Frontiers of quantum physics

Abstract:

We investigate macroscopic entanglement in an infinite XX spin- 1 2 chain with staggered magnetic field, Bl =B+ e-iπl b. Using single-site entropy and by constructing an entanglement witness, we search for the existence of entanglement when the system is at absolute zero, as well as in thermal equilibrium. Although the role of the alternating magnetic field b is, in general, to suppress entanglement as do B and T, we find that when T=0, introducing b allows the existence of entanglement even when the uniform magnetic field B is arbitrarily large. We find that the region and the amount of entanglement in the spin chain can be enhanced by a staggered magnetic field. © 2007 The American Physical Society.

Abstract:

The formalism of Deutsch and Hayden is a useful tool for describing quantum mechanics explicitly as local and unitary, and therefore quantum information theory as concerning a 'flow' of information between systems. In this paper we show that these physical descriptions of flow are unique, and develop the approach further to include the measurement interaction and mixed states. We then give an analysis of entanglement swapping in this approach, showing that it does not in fact contain either nonlocal effects or any form of superluminal signalling. © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.