: José Márcio Machado / Resumo: Em considerando-se dois subsistemas A e B com espaço de estados HA e HB e com o espaço do sistema total ( A+B ) associado ao produto tensorial HA ? HB, alguns vetores desse sistema total podem ser decompostos em um produto tensorial de dois vetores descrevendo o estado do sistema A e B. Quando essa decomposição não é possível, diz-se que os subsistemas estão emaranhados. Uma medida de emaranhamento utilizada é a entropia de von Neumann de um dos subsistemas. Neste trabalho utiliza-se a entropia de Tsallis, uma generalização da entropia de von Neumann, como medida de emaranhamento.Faz-se uma comparação entre essas duas entropias como medida do emaranhamento entre campos emergentes de um divisor de feixes óticos. / Abstract: Let A and B be two subsystems with space of states HA and HB respectively, being the space of the total system (A + B) associated to the tensorial product HA ? HB; some vectors of the total system may be decomposed in a tensorial product of two vectors describing the state of system A and B . When this decomposition is not possible, we say that the subsystems are entangled. An usual measure of entanglement used in each one of the subsystems is called von Neumann entropy. In this work we use Tsallis' entropy, a generalization of the von Neumann's measure to entanglement. We compare the two entropies as a measure of the entanglement between emerging fields of an optical beam splitter. / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2005-12-16Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:08:14Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 godoy_r_me_sjrp.pdf: 1009803 bytes, checksum: 156b74c6b6bc9b086abf40743673384e (MD5) / Em considerando-se dois subsistemas A e B com espaço de estados HA e HB e com o espaço do sistema total ( A+B ) associado ao produto tensorial HA ? HB, alguns vetores desse sistema total podem ser decompostos em um produto tensorial de dois vetores descrevendo o estado do sistema A e B. Quando essa decomposição não é possível, diz-se que os subsistemas estão emaranhados. Uma medida de emaranhamento utilizada é a entropia de von Neumann de um dos subsistemas. Neste trabalho utiliza-se a entropia de Tsallis, uma generalização da entropia de von Neumann, como medida de emaranhamento.Faz-se uma comparação entre essas duas entropias como medida do emaranhamento entre campos emergentes de um divisor de feixes óticos. / Let A and B be two subsystems with space of states HA and HB respectively, being the space of the total system (A + B) associated to the tensorial product HA ? HB; some vectors of the total system may be decomposed in a tensorial product of two vectors describing the state of system A and B . When this decomposition is not possible, we say that the subsystems are entangled. An usual measure of entanglement used in each one of the subsystems is called von Neumann entropy. In this work we use Tsallis' entropy, a generalization of the von Neumann's measure to entanglement. We compare the two entropies as a measure of the entanglement between emerging fields of an optical beam splitter.

Cette thèse porte sur l'étude de la transmission par diffusion multiple de deux photons intriqués à travers un milieu désordonné. Ce travail théorique fait intervenir deux branches de la physique qui sont l'optique quantique et la physique ondulatoire en milieu aléatoire.Dans le premier chapitre, nous donnons les outils théoriques d'optique quantique nécessaires à la compréhension du travail exposé. Après une présentation de la quantification de la lumière dans un milieu ouvert, nous introduisons les principaux états quantiques de la lumière qui sont utilisés dans cette thèse. Dans un second temps, nous présentons la plus importante propriété des états quantiques étudiés, l'intrication quantique. Après une introduction générale, le concept d'intrication entre particules indistinguables est discuté.Étant donné le caractère aléatoire du milieu dans lequel la lumière se propage, les observables physiques considérées dans cette thèse doivent être étudiées statistiquement. De ce fait, le second chapitre présente une approche statistique de la diffusion de la lumière en milieu aléatoire. Nous considérons dans un premier temps une description microscopique de la diffusion multiple basée sur le formalisme de la fonction de Green. Par la suite, nous nous intéressons à une description macroscopique faisant intervenir la matrice aléatoire de diffusion.Dans le troisième chapitre, nous étudions la figure de tavelures à deux photons qui apparaît dans les mesures de coïncidences. Nous commençons par introduire les principales propriétés de l'état à deux photons considéré et discutons ensuite la cohérence de cet état de la lumière. Par la suite, nous présentons une analyse détaillée de la figure de tavelures obtenue par transmission d'un état à deux photons possédant un spectre fréquentiel large à travers un milieu désordonné. Nous discutons de la possibilité ou non d'observer dans les mesures de coïncidences des signatures du caractère non-classique de la lumière. Finalement, nous calculons la visibilité des figures de tavelures à un et deux photons et montrons comment l'intrication initiale modifie cette visibilité.Pour terminer, nous développons une nouvelle approche théorique permettant de quantifier la quantité moyenne d'intrication de l'état diffusé à travers un milieu aléatoire. En utilisant la théorie des matrices aléatoires, nous dérivons la décomposition de Schmidt de l'état diffusé qui possède une certaine quantité d'intrication. Nous montrons comment la statistique du milieu désordonné influence la densité des valeurs propres de Schmidt et quantifions l'intrication transmise grâce différentes mesures d'intrication telles que l'entropie de von Neumann des valeurs propres de Schmidt et le nombre de Schmidt. / This thesis deals with the transmission by multiple scattering of high-dimensional bipartite entangled states of light through a random medium. This theoretical work merges two branches of physics, quantum optics and wave physics in random media.In the first chapter, we provide the basic toolbox of quantum optics required to understand further work. After a presentation of the quantization of light in an open medium, we introduce the main quantum states of light that are studied in the thesis. Then, we present the most important properties of quantum states, the quantum entanglement. After a general introduction, the still debated concept of entanglement between indistinguishable particles is presented and discussed.Because of the randomness of the medium in which the light propagates, the observables considered in this thesis have to be treated statistically. Hence, the second chapter presents a statistical approach to the multiple scattering of light. We first consider a microscopic description of the multiple scattering based on the so-called Green's function formalism and then turn to a macroscopic description which uses the random S-matrix formalism.In the third chapter, we study the two-photon speckle patterns appearing in coincidence measurements. We first introduce the main properties of the two-photon state that we consider and discuss the coherence of the two-photon light. Then, a detailed analysis of the two-photon speckle pattern obtained with a broadband two-photon state incident on a disordered medium is given. We discuss whether or not signatures of non-classical light can be seen in coincidence measurements. Finally, we calculate the visibility of the one- and two-photon speckle patterns and show how the entanglement present in the incident state affects these visibilities.Finally, we develop a new theoretical approach to quantify the average amount of entanglement in the scattered state. Using the random matrix theory, we derive the Schmidt decomposition of the scattered entangled state. We show how the statistics of the disorder impacts on the density of the Schmidt eigenvalues and quantify the entanglement through several measures of entanglement like the von Neumann entropy of Schmidt eigenvalues and the Schmidt number.

Ce manuscrit de thèse aborde les propriétés de transport hors-équilibre des systèmes mésoscopiques supra-conducteurs. Cette étude se décline en deux volets : i) la signature des fermions de Majorana dans les jonctionsJosephson topologiques, et ii) les corrélations du courant dans les jonctions Josephson tri-terminales.Les fermions de Majorana apparaissent aux bords d’un supraconducteur topologique. Lorsque deux supra-conducteurs topologiques sont reliés pour former une jonction Josephson, les états de Majorana d’énergie nullede part et d’autre de jonction forment un état lié d’Andreev. Puisque cet état porteur du supercourant est4π-périodique vis-à-vis de la différence de phase supraconductrice, il a été spéculé un effet Josephson fraction-naire en présence d’une tension de polarisation. On montre qu’une vitesse de phase finie induit un couplagedynamique entre l’état lié et le continuum des états au dessus de l’amplitude du gap supraconducteur. Ce cou-plage intrinsèque constitue un mécanisme inévitable qui altère l’effet Josephson fractionnaire. On discute, enfonction des paramètres du circuit, les signatures expérimentales pertinentes de l’effet Josephson fractionnaire :l’effet pair-impair dans les marches de Shapiro et l’émergence d’un pic à la fréquence fractionnaire dans la den-sité spectrale du bruit en courant. D’autres manifestations de ces états d’énergie nulle dans la caractéristiquecourant-tension, sous l’amplitude du paramètre d’ordre supraconducteur, sont également exposés.Dans un second temps sont abordées les fluctuations du courant dissipatif dans les jonctions Josephsontri-terminales. On montre que, les corrélations croisées du courant peuvent être positives et amplifiées dans unrégime cohérent. Ces résultats ouvrent la possibilité à des études plus élaborées sur l’enchevêtrement quantiquedans ces systèmes. / This PhD thesis manuscript deals with the non equilibrium transport properties of superconducting meso-scopic systems. This study declines in two shutters : i) signatures of Majorana fermions in topological Josephsonjunctions and ii) current-current correlations in three-terminal Josephson junctions.Majorana fermions appears at the boundaries of topological superconductors. When two topological su-perconductors are connected to form a Josephson junction, the zero-energy Majorana bound states localizedon either side of the junction form an Andreev bound state. As this current carrying state is 4π-periodic inthe superconducting phase difference, it was speculated that, at finite dc bias voltage, the junction exhibits afractional Josephson effect. We show that any finite phase velocity induces a dynamic coupling between thebound state and the continuum of states above the superconducting gap amplitude. This intrinsic couplingprovides an unavoidable mechanism that alters the fractional Josephson effect. We discuss, in terms of thecircuit parameters, signatures of the fractional Josephson effect that could be relevant for current experimen-tal investigations : the even-odd effect in Shapiro steps and the emergence of a peak at fractional Josephsonfrequency in the current noise spectrum. Furthermore, other manifestations of the Majorana bound states onthe subgap current-voltage characteristic are discussed.In a second step, we discuss the dissipative current fluctuations in three terminal Josephson junctions. Weshow that, current-current cross correlations can be positive and amplified in a coherent regime. This findingopens the possibility for further investigations on quantum entanglement in those systems

In this paper, we introduce the motivation for Bell inequalities and give some background on two different types: CHSH and Mermin's inequalities. We present a proof for each and then show that certain quantum states can violate both of these inequalities. We introduce a new result stating that for four given measurement directions of spin, two respectively from Alice and two from Bob, which are able to produce a violation of the Bell inequality for an arbitrary shared quantum state will also violate the Bell inequality for a maximally entangled state. Then we provide another new result that characterizes all of the two-qubit states that violate Mermin's inequality.