Phase diagram of the dynamics of a precessing qubit under a quantum measurement

Abstract

We study the phase transitions induced by sequentially measuring a single qubit precessing under an external transverse magnetic field. Under projective quantum measurement, the probability distribution of the measurement outcomes can be mapped exactly to the thermodynamic probability distribution of a one-dimensional Ising model, whose coupling can be varied by the magnetic field from ferromagnetic to anti-ferromagnetic. For the general case of sequential quantum measurement,we develop a fast and exact algorithm to calculate the probability distribution function of the ferromagnetic order and anti-ferromagnetic order, and a phase diagram is obtained in the parameter space spanned by the measurement strength and magnetic field strength. The mapping to a long-range interacting Ising model is obtained in the limit of small measurement strength. Full counting statistical approach is applied to understand the phase diagram, and to make connections with the topological phase transition that is characterized by the braid group. This work deepens the understanding of phase transitions induced by quantum measurement, and may provide a new method to characterize and steer the quantum evolution.