2,665 research outputs found
Phenomenological memory-kernel master equations and time-dependent Markovian processes
Do phenomenological master equations with memory kernel always describe a
non-Markovian quantum dynamics characterized by reverse flow of information? Is
the integration over the past states of the system an unmistakable signature of
non-Markovianity? We show by a counterexample that this is not always the case.
We consider two commonly used phenomenological integro-differential master
equations describing the dynamics of a spin 1/2 in a thermal bath. By using a
recently introduced measure to quantify non-Markovianity [H.-P. Breuer, E.-M.
Laine, and J. Piilo, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 210401 (2009)] we demonstrate that
as far as the equations retain their physical sense, the key feature of
non-Markovian behavior does not appear in the considered memory kernel master
equations. Namely, there is no reverse flow of information from the environment
to the open system. Therefore, the assumption that the integration over a
memory kernel always leads to a non-Markovian dynamics turns out to be
vulnerable to phenomenological approximations. Instead, the considered
phenomenological equations are able to describe time-dependent and
uni-directional information flow from the system to the reservoir associated to
time-dependent Markovian processes.Comment: 5 pages, no figure
Stochastic wave function method for non-Markovian quantum master equations
A generalization of the stochastic wave function method to quantum master
equations which are not in Lindblad form is developed. The proposed stochastic
unravelling is based on a description of the reduced system in a doubled
Hilbert space and it is shown, that this method is capable of simulating
quantum master equations with negative transition rates. Non-Markovian effects
in the reduced systems dynamics can be treated within this approach by
employing the time-convolutionless projection operator technique. This ansatz
yields a systematic perturbative expansion of the reduced systems dynamics in
the coupling strength. Several examples such as the damped Jaynes Cummings
model and the spontaneous decay of a two-level system into a photonic band gap
are discussed. The power as well as the limitations of the method are
demonstrated.Comment: RevTex, 14 pages, 9 figures, uses multico
New method to simulate quantum interference using deterministic processes and application to event-based simulation of quantum computation
We demonstrate that networks of locally connected processing units with a
primitive learning capability exhibit behavior that is usually only attributed
to quantum systems. We describe networks that simulate single-photon
beam-splitter and Mach-Zehnder interferometer experiments on a causal,
event-by-event basis and demonstrate that the simulation results are in
excellent agreement with quantum theory. We also show that this approach can be
generalized to simulate universal quantum computers.Comment: J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. (in press) http://www.compphys.net/dl
Stochastic wave function approach to the calculation of multitime correlation functions of open quantum systems
Within the framework of probability distributions on projective Hilbert space
a scheme for the calculation of multitime correlation functions is developed.
The starting point is the Markovian stochastic wave function description of an
open quantum system coupled to an environment consisting of an ensemble of
harmonic oscillators in arbitrary pure or mixed states. It is shown that matrix
elements of reduced Heisenberg picture operators and general time-ordered
correlation functions can be expressed by time-symmetric expectation values of
extended operators in a doubled Hilbert space. This representation allows the
construction of a stochastic process in the doubled Hilbert space which enables
the determination of arbitrary matrix elements and correlation functions. The
numerical efficiency of the resulting stochastic simulation algorithm is
investigated and compared with an alternative Monte Carlo wave function method
proposed first by Dalibard et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 68}, 580 (1992)]. By
means of a standard example the suggested algorithm is shown to be more
efficient numerically and to converge faster. Finally, some specific examples
from quantum optics are presented in order to illustrate the proposed method,
such as the coupling of a system to a vacuum, a squeezed vacuum within a finite
solid angle, and a thermal mixture of coherent states.Comment: RevTex, 19 pages, 3 figures, uses multico
Dynamical stability of entanglement between spin ensembles
We study the dynamical stability of the entanglement between the two spin
ensembles in the presence of an environment. For a comparative study, we
consider the two cases: a single spin ensemble, and two ensembles linearly
coupled to a bath, respectively. In both circumstances, we assume the validity
of the Markovian approximation for the bath. We examine the robustness of the
state by means of the growth of the linear entropy which gives a measure of the
purity of the system. We find out macroscopic entangled states of two spin
ensembles can stably exist in a common bath. This result may be very useful to
generate and detect macroscopic entanglement in a common noisy environment and
even a stable macroscopic memory.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Separability criteria and bounds for entanglement measures
Employing a recently proposed separability criterion we develop analytical
lower bounds for the concurrence and for the entanglement of formation of
bipartite quantum systems. The separability criterion is based on a
nondecomposable positive map which operates on state spaces with even dimension
N >= 4, and leads to a class of nondecomposable optimal entanglement witnesses.
It is shown that the bounds derived here complement and improve the existing
bounds obtained from the criterion of positive partial transposition and from
the realignment criterion.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
Preservation of Positivity by Dynamical Coarse-Graining
We compare different quantum Master equations for the time evolution of the
reduced density matrix. The widely applied secular approximation (rotating wave
approximation) applied in combination with the Born-Markov approximation
generates a Lindblad type master equation ensuring for completely positive and
stable evolution and is typically well applicable for optical baths. For phonon
baths however, the secular approximation is expected to be invalid. The usual
Markovian master equation does not generally preserve positivity of the density
matrix. As a solution we propose a coarse-graining approach with a dynamically
adapted coarse graining time scale. For some simple examples we demonstrate
that this preserves the accuracy of the integro-differential Born equation. For
large times we analytically show that the secular approximation master equation
is recovered. The method can in principle be extended to systems with a
dynamically changing system Hamiltonian, which is of special interest for
adiabatic quantum computation. We give some numerical examples for the
spin-boson model of cases where a spin system thermalizes rapidly, and other
examples where thermalization is not reached.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, reviewers suggestions included and tightened
presentation; accepted for publication in PR
Reservoir engineering and dynamical phase transitions in optomechanical arrays
We study the driven-dissipative dynamics of photons interacting with an array
of micromechanical membranes in an optical cavity. Periodic membrane driving
and phonon creation result in an effective photon-number conserving non-unitary
dynamics, which features a steady state with long-range photonic coherence. If
the leakage of photons out of the cavity is counteracted by incoherent driving
of the photonic modes, we show that the system undergoes a dynamical phase
transition to the state with long-range coherence. A minimal system, composed
of two micromechanical membranes in a cavity, is studied in detail, and it is
shown to be a realistic setup where the key processes of the driven-dissipative
dynamics can be seen.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Local in time master equations with memory effects: Applicability and interpretation
Non-Markovian local in time master equations give a relatively simple way to
describe the dynamics of open quantum systems with memory effects. Despite
their simple form, there are still many misunderstandings related to the
physical applicability and interpretation of these equations. Here we clarify
these issues both in the case of quantum and classical master equations. We
further introduce the concept of a classical non-Markov chain signified through
negative jump rates in the chain configuration.Comment: Special issue on loss of coherence and memory effects in quantum
dynamics, J. Phys. B., to appea
Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in an open quantum system: Master equation approach
A master equation approach to the study of environmental effects in the
adiabatic population transfer in three-state systems is presented. A systematic
comparison with the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach [N. V. Vitanov and S.
Stenholm, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 56}, 1463 (1997)] shows that in the weak coupling
limit the two treatments lead to essentially the same results. Instead, in the
strong damping limit the predictions are quite different: in particular the
counterintuitive sequences in the STIRAP scheme turn out to be much more
efficient than expected before. This point is explained in terms of quantum
Zeno dynamics.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
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