Master equation for the quantum Rabi model in the adiabatic regime

Abstract

A qubit--harmonic-oscillator open system coupled to thermal baths was considered and the master equation describing the evolution of the open system was deduced when the qubit transition frequency is $\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.1$ the oscillator frequency. The master equation is valid in all the qubit-oscillator state space and holds for all values of the qubit-oscillator coupling including the ultrastrong and deep strong coupling regimes. It only requires an oscillator frequency much larger than the relaxation rates. The qubit-oscillator coupling can enhance or decrease both the relaxation rates and the frequency shifts induced by the thermal baths. It was found that weak, sinusoidal qubit driving forces the qubit-oscillator open system to behave like a driven qubit whose evolution is governed by equations similar to those of the Bloch vector in the optical Bloch equations and whose transition frequency decreases with increasing qubit-oscillator coupling strength. Finally, it was shown how one can reach the adiabatic regime by using sinusoidal qubit driving with large driving frequency and the concepts of $\ensuremath{\pi}$ and $\ensuremath{\pi}/2$ pulses were generalized to manipulate transitions between dressed states.