Quantum Optical Systems Research Articles

Transport of pseudothermal photons through an anharmonic cavity

Under nonequilibrium conditions, quantum optical systems reveal unusual properties that might be distinct from those in condensed matter. The fundamental reason is that photonic eigenstates can have arbitrary occupation numbers, whereas in electronic systems these are limited by the Pauli principle. Here, we address the steady-state transport of pseudothermal photons between two waveguides connected through a cavity with Bose–Hubbard interaction between photons. One of the waveguides is subjected to a broadband incoherent pumping. We predict a continuous transition between the regimes of Lorentzian and Gaussian chaotic light emitted by the cavity. The rich variety of nonequilibrium transport regimes is revealed by the zero-frequency noise. There are three limiting cases, in which the noise-current relation is characterized by a power-law, Spropto J^gamma. The Lorentzian light corresponds to Breit-Wigner-like transmission and gamma =2. The Gaussian regime corresponds to many-body transport with the shot noise (gamma =1) at large currents; at low currents, however, we find an unconventional exponent gamma =3/2 indicating a nontrivial interplay between multi-photon transitions and incoherent pumping. The nonperturbative solution for photon dephasing is obtained in the framework of the Keldysh field theory and Caldeira-Leggett effective action. These findings might be relevant for experiments on photon blockade in superconducting qubits, thermal states transfer, and photon statistics probing.

The effective Hamiltonian as a necessary basis of the open quantum optical system theory

Based on a model open system, the kinetic equation obtained from the initial exact Hamiltonian with anti-rotating terms is shown to differ from the kinetic equation from the approximate effective Hamiltonian without anti-rotating terms. The paper proves necessity of transition from the exact Hamiltonian to the effective Hamiltonian, with the main idea of its construction being the requirement for the absence of rapidly varying terms in the interaction representation. This requirement is necessary to obtain the correct kinetic equation.

Preparation of Low Entropy Correlated Many-Body States via Conformal Cooling Quenches.

We propose and analyze a method for preparing low entropy many-body states in isolated quantum optical systems of atoms, ions, and molecules. Our approach is based upon shifting entropy between different regions of a system by spatially modulating the magnitude of the effective Hamiltonian. We conduct two case studies, on a topological spin chain and the spinful fermionic Hubbard model, focusing on the key question: can a "conformal cooling quench" remove sufficient entropy within experimentally accessible timescales? Finite-temperature, time-dependent matrix product state calculations reveal that even moderately sized bath regions can remove enough energy and entropy density to expose coherent low-temperature physics. The protocol is particularly natural in systems with long-range interactions, such as lattice-trapped polar molecules and Rydberg-excited atoms, where the magnitude of the Hamiltonian scales directly with the interparticle spacing. To this end, we propose simple, near-term implementations of conformal cooling quenches in systems of atoms or molecules, where signatures of low-temperature phases may be observed.

On the semiclassical JWKB and MAF solutions of the uniformly lengthening pendulum via change of dependent variable in the Bessel’s equation

Semiclassical JWKB method and method of modified Airy functions (MAF) are the fundamental conventional tools in quantum mechanical and optical waveguide systems and yet their classical mechanical applicability has somehow escaped much attention. In this work, semiclassical JWKB and MAF solution of a classical mechanical problem regarding the Lengthening Pendulum (LP) is being studied to reinforce the power of the semiclassical methods in this aspect. Here, JWKB and MAF solutions of the associated Bessel’s equation is being obtained by transforming it first into one of the normal forms via change of dependent variable on the contrary to our previous work where change of independent variable was used for the JWKB solution. By the same motivation for the suggested change of dependent variable here, we once again, obtain advantageous results in comparison to the conventional numerical exact solutions given in the literature where adiabatic LP systems with very low lengthening rates are required. We obtain both JWKB and MAF approximated Bessel functions successfully and our semiclassical solutions for the LP system works with a great accuracy even for much higher lengthening rates in comparison to these conventional numerical methods. Here we study under what conditions our semiclassical solutions can give accurate results by using the conventional JWKB and MAF applicability criteria. In effect, the semiclassical JWKB and MAF methods which is normally known to be used in quantum mechanical and optical waveguide systems are being used to solve the pure classical-mechanical LP system successfully and advantageously here and the applicability criteria of these semiclassical methods in terms of the physical LP system parameters are being determined and presented.

Application of non-Hermitian Hamiltonian model in open quantum optical systems* *Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61925503, 11874038, and 11654002), the Key Project of the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant Nos. 2016YFA0301402 and 2020YFA0309400), the Program for the Innovative Talents of Higher Education Institutions of Shanxi, the Program for Sanjin Scholars of

Non-Hermitian systems have observed numerous novel phenomena and might lead to various applications. Unlike standard quantum physics, the conservation of energy guaranteed by the closed system is broken in the non-Hermitian system, and the energy can be exchanged between the system and the environment. Here we present a scheme for simulating the dissipative phase transition with an open quantum optical system. The competition between the coherent interaction and dissipation leads to the second-order phase transition. Furthermore, the quantum correlation in terms of squeezing is studied around the critical point. Our work may provide a new route to explore the non-Hermitian quantum physics with feasible techniques in experiments.

Symmetry Breaking and Error Correction in Open Quantum Systems

Symmetry-breaking transitions are a well-understood phenomenon of closed quantum systems in quantum optics, condensed matter, and high energy physics. However, symmetry breaking in open systems is less thoroughly understood, in part due to the richer steady-state and symmetry structure that such systems possess. For the prototypical open system-a Lindbladian-a unitary symmetry can be imposed in a "weak" or a "strong" way. We characterize the possible Z_{n} symmetry-breaking transitions for both cases. In the case of Z_{2}, a weak-symmetry-broken phase guarantees at most a classical bit steady-state structure, while a strong-symmetry-broken phase admits a partially protected steady-state qubit. Viewing photonic cat qubits through the lens of strong-symmetry breaking, we show how to dynamically recover the logical information after any gap-preserving strong-symmetric error; such recovery becomes perfect exponentially quickly in the number of photons. Our study forges a connection between driven-dissipative phase transitions and error correction.

Detection of squeezed phonons in pump-probe spectroscopy

Robust engineering of phonon squeezed states in optically excited solids has emerged as a promising tool to control and manipulate their properties. However, in contrast to quantum optical systems, detection of phonon squeezing is subtle and elusive, and an important question is what constitutes an unambiguous signature of it. The state of the art involves observing oscillations at twice the phonon frequency in time resolved measurements of the out of equilibrium phonon fluctuation. Using Keldysh formalism we show that such a signal is a necessary but not a sufficient signature of a squeezed phonon, since we identify several mechanisms that do not involve squeezing and yet which produce similar oscillations. We show that a reliable detection requires a time and frequency resolved measurement of the phonon spectral function.

Lie-algebraic approach to one-dimensional translationally invariant free-fermionic dissipative systems

We study dissipative translationally invariant free-fermionic theories with quadratic Liouvillians. Using a Lie-algebraic approach, we solve the Lindblad equation and find the density matrix at all times for arbitrary time dependence of the Liouvillian. We then investigate the Liouvillian spectral properties and derive a generic criterion for the closure of the dissipative gap, which is believed to be linked with nonequilibrium dissipative phase transitions. We illustrate our findings with a few exotic examples. Particularly, we show the presence of gapless modes with a linear spectrum for fermions with long-range hopping, which might be related to nonunitary conformal field theories. The predicted effects can be probed in experiments with ultracold atomic and quantum-optical systems using currently available experimental facilities.

“Global” and “Local” Approaches to the Theory of Open Quantum Optical Systems

The application of “exact/complete” initial Hamiltonian of an open optical system and its surroundings and “approximate” effective Hamiltonian for the derivation of the kinetic equation of the open optical system is analyzed in the conditions of the Markovian approximation and the representation of the open system surroundings (thermostat) as a delta-correlated noise. It is shown that the characteristic time hierarchy of the open system naturally necessitates a transition from the aforementioned exact Hamiltonian to the approximate effective Hamiltonian for the subsequent use of the Markovian approximation and the model of delta-correlated surroundings of the open system in the local approach. The Schrodinger equation for the wavevector of the open system and its surroundings is a quantum stochastic differential equation, from which the kinetic equation describing both familiar and new results can be derived easily in the standard manner.

Macroscopic QED for quantum nanophotonics: emitter-centered modes as a minimal basis for multiemitter problems

AbstractWe present an overview of the framework of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics from a quantum nanophotonics perspective. Particularly, we focus our attention on three aspects of the theory that are crucial for the description of quantum optical phenomena in nanophotonic structures. First, we review the light–matter interaction Hamiltonian itself, with special emphasis on its gauge independence and the minimal and multipolar coupling schemes. Second, we discuss the treatment of the external pumping of quantum optical systems by classical electromagnetic fields. Third, we introduce an exact, complete, and minimal basis for the field quantization in multiemitter configurations, which is based on the so-called emitter-centered modes. Finally, we illustrate this quantization approach in a particular hybrid metallodielectric geometry: two quantum emitters placed in the vicinity of a dimer of Ag nanospheres embedded in a SiN microdisk.

Time-Series and Network Analysis in Quantum Dynamics: Comparison with Classical Dynamics

Time-series analysis and network analysis are now used extensively in diverse areas of science. In this paper, we applythese techniques to quantum dynamics in an optomechanical system: specifically, the long-time dynamics of the mean photon number in an archetypal tripartite quantum system comprising a single-mode radiation field interacting with a two-level atom and an oscillating membrane. We also investigate a classical system of interacting Duffing oscillators which effectively mimics several of the features of tripartite quantum-optical systems. In both cases, we examine the manner in which the maximal Lyapunov exponent obtained from a detailed time-series analysis varies with changes in an appropriate tunable parameter of the system. Network analysis is employed in both the quantum and classical models to identify suitable network quantifiers which will reflect these variations with the system parameter. This is a novel approach towards (i) examining how a considerably smaller data set (the network) obtained from a long time series of dynamical variables captures important aspects of the underlying dynamics, and (ii) identifying the differences between classical and quantum dynamics.

Fermi\u2019s Golden Rule and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

We present a Gedankenexperiment that leads to a violation of detailed balance if quantum mechanical transition probabilities are treated in the usual way by applying Fermi’s “golden rule”. This Gedankenexperiment introduces a collection of two-level systems that absorb and emit radiation randomly through non-reciprocal coupling to a waveguide, as realized in specific chiral quantum optical systems. The non-reciprocal coupling is modeled by a hermitean Hamiltonian and is compatible with the time-reversal invariance of unitary quantum dynamics. Surprisingly, the combination of non-reciprocity with probabilistic radiation processes entails negative entropy production. Although the considered system appears to fulfill all conditions for Markovian stochastic dynamics, such a dynamics violates the Clausius inequality, a formulation of the second law of thermodynamics. Several implications concerning the interpretation of the quantum mechanical formalism are discussed.

Analytic and geometric properties of scattering from periodically modulated quantum-optical systems

We study the scattering of photons from periodically modulated quantum-optical systems. For excitation-number conserving quantum optical systems, we connect the analytic structure of the frequency-domain N-photon scattering matrix of the system to the Floquet decomposition of its effective Hamiltonian. Furthermore, it is shown that the first order contribution to the transmission or equal-time N-photon correlation spectrum with respect to the modulation frequency is completely geometric in nature i.e. it only depends on the Hamiltonian trajectory and not on the precise nature of the modulation being applied.

Variational quantum simulation of ultrastrong light-matter coupling

We propose the simulation of quantum-optical systems in the ultrastrong-coupling regime using a variational quantum algorithm. More precisely, we introduce a short-depth variational form to prepare the groundstate of the multimode Dicke model on a quantum processor and present proof-of-principle results obtained via cloud access to an IBM device. We moreover provide an algorithm for characterizing the groundstate by Wigner state tomography. Our work is a first step towards digital quantum simulation of quantum-optical systems with potential applications to the spin-boson, Kondo and Jahn-Teller models.

Molecule-photon interactions in phononic environments

Molecules constitute compact hybrid quantum optical systems that can interface photons, electronic degrees of freedom, localized mechanical vibrations and phonons. In particular, the strong vibronic interaction between electrons and nuclear motion in a molecule resembles the optomechanical radiation pressure Hamiltonian. While molecular vibrations are often in the ground state even at elevated temperatures, one still needs to get a handle on decoherence channels associated with phonons before an efficient quantum optical network based on opto-vibrational interactions in solid-state molecular systems could be realized. As a step towards a better understanding of decoherence in phononic environments, we take here an open quantum system approach to the non-equilibrium dynamics of guest molecules embedded in a crystal, identifying regimes of Markovian versus non-Markovian vibrational relaxation. A stochastic treatment based on quantum Langevin equations predicts collective vibron-vibron dynamics that resembles processes of sub- and superradiance for radiative transitions. This in turn leads to the possibility of decoupling intramolecular vibrations from the phononic bath, allowing for enhanced coherence times of collective vibrations. For molecular polaritonics in strongly confined geometries, we also show that the imprint of opto-vibrational couplings onto the emerging output field results in effective polariton cross-talk rates for finite bath occupancies.

Universality of short distance corrections to quantum optics

As quantum optical phenomena are based on Maxwell’s equations, and it is becoming important to understand quantum optical phenomena at short distances, so it is important to analyze quantum optics using short distance corrected Maxwell’s equation. Maxwell’s action can be obtained from quantum electrodynamics using the framework of effective field theory, and so the leading order short distance corrections to Maxwell’s action can also be obtained from the derivative expansion of the same effective field theory. Such short distance corrections will be universal for all quantum optical systems, and they will affect all short distance quantum optical phenomena. In this paper, we will analyze the form of such corrections, and demonstrate the standard formalism of quantum optics can still be used (with suitable modifications) to analyze quantum optical phenomena from this short distance corrected Maxwell’s actions.

Quantum information preserving computational electromagnetics

We present a computational framework for canonical quantization in arbitrary inhomogeneous dielectric media by incorporating quantum electromagnetic effects into complex solutions of quantum Maxwell's equations. To do so, the proposed algorithm integrates and performs (1) numerical computation of normal modes and (2) evaluation of arbitrary products of ladder operators acting on multimode Fock states. The former is associated with Hermitian-Helmholtz linear systems using finite-element or finite-difference methods; consequently, the complete set of numerical normal modes diagonalizes the Hamiltonian operators up to floating-point precision. Its Hermiticity is retained, allowing its quantization. Then, we perform quantum numerical simulations of two-photon interference occurring in a 50:50 beam splitter to observe the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect. Our prototype model is useful for numerical analyses on various narrow-band quantum-optical multiphoton systems such as quantum metasurfaces, quantum-optical filters, and quantum electrodynamics in open optical cavities.

Ab initio quantum models for thin-film x-ray cavity QED

We develop two ab initio quantum approaches to thin-film x-ray cavity quantum electrodynamics with spectrally narrow x-ray resonances, such as those provided by M\"ossbauer nuclei. The first method is based on a few-mode description of the cavity, and promotes and extends existing phenomenological few-mode models to an ab initio theory. The second approach uses analytically-known Green's functions to model the system. The two approaches not only enable one to ab initio derive the effective few-level scheme representing the cavity and the nuclei in the low-excitation regime, but also provide a direct avenue for studies at higher excitation, involving non-linear or quantum phenomena. The ab initio character of our approaches further enables direct optimizations of the cavity structure and thus of the photonic environment of the nuclei, to tailor the effective quantum optical level scheme towards particular applications. To illustrate the power of the ab initio approaches, we extend the established quantum optical modeling to resonant cavity layers of arbitrary thickness, which is essential to achieve quantitative agreement for cavities used in recent experiments. Further, we consider multi-layer cavities featuring electromagnetically induced transparency, derive their quantum optical few-level systems ab initio, and identify the origin of discrepancies in the modeling found previously using phenomenological approaches as arising from cavity field gradients across the resonant layers.

Transfer-Matrix Approach to Determining the Linear Response of All-Fiber Networks of Cavity-QED Systems

A semiclassical model is presented for characterizing the linear response of elementary quantum optical systems involving cavities, optical fibers, and atoms. Formulating the transmission and reflection spectra using a scattering-wave (transfer matrix) approach, the calculations become easily scalable. To demonstrate how useful this method is, we consider the example of a simple quantum network, i.e., two cavity-QED systems connected via an optical fiber. Differences between our quasi-exact transfer matrix approach and a single-mode, linearized quantum-optical model are demonstrated for parameters relevant to recent experiments with coupled nanofiber-cavity-QED systems.

Entanglement Quantification of Correlated Photons Generated by Three-Level Laser with Parametric Amplifier and Coupled to a Two-Mode Vacuum Reservoir

In this paper, the detailed inseparability criteria of entanglement quantification of correlated two-mode light generated by a three-level laser with a coherently driven parametric amplifier and coupled to a two-mode vacuum reservoir is thoroughly analyzed. Using the master equation, we obtain the stochastic differential equation and the correlation properties of the noise forces associated with the normal ordering. Next, we study the squeezing and the photon entanglement by considering different inseparability criteria. The various criteria of entanglement used in this paper show that the light generated by the quantum optical system is entangled and the amount of entanglement is amplified by introducing the parametric amplifier into the laser cavity and manipulating the linear gain coefficient.