Quantum Superposition States: Spin Glasses and Entanglement

Spin-glass (SG) is a fascinating system that has garnered significant attention due to its intriguing properties and implications for various research fields. One of the key characteristics of spin glasses is that they contain random disorder, which leads to many possible states of the system occurring with very close probabilities. We explore the concept of spin-glass superposition states (SSs), which are equiprobable SSs of possible electronic configurations. Using the Edward-Anderson (EA) type SG order parameter $q_{EA}$ and magnetization, we demonstrate that these SSs can be classified based on their contribution to distinguishing magnetic order (disorder), such as SG, (anti)ferromagnetic (FM), and paramagnetic (PM) phases. We also generalize these superposition states based on the system size and investigate the entanglement of these phase-based SSs using the negativity measure. We show that the SG order parameter can be utilized to determine the entanglement of magnetically ordered (disordered) phases, or vice versa, with negativity signifying magnetic order. Our findings provide further insight into the nature of quantum SSs and their relevance to SGs and quantum magnets. They have implications for various fields, including condensed matter physics, where SGs are a prototypical example of disordered systems. They are also relevant for other fields, such as neural networks, optimization problems, and information storage, where complex systems with random disorder behavior are greatly interested. Overall, our study provides a deeper understanding of the behavior of SGs and the nature of quantum SSs, with potential applications in various fields.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

A Quantum Otto Engine with Shortcuts to Thermalization and Adiabaticity

We investigate the energetic advantage of accelerating a quantum harmonic oscillator Otto engine by use of shortcuts to adiabaticity (for the power and compression strokes) and to equilibrium (for the hot isochore), by means of counter-diabatic (CD) driving. By comparing various protocols with and without CD driving, we find that, applying both type of shortcuts leads to enhanced power and efficiency even after the driving costs are taken into account. The hybrid protocol not only retains its advantage in the limit cycle, but also recovers engine functionality (i.e., a positive power output) in parameter regimes where an uncontrolled, finite-time Otto cycle fails. We show that controlling three strokes of the cycle leads to an overall improvement of the performance metrics compared with controlling only the two adiabatic strokes. Moreover, we numerically calculate the limit cycle behavior of the engine and show that the engines with accelerated isochoric and adiabatic strokes display a superior power output in this mode of operation.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure