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Discriminating between quantum states is a fundamental task in quantum information theory. Given two quantum states, ρ + and ρ − , the Helstrom measurement distinguishes between them with minimal probability of error. However, finding and experimentally implementing the Helstrom measurement can be challenging for quantum states on many qubits. Due to this difficulty, there is a great interest in identifying local measurement schemes which are close to optimal. In the first part of this work, we generalize previous work by Acin et al. (Phys. Rev. A 71, 032338) and show that a locally greedy (LG) scheme using Bayesian updating can optimally distinguish between any two states that can be written as a tensor product of arbitrary pure states. We then show that the same algorithm cannot distinguish tensor products of mixed states with vanishing error probability (even in a large subsystem limit), and introduce a modified locally-greedy (MLG) scheme with strictly better performance. In the second part of this work, we compare these simple local schemes with a general dynamic programming (DP) approach. The DP approach finds the optimal series of local measurements and optimal order of subsystem measurement to distinguish between the two tensor-product states.1

With analyzing the mass function obtained by solving Dyson-Schwinger Equations, we propose a cut-off independent definition of quark condensate beyond chiral limit. With this well-defined condensate, we then analyze the evolution of the condensate and its susceptibility with the current quark mass. The susceptibility shows a critical mass in the neighborhood of the s-quark current mass, which defines a transition boundary for internal hadron dynamics., 7 pages, 5 figures

We present a numerical study of settling and clustering of small inertial particles in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence. Particles are denser than the fluid, but not in the limit of being much heavier than the displaced fluid. At fixed Reynolds and Stokes numbers we vary the fluid-to-particle mass ratio and the gravitational acceleration. The effect of varying one or the other is similar but not quite the same. We report non-monotonic behavior of the particles' velocity skewness and kurtosis with the second parameter, and an associated anomalous behavior of the settling velocity when compared to the free-fall Stokes velocity, including loitering cases. Clustering increases for increasing gravitational acceleration, and for decreasing fluid-to-particle mass ratio.

We present an improved formulation of 4-dimensional Lorentzian spinfoam quantum gravity with cosmological constant. The construction of spinfoam amplitudes uses the state-integral model of PSL(2,$\mathbb{C}$) Chern-Simons theory and the implementation of simplicity constraint. The formulation has 2 key features: (1) spinfoam amplitudes are all finite, and (2) With suitable boundary data, the semiclassical asymptotics of the vertex amplitude has two oscillatory terms, with phase plus or minus the 4-dimensional Lorentzian Regge action with cosmological constant for the constant curvature 4-simplex., 25 pages, 8 figures

In this paper we analytically derive the exact closed dynamical equations for a liquid with short-ranged interactions in large spatial dimensions using the same statistical mechanics tools employed to analyze Brownian motion. Our derivation greatly simplifies the original path-integral-based route to these equations and provides insight into the physical features associated with high-dimensional liquids and glass formation. Most importantly, our construction provides a route to the exact dynamical analysis of important related dynamical problems, as well as a means to devise cluster generalizations of the exact solution in infinite dimensions. This latter fact opens the door to the construction of increasingly accurate theories of vitrification in three-dimensional liquids.

The relevance of the generalized/nonlinear Fourier's law in a driven granular gas such as in dust storms is underscored by demonstrating that its linear, isotropic version does not hold even in the continuum limit of zero Knudsen number.

A paradox in neuroscience is the large number of oscillations of small neural networks compared with the few oscillations observed in the conscious brain. It remains unclear what is the maximum number of synchronized oscillations a network can support and whether all or some of these oscillations would survive in noisy heterogenous circuits. Here, we attempt to answer these questions through a comprehensive study of local inhibitory networks of Hodgkin-Huxley neurons. We use a neuromorphic platform combining electronic noise and device-specific heterogeneity with tuneable extrinsic noise, tuneable network connectivity, and controlled initial conditions. As in the brain, stimuli are instantaneously integrated by analog circuits. This gives us the computing power needed to map the network dynamics over the entire phase space and demonstrate the full complement of limit cycles, basins of attraction, and dependence on network parameters. Our main finding is that the maximum number of limit cycles is equal to the combinatorial number of activation pathways through the network, allowing for coincident action potentials, and that all limit cycles are equally robust to noise and mild heterogeneity but highly dependent on inhibition delay and the timing of stimuli. We established the robustness of individual limit cycles by computing the detailed balance of bifurcations between attractors. This accounts for all transitions in a system where Lyapunov exponents are both positive and negative depending on phase space coordinates and noise intensity. Another interesting finding is the unexpected resilience of limit cycles to mild network heterogeneity. This occurs as stochastic processes recruit quiescent neurons whose subthreshold periodic oscillations help maintain the synchronization of limit cycles against heterogeneity.

A paradigm shift in quantum thermometry is proposed. To date, thermometry has relied on local estimation, which is useful to reduce statistical fluctuations once the temperature is very well known. In order to estimate temperatures in cases where few measurement data or no substantial prior knowledge are available, we build instead a theory of global quantum thermometry. Based on scaling arguments, a mean logarithmic error is shown here to be the correct figure of merit for thermometry. Its full minimisation provides an operational and optimal rule to post-process measurements into a temperature reading, and it establishes a global precision limit. We apply these results to the simulated outcomes of measurements on a spin gas, finding that the local approach can lead to biased temperature estimates in cases where the global estimator converges to the true temperature. The global framework thus enables a reliable approach to data analysis in thermometry experiments., 5 + 8 pages, 1 + 1 figures. Accepted in Physical Review Letters

Living systems operate far from thermal equilibrium by converting the chemical potential of ATP into mechanical work to achieve growth, replication or locomotion. Given time series observations of intra-, inter- or multicellular processes, a key challenge is to detect non-equilibrium behavior and quantify the rate of free energy consumption. Obtaining reliable bounds on energy consumption and entropy production directly from experimental data remains difficult in practice as many degrees of freedom typically are hidden to the observer, so that the accessible coarse-grained dynamics may not obviously violate detailed balance. Here, we introduce a novel method for bounding the entropy production of physical and living systems which uses only the waiting time statistics of hidden Markov processes and hence can be directly applied to experimental data. By determining a universal limiting curve, we infer entropy production bounds from experimental data for gene regulatory networks, mammalian behavioral dynamics and numerous other biological processes. Further considering the asymptotic limit of increasingly precise biological timers, we estimate the necessary entropic cost of heartbeat regulation in humans, dogs and mice., Comment: Improved exposition in main text, expanded supplementary information. 29 pages, 8 figures

Quantum metrology pursues high-precision measurements of physical quantities by using quantum resources. However, the decoherence generally hinders its performance. Previous work found that the metrological error tends to diverge in the long-encoding-time regime due to the Born-Markovian approximate decoherence, which is called the no-go theorem of noisy quantum metrology. Here we propose a Gaussian quantum metrology scheme using bimodal quantized optical fields as the quantum probe. It achieves the precision of a sub-Heisenberg limit in the ideal case. However, the Markovian decoherence causes the metrological error contributed by the center-of-mass mode of the probe to be divergent. A mechanism to remove this ostensible no-go theorem is found in the non-Markovian dynamics. Our result gives an efficient way to realize high-precision quantum metrology in practical continuous-variable systems., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures

Understanding the connections between information and thermodynamics has been among the most visible applications of stochastic thermodynamics. While recent theoretical advances have established that the second law of thermodynamics sets limits on information-to-energy conversion, it is currently unclear to what extent real systems can achieve the predicted theoretical limits. Using a simple model of an information engine that has recently been experimentally implemented, we explore the limits of information-to-energy conversion when an information engine's benefit is limited to output energy that can be stored. We find that restricting the engine's output in this way can limit its ability to convert information to energy. Nevertheless, a feedback control that inputs work can allow the engine to store energy at the highest achievable rate. These results sharpen our theoretical understanding of the limits of real systems that convert information to energy., 17 pages, 17 figures

Inequalities are abundant in a society with a number of agents competing for a limited amount of resource. Statistics of such social inequalities are usually represented by the Lorenz function $L(p)$, where $p$ fraction of the population possesses $L(p)$ fraction of the total wealth, when the population is arranged in the ascending order of their wealth. Similarly, in scientometrics, such inequalities can be represented by a plot of the citation count against the respective number of papers by a scientist, again arranged in the ascending order of their citation counts. Quantitatively, these inequalities are captured by the corresponding inequality indices, namely the Kolkata $k$ and the Hirsch $h$ indices, given by the fixed points of these nonlinear functions. In statistical physics of criticality, the fixed points of the Renormalization Group generator functions are studied in their self-similar limit, where its (fractal) structure converges to a unique form. The statistical indices in the social science, however, correspond to the fixed points where the values of the generator function (wealth or citation sizes) are commensurately abundant in fractions or numbers (of persons or papers). We introduce and study these indices for the inequalities of (pre-failure) avalanches, given by their size distributions in the Fiber Bundle Models (FBM) of non-brittle materials. We show how a prior knowledge of the terminal and almost universal value of the $k$ index for a wide range of disorder parameter, can help in predicting an imminent catastrophic breakdown in the model. This observation has also been complemented by noting a similar (but not identical) behavior of the Hirsch index ($h$), redefined for such avalanche statistics., Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures; Phys. Rev. E (in press)

We conduct an analysis of the quasi-normal modes for generic spin perturbations of the Kerr black hole using the isomonodromic method. The strategy consists of solving the Riemann-Hilbert map relating the accessory parameters of the differential equations involved to monodromy properties of the solutions, using the $\tau$-function for the Painlev\'e V transcendent. We show good accordance of the method with the literature for generic rotation parameter $a, Comment: REVTeX 4.2, 17 pages, 7 figures; version 2 with added references and better control of the Stokes phenomenon in the numerical calculations. Results now agree within machine precision to the method of choice when they are both applicable

In nonequilibrium systems, the relative fluctuation of a current has a universal trade-off relation with the entropy production, called the thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR). For systems with broken time reversal symmetry, its violation has been reported in specific models or in the linear response regime. Here, we derive a modified version of the TUR analytically in the overdamped limit for general Langevin dynamics with a magnetic Lorentz force causing time reversal broken. Remarkably, this modified version is simply given by the conventional TUR scaled by the ratio of the reduced effective temperature of the overdamped motion to the reservoir temperature, permitting a violation of the conventional TUR. Without the Lorentz force, this ratio becomes unity and the conventional TUR is restored. We verify our results both analytically and numerically in a specific solvable system., Comment: 15 pages

We apply a hyperspherical formulation to a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate with dipolar and contact interactions. Central to this approach is a general correspondence between $K$-harmonic hyperspherical methods and a suitable Gaussian ansatz to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation, regardless of the form of the interparticle potential. This correspondence allows one to obtain hyperspherical potential energies for a wide variety of physical problems. In the case of the dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate, this motivates the inclusion of a beyond-mean-field term within the hyperspherical picture, which allows us to describe the energies and wave functions of excitations of self-bound dipolar droplets outside the mean-field limit.

The use of phase-shifting interferometry (PSI) in the ultra-low-light region would open the way for important applications, such as imaging of phototoxic substances and sensing of ultrafast phenomena. In the ultra-low-light region, the statistical nature of photons can be a dominant source of noise compared with other noise caused by experimental instruments. Here we theoretically derive the precision limit determined by the statistical nature of photons for simultaneously measuring the transmittance and phase of a sample with PSI. We show that the precision of PSI depends on the phase and transmittance themselves. We also show a trade-off relation between transmittance and phase. Then we compare PSI with sequential optimal measurements in which the transmittance and phase of a sample are separately measured for each corresponding optimal measurement. We also discuss the case where the input number of photons fluctuates with a Poisson distribution and show that the fluctuation affects both the transmittance and phase precision for PSI.

The existence of black holes is one of the key predictions of general relativity (GR) and therefore a basic consistency test for modified theories of gravity. In the case of spherical symmetry in GR the existence of an apparent horizon and its regularity is consistent with only two distinct classes of physical black holes. Here we derive constraints that any self-consistent modified theory of gravity must satisfy to be compatible with their existence. We analyze their properties and illustrate characteristic features using the Starobinsky model. Both of the GR solutions can be regarded as zeroth-order terms in perturbative solutions of this model. We also show how to construct nonperturbative solutions without a well-defined GR limit., 13 pages. Published version. Comments welcome!

We revisit early suggestions to observe spin-charge separation (SCS) in cold-atom settings {in the time domain} by studying one-dimensional repulsive Fermi gases in a harmonic potential, where pulse perturbations are initially created at the center of the trap. We analyze the subsequent evolution using generalized hydrodynamics (GHD), which provides an exact description, at large space-time scales, for arbitrary temperature $T$, particle density, and interactions. At $T=0$ and vanishing magnetic field, we find that, after a nontrivial transient regime, spin and charge dynamically decouple up to perturbatively small corrections which we quantify. In this limit, our results can be understood based on a simple phase-space hydrodynamic picture. At finite temperature, we solve numerically the GHD equations, showing that for low $T>0$ effects of SCS survive and {characterize} explicitly the value of $T$ for which the two distinguishable excitations melt., 12 pages, 7 figures; v2: modified layout; corrected some typos

In the largest, currently known, class of one Quadrillion globally consistent F-theory Standard Models with gauge coupling unification and no chiral exotics, the vector-like spectra are counted by cohomologies of root bundles. In this work, we apply a previously proposed method to identify toric base 3-folds, which are promising to establish F-theory Standard Models with exactly three quark-doublets and no vector-like exotics in this representation. The base spaces in question are obtained from triangulations of 708 polytopes. By studying root bundles on the quark doublet curve $C_{(\mathbf{3},\mathbf{2})_{1/6}}$ and employing well-known results about desingularizations of toric K3-surfaces, we derive a \emph{triangulation independent lower bound} $\check{N}_P^{(3)}$ for the number $N_P^{(3)}$ of root bundles on $C_{(\mathbf{3},\mathbf{2})_{1/6}}$ with exactly three sections. The ratio $\check{N}_P^{(3)} / N_P$, where $N_P$ is the total number of roots on $C_{(\mathbf{3},\mathbf{2})_{1/6}}$, is largest for base spaces associated with triangulations of the 8-th 3-dimensional polytope $\Delta^\circ_8$ in the Kreuzer-Skarke list. For each of these $\mathcal{O}( 10^{15} )$ 3-folds, we expect that many root bundles on $C_{(\mathbf{3},\mathbf{2})_{1/6}}$ are induced from F-theory gauge potentials and that at least every 3000th root on $C_{(\mathbf{3},\mathbf{2})_{1/6}}$ has exactly three global sections and thus no exotic vector-like quark-doublet modes., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures and 2 tables

Anisotropy parameters describing the angular dependence of the photoionization delay are defined. The formalism is applied to results obtained with the relativistic random phase approximation with exchange for photoionization delay from the outermost $s$-orbitals in selected rare-gas atoms. Any angular dependence in the Wigner delay is induced here by relativistic effects, while the measurable atomic delay exhibits such a dependence also in the nonrelativistic limit. The contributions to the anisotropy from the different sources are disentangled and discussed. For the heavier rare gases, it is shown that measurements of the delay for electrons ejected in specific angles, relative to, e.g., those ejected along the laser polarization, are directly related here to the Wigner delay. For a considerable range of angles, the contributions from the second photon largely get canceled when the results in different angles are compared, and this angle-relative atomic delay is then close to the corresponding Wigner delay.

Sensitivity limits are usually determined using the Cram\'er-Rao bound. Recently this approach has been used to obtain the ultimate resolution limit for the estimation of the separation between two incoherent point sources. However, methods that saturate these resolution limits, usually require the full measurement statistics, which can be challenging to access. In this work, we introduce a simple superresolution protocol to estimate the separation between two thermal sources which relies only on the average value of a single accessible observable. We show how optimal observables for this technique may be constructed for arbitrary thermal sources, and we study their sensitivities when one has access to spatially resolved intensity measurements (direct imaging) and photon counting after spatial mode demultiplexing. For demultiplexing, our method is optimal, i.e. it saturates the quantum Cram\'er-Rao bound. We also investigate the impact of noise on the optimal observables, their measurement sensitivity and on the scaling with the number of detected photons of the smallest resolvable separation. For low signals in the image plane, we demonstrate that our method saturates the Cram\'er-Rao bound even in the presence of noise., Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 1 table. Comments are very welcome!