Aharonov-Anandan Phase Research Articles

The Aharonov-Anandan phase and geometric double-quantum excitation in strongly coupled nuclear spin pairs.

The Aharonov-Anandan phase is a contribution to the phase acquired by the cyclic evolution of a quantum state, which depends only on the geometric properties of its trajectory. We report the study and the exploitation of the Aharonov-Anandan phase by nuclear magnetic resonance interferometry techniques in homonuclear spin-1/2 pairs in the near-equivalence limit. We introduce a new method for engineering effective zero-quantum Hamiltonians with an arbitrary phase in the transverse plane. We use this method to generate a variety of cyclic zero-quantum paths, enabling direct study of the geometric Aharonov-Anandan phase to probe the rotational characteristics of the zero-quantum subspace. We show that the geometric Aharonov-Anandan phase may be used for efficient double-quantum excitation in strongly coupled spin pairs. We find that geometric double-quantum excitation outperforms the standard method by a factor of 2 in experiments performed on a typical case involving near-equivalent spin pairs.

Control of the Geometric Phase and Nonequivalence between Geometric-Phase Definitions in the Adiabatic Limit.

If the time evolution of a quantum state leads back to the initial state, a geometric phase is accumulated that is known as the Berry phase for adiabatic evolution or as the Aharonov-Anandan (AA) phase for nonadiabatic evolution. We evaluate these geometric phases using Floquet theory for systems in time-dependent external fields with a focus on paths leading through a degeneracy of the eigenenergies. Contrary to expectations, the low-frequency limits of the two phases do not always coincide. This happens as the degeneracy leads to a slow convergence of the quantum states to adiabaticity, resulting in a nonzero finite or divergent contribution to the AA phase. Steering the system adiabatically through a degeneracy provides control over the geometric phase as it can cause a π shift of the Berry phase. On the other hand, we revisit an example of degeneracy crossing proposed by AA. We find that, at suitable driving frequencies, both geometric-phase definitions give the same result and the dynamical phase is zero due to the symmetry of time evolution about the point of degeneracy, providing an advantageous setup for manipulation of quantum states.

Interplay between geometric and dynamic phases in a single-spin system

We use a combination of microwave fields and free precession to drive the spin of a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond on different trajectories on the Bloch sphere, and investigate the physical significance of the frame-dependent decomposition of the total phase into geometric and dynamic parts. The experiments are performed on a two-level subspace of the spin-1 ground state of the NV, where the Aharonov-Anandan geometric phase manifests itself as a global phase, and we use the third level of the NV ground state triplet to detect it. We show that while the geometric Aharonov-Anandan phase retains its connection to the solid angle swept out by the evolving spin, it is generally accompanied by a dynamic phase that suppresses the geometric dependence of the system dynamics. These results offer insights into the physical significance of frame-dependent geometric phases.

Spin-Symmetry Breaking Through Metasurface Geometric Phases

Studies of geometric phases arising in metasurfaces have focused on the Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) phase, locking spin states to a symmetric profile. This work shows how to realize instead the Aharonov-Anandan (AA) phase, by mimicking a single ballistic Aharonov-Bohm ring with metastructures. Spin-symmetry restriction is broken by combining the AA and PB phases, and the merged phase can impose a desired phase profile on an arbitrary polarization, enable manipulation of the photonic spin Hall effect, superpose spin-\textonehalf{} charges, and break the conjugate constraints of output orbital-angular-momentum modes. These results have significant potential for polarization control and spin-enabled optics.

Measuring geometric phases with a dynamical quantum Zeno effect in a Bose-Einstein condensate

A closed-trajectory evolution of a quantum state generally imprints a phase that contains both dynamical and geometrical contributions. While dynamical phases depend on the reference system, geometric phase factors are uniquely defined by the properties of the outlined trajectory. Here, we generate and measure geometric phases in a Bose-Einstein condensate of $^{87}$Rb using a combination of dynamical quantum Zeno effect and measurement-free evolution. We show that the dynamical quantum Zeno effect can inhibit the formation of a geometric phase without altering the dynamical phase. This can be used to extract the geometric Aharonov-Anandan phase from any closed-trajectory evolution without requiring knowledge or control of the Hamiltonian.

Topological Order, Mixed States and Open Systems

The role of mixed states in topological quantum matter is less known than that of pure quantum states. Generalisations of topological phases appearing in pure states have received attention in the literature only quite recently. In particular, it is still unclear whether the generalisation of the Aharonov–Anandan phase for mixed states due to Uhlmann plays any physical role in the behaviour of the quantum systems. We analyse, from a general viewpoint, topological phases of mixed states and the robustness of their invariance. In particular, we analyse the role of these phases in the behaviour of systems with periodic symmetry and their evolution under the influence of an environment preserving its crystalline symmetries.

Piecewise adiabatic following in non-Hermitian cycling

The time evolution of periodically driven non-Hermitian systems is in general non-unitary but can be stable. It is hence of considerable interest to examine the adiabatic following dynamics in periodically driven non-Hermitian systems. We show in this work the possibility of piecewise adiabatic following interrupted by hopping between instantaneous system eigenstates. This phenomenon is first observed in a computational model and then theoretically explained, using an exactly solvable model, in terms of the Stokes phenomenon. In the latter case, the piecewise adiabatic following is shown to be a genuine critical behavior and the precise phase boundary in the parameter space is located. Interestingly, the critical boundary for piecewise adiabatic following is found to be unrelated to the domain for exceptional points. To characterize the adiabatic following dynamics, we also advocate a simple definition of the Aharonov-Anandan (AA) phase for non-unitary cyclic dynamics, which always yields real AA phases. In the slow driving limit, the AA phase reduces to the Berry phase if adiabatic following persists throughout the driving without hopping, but oscillates violently and does not approach any limit in cases of piecewise adiabatic following. This work exposes the rich features of non-unitary dynamics in cases of slow cycling and should stimulate future applications of non-unitary dynamics.

Non-stoquastic Hamiltonians in quantum annealing via geometric phases

We argue that a complete description of quantum annealing implemented with continuous variables must take into account the non-adiabatic Aharonov-Anandan geometric phase that arises when the system Hamiltonian changes during the anneal. We show that this geometric effect leads to the appearance of non-stoquasticity in the effective quantum Ising Hamiltonians that are typically used to describe quantum annealing with flux qubits. We explicitly demonstrate the effect of this geometric non-stoquasticity when quantum annealing is performed with a system of one and two coupled flux qubits. The realization of non-stoquastic Hamiltonians has important implications from a computational complexity perspective, since it is believed that in many cases quantum annealing with stoquastic Hamiltonians can be efficiently simulated via classical algorithms such as Quantum Monte Carlo. It is well known that the direct implementation of non-stoquastic Hamiltonians with flux qubits is particularly challenging. Our results suggest an alternative path for the implementation of non-stoquasticity via geometric phases that can be exploited for computational purposes.

Measuring the Aharonov-Anandan phase in multiport photonic systems.

Beyond the adiabatic limit, the Aharonov-Anandan phase is a generalized description of Berry's phase. In this regime, systems with time-independent Hamiltonians may also acquire observable geometric phases. Here we report on a measurement of the Aharonov-Anandan phase in photonics. Different from previous optical experiments on geometric phases, the implementation is based on light modes confined in evanescently coupled waveguides rather than polarization-like systems, thereby physical models in more than two-dimensional Hilbert spaces are achievable. In a tailored photonic lattice, we realize time-independent quantum-driven harmonic oscillators initially prepared in the vacuum state and achieve a measurement of the Aharonov-Anandan phase via integrated interferometry.

Topological origin of the fermion sign problem

Monte Carlo simulations are a powerful tool for elucidating the properties of complex systems across many disciplines. Not requiring any a priori knowledge, they are particularly well suited for exploring new phenomena. However, when applied to fermionic quantum systems, quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) algorithms suffer from the so-called "negative sign problem", which causes the computational effort to grow exponentially with problem size. Here we demonstrate that the fermion sign problem originates in topological properties of the configurations. In particular, we show that in the widely used auxiliary field approaches the negative sign of a configuration is a geometric phase that is the imaginary time counterpart of the Aharonov-Anandan phase, and reduces to a Berry phase in the adiabatic limit. This provides an intriguing connection between QMC simulations and classification of topological states. Our results shed clarify the controversially debated origin of the sign problem in fermionic lattice models.

Continuum model for chiral induced spin selectivity in helical molecules.

A minimal model is exactly solved for electron spin transport on a helix. Electron transport is assumed to be supported by well oriented p(z) type orbitals on base molecules forming a staircase of definite chirality. In a tight binding interpretation, the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) opens up an effective π(z) - π(z) coupling via interbase p(x,y) - p(z) hopping, introducing spin coupled transport. The resulting continuum model spectrum shows two Kramers doublet transport channels with a gap proportional to the SOC. Each doubly degenerate channel satisfies time reversal symmetry; nevertheless, a bias chooses a transport direction and thus selects for spin orientation. The model predicts (i) which spin orientation is selected depending on chirality and bias, (ii) changes in spin preference as a function of input Fermi level and (iii) back-scattering suppression protected by the SO gap. We compute the spin current with a definite helicity and find it to be proportional to the torsion of the chiral structure and the non-adiabatic Aharonov-Anandan phase. To describe room temperature transport, we assume that the total transmission is the result of a product of coherent steps.

Dynamics of quasiparticles in graphene under intense circularly polarized light

A monolayer of graphene irradiated with circularly polarized light suggests a unique platform for surface electromagnetic wave (plasmon-polariton) manipulation. In fact, the time periodicity of the Hamiltonian leads to a geometric Aharonov-Anandan phase and results in a photovoltaic Hall effect in graphene, creating off-diagonal components of the conductivity tensor. The latter drastically changes the dispersion relation of surface plasmon-polaritons, leading to hybrid wave generation. In this paper we present a systematic and self-contained analysis of the hybrid surface waves obtained from Maxwell equations based on a microscopic formula for the conductivity. We consider a practical example of graphene sandwiched between two dielectric media and show that in the one-photon approximation there is formation of propagating hybrid surface waves. From this analysis emerges the possibility of a reliable experimental realization to study Zitterbewegung of charge carriers of graphene.

Quantum phase transitions exposed by rotating the spins.

Using the exactly solvable XY spin chain as an example, we consider nonadiabatic variation of the Hamiltonian along an isospectral trajectory. We suggest that quantum phase transitions (QPTs) can be revealed by the nonadiabatic geometric or Aharonov-Anandan phase, accumulated in a cycle of the state that starts from a particular initial state. On the other hand, starting as the ground state of the instantaneous Hamiltonian, the state does not return to the initial state if the variation of the Hamiltonian is not adiabatic, but the survival probability can indicate QPTs and display revival phenomena.

Quantum Recurrence of a Subspace and Operator-Valued Schur Functions

A notion of monitored recurrence for discrete-time quantum processes was recently introduced in Grünbaum et al. (Commun Math Phys (2), 320:543–569, 2013) taking the initial state as an absorbing one. We extend this notion of monitored recurrence to absorbing subspaces of arbitrary finite dimension. The generating function approach leads to a connection with the well-known theory of operator-valued Schur functions. This is the cornerstone of a spectral characterization of subspace recurrence that generalizes some of the main results in Grünbaum et al. (Commun Math Phys (2), 320:543–569, 2013). The spectral decomposition of the unitary step operator driving the evolution yields a spectral measure, which we project onto the subspace to obtain a new spectral measure that is purely singular iff the subspace is recurrent, and consists of a pure point spectrum with a finite number of masses precisely when all states in the subspace have a finite expected return time. This notion of subspace recurrence also links the concept of expected return time to an Aharonov–Anandan phase that, in contrast to the case of state recurrence, can be non-integer. Even more surprising is the fact that averaging such geometrical phases over the absorbing subspace yields an integer with a topological meaning, so that the averaged expected return time is always a rational number. Moreover, state recurrence can occasionally give higher return probabilities than subspace recurrence, a fact that reveals once more the counter-intuitive behavior of quantum systems. All these phenomena are illustrated with explicit examples, including as a natural application the analysis of site recurrence for coined walks.

The Aharonov-Anandan current induced by a time-dependent magnetic flux in graphene rings

We investigate the current response of a graphene ring in the presence of a time-dependent magnetic flux. Using the linear response theory, we find a nonzero Aharonov-Anandan (AA) phase of carriers in the ring. When the flux increases, the current responses to the flux nonlinearly, which can be applied to translate the external flux signal to the electronic signal. Especially for the huge flux with low frequency, this system can be used as an electronic current square-wave generator. Moreover, a resonant transition can occur in the case of the flux with the proper frequency. And then a current beat frequency phenomenon is observed.

Geometric invariants as detector of Hawking and Unruh effects and quantum field theory in curved space

We report on the recent results revealing the presence of geometric invariants in all the phenomena in which vacuum condensates appear and we show that Aharonov-Anandan phase can be used to provide the evidence of phenomena like Hawking and Unruh effects and to test some behavior of quantum field theory in curved space. A very precise quantum thermometer can be also built by using geometric invariants.

Design of geometric phase gates and controlling the dynamic phase for a two-qubit Ising model in magnetic fields

We investigate how to obtain a non-trivial geometric phase gate for a two-qubit spin chain, with Ising interaction in different magnetic fields. Indeed, one of the spins is driven by a time-varying rotating magnetic field, and the other is coupled with a static magnetic field in the direction of the rotation axis. This is an interesting problem both for the purpose of measuring the geometric phases and in quantum computing applications. It is shown that the static magnetic field does not change the adiabatic states of the system, and it does not affect the geometric phases, whereas it may be used to control the dynamic phases. In addition, by considering the exact two-spin adiabatic geometric phases, we find that a non-trivial two-spin unitary transformation, purely based on Berry phases, can be obtained by using two consecutive cycles with opposite directions of the magnetic fields, opposite signs of the interaction constant and the phase shift of the rotating magnetic field. In addition, in the non-adiabatic case, starting with a certain initial state, a cycle can be achieved and thus the Aharonov–Anandan phase is calculated.

Phases of the electronic two-level model under rotating wave approximation

We present the time evolution of the electronic two-level model in rotating wave approximation and calculate the Aharonov–Anandan phase of the vector states with cyclic evolution either within the period of an external monochromatic electric field or the period corresponding to the generalized Rabi frequency. The Aharonov–Anandan phase in the most general case is shown to be dependent on the initial vector state, unless the system evolves in the adiabatic regime; in the latter case, the Aharonov–Anandan phase recovers Berry's phase. In the quasi-resonant regime of the electronic two-level model, the different relations between Γ and the frequency ω of the electric field correspond to distinct regimes of the coupling between this external field and matter.

An Aharonov—Anandan phase gate in the sub-Hilbert space of a coupling flux qubits system

We study two flux qubits with a parameter coupling scenario. Under the rotating wave approximation, we truncate the 4-dimensional Hilbert space of a coupling flux qubits system to a 2-dimensional subspace spanned by two dressed states |01〉 and |10〉. In this subspace, we illustrate how to generate an Aharnov—Anandan phase, based on which, we can construct a NOT gate (as effective as a C-NOT gate) in this coupling flux qubits system. Finally, the fidelity of the NOT gate is also calculated in the presence of the simulated classical noise.

Atomic interferometer measurements of Berry and Aharonov-Anandan phases for isolated spinsS>12nonlinearly coupled to external fields

The aim of the present paper is to propose experiments for observing the significant features of Berry's phases for S>1, generated by spin-Hamiltonians endowed with two couplings, a magnetic dipole and an electric quadrupole one with external B and E fields, as theoretically studied in our previous work. The fields are assumed orthogonal, this mild restriction leading to geometric and algebraic simplifications. Alkali atoms appear as good candidates for interferometric measurements but there are challenges to be overcome. The only practical way to generate a suitable E-field is to use the ac Stark effect which induces an instability of the dressed atom. Besides atom loss, this might invalidate Berry's phase derivation but this latter problem can be solved by an appropriate detuning. The former puts an upper limit to the cycle duration, which is bounded below by the adiabatic condition. By relying upon our previous analysis of the non-adiabatic corrections, we have been able to reach a compromise for the $^{87}$Rb hf level F=2, m=0 state, which is our candidate for an interferometric measurement of the exotic Berry's phase generated by a rotation of the E-field around the fixed B-field. By a numerical simulation we have shown that the non-adiabatic corrections can be kept below the 0.1% level. As an alternative candidate, we discuss the chromium ground state J=S=3, where the instability problem is easily solved. We make a proposal to extend the measurement of Aharonov-Anandan's phase beyond S=1/2 to the $^{87}$Rb hf level F=m=1, by constructing, with the help of light-shifts, a Hamiltonian able to perform a parallel transport along a closed circuit upon the density matrix space, without any adiabatic constraint. In Appendix A, Berry's phase difference for S=3/2 and 1/2, m=1/2 states is used to perform an entanglement of 3 Qbits.