Quantum Coherence Research Articles

Efficiency fluctuations of a heat engine with noise-induced quantum coherences

Efficiency fluctuations of a heat engine with noise-induced quantum coherences

Thermal quantum coherence: A Comparative Study of Molybdenum Disulfide vs. Graphene

Abstract This study examines quantum coherence in molybdenum disulfide $MoS_2$ by considering thermal fluctuations and the spin-orbit coupling of molybdenum's $d$ orbitals. Our results reveal that at the ground state, the system exhibits significant coherence, particularly for high values of the wave vector $k$. Interestingly, this coherence improves with increasing temperature before asymptotically decreasing towards zero. In conclusion, we have shown that graphene generally outperforms molybdenum due to its perfect two-dimensional structure thanks to the high mobility of electrons in its conduction bands. Moreover, these findings enable predictions about the behavior of other materials with similar band structures based on their crystal lattice interactions.

Entanglement and iSWAP gate between molecular qubits.

Quantum computation and simulation rely on long-lived qubits with controllable interactions. Trapped polar molecules have been proposed as a promising quantum computing platform, offering scalability and single-particle addressability while still leveraging inherent complexity and strong couplings of molecules1-5. Recent progress in the single quantum state preparation and coherence of the hyperfine-rotational states of individually trapped molecules allows them to serve as promising qubits6-11, with intermolecular dipolar interactions creating entanglement12,13. However, universal two-qubit gates have not been demonstrated with molecules. Here we harness intrinsic molecular resources to implement a two-qubit iSWAP gate using individually trapped X1Σ+ NaCs molecules. By allowing the molecules to interact for 664 μs at a distance of 1.9 μm, we create a maximally entangled Bell state with a fidelity of 94(3)% in trials in which both molecules are present. Using motion-rotation coupling, we measure residual excitation of the lowest few motional states along the axial trapping direction and find them to be the primary source of decoherence. Finally, we identify two non-interacting hyperfine states within the ground rotational level in which we encode a qubit. The interaction is toggled by transferring between interacting and non-interacting states to realize an iSWAP gate. We verify the gate performance by measuring its logical truth table.

Bell Test of Quantum Entanglement in Attosecond Photoionization

Attosecond physics enables the study of ultrafast coherent electron dynamics in matter upon photoexcitation and photoionization, revealing spectacular effects such as hole migration and coherent Auger dynamics in molecules. In the photoionization scenario, there has been a strong focus on probing the physical manifestations of internal quantum coherence within the individual parent ion and photoelectron systems. However, quantum correlations between these two subsystems emerging from attosecond photoionization events have thus far remained much more elusive. In this work, we design theoretically and model numerically a direct probe of quantum entanglement in attosecond photoionization in the form of a Bell test. We simulate from first principles a Bell test protocol for the case of noble gas atoms photoionized by ultrashort, circularly polarized infrared laser pulses in the strong-field regime predicting robust violation of the Bell inequality. This theoretical result paves the way for the direct observation of entanglement in the context of ultrafast photoionization of many-electron systems. Our work provides a novel perspective on attosecond physics directed toward the detection of quantum correlations between systems born during attosecond photoionization and unraveling the signatures of entanglement in ultrafast coherent molecular dynamics, including in the chemical decomposition pathways of molecular ions. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Quantum coherence measures for generalized Gaussian wave packets under a Lorentz boost

Quantum coherence measures for generalized Gaussian wave packets under a Lorentz boost

Quantum Coherence Control at Temperatures up to 1400 K.

Coherent quantum control at high temperatures is important for expanding the quantum world and is useful for applying quantum technologies to realistic environments. Quantum control of spins in diamond has been demonstrated near 1000 K, with the spins polarized and read out at room temperature and controlled at elevated temperatures by rapid heating and cooling. Further increase of the working temperature is challenging due to fast spin relaxation in comparison with the heating and cooling rates. Here we significantly improve the heating and cooling rates by using reduced graphene oxide as the laser absorber and heat drain and hence realize coherent quantum operation at up to 1400 K, which is higher than the Curie temperatures of all known materials. This work facilitates the use of diamond sensors to study a wide range of magnetic effects in the high-temperature regime, such as thermoremanent magnetism and magnetic shape memory effects.

Retraction Note: Quantum memory and coherence dynamics of two qubits interacting with a coherent cavity under intrinsic decoherence

Retraction Note: Quantum memory and coherence dynamics of two qubits interacting with a coherent cavity under intrinsic decoherence

Stable and Minimum Size Solubilization of Membrane Proteins with Cocktails of Phospholipid Analogues.

Membrane proteins (MPs) play important roles in various cellular processes and are major targets for drugs. Solubilization of MPs is often needed for structural and biophysical studies. For high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, there is a size limit of the sample (<100 kDa), and a high thermal stability at an increased temperature is required. Furthermore, lipid bilayer-like environments are desirable to preserve the native states of MPs. However, existing solubilization techniques do not fulfill these requirements at the same time. In this study, we combined two phospholipid analogues as a solubilizer and stabilizer to isolate MPs. This method maintained bacteriorhodopsin (bR) extracted from purple membranes in its native state for 7 d at 40 °C. The solubility was comparable to that of conventional detergents for MPs, and the thermal stability of the solubilizate was the best among them. The increase in the molecular size caused by the solubilization of bR was only 20 kDa, indicating that 20 phospholipid analogue molecules were sufficient to solubilize one bR molecule. 15N-1H heteronuclear single quantum coherence spectra of solubilized 2H- and 15N-labeled bR gave ∼80% of the expected peaks. In addition, the lysate of human neuropeptide Y2 receptor-expressing mammalian cells exhibited ligand recognition for 7 d at 37 °C, suggesting that this technique can be used for ligand screening. Moreover, the structure of the single membrane-spanning M2 protein of the influenza A virus expressed in Escherichia coli was stably maintained for 7 d at 40 °C. Thus, our method is promising for various MP studies.

Harnessing Nth Root Gates for Energy Storage

We explore the use of fractional controlled-not gates in quantum thermodynamics. The Nth-root gate allows for a paced application of two-qubit operations. We apply it in quantum thermodynamic protocols for charging a quantum battery. Circuits for three (and two) qubits are analysed by considering the generated ergotropy and other measures of performance. We also perform an optimisation of initial system parameters, e.g.,the initial quantum coherence of one of the qubits strongly affects the efficiency of protocols and the system’s performance as a battery. Finally, we briefly discuss the feasibility for an experimental realization.

Detecting quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field

Abstract Quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field result in two signatures on a harmonically trapped charged particle: a shift from the natural trap frequency and generation of quantum coherences. We assess the role of the long-wavelength and rotating-wave approximations in estimating this frequency shift. We estimate the magnitude of the frequency shift using parameters from a single-electron cyclotron experiment and also demonstrate how the dependence of the frequency shift on the magnetic field of the cyclotron is tied to the rotating-wave approximation. We expect the frequency shift to be observable in future experiments. We also suggest a possible route to detecting vacuum-generated quantum coherences. These experiments should settle the debate on&amp;#xD;the choice of approximations and gauge in capturing the effect of the quantum vacuum fluctuations.

Witnessing Entanglement and Quantum Correlations in Condensed Matter: A Review

AbstractThe detection and certification of entanglement and quantum correlations in materials is of fundamental and far‐reaching importance, and has seen significant recent progress. It impacts both the understanding of the basic science of quantum many‐body phenomena as well as the identification of systems suitable for novel technologies. Frameworks suitable to condensed matter that connect measurements to entanglement and coherence have been developed in the context of quantum information theory. These take the form of entanglement witnesses and quantum correlation measures.The underlying theory of these quantities, their relation to condensed matter experimental techniques, and their application to real materials are comprehensively reviewed. In addition, their usage in, e.g., protocols, the relative advantages and disadvantages of witnesses and measures, and future prospects in, e.g., correlated electrons, entanglement dynamics, and entangled spectroscopic probes, are presented. Consideration is given to the interdisciplinary nature of this emerging research and substantial ongoing progress by providing an accessible and practical treatment from fundamentals to application. Particular emphasis is placed on quantities accessible to collective measurements, including by susceptibility and spectroscopic techniques. This includes the magnetic susceptibility witness, one‐tangle, concurrence and two‐tangle, two‐site quantum discord, and quantum coherence measures such as the quantum Fisher information.

Vibronic coherent quantum beat in four-layer platinum carbonyl cluster.

Vibronic coherence has been studied for years, but direct comparisons between the rich experimental features and theory remain rare. In this work, we investigate the vibronic coherent quantum beat of a four-layer platinum carbonyl cluster [Pt3(CO)6]42- in a solution utilizing femtosecond vis-pump/vis-probe transient absorption spectroscopy. By varying the excitational wavelength, quantum beats coupled to either the electronic ground state or the excited state are selectively prepared. A 41cm-1 beat at the ground state with a phase flip at 615nm and a 28cm-1 beat at the excited state with a phase node at 735nm are observed. The beat amplitudes are asymmetric, stronger on the red side for ground state beats but weaker for excited state beats. Quantum chemistry calculations suggest that these beats result from coupling between the [Pt3(CO)6] layer motions and the electronic excitation. Theoretical model calculations for quantum beats at both electronic states are performed following the doorway-window approach. The calculations explain the oscillation frequency difference, the node positions, and the asymmetry. The beats with different frequencies result from vibronic coupling with different electronic states with the Herzberg-Teller (ground) or Franck-Condon term (excited) involved. The theoretical nodes occur at absorption and fluorescence centers, respectively, although experimental results show a slight blueshift. Quantum window operator calculations link the beat amplitude asymmetry to the Franck-Condon factor matrix imbalances, with the number of nodes dependent on the electronic dephasing rate. The theoretical insights for quantum beats are expected to be general, potentially helpful for the interpretation of observations in other systems.

Probing the limits for coherent optical control of a mechanically decoupled defect center in hexagonal boron nitride

The coherent control of a two-level system is among the most essential challenges in modern quantum optics. Understanding its fundamental limitations is crucial, also for the realization of next generation quantum devices. The quantum coherence of a two-level system is fragile in particular, when the two levels are connected via an optical transition, which, at the same time, enables the manipulation of the system. When such quantum emitters are located in solids the coherence suffers from the interaction of the optical transition with the solid state environment, which requires the sample to be cooled to temperatures of a few Kelvin or below. Here, we use a mechanically isolated quantum emitter in hexagonal boron nitride to explore the individual mechanisms which affect the coherence of an optical transition under resonant drive. We operate the system at the threshold where the mechanical isolation collapses in order to study the onset and temperature-dependence of dephasing and independently of spectral diffusion. The insights on the underlying physical decoherence mechanisms reveal a limit in temperature until which coherent driving of the system is possible. This study enables to increase the operation temperature of hBN-based quantum devices, therefore reducing the need for cryogenic cooling.

Revealing and Manipulating Hidden Fine-Structure Coherence of Bright Excitons in CsPbI3 Perovskite Quantum Dots.

Observation and understanding of fine-structure splitting of bright excitons in lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are crucial to their emerging applications in quantum light sources and exciton coherence manipulation. Recent studies demonstrate that ensemble-level polarization-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy can reveal the quantum beats arising from the coherence between two fine-structure levels. Here we report the observation of an extra fine-structure quantum coherence hidden in previous studies by using cryo-magnetic quantum beat spectroscopy. In ∼6 nm CsPbI3 QDs, two splitting energies of 0.25 and 1.20 meV were observed at 1.7 K, which gradually increased to 0.74 and 1.55 meV, respectively, when a longitudinal magnetic field up to 7 T was applied. The field dependence allowed us to extract two distinct nominal Landé g-factors corresponding to QDs with different orientations with respect to the external field.

Influence of pH on the Formation of Benzyl Ester Bonds Between Dehydrogenation Polymers and Konjac Glucomannan.

A thorough understanding of the lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) structure has a significant meaning in the high-value utilization of lignocellulose. In this work, the complex (DHPKGC) was obtained by an addition reaction between konjac glucomannan (KGM) and quinone methides generated in the synthesis of dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs) to simulate the formation of LCCs. The effect of pH on the prepared DHPKGC was investigated. The structure of the DHPKGC was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), 13C-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (13C-NMR), and two-dimensional Heteronuclear Single Quantum Coherence Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (2D HSQC NMR) analyses. The results indicated the pH of 4.0 was conducive to the polymerization reaction between DHPs and oxidized KGM by the TEMPO/NaClO/NaBr system. In addition, the resultant DHPKGC was connected by benzyl ester linkages. Overall, this study aims to gain greater insight into the process of LCC formation in plants.

Divergence of thermalization rates driven by the competition between finite temperature and quantum coherence

The thermalization of an isolated quantum system is described by quantum mechanics and thermodynamics, while these two subjects are still not fully consistent with each other. This leaves a less-explored region where both quantum and thermal effects cannot be neglected, and the ultracold-atom platform provides a suitable and versatile testbed to experimentally investigate these complex phenomena. Here we perform experiments based on ultracold atoms in optical lattices and observe a divergence of thermalization rates of quantum matters when the temperature approaches zero. By ramping an external parameter in the Hamiltonian, we observe the time delay between the internal relaxation and the external ramping. This provides us with a direct comparison of the thermalization rates of different quantum phases. We find that the quantum coherence and bosonic stimulation of superfluid induces the divergence while the finite temperature and the many-body interactions are suppressing the divergence. The quantum coherence and the thermal effects are competing with each other in this isolated thermal quantum system, which leads to the transition of thermalization rate from divergence to convergence.

Velocity Scanning Tomography for Room-Temperature Quantum Simulation.

Quantum simulation offers an analog approach for exploring exotic quantum phenomena using controllable platforms, typically necessitating ultracold temperatures to maintain the quantum coherence. Superradiance lattices (SLs) have been harnessed to simulate coherent topological physics at room temperature, but the thermal motion of atoms remains a notable challenge in accurately measuring the physical quantities. To overcome this obstacle, we implement a velocity scanning tomography technique to discern the responses of atoms with different velocities, allowing cold-atom spectroscopic resolution within room-temperature SLs. By comparing absorption spectra with and without atoms moving at specific velocities, we can derive the Wannier-Stark ladders of the SL across various effective static electric fields, their strengths being proportional to the atomic velocities. We extract the Zak phase of the SL by monitoring the ladder frequency shift as a function of the atomic velocity, effectively demonstrating the topological winding of the energy bands. Our research signifies the feasibility of room-temperature quantum simulation and facilitates their applications in quantum information processing.

State-dependent and state-independent uncertainty relations for skew information and standard deviation

In this work, we derive state-dependent uncertainty relations (uncertainty equalities) in which commutators of incompatible operators (not necessarily Hermitian) are explicitly present and state-independent uncertainty relations based on the Wigner-Yanase (-Dyson) skew information. We derive uncertainty equality based on standard deviation for incompatible operators with mixed states, a generalization of previous works in which only pure states were considered. We show that for pure states, the Wigner-Yanase skew information based state-independent uncertainty relations become standard deviation based state-independent uncertainty relations which turn out to be tighter uncertainty relations for some cases than the ones given in previous works, and we generalize the previous works for arbitrary operators. As the Wigner-Yanase skew information of a quantum channel can be considered as a measure of quantum coherence of a density operator with respect to that channel, we show that there exists a state-independent uncertainty relation for the coherence measures of the density operator with respect to a collection of different channels. We show that state-dependent and state-independent uncertainty relations based on a more general version of skew information called generalized skew information which includes the Wigner-Yanase (-Dyson) skew information and the Fisher information as special cases hold. In qubits, we derive tighter state-independent uncertainty inequalities for different form of generalized skew informations and standard deviations, and state-independent uncertainty equalities involving generalized skew informations and standard deviations of spin operators along three orthogonal directions. Finally, we provide a scheme to determine the Wigner-Yanase (-Dyson) skew information of an unknown observable which can be performed in experiment using the notion of weak values.

Experimental Investigation of Coherent Ergotropy in a Single Spin System.

Ergotropy is defined as the maximum amount of work that can be extracted through a unitary cyclic evolution. It plays a crucial role in assessing the work capacity of a quantum system. Recently, the significance of quantum coherence in work extraction has been theoretically identified, revealing that quantum states with more coherence possess more ergotropy compared to their dephased counterparts. However, an experimental study of the coherent ergotropy remains absent. Here, we report an experimental investigation of the coherent ergotropy in a single spin system. Based on the method of measuring ergotropy with an ancilla qubit, both the coherent and incoherent components of the ergotropy for the nonequilibrium state were successfully extracted. The increase in ergotropy induced by the increase in the coherence of the system was observed by varying the coherence of the state. Our work reveals the interplay between quantum thermodynamics and quantum information theory, future investigations could further explore the role other quantum attributes play in thermodynamic protocols.

Quantum nature of black hole and the superposition of fermionic field

The operational framework for the superposition of spacetime is fundamentally important in developing a comprehensive description of quantum gravity (Foo et al. in Phys Rev Lett 129:181301, 2022). As a “bottom-up” unifying theory of quantum gravity, it allows us to investigate how mass superposition of spacetime influences the performance of quantum information processing. In this paper, we study how the quantum-gravitational effects produced by the mass superposition of a black hole influence the quantum coherence of fermionic fields. It is shown that the spacetime effects associated with a classical black hole lead to inevitable decoherence. Notably, compared to classical black hole spacetime scenarios, fermionic fields near a black hole with superposed masses can retain more quantum coherence. This suggests that the quantum properties of spacetime may serve as resources to mitigate coherent degradation caused by gravitational effects. The bottom-up perspective on spacetime superposition proposed in this work serves as an indication of quantum-gravitational effects and holds significant theoretical implications.