Causal signal transmission by quantum fields. I. Response of the harmonic oscillator

It is shown that response properties of a quantum harmonic oscillator are in essence those of a classical oscillator, and that, paradoxical as it may be, these classical properties underlie all quantum dynamical properties of the system. The results are extended to non-interacting bosonic fields, both neutral and charged.Comment: Accepted to Annals of Physic

Quantum Dynamics of Atomic Coherence in a Spin-1 Condensate: Mean-Field versus Many-Body Simulation

We analyse and numerically simulate the full many-body quantum dynamics of a spin-1 condensate in the single spatial mode approximation. Initially, the condensate is in a ``ferromagnetic'' state with all spins aligned along the $y$ axis and the magnetic field pointing along the z axis. In the course of evolution the spinor condensate undergoes a characteristic change of symmetry, which in a real experiment could be a signature of spin-mixing many-body interactions. The results of our simulations are conveniently visualised within the picture of irreducible tensor operators.Comment: Accepted for publication for the special issue of "Optics Communications" on Quantum Control of Light and Matte

Role of quantum statistics in the photoassociation of Bose-Einstein condensates

We show that the photoassociation of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate to form condensed molecules is a chemical process which not only does not obey the Arrhenius rules for chemical reactions, but that it can also depend on the quantum statistics of the reactants. Comparing the predictions of a truncated Wigner representation for different initial quantum states, we find that, even when the quantum prediction for an initial coherent state is close to the Gross-Pitaevskii prediction, other quantum states may result in very different dynamics

Quantum superchemistry: Role of trapping profile and quantum statistics

The process of Raman photoassociation of a trapped atomic condensate to form condensed molecules has been labeled superchemistry because it can occur at 0 K and experiences coherent bosonic stimulation. We show here that the differences from ordinary chemical processes go even deeper, with the conversion rates depending on the quantum state of the reactants, as expressed by the Wigner function. We consider different initial quantum states of the trapped atomic condensate and different forms of the confining potentials, demonstrating the importance of the quantum statistics and the extra degrees of freedom which massive particles and trapping potentials make available over the analogous optical process of second-harmonic generation. We show that both mean-field analyses and quantum calculations using an inappropriate initial condition can make inaccurate predictions for a given system. This is possible whether using a spatially dependent analysis or a zero-dimensional approach as commonly used in quantum optics

Gaussian quantum operator representation for bosons

We introduce a Gaussian quantum operator representation, using the most general possible multimode Gaussian operator basis. The representation unifies and substantially extends existing phase-space representations of density matrices for Bose systems and also includes generalized squeezed-state and thermal bases. It enables first-principles dynamical or equilibrium calculations in quantum many-body systems, with quantum uncertainties appearing as dynamical objects. Any quadratic Liouville equation for the density operator results in a purely deterministic time evolution. Any cubic or quartic master equation can be treated using stochastic methods

Diagram expansions in classical stochastic field theory. I. Regularisations, stochastic calculus and causal Wick's theorem

Abstract: We aim to establish a link between path-integral formulations of quantum and classical field theories via diagram expansions. This link should result in an independent constructive characterisation of the measure in Feynman path integrals in terms of a stochastic differential equation (SDE) and also in the possibility of applying methods of quantum field theory to classical stochastic problems. As a first step we derive in the present paper a formal solution to an arbitrary c-number SDE in a form which coincides with that of Wick's theorem for interacting bosonic quantum fields. We show that the choice of stochastic calculus in the SDE may be regarded as a result of regularisation, which in turn removes ultraviolet divergences from the corresponding diagram series

Diagram expansions in classical stochastic field theory / Diagram series and stochastic differential equations

We show that the solution to an arbitrary c-number stochastic differential equation (SDE) can be represented as a diagram series. Both the diagram rules and the properties of the graphical elements reflect causality properties of the SDE and this series is therefore called a causal diagram series. We also discuss the converse problem, i.e. how to construct an SDE of which a formal solution is a given causal diagram series. This then allows for a nonperturbative summation of the diagram series by solving this SDE, numerically or analytically

Diagram expansions in classical stochastic field theory. I. Regularisations, stochastic calculus and causal Wick's theorem

Abstract: We aim to establish a link between path-integral formulations of quantum and classical field theories via diagram expansions. This link should result in an independent constructive characterisation of the measure in Feynman path integrals in terms of a stochastic differential equation (SDE) and also in the possibility of applying methods of quantum field theory to classical stochastic problems. As a first step we derive in the present paper a formal solution to an arbitrary c-number SDE in a form which coincides with that of Wick's theorem for interacting bosonic quantum fields. We show that the choice of stochastic calculus in the SDE may be regarded as a result of regularisation, which in turn removes ultraviolet divergences from the corresponding diagram series

Diagram expansions in classical stochastic field theory / Diagram series and stochastic differential equations

We show that the solution to an arbitrary c-number stochastic differential equation (SDE) can be represented as a diagram series. Both the diagram rules and the properties of the graphical elements reflect causality properties of the SDE and this series is therefore called a causal diagram series. We also discuss the converse problem, i.e. how to construct an SDE of which a formal solution is a given causal diagram series. This then allows for a nonperturbative summation of the diagram series by solving this SDE, numerically or analytically