Assessing the entropy changes of Bloch-vector trajectories using experimental data.

Abstract

We present a procedure for assessing changes in the order-1 Renyi entropy of the Bloch-vector trajectory of a two-level atom using only one Bloch-vector component. Entropy changes of the Bloch-vector trajectory are manifested in an alternate three-dimensional trajectory constructed from the time series of atomic-population variations using a simple delay-coordinate embedding procedure. This technique is shown to be robust in the presence of noise. Hence it provides a tool to aid in the experimental investigation of the correlations between Rabi resonances and entropy enhancements in atomic systems.