We address the validity of the single-mode approximation that is commonly invoked in the analysis of entanglement in non-inertial frames and in other relativistic quantum information scenarios. We show that the single-mode approximation is not valid for arbitrary states, finding corrections to previous studies beyond such approximation in the bosonic and fermionic cases. We also exhibit a class of wave packets for which the single-mode approximation is justified subject to the peaking constraints set by an appropriate Fourier transform.

We analyze the harvesting of entanglement and classical correlations from the quantum vacuum to particle detectors. We assess the impact on the detectors' harvesting ability of the spacetime dimensionality, the suddenness of the detectors' switching, their physical size and their internal energy structure. Our study reveals several interesting dependences on these parameters that can be used to optimize the harvesting of classical and quantum correlations. Furthermore, we find that, contrary to previous belief, smooth switching is much more efficient than sudden switching in order to harvest vacuum entanglement, especially when the detectors remain spacelike separated. Additionally, we show that the reported phenomenology of spacelike entanglement harvesting is not altered by subleading order perturbative corrections.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. RevTeX 4.1. V5: A few typos, and labelling of figures corrected. Updated reference

In this paper we deal with several issues regarding the localisation properties of the Unruh-DeWitt (UdW) detector model. Since its original formulation as a pointlike detector, the UdW model has been used to study extensively the physics of quantum fields in presence of accelerations or curved backgrounds. Natural extensions of it have tried to take into account the spatial profile of such detectors, but all of them have met a series of problems in their spectral response which render them useless to study some of the most interesting physical scenarios. In this paper we provide a derivation of the smeared UdW interaction from QED first principles, then we analyze the spectral response of spatially smeared UdW detectors, and discuss the kind of spatial profiles which are useful for the study of relevant cases.

We study how two fully-featured hydrogenlike atoms harvest entanglement from the electromagnetic field vacuum, even when the atoms are spacelike separated. We compare the electromagnetic case -qualitatively and quantitatively-with previous results that used scalar fields and featureless, idealized atomic models. Our study reveals the new traits that emerge when we relax these idealizations, such as anisotropies in entanglement harvesting and the effect of exchange of angular momentum. We show that, under certain circumstances, relaxing previous idealizations makes vacuum entanglement harvesting more efficient.

Abstract. Physical theories are developed to describe phenomena in particular regimes, and generally are valid only within a limited range of scales. For example, general relativity provides an effective description of the Universe at large length scales, and has been tested from the cosmic scale down to distances as small as 10 meters [1,2]. In contrast, quantum theory provides an effective description of physics at small length scales. Direct tests of quantum theory have been performed at the smallest probeable scales at the Large Hadron Collider, ∼10 −20 meters, up to that of hundreds of kilometers [3]. Yet, such tests fall short of the scales required to investigate potentially significant physics that arises at the intersection of quantum and relativistic regimes. We propose to push direct tests of quantum theory to larger and larger length scales, approaching that of the radius of curvature of spacetime, where we begin to probe the interaction between gravity and quantum phenomena. In particular, we review a wide variety of potential tests of fundamental physics that are conceivable with artificial satellites in Earth orbit and elsewhere in the solar system, and attempt to sketch the magnitudes of potentially observable effects. The tests have the potential to determine the applicability of quantum theory at larger length scales, eliminate various alternative physical theories, and place bounds on phenomenological models motivated by ideas about spacetime microstructure from quantum gravity. From a more pragmatic perspective, as quantum communication technologies such as quantum key distribution advance into Space towards large distances, some of the fundamental physical effects discussed here may need to be taken into account to make such schemes viable. arXiv:1206.4949v2 [quant-ph] 5 Oct 2012Fundamental quantum optics experiments conceivable with satellites 2

We develop a general formalism for a non-perturbative treatment of harmonic-oscillator particle detectors in relativistic quantum field theory using continuous-variables techniques. By means of this we forgo perturbation theory altogether and reduce the complete dynamics to a readily solvable set of first-order, linear differential equations. The formalism applies unchanged to a wide variety of physical setups, including arbitrary detector trajectories, any number of detectors, arbitrary time-dependent quadratic couplings, arbitrary Gaussian initial states, and a variety of background spacetimes. As a first set of concrete results, we prove non-perturbatively-and without invoking Bogoliubov transformations-that an accelerated detector in a cavity evolves to a state that is very nearly thermal with a temperature proportional to its acceleration, allowing us to discuss the universality of the Unruh effect. Additionally we quantitatively analyze the problems of considering single-mode approximations in cavity field theory and show the emergence of causal behaviour when we include a sufficiently large number of field modes in the analysis. Finally, we analyze how the harmonic particle detector can harvest entanglement from the vacuum. We also study the effect of noise in time dependent problems introduced by suddenly switching on the interaction versus ramping it up slowly (adiabatic activation).

We study the role that both vacuum fluctuations and vacuum entanglement of a scalar field play in identifying the spacetime topology, which is not prescribed from first principles---neither in general relativity or quantum gravity. We analyze how the entanglement and observable correlations acquired between two particle detectors are sensitive to the spatial topology of spacetime. We examine the detector's time evolution to all orders in perturbation theory and then study the phenomenon of vacuum entanglement harvesting in Minkowski spacetime and two flat topologically distinct spacetimes constructed from identifications of the Minkowski space. We show that, for instance, if the spatial topology induces a preferred direction, this direction may be inferred from the dependence of correlations between the two detectors on their orientation. We therefore show that vacuum fluctuations and vacuum entanglement harvesting makes it, in principle, possible to distinguish spacetimes with identical local geometry that differ only in their topology

We analyse an ambiguity in previous works on entanglement of fermionic fields in non-inertial frames. This ambiguity, related to the anticommutation properties of field operators, leads to nonunique results when computing entanglement measures for the same state. We show that the ambiguity disappears when we introduce detectors, which are in any case necessary as a means to probe the field entanglement.