Scalable Bell Inequalities for Qubit Graph States and Robust Self-Testing.

Bell inequalities constitute a key tool in quantum information theory: they not only allow one to reveal nonlocality in composite quantum systems, but, more importantly, they can be used to certify relevant properties thereof. We provide a general construction of Bell inequalities that are maximally violated by the multiqubit graph states and can be used for their robust self-testing. Apart from their theoretical relevance, our inequalities offer two main advantages from an experimental viewpoint: (i) they present a significant reduction of the experimental effort needed to violate them, as the number of correlations they contain scales only linearly with the number of observers; (ii) numerical results indicate that the self-testing statements for graph states derived from our inequalities tolerate noise levels that are met by present experimental data. We also discuss possible generalizations of our approach to entangled states whose stabilizers are not tensor products of Pauli matrices. Our work introduces a promising approach for the certification of complex many-body quantum states.

Device-Independent Witnesses of Entanglement Depth from Two-Body Correlators.

We consider the characterization of entanglement depth in a quantum many-body system from the device-independent perspective; that is, we aim at certifying how many particles are genuinely entangled without relying on assumptions on the system itself nor on the measurements performed. We obtain device-independent witnesses of entanglement depth (DIWEDs) using the Bell inequalities introduced in [J. Tura et al., Science 344, 1256 (2014)SCIEAS0036-807510.1126/science.1247715] and compute their k-producibility bounds. To this end, we exploit two complementary methods: first, a variational one, yielding a possibly optimal k-producible state; second, a certificate of optimality via a semidefinite program, based on a relaxation of the quantum marginal problem. Numerical results suggest a clear pattern on k-producible bounds for large system sizes, which we then tackle analytically in the thermodynamic limit. Contrary to existing DIWEDs, the ones we present here can be effectively measured by accessing only collective measurements and second moments thereof. These technical requirements are met in current experiments, which have already been performed in the context of detecting Bell correlations in quantum many-body systems of 5×10^{2}-5×10^{5} atoms.

Random numbers certified by Bell's theorem.

Randomness is a fundamental feature of nature and a valuable resource for applications ranging from cryptography and gambling to numerical simulation of physical and biological systems. Random numbers, however, are difficult to characterize mathematically, and their generation must rely on an unpredictable physical process. Inaccuracies in the theoretical modelling of such processes or failures of the devices, possibly due to adversarial attacks, limit the reliability of random number generators in ways that are difficult to control and detect. Here, inspired by earlier work on non-locality-based and device-independent quantum information processing, we show that the non-local correlations of entangled quantum particles can be used to certify the presence of genuine randomness. It is thereby possible to design a cryptographically secure random number generator that does not require any assumption about the internal working of the device. Such a strong form of randomness generation is impossible classically and possible in quantum systems only if certified by a Bell inequality violation. We carry out a proof-of-concept demonstration of this proposal in a system of two entangled atoms separated by approximately one metre. The observed Bell inequality violation, featuring near perfect detection efficiency, guarantees that 42 new random numbers are generated with 99 per cent confidence. Our results lay the groundwork for future device-independent quantum information experiments and for addressing fundamental issues raised by the intrinsic randomness of quantum theory.

Entanglement and Nonlocality are Inequivalent for Any Number of Parties.

Understanding the relation between nonlocality and entanglement is one of the fundamental problems in quantum physics. In the bipartite case, it is known that these two phenomena are inequivalent, as there exist entangled states of two parties that do not violate any Bell inequality. However, except for a single example of an entangled three-qubit state that has a local model, almost nothing is known about such a relation in multipartite systems. We provide a general construction of genuinely multipartite entangled states that do not display genuinely multipartite nonlocality, thus proving that entanglement and nonlocality are inequivalent for any number of parties.

Ultra-fast quantum randomness generation by accelerated phase diffusion in a pulsed laser diode.

We demonstrate a high bit-rate quantum random number generator by interferometric detection of phase diffusion in a gain-switched DFB laser diode. Gain switching at few-GHz frequencies produces a train of bright pulses with nearly equal amplitudes and random phases. An unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer is used to interfere subsequent pulses and thereby generate strong random-amplitude pulses, which are detected and digitized to produce a high-rate random bit string. Using established models of semiconductor laser field dynamics, we predict a regime of high visibility interference and nearly complete vacuum-fluctuation-induced phase diffusion between pulses. These are confirmed by measurement of pulse power statistics at the output of the interferometer. Using a 5.825 GHz excitation rate and 14-bit digitization, we observe 43 Gbps quantum randomness generation.

Distribution of entanglement in large-scale quantum networks.

The concentration and distribution of quantum entanglement is an essential ingredient in emerging quantum information technologies. Much theoretical and experimental effort has been expended in understanding how to distribute entanglement in one-dimensional networks. However, as experimental techniques in quantum communication develop, protocols for multi-dimensional systems become essential. Here, we focus on recent theoretical developments in protocols for distributing entanglement in regular and complex networks, with particular attention to percolation theory and network-based error correction.

Noisy metrology beyond the standard quantum limit.

Parameter estimation is of fundamental importance in areas from atomic spectroscopy and atomic clocks to gravitational wave detection. Entangled probes provide a significant precision gain over classical strategies in the absence of noise. However, recent results seem to indicate that any small amount of realistic noise restricts the advantage of quantum strategies to an improvement by at most a multiplicative constant. Here, we identify a relevant scenario in which one can overcome this restriction and attain superclassical precision scaling even in the presence of uncorrelated noise. We show that precision can be significantly enhanced when the noise is concentrated along some spatial direction, while the Hamiltonian governing the evolution which depends on the parameter to be estimated can be engineered to point along a different direction. In the case of perpendicular orientation, we find superclassical scaling and identify a state which achieves the optimum.

Bell inequalities with no quantum violation and unextendable product bases.

The strength of classical correlations is subject to certain constraints, commonly known as Bell inequalities. Violation of these inequalities is the manifestation of nonlocality-displayed, in particular, by quantum mechanics, meaning that quantum mechanics can outperform classical physics at tasks associated with such Bell inequalities. Interestingly, however, there exist situations in which this is not the case. We associate an intriguing class of bound entangled states, constructed from unextendable product bases with a wide family of tasks, for which (i) quantum correlations do not outperform the classical ones but (ii) there exist supraquantum nonsignaling correlations that do provide an advantage.

Unified framework for correlations in terms of local quantum observables.

We provide a unified framework for nonsignalling quantum and classical multipartite correlations, allowing all to be written as the trace of some local (quantum) measurements multiplied by an operator. The properties of this operator define the corresponding set of correlations. We then show that if the theory is such that all local quantum measurements are possible, one obtains the correlations corresponding to the extension of Gleason's Theorem to multipartite systems. Such correlations coincide with the quantum ones for one and two parties, but we prove the existence of a gap for three or more parties.

Optimal distillation of a greenberger-horne-zeilinger state

We present the optimal local protocol to distill a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state from a single copy of any pure state of three qubits.

Generalized schmidt decomposition and classification of three-quantum-Bit states

We prove for any pure three-quantum-bit state the existence of local bases which allow one to build a set of five orthogonal product states in terms of which the state can be written in a unique form. This leads to a canonical form which generalizes the two-quantum-bit Schmidt decomposition. It is uniquely characterized by the five entanglement parameters. It leads to a complete classification of the three-quantum-bit states. It shows that the right outcome of an adequate local measurement always erases all entanglement between the other two parties.

Quantum nonlocality. Detecting nonlocality in many-body quantum states.

Intensive studies of entanglement properties have proven essential for our understanding of quantum many-body systems. In contrast, much less is known about the role of quantum nonlocality in these systems because the available multipartite Bell inequalities involve correlations among many particles, which are difficult to access experimentally. We constructed multipartite Bell inequalities that involve only two-body correlations and show how they reveal the nonlocality in many-body systems relevant for nuclear and atomic physics. Our inequalities are violated by any number of parties and can be tested by measuring total spin components, opening the way to the experimental detection of many-body nonlocality, for instance with atomic ensembles.

Local orthogonality as a multipartite principle for quantum correlations.

In recent years, the use of information principles to understand quantum correlations has been very successful. Unfortunately, all principles considered so far have a bipartite formulation, but intrinsically multipartite principles, yet to be discovered, are necessary for reproducing quantum correlations. Here we introduce local orthogonality, an intrinsically multipartite principle stating that events involving different outcomes of the same local measurement must be exclusive or orthogonal. We prove that it is equivalent to no-signalling in the bipartite scenario but more restrictive for more than two parties. By exploiting this non-equivalence, it is then demonstrated that some bipartite supra-quantum correlations do violate the local orthogonality when distributed among several parties. Finally, we show how its multipartite character allows revealing the non-quantumness of correlations for which any bipartite principle fails. We believe that local orthogonality is a crucial ingredient for understanding no-signalling and quantum correlations.

Scaling laws for the decay of multiqubit entanglement.

We investigate the decay of entanglement of generalized N-particle Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states interacting with independent reservoirs. Scaling laws for the decay of entanglement and for its finite-time extinction (sudden death) are derived for different types of reservoirs. The latter is found to increase with N. However, entanglement becomes arbitrarily small, and therefore useless as a resource, much before it completely disappears, around a time which is inversely proportional to the number of particles. We also show that the decay of multiparticle GHZ states can generate bound entangled states.

Discriminating States: the quantum Chernoff bound.

We consider the problem of discriminating two different quantum states in the setting of asymptotically many copies, and determine the minimal probability of error. This leads to the identification of the quantum Chernoff bound, thereby solving a long-standing open problem. The bound reduces to the classical Chernoff bound when the quantum states under consideration commute. The quantum Chernoff bound is the natural symmetric distance measure between quantum states because of its clear operational meaning and because it does not seem to share some of the undesirable features of other distance measures.

Superiority of entangled measurements over all local strategies for the estimation of product coherent states.

It is shown that the ensemble {P(alpha),|alpha|alpha;{*}}, where P(alpha) is a Gaussian distribution of finite variance and |alpha is a coherent state, can be better discriminated with an entangled measurement than with any local strategy supplemented by classical communication. Although this ensemble consists of products of quasiclassical states without any squeezing, it thus exhibits a purely quantum feature. This remarkable effect is demonstrated experimentally by implementing the optimal local strategy on coherent states of light together with a global strategy that yields a higher fidelity.

Thought, perception and delusional infestation.

The authors report a case of delusional infestation in a 45 year-old woman followed in an out-patient setting. A review of published literature about this disorder and its nosological classification over different historical periods and by different authors is performed. Difficulties in separation of the delusion and hallucination symptoms in body phenomena are discussed.

Quantum key distillation from Gaussian states by Gaussian operations.

We study the secrecy properties of Gaussian states under Gaussian operations. Although such operations are useless for quantum distillation, we prove that it is possible to distill a secret key secure against any attack from sufficiently entangled Gaussian states with nonpositive partial transposition. Moreover, all such states allow for key distillation, when Eve is assumed to perform finite-size coherent attacks before the reconciliation process.

Experimental methods for detecting entanglement.

Here we present experimental realizations of two new entanglement detection methods: a three-measurement Bell inequality inequivalent to the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality and a nonlinear Bell-type inequality based on the negativity measure. In addition, we provide an experimental and theoretical comparison between these new methods and several techniques already in use: the traditional Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality, the entanglement witness, and complete state tomography.

Distillability, bell inequalities, and multiparticle bound entanglement.

We study the relation between violation of Bell inequalities and distillability properties of quantum states. Recently, Dür [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 230402 (2001)] has shown that there are some multiparticle bound entangled states which are nonseparable and nondistillable, that violate a Bell inequality. We prove that for all the states violating this inequality there exists at least one splitting of the parties into two groups such that some pure-state entanglement can be distilled, obtaining a connection between Bell inequalities and bipartite distillable entanglement.