Open Quantum Dynamics Research Articles

Autobiography of Yoshitaka Tanimura.

In this paper, two developments, the theory of hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) for open quantum dynamics systems and the theory of ultrafast nonlinear two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopies, are described, following the history of their founder. The HEOM was discovered by attempting to derive an equation similar to Kuob's stochastic Liouville equation based on the system-bath Hamiltonian. The theory of 2D spectroscopy was developed in the process of investigating the effect of quantum coherence on nonlinear vibrational spectra based on the Feynman-Vernon influence functional. The paper also describes the development of these two theories for problems such as electron and exciton transfer in photosynthetic systems, quantum statistical thermodynamics, and solid-state physics.

Simulation of Open Quantum Dynamics with Bootstrap-Based Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network

The recurrent neural network with the long short-term memory cell (LSTM-NN) is employed to simulate the long-time dynamics of open quantum systems. The bootstrap method is applied in the LSTM-NN construction and prediction, which provides a Monte Carlo estimation of a forecasting confidence interval. Within this approach, a large number of LSTM-NNs are constructed by resampling time-series sequences that were obtained from the early stage quantum evolution given by numerically exact multilayer multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree method. The built LSTM-NN ensemble is used for the reliable propagation of the long-time quantum dynamics, and the simulated result is highly consistent with the exact evolution. The forecasting uncertainty that partially reflects the reliability of the LSTM-NN prediction is also given. This demonstrates the bootstrap-based LSTM-NN approach is a practical and powerful tool to propagate the long-time quantum dynamics of open systems with high accuracy and low computational cost.

Solvable class of non-Markovian quantum multipartite dynamics

We study a class of multipartite open quantum dynamics for systems of arbitrary number of qubits. The non-Markovian quantum master equation can involve arbitrary single or multipartite and time-dependent dissipative coupling mechanisms, expressed in terms of strings of Pauli operators. We formulate the general constraints that guarantee the complete positivity of this dynamics. We characterize in detail underlying mechanisms that lead to memory effects, together with properties of the dynamics encoded in the associated system rates. We specifically derive multipartite "eternal" non-Markovian master equations that we term hyperbolic and trigonometric due to the time dependence of their rates. For these models we identify a transition between positive and periodically divergent rates. We also study non-Markovian effects through an operational (measurement-based) memory witness approach.

Open quantum dynamics theory on the basis of periodical system-bath model for discrete Wigner function

Discretizing a distribution function in a phase space for an efficient quantum dynamics simulation is a non-trivial challenge, in particular for a case that a system is further coupled to environmental degrees of freedom. Such open quantum dynamics is described by a reduced equation of motion (REOM) most notably by a quantum Fokker-Planck equation (QFPE) for a Wigner distribution function (WDF). To develop a discretization scheme that is stable for numerical simulations from the REOM approach, we employ a two-dimensional (2D) periodically invariant system-bath (PISB) model with two heat baths. This model is an ideal platform not only for a periodic system but also for a non-periodic system confined by a potential. We then derive the numerically ''exact'' hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) for a discrete WDF in terms of periodically invariant operators in both coordinate and momentum spaces. The obtained equations can treat non-Markovian heat-bath in a non-perturbative manner at finite temperatures regardless of the mesh size. As demonstrations, we numerically integrate the discrete QFPE for a 2D free rotor and harmonic potential systems in a high-temperature Markovian case using a coarse mesh with initial conditions that involve singularity.

Experimental Simulation of Open Quantum System Dynamics via Trotterization.

Digital quantum simulators provide a diversified tool for solving the evolution of quantum systems with complicated Hamiltonians and hold great potential for a wide range of applications. Although much attention is paid to the unitary evolution of closed quantum systems, dissipation and noise are vital in understanding the dynamics of practical quantum systems. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a digital simulation of an open quantum system in a controllable Markovian environment with the assistance of a single ancillary qubit. By Trotterizing the quantum Liouvillians, the continuous evolution of an open quantum system is effectively realized, and its application in error mitigation is demonstrated by adjusting the simulated noise intensities. High-order Trotter for open quantum dynamics is also experimentally investigated and shows higher accuracy. Our results represent a significant step toward hardware-efficient simulation of open quantum systems and error mitigation in quantum algorithms in noisy intermediate-scale quantum systems.

Machine learning time-local generators of open quantum dynamics

In the study of closed many-body quantum systems one is often interested in the evolution of a subset of degrees of freedom. On many occasions it is possible to approach the problem by performing an appropriate decomposition into a bath and a system. In the simplest case the evolution of the reduced state of the system is governed by a quantum master equation with a time-independent, i.e. Markovian, generator. Such evolution is typically emerging under the assumption of a weak coupling between the system and an infinitely large bath. Here, we are interested in understanding to which extent a neural network function approximator can predict open quantum dynamics - described by time-local generators - from an underlying unitary dynamics. We investigate this question using a class of spin models, which is inspired by recent experimental setups. We find that indeed time-local generators can be learned. In certain situations they are even time-independent and allow to extrapolate the dynamics to unseen times. This might be useful for situations in which experiments or numerical simulations do not allow to capture long-time dynamics and for exploring thermalization occurring in closed quantum systems.

Efficient quantum simulation of open quantum dynamics at various Hamiltonians and spectral densities

Simulation of open quantum dynamics for various Hamiltonians and spectral densities are ubiquitous for studying various quantum systems. On a quantum computer, only log2N qubits are required for the simulation of an N-dimensional quantum system, hence simulation in a quantum computer can greatly reduce the computational complexity compared with classical methods. Recently, a quantum simulation approach was proposed for studying photosynthetic light harvesting [npj Quantum Inf. 4, 52 (2018)]. In this paper, we apply the approach to simulate the open quantum dynamics of various photosynthetic systems. We show that for Drude—Lorentz spectral density, the dimerized geometries with strong couplings within the donor and acceptor clusters respectively exhibit significantly improved efficiency. We also demonstrate that the overall energy transfer can be optimized when the energy gap between the donor and acceptor clusters matches the optimum of the spectral density. The effects of different types of baths, e.g., Ohmic, sub-Ohmic, and super-Ohmic spectral densities are also studied. The present investigations demonstrate that the proposed approach is universal for simulating the exact quantum dynamics of photosynthetic systems.

QMetrology from QCosmology: Study with entangled two qubit open quantum system in De Sitter space

In this paper, our prime objective is to apply the techniques of parameter estimation theory and the concept of Quantum Metrology in the form of Fisher Information to investigate the role of certain physical quantities in the open quantum dynamics of a two entangled qubit system under the Markovian approximation. There exist various physical parameters which characterize such system, but can not be treated as any quantum mechanical observable. It becomes imperative to do a detailed parameter estimation analysis to determine the physically consistent parameter space of such quantities. We apply both Classical Fisher Information (CFI) and Quantum Fisher Information (QFI) to correctly estimate these parameters, which play significant role to describe the out-of-equilibrium and the long range quantum entanglement phenomena of open quantum system. Quantum Metrology, compared to classical parameter estimation theory, plays a two-fold superior role, improving the precision and accuracy of parameter estimation. Additionally, in this paper we present a new avenue in terms of Quantum Metrology, which beats the classical parameter estimation. We also present an interesting result of revival of out-of-equilibrium feature at the late time scales, arising due to the long range quantum entanglement at early time scale and provide a physical interpretation for the same in terms of Bell's Inequality Violation in early time scale giving rise to non-locality.

Spectral Green's-function method in driven open quantum dynamics

A novel method based on spectral Green functions is presented for the simulation of driven open quantum dynamics that can be described by the Lindblad master equation in Liouville density operator space. The method extends the Hilbert space formalism and provides simple algebraic connections between the driven and non-driven dynamics in the spectral frequency domain. The formalism shows remarkable analogies to the use of Green functions in quantum field theory such as the elementary excitation energies and the Dyson self-energy equation. To demonstrate its potential, we apply the novel method to a coherently driven dissipative ensemble of 2-level systems comprising a single "active" subsystem interacting with $N$ "passive" subsystems -- a generic model with important applications in quantum optics and dynamic nuclear polarization. The novel method dramatically reduces computational cost compared with simulations based on solving the full master equation, thus making it possible to study and optimize many-body correlated states in the physically realistic limit of an arbitrarily large $N$.

Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation for General Open Quantum Systems

We derive a thermodynamic uncertainty relation for general open quantum dynamics, described by a joint unitary evolution on a composite system comprising a system and an environment. By measuring the environmental state after the system-environment interaction, we bound the counting observables in the environment by the survival activity, which reduces to the dynamical activity in classical Markov processes. Remarkably, the relation derived herein holds for general open quantum systems with any counting observable and any initial state. Therefore, our relation is satisfied for classical Markov processes with arbitrary time-dependent transition rates and initial states. We apply our relation to continuous measurement and the quantum walk to find that the quantum nature of the system can enhance the precision. Moreover, we can make the lower bound arbitrarily small by employing appropriate continuous measurement.

Редукции симметрии уравнений Линдблада – простые примеры и приложения

Open quantum dynamics in the Markovian approximation is described by the Lindblad master equation. The Lindbladian dynamics is closed in the Lie algebra Λ = su(n), i.e. it has su(n) symmetry. We say that the Lindblad equation admits a symmetry reduction if it has an invariant vector subspace Λ0 ⊂Λ with the Lie algebraic structure. Symmetry reductions restrict dynamics to smaller subspaces that additionally are Lie algebras. In these notes, trivial reductions relying onthe reducibility of the Hamiltonian and Lindblad operators are described. Examples of nontrivial reductions in the infinite temperature limit and the parity preserving Majorana reductions are presented. Applicationsto open spin dynamics are discussed.

Speed limit of quantum dynamics near the event horizon of black holes

Quantum mechanics imposes a fundamental bound on the minimum time required for the quantum systems to evolve between two states of interest. This bound introduces a limit on the speed of the dynamical evolution of the systems, known as the quantum speed limit. We show that black holes can drastically affect the speed limit of a fermionic quantum system subjected to an open quantum dynamics. As we demonstrate, the quantum speed limit can enhance at the vicinity of a black hole's event horizon in the Schwarzschild spacetime.

Numerically "exact" approach to open quantum dynamics: The hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM).

An open quantum system refers to a system that is further coupled to a bath system consisting of surrounding radiation fields, atoms, molecules, or proteins. The bath system is typically modeled by an infinite number of harmonic oscillators. This system-bath model can describe the time-irreversible dynamics through which the system evolves toward a thermal equilibrium state at finite temperature. In nuclear magnetic resonance and atomic spectroscopy, dynamics can be studied easily by using simple quantum master equations under the assumption that the system-bath interaction is weak (perturbative approximation) and the bath fluctuations are very fast (Markovian approximation). However, such approximations cannot be applied in chemical physics and biochemical physics problems, where environmental materials are complex and strongly coupled with environments. The hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) can describe the numerically "exact" dynamics of a reduced system under nonperturbative and non-Markovian system-bath interactions, which has been verified on the basis of exact analytical solutions (non-Markovian tests) with any desired numerical accuracy. The HEOM theory has been used to treat systems of practical interest, in particular, to account for various linear and nonlinear spectra in molecular and solid state materials, to evaluate charge and exciton transfer rates in biological systems, to simulate resonant tunneling and quantum ratchet processes in nanodevices, and to explore quantum entanglement states in quantum information theories. This article presents an overview of the HEOM theory, focusing on its theoretical background and applications, to help further the development of the study of open quantum dynamics.

Open quantum systems and Schwinger-Keldysh holograms

We initiate the study of open quantum field theories using holographic methods. Specifically, we consider a quantum field theory (the system) coupled to a holographic field theory at finite temperature (the environment). We investigate the effects of integrating out the holographic environment with an aim of obtaining an effective dynamics for the resulting open quantum field theory. The influence functionals which enter this open effective action are determined by the real-time (Schwinger-Keldysh) correlation functions of the holographic thermal environment. To evaluate the latter, we exploit recent developments, wherein the semiclassical gravitational Schwinger-Keldysh saddle geometries were identified as complexified black hole spacetimes. We compute real-time correlation functions using holographic methods in these geometries, and argue that they lead to a sensible open effective quantum dynamics for the system in question, a question that hitherto had been left unanswered. In addition to shedding light on open quantum systems coupled to strongly correlated thermal environments, our results also provide a principled computation of Schwinger-Keldysh observables in gravity and holography. In particular, these influence functionals we compute capture both the dissipative physics of black hole quasi- normal modes, as well as that of the fluctuations encoded in outgoing Hawking quanta, and interactions between them. We obtain results for these observables at leading order in a low frequency and momentum expansion in general dimensions, in addition to determining explicit results for two dimensional holographic CFT environments.

Open Quantum Dynamics Theory of Spin Relaxation: Application to μSR and Low-Field NMR Spectroscopies

An open quantum system refers to a system, which is in turn coupled to an environment that can describe time irreversible dynamics through which the system evolves toward the thermal equilibrium state. We present a quantum mechanically rigorous theory in order to help an analysis of spectra obtained from the advanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and muon spin rotation, relaxation or resonance ($\mu$SR) techniques. Our approach is based on the numerically "exact" hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) approach, which allows us to study the reduced system dynamics for non-perturbative and non-Markovian system-bath interactions at finite temperature even under strong time-dependent perturbations. We demonstrate the present theory to analyze $\mu$SR and low-field NMR spectra, as an extension of the Kubo-Toyabe theory focusing on the effects of temperature and anisotropy of a local magnetic field, to help further the development of these experimental means.

Einselection from incompatible decoherence channels

Decoherence of quantum systems from entanglement with an unmonitored environment is, to date, the most compelling explanation of the emergence of a classical picture from a quantum world. While it is well understood for a single Lindblad operator, the role in the einselection process of a complex system-environment interaction remains to be clarified. In this paper, we analyze an open quantum dynamics inspired by cavity QED experiments with two noncommuting Lindblad operators modeling decoherence in the number basis and dissipative decoherence in the coherent-state basis. We study and solve exactly the problem using quantum trajectories and phase-space techniques. The einselection optimization problem, which we consider to be about finding states that minimize the variation of some entanglement witness at a given energy, is studied numerically. We show that Fock states remain the most robust states to decoherence up to a critical coupling.

Quantum beat of coherence induced by non-Markovian effect

The non-Markovianity of open quantum dynamics can give rise to the oscillation of quantum coherence in time, and the interference between oscillations leads to quantum beat of coherence. We design two dynamical models of open quantum systems for revealing this kind of phenomenon of quantum interference, analyze the forming process and the producing conditions of the quantum beats.

Generalization of the hierarchical equations of motion theory for efficient calculations with arbitrary correlation functions.

The hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) theory is one of the standard methods to rigorously describe open quantum dynamics coupled to harmonic environments. Such a model is used to capture non-Markovian and non-perturbative effects of environments appearing in ultrafast phenomena. In the regular framework of the HEOM theory, the environment correlation functions are restricted to linear combinations of exponential functions. In this article, we present a new formulation of the HEOM theory including treatment of non-exponential correlation functions, which enables us to describe general environmental effects more efficiently and stably than the original theory and other generalizations. The library and its Python binding we developed to perform simulations based on our approach, named LibHEOM and PyHEOM, respectively, are provided as the supplementary material.

A quantum algorithm for evolving open quantum dynamics on quantum computing devices

Designing quantum algorithms for simulating quantum systems has seen enormous progress, yet few studies have been done to develop quantum algorithms for open quantum dynamics despite its importance in modeling the system-environment interaction found in most realistic physical models. In this work we propose and demonstrate a general quantum algorithm to evolve open quantum dynamics on quantum computing devices. The Kraus operators governing the time evolution can be converted into unitary matrices with minimal dilation guaranteed by the Sz.-Nagy theorem. This allows the evolution of the initial state through unitary quantum gates, while using significantly less resource than required by the conventional Stinespring dilation. We demonstrate the algorithm on an amplitude damping channel using the IBM Qiskit quantum simulator and the IBM Q 5 Tenerife quantum device. The proposed algorithm does not require particular models of dynamics or decomposition of the quantum channel, and thus can be easily generalized to other open quantum dynamical models.

Quantum master equations for a system interacting with a quantum gas in the low-density limit and for the semiclassical collision model

A quantum system interacting with a dilute gas experiences irreversible dynamics. The corresponding master equation can be derived within two different approaches: The fully quantum description in the low-density limit and the semiclassical collision model, where the motion of gas particles is classical whereas their internal degrees of freedom are quantum. The two approaches have been extensively studied in the literature, but their predictions have not been compared. This is mainly due to the fact that the low-density limit is extensively studied for mathematical physics purposes, whereas the collision models have been essentially developed for quantum information tasks such as a tractable description of the open quantum dynamics. Here we develop and for the first time compare both approaches for a spin system interacting with a gas of spin particles. Using some approximations, we explicitly find the corresponding master equations including the Lamb shifts and the dissipators. The low density limit in the Born approximation for fast particles is shown to be equivalent to the semiclassical collision model in the stroboscopic approximation. We reveal that both approaches give exactly the same master equation if the gas temperature is high enough. This allows to interchangeably use complicated calculations in the low density limit and rather simple calculations in the collision model.