Effect of phase noise on useful quantum correlations in Bose Josephson junctions

In a two-mode Bose Josephson junction the dynamics induced by a sudden quench of the tunnel amplitude leads to the periodic formation of entangled states. For instance, squeezed states are formed at short times and macroscopic superpositions of phase states at later times. The two modes of the junction can be viewed as the two arms of an interferometer; use of entangled states allows to perform atom interferometry beyond the classical limit. Decoherence due to the presence of noise degrades the quantum correlations between the atoms, thus reducing phase sensitivity of the interferometer. We consider the noise induced by stochastic fluctuations of the energies of the two modes of the junction. We analyze its effect on squeezed states and macroscopic superpositions and study quantitatively the amount of quantum correlations which can be used to enhance the phase sensitivity with respect to the classical limit. To this aim we compute the squeezing parameter and the quantum Fisher information during the quenched dynamics. For moderate noise intensities we show that these useful quantum correlations increase on time scales beyond the squeezing regime. This suggests multicomponent superpositions as interesting candidates for high-precision atom interferometry

Noise in Bose Josephson junctions: Decoherence and phase relaxation

Squeezed states and macroscopic superpositions of coherent states have been predicted to be generated dynamically in Bose Josephson junctions. We solve exactly the quantum dynamics of such a junction in the presence of a classical noise coupled to the population-imbalance number operator (phase noise), accounting for, for example, the experimentally relevant fluctuations of the magnetic field. We calculate the correction to the decay of the visibility induced by the noise in the non-Markovian regime. Furthermore, we predict that such a noise induces an anomalous rate of decoherence among the components of the macroscopic superpositions, which is independent of the total number of atoms, leading to potential interferometric applications.Comment: Fig 2 added; version accepted for publicatio

Universal spectral form factor for chaotic dynamics

We consider the semiclassical limit of the spectral form factor $K(\tau)$ of fully chaotic dynamics. Starting from the Gutzwiller type double sum over classical periodic orbits we set out to recover the universal behavior predicted by random-matrix theory, both for dynamics with and without time reversal invariance. For times smaller than half the Heisenberg time $T_H\propto \hbar^{-f+1}$, we extend the previously known $\tau$-expansion to include the cubic term. Beyond confirming random-matrix behavior of individual spectra, the virtue of that extension is that the ``diagrammatic rules'' come in sight which determine the families of orbit pairs responsible for all orders of the $\tau$-expansion.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Semiclassical form factor for spectral and matrix element fluctuations of multi-dimensional chaotic systems

We present a semiclassical calculation of the generalized form factor which characterizes the fluctuations of matrix elements of the quantum operators in the eigenbasis of the Hamiltonian of a chaotic system. Our approach is based on some recently developed techniques for the spectral form factor of systems with hyperbolic and ergodic underlying classical dynamics and f=2 degrees of freedom, that allow us to go beyond the diagonal approximation. First we extend these techniques to systems with f>2. Then we use these results to calculate the generalized form factor. We show that the dependence on the rescaled time in units of the Heisenberg time is universal for both the spectral and the generalized form factor. Furthermore, we derive a relation between the generalized form factor and the classical time-correlation function of the Weyl symbols of the quantum operators.Comment: some typos corrected and few minor changes made; final version in PR

Partner orbits and action differences on compact factors of the hyperbolic plane. Part I: Sieber-Richter pairs

Physicists have argued that periodic orbit bunching leads to universal spectral fluctuations for chaotic quantum systems. To establish a more detailed mathematical understanding of this fact, it is first necessary to look more closely at the classical side of the problem and determine orbit pairs consisting of orbits which have similar actions. In this paper we specialize to the geodesic flow on compact factors of the hyperbolic plane as a classical chaotic system. We prove the existence of a periodic partner orbit for a given periodic orbit which has a small-angle self-crossing in configuration space which is a `2-encounter'; such configurations are called `Sieber-Richter pairs' in the physics literature. Furthermore, we derive an estimate for the action difference of the partners. In the second part of this paper [13], an inductive argument is provided to deal with higher-order encounters.Comment: to appear on Nonlinearit

Quantum measurements without macroscopic superpositions

We study a class of quantum measurement models. A microscopic object is entangled with a macroscopic pointer such that each eigenvalue of the measured object observable is tied up with a specific pointer deflection. Different pointer positions mutually decohere under the influence of a bath. Object-pointer entanglement and decoherence of distinct pointer readouts proceed simultaneously. Mixtures of macroscopically distinct object-pointer states may then arise without intervening macroscopic superpositions. Initially, object and apparatus are statistically independent while the latter has pointer and bath correlated according to a metastable local thermal equilibrium. We obtain explicit results for the object-pointer dynamics with temporal coherence decay in general neither exponential nor Gaussian. The decoherence time does not depend on details of the pointer-bath coupling if it is smaller than the bath correlation time, whereas in the opposite Markov regime the decay depends strongly on whether that coupling is Ohmic or super-Ohmic.Comment: 50 pages, 5 figures, changed conten

Semi-classical spectrum of integrable systems in a magnetic field

The quantum dynamics of an electron in a uniform magnetic field is studied for geometries corresponding to integrable cases. We obtain the uniform asymptotic approximation of the WKB energies and wavefunctions for the semi-infinite plane and the disc. These analytical solutions are shown to be in excellent agreement with the numerical results obtained from the Schrodinger equations even for the lowest energy states. The classically exact notions of bulk and edge states are followed to their semi-classical limit, when the uniform approximation provides the connection between bulk and edge.Comment: 17 pages, Revtex, 6 figure

Semiclassical Approach to Chaotic Quantum Transport

We describe a semiclassical method to calculate universal transport properties of chaotic cavities. While the energy-averaged conductance turns out governed by pairs of entrance-to-exit trajectories, the conductance variance, shot noise and other related quantities require trajectory quadruplets; simple diagrammatic rules allow to find the contributions of these pairs and quadruplets. Both pure symmetry classes and the crossover due to an external magnetic field are considered.Comment: 33 pages, 11 figures (appendices B-D not included in journal version

Field Theory Approach to Quantum Interference in Chaotic Systems

We consider the spectral correlations of clean globally hyperbolic (chaotic) quantum systems. Field theoretical methods are applied to compute quantum corrections to the leading (`diagonal') contribution to the spectral form factor. Far-reaching structural parallels, as well as a number of differences, to recent semiclassical approaches to the problem are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, revised version, accepted for publication in J. Phys A (Math. Gen.

Heat kernel of integrable billiards in a magnetic field

We present analytical methods to calculate the magnetic response of non-interacting electrons constrained to a domain with boundaries and submitted to a uniform magnetic field. Two different methods of calculation are considered - one involving the large energy asymptotic expansion of the resolvent (Stewartson-Waechter method) is applicable to the case of separable systems, and another based on the small time asymptotic behaviour of the heat kernel (Balian-Bloch method). Both methods are in agreement with each other but differ from the result obtained previously by Robnik. Finally, the Balian-Bloch multiple scattering expansion is studied and the extension of our results to other geometries is discussed.Comment: 13 pages, Revte