Presence Of Decoherence Research Articles

Non-Gaussian swapping of entangled resources

We investigate the continuous-variable entanglement swapping protocol in a non-Gaussian setting, with non- Gaussian states employed either as entangled inputs and/or as swapping resources. The quality of the swapping protocol is assessed in terms of the teleportation fidelity achievable when using the swapped states as shared entangled resources in a teleportation protocol. We thus introduce a two-step cascaded quantum communication scheme that includes a swapping protocol followed by a teleportation protocol. The swapping protocol is fed by a general class of tunable non-Gaussian states, the squeezed Bell states, which, by means of controllable free parameters, allows for a continuous morphing from Gaussian twin beams up to maximally non-Gaussian squeezed number states. In the realistic instance, taking into account the effects of losses and imperfections, we show that as the input two-mode squeezing increases, optimized non-Gaussian swapping resources allow for a monotonically increasing enhancement of the fidelity compared to the corresponding Gaussian setting. This result implies that the use of non-Gaussian resources is necessary to guarantee the success of continuous-variable entanglement swapping in the presence of decoherence.

Origin of the 1/fα spectral noise in chaotic and regular quantum systems

Based on the connection between the spectral form factor and the probability to return, the origin of the $1/f^\alpha$-noise in fully chaotic and fully integrable systems is traced to the quantum interference between invariant manifolds of the classical dynamics and the dimensionality of those invariant manifolds. This connection and the order-to-chaos transition are analyzed in terms of the statistics of Floquet's quasienergies of a classically chaotic driving non-linear system. An immediate prediction of the connection established here is that in the presence of decoherence, the spectral exponent $\alpha$ takes the same value, $\alpha=2$, for both, fully chaotic and fully integrable systems.

Decoherence in neutrino propagation through matter, and bounds from IceCube/DeepCore

We revisit neutrino oscillations in matter considering the open quantum system framework, which allows to introduce possible decoherence effects generated by New Physics in a phenomenological manner. We assume that the decoherence parameters gamma _{ij} may depend on the neutrino energy, as gamma _{ij}=gamma _{ij}^{0}(E/text {GeV})^n (n = 0,pm 1,pm 2) . The case of non-uniform matter is studied in detail and, in particular, we develop a consistent formalism to study the non-adiabatic case dividing the matter profile into an arbitrary number of layers of constant densities. This formalism is then applied to explore the sensitivity of IceCube and DeepCore to this type of effects. Our study is the first atmospheric neutrino analysis where a consistent treatment of the matter effects in the three-neutrino case is performed in presence of decoherence. We show that matter effects are indeed extremely relevant in this context. We find that IceCube is able to considerably improve over current bounds in the solar sector (gamma _{21}) and in the atmospheric sector (gamma _{31} and gamma _{32}) for n=0,1,2 and, in particular, by several orders of magnitude (between 3 and 9) for the n=1,2 cases. For n=0 we find gamma _{32},gamma _{31}< 4.0times 10^{-24}, (1.3times 10^{-24}) hbox {GeV} and gamma _{21}<1.3times 10^{-24}, (4.1times 10^{-24}) hbox {GeV} at the 95% CL, for normal (inverted) mass ordering.

Performance Assessment of Resonantly Driven Silicon Two-Qubit Quantum Gate

Two-qubit quantum gates play an essential role in quantum computing, whose operation critically depends on the entanglement between two qubits. Resonantly driven controlled-NOT (CNOT) gates based on silicon double quantum dots (DQDs) are studied theoretically. The physical mechanisms for effective gate modulation of the exchange coupling between two qubits are elucidated. Scaling behaviors of the singlet-triplet energy split, gate-switching speed, and gate fidelity are investigated as a function of the quantum dot spacing and modulation gate voltage. It is shown that the entanglement strength and gate-switching speed exponentially depend on the quantum dot spacing. A small spacing of ~10nm can promise a CNOT gate delay of <1 ns and reliable gate switching in the presence of decoherence. The results show promising performance potential of the resonantly driven two-qubit quantum gates based on aggressively scaled silicon DQDs.

Cross-coupling effects in circuit-QED stimulated Raman adiabatic passage

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage is a quantum protocol that can be used for robust state preparation in a three-level system. It has been commonly employed in quantum optics, but recently this technique has drawn attention also in circuit quantum electrodynamics. The protocol relies on two slowly varying drive pulses that couple the initial and the target state via an intermediate state, which remains unpopulated. Here we study the detrimental effect of the parasitic couplings of the drives into transitions other than those required by the protocol. The effect is most prominent in systems with almost harmonic energy level structure, such as the transmon. We show that under these conditions in the presence of decoherence there exists an optimal STIRAP amplitude for population transfer.

The Quantum Cheshire Cat Effect in the Presence of Decoherence

Even the subtle and apparently strange quantum effects can sometimes survive otherwise lethal influence of an omnipresent decoherence. We show that an archetypal quantum Cheshire Cat, a paradox of a separation between a position of a quantum particle, a photon, and its internal property, the polarization, in a two-path Mach–Zehnder setting, is robust to decoherence caused by a bosonic infinite bath locally coupled to the polarization of a photon. Decoherence affects either the cat or its grin depending on which of the two paths is noisy. For a pure decoherence, in an absence of photon–environment energy exchange, we provide exact results for weak values of the photon position and polarization indicating that the information loss affects the quantum Cheshire Cat only qualitatively and the paradox survives. We show that it is also the case beyond the pure decoherence for a small rate of dissipation.

Verification of the quantum nonequilibrium work relation in the presence of decoherence

Although nonequilibrium work and fluctuation relations have been studied in detail within classical statistical physics, extending these results to open quantum systems has proven to be conceptually difficult. For systems that undergo decoherence but not dissipation, we argue that it is natural to define quantum work exactly as for isolated quantum systems, using the two-point measurement protocol. Complementing previous theoretical analysis using quantum channels, we show that the nonequilibrium work relation remains valid in this situation, and we test this assertion experimentally using a system engineered from a trapped ion, adding external noise to produce the effects of decoherence. Our experimental results reveal the work relation's validity over a variety of driving speeds, decoherence rates, and effective temperatures and represent the first confirmation of the work relation for evolution described by a non-unitary master equation.

Enhancing parameter estimation precision by non-Hermitian operator process

Recently, Zhong et al. (Phys Rev A 87:022337, 2013) investigated the dynamics of quantum Fisher information (QFI) in the presence of decoherence. We here reform their results and propose two schemes to enhance and preserve the QFIs for a qubit system subjected to a decoherence noisy environment by applying $${non\text {-}Hermitian}$$ operator process either before or after the amplitude damping noise. Resorting to the Bloch sphere representation, we derive the exact analytical expressions of the QFIs with respect to the amplitude parameter $$\theta $$ and the phase parameter $$\phi $$ , and in detail investigate the influence of $${non\text {-}Hermitian}$$ operator parameters on the QFIs. Compared with pure decoherence process (without non-Hermitian operator process), we find that the $${post non\text {-}Hermitian}$$ operator process can potentially enhance and preserve the QFIs by choosing appropriate $${non\text {-}Hermitian}$$ operator parameters, while with the help of the $${prior non\text {-}Hermitian}$$ operator process one could completely eliminate the effect of decoherence to improve the parameters estimation. Finally, a generalized non-Hermitian operator parameters effect on the parameters estimation is also discussed.

Supersensitive ancilla-based adaptive quantum phase estimation

The super-sensitivity attained in quantum phase estimation is known to be compromised in the presence of decoherence. This is particularly patent at blind spots -- phase values at which sensitivity is totally lost. One remedy is to use a precisely known reference phase to shift the operation point of the sensor to a less vulnerable phase value. We present here an alternative approach based on combining the probe with an ancillary degree of freedom containing adjustable parameters to create an entangled quantum state of higher dimension. We validate this concept by simulating a configuration of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a two-photon probe and a polarization ancilla of adjustable parameters, entangled at a polarizing beam splitter. At the interferometer output, the photons are measured after an adjustable unitary transformation in the polarization subspace. Through calculation of the Fisher information and simulation of an adaptive estimation procedure, we show that optimizing the adjustable polarization parameters using an adaptive measurement process provides globally super-sensitive unbiased phase estimates for a range of decoherence levels, without prior information or a reference phase.

Enhanced spin squeezing and quantum entanglement near the critical point of the Jaynes–Cummings–Dicke model

We investigate spin squeezing (SS) and the quantum Fisher information (QFI) for the Jaynes–Cummings–Dicke (JCD) model in a two-component atomic Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) inside an optical cavity. Analytical expressions for spin squeezing and the reciprocal of the quantum Fisher information per particle (RMQFI) are derived using the frozen spin approximation. It is shown that in the superradiant phase near the critical point, maximum squeezing and maximum quantum entanglement occur and thus the critical point emerges as a useful resource for precision measurements. In the presence of decoherence and particle loss, we show that gradually with time, even though the ability of squeezing and entanglement generation are weakened, yet significant amounts are still present which can be relevant to quantum information processing and precision spectroscopy.

Cone separation, quadratic control systems and control of spin dynamics in the presence of decoherence.

In this paper, we study some control problems related to the control of coupled spin dynamics in the presence of relaxation and decoherence in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The decoherence is modelled through a master equation. We study some model problems, whereby, through an appropriate choice of state variables, the system is reduced to a control system, where the state enters linearly and controls quadratically. We study this quadratic control system. Study of this system gives us explicit bounds on how close a coupled spin system can be driven to its target state and how much coherence and polarization can be transferred between coupled spins. Optimal control for the quadratic control system can be understood as the separation of closed cones, and we show how the derived results on optimal efficiency can be interpreted in this formulation. Finally, we study some finite-time optimal control problems for the quadratic control system.This article is part of the themed issue 'Horizons of cybernetical physics'.

Generation of Dicke states in the ultrastrong-coupling regime of circuit QED systems

Ultrastrong coupling in circuit quantum electrodynamics makes enhanced fast quantum operations possible. We present a scheme to realize controllable qubit-resonator interactions in ultrastrong circuit quantum electrodynamics with the aid of a unitary transformation. The controllable qubit-resonator interaction is just one type of the so-called selective resonant interactions. From the effective dynamics, it is possible to create the multipartite Dicke states at nanoseconds with high fidelity if the large detuning constraint of the selective resonant interaction is fulfilled. We also investigate the performance of our scheme in the presence of decoherence. Our results present a promising way toward achieving enhanced fast generation of the Dicke states.

Preservation of a lower bound of quantum secret key rate in the presence of decoherence

It is well known that the interaction of quantum systems with the environment reduces the inherent quantum correlations. Under special circumstances the effect of decoherence can be reversed, for example, the interaction modelled by an amplitude damping channel can boost the teleportation fidelity from the classical to the quantum region for a bipartite quantum state. Here, we first show that this phenomenon fails to preserve the quantum secret key rate derived under individual attack. We further show that the technique of weak measurement can be used to slow down the process of decoherence, thereby helping to preserve the quantum secret key rate when one or both systems are interacting with the environment via an amplitude damping channel. Most interestingly, in certain cases weak measurement with post-selection where one considers both success and failure of the technique is shown to be more useful than without it when both systems interact with the environment.

Decoherence-enhanced performance of quantum walks applied to graph isomorphism testing

Computational advantages gained by quantum algorithms rely largely on the coherence of quantum devices and are generally compromised by decoherence. As an exception, we present a quantum algorithm for graph isomorphism testing whose performance is optimal when operating in the partially coherent regime, as opposed to the extremes of fully coherent or classical regimes. The algorithm builds on continuous-time quantum stochastic walks (QSWs) on graphs and the algorithmic performance is quantified by the distinguishing power (DIP) between non-isomorphic graphs. The QSW explores the entire graph and acquires information about the underlying structure, which is extracted by monitoring stochastic jumps across an auxiliary edge. The resulting counting statistics of stochastic jumps is used to identify the spectrum of the dynamical generator of the QSW, serving as a novel graph invariant, based on which non-isomorphic graphs are distinguished. We provide specific examples of non-isomorphic graphs that are only distinguishable by QSWs in the presence of decoherence.

Non-equilibrium physics of Rydberg lattices in the presence of noise and dissipative processes

We study the non-equilibrium dynamics of driven spin lattices in the presence of decoherence caused by either laser phase noise or strong decay. In the first case, we discriminate between correlated and uncorrelated noise and explore their effect on the mean density of Rydberg states and the full counting statistics (FCS). We find that while the mean density is almost identical in both cases, the FCS differ considerably. The main method employed is the Langevin equation (LE) but for the sake of efficiency in certain regimes, we use a Markovian master equation and Monte Carlo rate equations, respectively. In the second case, we consider dissipative systems with more general power-law interactions. We determine the phase diagram in the steady state and analyse its generation dynamics using Monte Carlo rate equations. In contrast to nearest-neighbour models, there is no transition to long-range-ordered phases for realistic interactions and resonant driving. Yet, for finite laser detunings, we show that Rydberg lattices can undergo a dissipative phase transition to a long-range-ordered antiferromagnetic (AF) phase. We identify the advantages of Monte Carlo rate equations over mean field (MF) predictions.

Entanglement detection and parameter estimation of quantum channels

We derive a general criterion to detect entangled states in multi-partite systems based on the symmetric logarithmic derivative quantum Fisher information. This criterion is a direct consequence of the fact that separable states do not improve the accuracy upon estimating one-parameter family of quantum channels. Our result is a generalization of the previously known criterion for one-parameter unitary channel to any one-parameter quantum channel. We discuss several examples to illustrate our criterion. The proposed criterion is extended to the case of open quantum systems and we briefly discuss how to detect entangled states in the presence of decoherence.

Robustness of topologically protected edge states in quantum walk experiments with neutral atoms

Discrete-time quantum walks allow Floquet topological insulator materials to be explored using controllable systems such as ultracold atoms in optical lattices. By numerical simulations, we study the robustness of topologically protected edge states in the presence of decoherence in one- and two-dimensional discrete-time quantum walks. We also develop a simple analytical model quantifying the robustness of these edge states against either spin or spatial dephasing, predicting an exponential decay of the population of topologically protected edge states. Moreover, we present an experimental proposal based on neutral atoms in spin-dependent optical lattices to realize spatial boundaries between distinct topological phases. Our proposal relies on a new scheme to implement spin-dependent discrete shift operations in a two-dimensional optical lattice. We analyze under realistic decoherence conditions the experimental feasibility of observing unidirectional, dissipationless transport of matter waves along boundaries separating distinct topological domains.

Extraordinary behaviors in a two-dimensional decoherent alternative quantum walk

The quantum and classical behaviors of two-dimensional (2D) alternative quantum walk (AQW) in the presence of decoherence have been discussed in detail. For any kinds of decoherence, the analytic expressions for the moments of position distribution of AQW have been obtained. Taking the broken line noise and coin-decoherence as examples of decoherence, we find that when the decoherence only emerges in one direction, the anisotropic position distribution pattern appears, and not all the motions of quantum walkers exhibit the transition from quantum to classical behaviors. The correlations between the walkers and the coin in 2D AQW have been discussed. The anisotropic correlations between walkers and coin have been revealed in the presence of decoherence.

Decoherence effects in the Stern-Gerlach experiment using matrix Wigner functions

We analyze the Stern-Gerlach experiment in phase space with the help of the matrix Wigner function, which includes the spin degree of freedom. Such analysis allows for an intuitive visualization of the quantum dynamics of the apparatus. We include the interaction with the environment, as described by the Caldeira-Leggett model. The diagonal terms of the matrix provide us with information about the two components of the state, that arise from interaction with the magnetic field gradient. In particular, from the marginals of these components, we obtain an analytical formula for the position and momentum probability distributions in presence of decoherence, that show a diffusive behavior for large values of the decoherence parameter. These features limit the dynamics of the present model. We also observe the decay of the non-diagonal terms with time, and use this fact to quantify the amount of decoherence, from the norm of those terms in phase space. From here, we can define a decoherence time scale, which differs from previous results that make use of the same model.

Crucial tests of macrorealist and semiclassical gravity models with freely falling mesoscopic nanospheres

Recently, several proposals have been made to test the quantum superposition principle in the mesoscopic regime. Most of these tests consist of a careful measurement of the loss of interference due to decoherence. Here we consider, instead, the spread in position of a freely falling nanosphere. We study in depth the dependence of this spread on self-gravity in the presence of decoherence (exotic and non-exotic). We show that the influence of self-gravity is robust in the presence of weak decoherence, and quantify this robustness by introducing a new parameter, the critical decoherence, aimed at estimating the critical value above which self-gravity is overwhelmed by decoherence. We also emphasise the crucial role played by the spread of the initial wave packet for the sensitivity of free-fall experiments to decoherence.