Alejandro Romanelli

Bio: Alejandro Romanelli is an academic researcher from University of the Republic. The author has contributed to research in topics: Quantum walk & Quantum entanglement. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 67 publications receiving 855 citations.

Decoherence in the quantum walk on the line

Abstract: We investigate the quantum walk on the line when decoherences are introduced either through simultaneous measurements of the chirality and particle position, or as a result of broken links. Both mechanisms drive the system to a classical diffusive behavior. In the case of measurements, we show that the diffusion coefficient is proportional to the variance of the initially localized quantum random walker just before the first measurement. When links between neighboring sites are randomly broken with probability p per unit time, the evolution becomes decoherent after a characteristic time that scales as 1 / p . The fact that the quadratic increase of the variance is eventually lost even for very small frequencies of disrupting events suggests that the implementation of a quantum walk on a real physical system may be severely limited by thermal noise and lattice imperfections.

Quantum walk on the line : Entanglement and nonlocal initial conditions

Abstract: The conditional shift in the evolution operator of a quantum walk generates entanglement between the coin and position degrees of freedom. This entanglement can be quantified by the von Neumman entropy of the reduced density operator (entropy of entanglement). We show analytically that for a Hadamard walk with local initial conditions the asymptotic entanglement is 0.872 for all initial coin states. When nonlocal initial conditions are considered, the asymptotic entanglement varies smoothly between almost complete entanglement and no entanglement (product state). An exact expression for the asymptotic (long-time) entanglement is obtained for initial conditions in the position subspace spanned by [{+-}1>.

Quantum random walk on the line as a Markovian process

Abstract: We analyze in detail the discrete-time quantum walk on the line by separating the quantum evolution equation into Markovian and interference terms. As a result of this separation, it is possible to show analytically that the quadratic increase in the variance of the quantum walker's position with time is a direct consequence of the coherence of the quantum evolution. If the evolution is decoherent, as in the classical case, the variance is shown to increase linearly with time, as expected. Furthermore, we show that this system has an evolution operator analogous to that of a resonant quantum kicked rotor. As this rotator may be described through a quantum computational algorithm, one may employ this algorithm to describe the time evolution of the quantum walker.

Distribution of chirality in the quantum walk: Markov process and entanglement

Abstract: The asymptotic behavior of the quantum walk on the line is investigated, focusing on the probability distribution of chirality independently of position. It is shown analytically that this distribution has a longtime limit that is stationary and depends on the initial conditions. This result is unexpected in the context of the unitary evolution of the quantum walk as it is usually linked to a Markovian process. The asymptotic value of the entanglement between the coin and the position is determined by the chirality distribution. For given asymptotic values of both the entanglement and the chirality distribution, it is possible to find the corresponding initial conditions within a particular class of spatially extended Gaussian distributions.

Thermodynamic behavior of the quantum walk

Abstract: A thermodynamic theory is developed to describe the behavior of the entanglement between the coin and position degrees of freedom of the quantum walk on the line. It is shown that, in spite of the unitary evolution, a steady state is established after a Markovian transient stage. This study suggests that if a quantum dynamics develops in a composite Hilbert space (i.e., the tensor product of several subspaces), then the behavior of an operator that belongs only to one of the subspaces may camouflage the unitary character of the global evolution.

Stochastic Processes in Physics and Chemistry

Abstract: N G van Kampen 1981 Amsterdam: North-Holland xiv + 419 pp price Dfl 180 This is a book which, at a lower price, could be expected to become an essential part of the library of every physical scientist concerned with problems involving fluctuations and stochastic processes, as well as those who just enjoy a beautifully written book. It provides an extensive graduate-level introduction which is clear, cautious, interesting and readable.