non-Markovian Memory Research Articles

Quantumness of electron transport in quantum dot devices through Leggett–Garg inequalities: A non-equilibrium Green’s function approach

Although coherent manipulation of electronic states can be achieved in quantum dot (QD) devices by harnessing nanofabrication tools, it is often hard to fathom the extent to which these nanoelectronic devices can behave quantum mechanically. Witnessing their nonclassical nature would thus remain of paramount importance in the emerging world of quantum technologies, since the coherent dynamics of electronic states plays there a crucial role. Against this backdrop, we resort to the general framework of Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGI) as it allows for distinguishing the classical and quantum transport through nanostructures by way of various two-time correlation functions. Using the local charge detection at two different time, we investigate here theoretically whether any quantum violation of the original LGI exists with varying device configurations and parameters under both Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics. Two-time correlators within LGI are derived in terms of the non-equilibrium Green’s functions (NEGFs) by exactly solving the quantum Langevin equations. The present study of non-Markovian dynamics of quantum systems interacting with reservoirs is significant for understanding the relaxation phenomenon in the ultrafast transient regime to especially mimic what happens to high-speed quantum devices. We can potentially capture the effect of finite reservoir correlation time by accounting for level-broadening at the electrodes along with non-Markovian memory effects. Furthermore, the large bias restriction is no longer imposed in our calculations so that we can safely consider a finite bias between the electronic reservoirs. Our approach is likely to open up new possibilities of witnessing the quantumness for other quantum many-body systems as well that are driven out of the equilibrium.

Tracer dynamics in polymer networks: Generalized Langevin description.

Tracer diffusion in polymer networks and hydrogels is relevant in biology and technology, while it also constitutes an interesting model process for the dynamics of molecules in fluctuating, heterogeneous soft matter. Here, we systematically study the time-dependent dynamics and (non-Markovian) memory effects of tracers in polymer networks based on (Markovian) implicit-solvent Langevin simulations. In particular, we consider spherical tracer solutes at high dilution in regular, tetrafunctional bead-spring polymer networks and control the tracer-network Lennard-Jones (LJ) interactions and the polymer density. Based on the analysis of the memory (friction) kernels, we recover the expected long-time transport coefficients and demonstrate how the short-time tracer dynamics, polymer fluctuations, and the viscoelastic response are interlinked. Furthermore, we fit the characteristic memory modes of the tracers with damped harmonic oscillations and identify LJ contributions, bond vibrations, and slow network relaxations. Tuned by the LJ interaction parameter, these modes enter the kernel with an approximately linear to quadratic scaling, which we incorporate into a reduced functional form for convenient tracer memory interpolation and extrapolation. This eventually leads to highly efficient simulations utilizing the generalized Langevin equation, in which the polymer network acts as an additional thermal bath with a tunable intensity.

Magic behaviors in non-Markovian environment

Magic as an essential resource in fault-tolerant quantum computation may shed insight into quantum information processing of open quantum system. In this work, we study the dynamics of magic for atom system immersed in non-Markovian reservoir. It is found that magic decay process can be delayed and adjusted by the strength of classical driving field and non-Markovian memory effect. In addition, it is shown that the magic state is less susceptible to decay the process of system-environment coupling than stabilizer state, and for two atoms coupling to two independent reservoirs, magic can be generated. The results may be beneficial for theory and experiment of quantum computation and information in open quantum system.

Propagation of perfect Laguerre–Gaussian entangled states in non-Kolmogorov atmospheric turbulence

We investigate the impacts of backward scattering (BS) of non-Kolmogorov turbulence on the entangled perfect Laguerre–Gaussian (PLG) beams. The explicit expressions for PLG quantum entanglement and quantum coherence are derived in the BS case. We find that the introduction of BS reduces the entanglement and coherence, disrupts the initial decay characteristics, and induces the revival of entanglement and coherence, in which sense turbulence may possess a non-Markovian (memory) effect. As the OAM number increases, the non-Markovian feature increases logarithmically. In addition, the universal decay of entanglement and coherence and the non-Kolmogorov effects are also explored.

Construction of Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics with Many-Body Non-Markovian Memory.

We introduce a machine-learning-based coarse-grained molecular dynamics model that faithfully retains the many-body nature of the intermolecular dissipative interactions. Unlike the common empirical coarse-grained models, the present model is constructed based on the Mori-Zwanzig formalism and naturally inherits the heterogeneous state-dependent memory term rather than matching the mean-field metrics such as the velocity autocorrelation function. Numerical results show that preserving the many-body nature of the memory term is crucial for predicting the collective transport and diffusion processes, where empirical forms generally show limitations.

Quantum speed limit for time-fractional open systems

The Time-Fractional Schrödinger Equation (TFSE) is well-adjusted to study a quantum system interacting with its dissipative environment. The Quantum Speed Limit (QSL) time captures the shortest time required for a quantum system to evolve between two states, which is significant for evaluating the maximum speed in quantum processes. In this work, we solve exactly for a generic time-fractional single qubit open system by applying the TFSE to a basic open quantum system model, namely the resonant dissipative Jaynes–Cummings (JC) model, and investigate the QSL time for the system. It is shown that the non-Markovian memory effects of the environment can accelerate the time-fractional quantum evolution, thus resulting in a smaller QSL time. Additionally, the condition for the acceleration evolution of the time-fractional open quantum system at a given driving time, i.e., a tradeoff among the fractional order, coupling strength and photon number, is brought to light. In particular, a method to manipulate the non-Markovian dynamics of a time-fractional open quantum system by adjusting the fractional order for a long driving time is presented.

Memory effects displayed in the evolution of continuous variable system

We analyze non-Markovian memory effects displayed by the quantum Brownian motion modelled as a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to a bath consisting of harmonic oscillators. In particular, the evolution of fidelity, relative entropy and quantum entanglement (measured by negativity) is considered for a family of Gaussian states (one and two mode squeezed vacuum and three mode basset-hound states). It is shown how to enhance detection of memory effects by adding an additional (ancillary) mode such that only a single mode (a system) is subjected to the evolution. It is observed that even a small amount of squeezing allows detection of non-Markovian memory effects.

Memory effects in multipartite systems coupled by nondiagonal dephasing mechanisms

The developing of (non-Markovian) memory effects strongly depends on the underlying system-environment dynamics. Here we study this problem in multipartite arrangements where all subsystems are coupled to each other by non-diagonal Markovian (Lindblad) dephasing mechanisms. Taking as system and environment arbitrary sets of complementary subsystems it is shown that both operational and non-operational approaches to quantum non-Markovianity can be characterized in an exact analytical way. Similarly to previous studies about dissipative-entanglement-generation in this kind of dynamics [Seif, Wang, and Clerk, Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 070402 (2022)], we found that memory effects can only emerge when a time-reversal symmetry is broken. Nevertheless, it is also found that departures from Markovianity can equivalently be represented through a statistical mixture of Markovian dephasing dynamics, which does not involve any system-environment entanglement. Specific bipartite and multipartite dynamics exemplify the main general results.

Hierarchical equations of motion approach for accurate characterization of spin excitations in quantum impurity systems.

Recent technological advancement in scanning tunneling microscopes has enabled the measurement of spin-field and spin-spin interactions in single atomic or molecular junctions with an unprecedentedly high resolution. Theoretically, although the fermionic hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) method has been widely applied to investigate the strongly correlated Kondo states in these junctions, the existence of low-energy spin excitations presents new challenges to numerical simulations. These include the quest for a more accurate and efficient decomposition for the non-Markovian memory of low-temperature environments and a more careful handling of errors caused by the truncation of the hierarchy. In this work, we propose several new algorithms, which significantly enhance the performance of the HEOM method, as exemplified by the calculations on systems involving various types of low-energy spin excitations. Being able to characterize both the Kondo effect and spin excitation accurately, the HEOM method offers a sophisticated and versatile theoretical tool, which is valuable for the understanding and even prediction of the fascinating quantum phenomena explored in cutting-edge experiments.

Non-Markovianity between Site Pairs in FMO Complex Using Discrete-Time Quantum Jump Model.

The Fenna-Mathews-Olson (FMO) complex present in green sulfur bacteria is known to mediate the transfer of excitation energy between light-harvesting chlorosomes and membrane-embedded bacterial reaction centers. Due to the high efficiency of this transport process, it is an extensively studied pigment-protein complex system with the eventual aim of modeling and engineering similar dynamics in other systems and using it for real-time application. Some studies have attributed the enhancement of transport efficiency to wavelike behavior and non-Markovian quantum jumps resulting in long-lived and revival of quantum coherence, respectively. Since dynamics in these systems reside in the quantum-classical regime, quantum simulation of such dynamics will help in exploring the subtle role of quantum features in enhancing the transport efficiency, which has remained unsettled. Discrete simulation of the dynamics in the FMO complex can help in efficient engineering of the heat bath and controlling the environment with the system. In this work, using the discrete quantum jump model we show and quantify the presence of higher non-Markovian memory effects in specific site pairs when internal structures and environmental effects are in favor of faster transport. As a consequence, our study leans toward the connection between non-Markovianity in quantum jumps with the enhancement of transport efficiency.

Floquet renormalization group approach to the periodically driven Kondo model

We study the interplay of strong correlations and coherent driving by considering the strong-coupling Kondo model driven by a time-periodic bias voltage. Combining a recent nonequilibrium renormalization group method with Floquet theory, we find that by the coherent dressing of the driving field side-replicas of the Kondo resonance emerge in the conductance, which are not completely washed out by the decoherence induced by the driving. We show that to accurately capture the interplay of driving and strong correlations one needs to go beyond simple phenomenological pictures, which underestimate decoherence, or adiabatic approximations, highlighting the relevance of non-Markovian memory effects. Within our method the differential conductance shows good quantitative agreement with experimental data in the full crossover regime from weak to strong driving. We analyze memory effects in detail based on the response to short voltage pulses.

Quantifying non-Markovian Memory in a Superconducting Quantum Computer

We analyze the temporal correlations in a sequence of gates by characterizing the performance of a gate conditioned on the gate that preceded it. With this method, we estimate (i) the size of fluctuations in the performance of a gate, i.e., errors due to non-Markovianity; (ii) the length of the memory; and (iii) the total size of the memory. Our results strongly indicate the presence of nontrivial non-Markovian effects in almost all gates in the universal set. However, based on our findings, we discuss the potential for cleaner computation by adequately accounting the non-Markovian nature of the machine.

Quantum coherence protection by noise

In this paper, we propose a scheme to protect quantum coherence by adding another noise. We consider an example of a Jaynes–Cummings model coupled to an external non-Markovian bosonic bath. We solve this model by using the dressed state method in the presence of a stochastic coupling and obtain the density matrix by numerically averaging many stochastic trajectories. We show that the noisy atom-cavity coupling can effectively suppress both the relaxation and dephasing effects caused by the leakage of the cavity. Besides, we further illustrate the impacts of the standard deviation of the noisy coupling and the non-Markovian memory effect on the coherence protection. Then, the mechanism of the protection is analyzed. It is our hope that our research may open a new path to consider the role of noise in quantum coherence preservation.

Tunable non-Markovian dynamics with a three-level atom mediated by the classical laser in a semi-infinite photonic waveguide

In this work, we investigate the non-Markovian (NM) dynamical evolution of a three-level atom coupled to a semi-infinite one-dimensional photonic waveguide and driven by a classical driving field. The single-end of waveguide behaves as a perfect mirror while light can pass through the opposite end with no backreflection. We derive the exact analytical expressions for the wave function of the driven three-level atom by solving a set of delay differential equations and give the conditions of atom-photon bound state formation that can inhibit the dissipation, which appears in the atom-mirror interspace in order to trap a considerable amount of initial atomic excitation. We show that when the evolution time of the system is shorter than the time delay taken by a photon to perform a round trip between the atom and mirror, the atomic dynamics exhibits Markovian properties, which depend on the driving strength and rescaled parameters. If the evolution time of the system exceeds the time delay, the photon can be reabsorbed by the atom with the photon emitted by the atom having completed the round trip, which exhibits NM memory effects, where the population eventually convergences to the finite-steady values. We also study the influence of the loss and dephasing on the formation of a bound state. Finally, the above results are extended to a more general quantum system involving single-end photonic waveguide coupled to an arbitrary number of noninteracting three-level atoms driven by the driving fields. The presented formalism might open a way to better understand exactly the NM dynamics of driven multilevel atoms coupled to a semi-infinite waveguide.

Dynamics of skew information-based quantum coherence under correlated noisy channels

In this paper, we study analytically the skew information-based coherence, and compare its dynamics with that of the norm of coherence for two-qubit Bell-diagonal states under the influence of correlated Pauli channels, such as correlated dephase, depolarizing and classical noisy channels, respectively. The similar as well as different features between the skew information-based coherence and norm of coherence are discussed. In addition, the physical mechanism of preserving quantum coherence based on memory coefficient of correlated channels and non-Markovian memory effect is also expounded.

Generalized master equation for charge transport in a molecular junction: Exact memory kernels and their high order expansion.

We derive a set of generalized master equations (GMEs) to study charge transport dynamics in molecular junctions using the Nakajima-Zwanzig-Mori projection operator approach. In the new GME, time derivatives of population on each quantum state of the molecule, as well as the tunneling current, are calculated as the convolution of time non-local memory kernels with populations on all system states. The non-Markovian memory kernels are obtained by combining the hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) method and a previous derived Dyson relation for the exact kernel. A perturbative expansion of these memory kernels is then calculated using the extended HEOM developed in our previous work [M. Xu et al., J. Chem. Phys. 146, 064102 (2017)]. By using the resonant level model and the Anderson impurity model, we study properties of the exact memory kernels and analyze convergence properties of their perturbative expansions with respect to the system-bath coupling strength and the electron-electron repulsive energy. It is found that exact memory kernels calculated from HEOM exhibit short memory times and decay faster than the population and current dynamics. The high order perturbation expansion of the memory kernels can give converged results in certain parameter regimes. The Padé and Landau-Zener resummation schemes are also found to give improved results over low order perturbation theory.

Pairwise connected tensor network representation of path integrals

It has been recently shown how the tensorial nature of real-time path integrals involving the Feynman-Vernon influence functional can be utilized using matrix product states, taking advantage of the finite length of the non-Markovian memory. Tensor networks promise to provide a new, unified language to express the structure of path integral. Here, a generalized tensor network is derived and implemented specifically incorporating the pairwise interaction structure of the influence functional, allowing for a compact representation and efficient evaluation. This pairwise connected tensor network path integral (PCTNPI) is illustrated through applications to typical spin-boson problems and explorations of the differences caused by the exact form of the spectral density. The storage requirements and performance are compared with iterative quasi-adiabatic propagator path integral and iterative blip-summed path integral. Finally, the viability of using PCTNPI for simulating multistate problems is demonstrated taking advantage of the compressed representation.

A multisite decomposition of the tensor network path integrals.

Tensor network decompositions of path integrals for simulating open quantum systems have recently been proven to be useful. However, these methods scale exponentially with the system size. This makes it challenging to simulate the non-equilibrium dynamics of extended quantum systems coupled with local dissipative environments. In this work, we extend the tensor network path integral (TNPI) framework to efficiently simulate such extended systems. The Feynman-Vernon influence functional is a popular approach used to account for the effect of environments on the dynamics of the system. In order to facilitate the incorporation of the influence functional into a multisite framework (MS-TNPI), we combine a matrix product state (MPS) decomposition of the reduced density tensor of the system along the sites with a corresponding tensor network representation of the time axis to construct an efficient 2D tensor network. The 2D MS-TNPI network, when contracted, yields the time-dependent reduced density tensor of the extended system as an MPS. The algorithm presented is independent of the system Hamiltonian. We outline an iteration scheme to take the simulation beyond the non-Markovian memory introduced by solvents. Applications to spin chains coupled to local harmonic baths are presented; we consider the Ising, XXZ, and Heisenberg models, demonstrating that the presence of local environments can often dissipate the entanglement between the sites. We discuss three factors causing the system to transition from a coherent oscillatory dynamics to a fully incoherent dynamics. The MS-TNPI method is useful for studying a variety of extended quantum systems coupled with solvents.

Randomized Benchmarking for Non-Markovian Noise

Estimating the features of noise is the first step in a chain of protocols that will someday lead to fault tolerant quantum computers. The randomized benchmarking (RB) protocol is designed with this exact mindset, estimating the average strength of noise in a quantum processor with relative ease in practice. However, RB, along with most other benchmarking and characterization methods, is limited in scope because it assumes that the noise is temporally uncorrelated (Markovian), which is increasingly evident not to be the case. Here, we combine the RB protocol with a recent framework describing non-Markovian quantum phenomena to derive a general analytical expression of the average sequence fidelity (ASF) for non-Markovian RB with the Clifford group. We show that one can identify non-Markovian features of the noise directly from the ASF through its deviations from the Markovian case, proposing a set of methods to collectively estimate these deviations, non-Markovian memory time-scales, and diagnose (in)coherence of non-Markovian noise in an RB experiment. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of our proposal by means of several proof-of-principle examples. Our methods are directly implementable and pave the pathway to better understanding correlated noise in quantum processors.

Non-Markovian memory strength bounds quantum process recoverability

Generic non-Markovian quantum processes have infinitely long memory, implying an exact description that grows exponentially in complexity with observation time. Here, we present a finite memory ansatz that approximates (or recovers) the true process with errors bounded by the strength of the non-Markovian memory. The introduced memory strength is an operational quantity and depends on the way the process is probed. Remarkably, the recovery error is bounded by the smallest memory strength over all possible probing methods. This allows for an unambiguous and efficient description of non-Markovian phenomena, enabling compression and recovery techniques pivotal to near-term technologies. We highlight the implications of our results by analyzing an exactly solvable model to show that memory truncation is possible even in a highly non-Markovian regime.