Gaussian representation of extended quantum states

Excited energy eigenstates and their superpositions typically exhibit a fine oscillatory structure near caustics. Semiclassical theory accesses these, but depends on detailed geometrical knowledge of the caustics. Here we show that a finite placement of coherent states on the classical region efficiently fits such extended states, reproducing structures that are much finer than the Gaussian width of the basis states. An extended state, evolved such that it becomes fully distinguishable from the original state, can also be faithfully reproduced by this finite basis. The ideal fitting follows from the projection of the extended state on the finite Hilbert space spanned by the Gaussians, rather than any discretization of the continuous (overcomplete) coherent state representation.     

Perturbative quantum chromodynamics

A large variety of modern perturbative aspects of QCD is critically reviewed from a theoretical as well as phenomenological point of view. The first part of this review is devoted to the classical more formal approach of summing leading logs: After a brief discussion of the basic concepts of renormalization theory, we review the renormalization group and its predictions for the effective (running) coupling constant in any field theory (asymptotic freedom as well as ‘fixed point’ theories). Using, in addition, the operator product expansion for deep inelastic scattering we calculate scaling violations of structure functions and show how to compare these results with experiment. Furthermore, dynamical calculations of parton distributions are discussed, as well as σ_L/σ_T, jets in leptoproduction and subleading corrections. We then proceed to show how these renormalization group improved results can be also derived using a simple perturbative language (Kogut-Susskind; Altarelli-Parisi) or by summing parton (Bethe-Salpeter) ladders. The universal validity (process independence) of the resulting Q² dependencies of parton distributions is emphasized and their factorization from the uncalculable non-perturbative piece (infrared divergences) is discussed. These latter results enable us to make rather unambiguous predictions for processes other than deep inelastic scattering, to which the remainder of this review is devoted. The hard scattering processes discussed indetail include hadronic (Drell-Yan) production of lepton pairs as well as their transverse momenta, the hadronic production of heavy quark flavors, semi-inclusive processes and fragmentation functions, high-p_T reactions and some recent topics and problems of jet production in e⁺e^? annihilation.     

Quantum states of extended objects beyond the coherent state approximation

Within the framework of the φ⁴ theory in one space dimension with spontaneously broken symmetry we construct explicitly a kink state which is an eigenstate of the Hamiltonian up to order √λ, thereby going beyond the coherent state approximation.     

Perturbative quantum error correction

We derive simple necessary and sufficient conditions under which a quantum channel obtained from an arbitrary perturbation from the identity can be reversed on a given code to the lowest order in fidelity. We find the usual Knill-Laflamme conditions applied to a certain operator subspace which, for a generic perturbation, is generated by the Lindblad operators. For a weak interaction with an environment, the error space to be corrected is a subspace of that spanned by the interaction operators, selected by the environment's initial state.     

Evolution of quantum states via Weyl expansion in dissipative channel

Based on the Weyl expansion representation of Wigner operator and its invariant property under similar transformation, we derived the relationship between input state and output state after a unitary transformation including Wigner function and density operator. It is shown that they can be related by a transformation matrix corresponding to the unitary evolution. In addition, for any density operator going through a dissipative channel, the evolution formula of the Wigner function is also derived. As applications, we considered further the two-mode squeezed vacuum as inputs, and obtained the resulted Wigner function and density operator within normal ordering form. Our method is clear and concise, and can be easily extended to deal with other problems involved in quantum metrology, steering, and quantum information with continuous variable.     

Perturbative expansion of Chern-Simons theory with non-compact gauge group

Naive imitation of the usual formulas for compact gauge group in quantizing three dimensional Chern-Simons gauge theory with non-compact gauge group leads to formulas that are wrong or unilluminating. In this paper, an appropriate modification is described, which puts the perturbative expansion in a standard manifestly unitary format. The one loop contributions (which differ from naive extrapolation from the case of compact gauge group) are computed, and their topological invariance is verified.Research supported in part by NSF Grant PHY86-20266     

Coherent imaging of extended objects

When used with coherent light, optical imaging systems are inherently unable to reproduce both the amplitude and the phase of a two-dimensional field distribution. This is because their impulse response function varies slowly from point to point, a property known as non-isoplanatism. For sufficiently small objects, this usually results in a phase distortion and has no impact on the measured intensity. Here, we show that the intensity distribution can be dramatically distorted when extended objects are imaged. We illustrate the problem using two simple examples: the pinhole camera and the thin lens. The effects predicted by our theoretical analysis are confirmed by experimental observations.     

Gauge invariance for extended objects

Just as the vector potential (one-form) couples to charged point-particles, antisymmetric tensor fields of higher rank (p-forms) couple to elementary objects of higher dimensionality (strings, membranes, …). It is shown that the only possible gauge invariant interaction of such an extended object with a gauge field in spacetime is based on the abelian group U(1). This is unlike the situation for particles where Yang-Mills actions based on any gauge group may be written down. The properties of the abelian theory are explored. It is pointed out that a compact object is analogous to a particle-antiparticle pair and its quantum rate of production in a constant external field is calculated semiclassically. The analysis is performed keeping generic both the dimension of the object and that of spacetime.     

A quantum transition from localized to extended states in a classically chaotic system

We study the quantum dynamics of a particle in a one dimensional triangular well under a monochromatic perturbation. Though the classical dynamics is described by the Standard Map, the quantum motion is not always localized. At a certain threshold field intensity, a transition takes place, from a, regime of power-localized quasi-energy eigenstates to one of extended states.     

Hard-x-ray lensless imaging of extended objects

We demonstrate a hard-x-ray microscope that does not use a lens and is not limited to a small field of view or an object of finite size. The method does not suffer any of the physical constraints, convergence problems, or defocus ambiguities that often arise in conventional phase-retrieval diffractive imaging techniques. Calculation times are about a thousand times shorter than in current iterative algorithms. We need no a priori knowledge about the object, which can be a transmission function with both modulus and phase components. The technique has revolutionary implications for x-ray imaging of all classes of specimen.     

Geometry of gauge fields for extended objects

A geometric interpretation of gauge field for extended objects is given. This interpretation is a generalization of the interpretation of electrodynamics based on connections in principal fibre bundles. Only the geometry of gauge fields is formulated. Field dynamics and interaction of the fields with extended objects will be studied separately.     

Perturbative expansion using a variational phonon basis for the Holstein model

A simple variational displacement phonon basis, obtained through the modified Lang-Firsov (MLF) transformation, is proposed to study the Holstein model. This phonon basis contains only one variational parameter, but capable of describing lattice distortions at distant sites from the charge carrier. A perturbation method based on this MLF basis is employed to calculate the single-electron ground-state energy and the dispersion of the polaronic band. The ground-state (k=0) energy obtained up to the second-order perturbation within this approach agrees well with the available numerical results for the entire range of coupling strength.     

Optical solitons as quantum objects

The intensity of classical bright solitons propagating in linearly coupled identical fibers can be distributed either in a stable symmetric state at strong coupling or in a stable asymmetric state if the coupling is small enough. In the first case, if the initial state is not the equilibrium state, the intensity may switch periodically from fiber to fiber, while in the second case the asymmetrical state remains forever, with most of its energy in either fiber. The latter situation makes a state of propagation with two exactly reciprocal realizations. In the quantum case, such a situation does not exist as an eigenstate because of the quantum tunneling between the two fibers. Such a tunneling is a purely quantum phenomenon without counterpart in the classical theory. We estimate the rate of tunneling by quantizing a simplified dynamics derived from the original Lagrangian equations with test functions. This tunneling could be within reach of the experiments, particularly if the quantum coherence of the soliton can be maintained over a sufficient amount of time.     

Correlation functions in the Non Perturbative Renormalization Group and field expansion

The usual procedure of including a finite number of vertices in Non Perturbative Renormalization Group equations in order to obtain n-point correlation functions at finite momenta is analyzed. This is done by exploiting a general method recently introduced which includes simultaneously all vertices although approximating their momentum dependence. The study is performed using the self-energy of the tridimensional scalar model at criticality. At least in this example, low order truncations miss quantities as the critical exponent η by as much as 60%. However, if one goes to high order truncations the procedure seems to converge rapidly.