Simple Non-Markovian Microscopic Models for the Depolarizing Channel of a Single Qubit

The archetypal one-qubit noisy channels ---depolarizing, phase-damping and amplitude-damping channels--- describe both Markovian and non-Markovian evolution. Simple microscopic models for the depolarizing channel, both classical and quantum, are considered. Microscopic models which describe phase damping and amplitude damping channels are briefly reviewed.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures. Title corrected. Paper rewritten. Added references. Some typos and errors corrected. Author adde

Forza gravitazionale e forza elettrostatica: storia e confronto

In questo articolo viene proposta un\u2019attivit\ue0 didattica riguardante il confronto tra la forza gravitazionale, ovvero la legge di gravitazione universale di Newton, e la forza elettrostatica, ovvero l\u2019interazione tra due cariche puntiformi scoperta da Charles Coulomb. Inizialmente si introduce uno schema di progettazione didattica, rivolta a studenti del quinto anno di un liceo scientifico, basato su metodologie didattiche standard. Successivamente gli argomenti della proposta vengono trattati in dettaglio, riassumendo i passaggi storici essenziali. Infine, un confronto su scala microscopica e macroscopica dei due tipi di forze \ue8 presentato, mettendo in luce analogie e differenze utili ai fini didattici

Quantumness and memory of one qubit in a dissipative cavity under classical control

Hybrid quantum–classical systems constitute a promising architecture for useful control strategies of quantum systems by means of a classical device. Here we provide a comprehensive study of the dynamics of various manifestations of quantumness with memory effects, identified by non-Markovianity, for a qubit controlled by a classical field and embedded in a leaky cavity. We consider both Leggett–Garg inequality and quantum witness as experimentally-friendly indicators of quantumness, also studying the geometric phase of the evolved (noisy) quantum state. We show that, under resonant qubit-classical field interaction, a stronger coupling to the classical control leads to enhancement of quantumness despite a disappearance of non-Markovianity. Differently, increasing the qubit-field detuning (out-of-resonance) reduces the nonclassical behavior of the qubit while recovering non-Markovian features. We then find that the qubit geometric phase can be remarkably preserved irrespective of the cavity spectral width via strong coupling to the classical field. The controllable interaction with the classical field inhibits the effective time-dependent decay rate of the open qubit. These results supply practical insights towards a classical harnessing of quantum properties in a quantum information scenari

Unifying approach to the quantification of bipartite correlations by Bures distance

The notion of distance defined on the set of states of a composite quantum system can be used to quantify total, quantum and classical correlations in a unifying way. We provide new closed formulae for classical and total correlations of two-qubit Bell-diagonal states by considering the Bures distance. Complementing the known corresponding expressions for entanglement and more general quantum correlations, we thus complete the quantitative hierarchy of Bures correlations for Bell-diagonal states. We then explicitly calculate Bures correlations for two relevant families of states: Werner states and rank-2 Bell-diagonal states, highlighting the subadditivity which holds for total correlations with respect to the sum of classical and quantum ones when using Bures distance. Finally, we analyse a dynamical model of two independent qubits locally exposed to non-dissipative decoherence channels, where both quantum and classical correlations measured by Bures distance exhibit freezing phenomena, in analogy with other known quantifiers of correlations.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures; published versio

Relations between entanglement and purity in non-Markovian dynamics

Knowledge of the relationships among different features of quantumness, like entanglement and state purity, is important from both fundamental and practical viewpoints. Yet, this issue remains little explored in dynamical contexts for open quantum systems. We address this problem by studying the dynamics of entanglement and purity for two-qubit systems using paradigmatic models of radiation-matter interaction, with a qubit being isolated from the environment (spectator configuration). We show the effects of the corresponding local quantum channels on an initial two-qubit pure entangled state in the concurrence-purity diagram and find the conditions which enable dynamical closed formulas of concurrence, used to quantify entanglement, as a function of purity. We finally discuss the usefulness of these relations in assessing entanglement and purity thresholds which allow noisy quantum teleportation. Our results provide new insights about how different properties of composite open quantum systems behave and relate each other during quantum evolutions.Comment: 16 Pages, 10 Figures. One author added. Improved version with more references and comment

Hidden entanglement in the presence of random telegraph dephasing noise

Entanglement dynamics of two noninteracting qubits, locally affected by random telegraph noise at pure dephasing, exhibits revivals. These revivals are not due to the action of any nonlocal operation, thus their occurrence may appear paradoxical since entanglement is by definition a nonlocal resource. We show that a simple explanation of this phenomenon may be provided by using the (recently introduced) concept of "hidden" entanglement, which signals the presence of entanglement that may be recovered with the only help of local operations.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Physica Scripta on September 17th 201

Hidden entanglement, system-environment information flow and non-Markovianity

It is known that entanglement dynamics of two noninteracting qubits, locally subjected to classical environments, may exhibit revivals. A simple explanation of this phenomenon may be provided by using the concept of hidden entanglement, which signals the presence of entanglement that may be recovered without the help of nonlocal operations. Here we discuss the link between hidden entanglement and the (non-Markovian) flow of classical information between the system and the environment.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; proceedings of the conference IQIS 2013, September 24-26 2013, Como, Ital

Dynamics of correlations due to a phase noisy laser

We analyze the dynamics of various kinds of correlations present between two initially entangled independent qubits, each one subject to a local phase noisy laser. We give explicit expressions of the relevant quantifiers of correlations for the general case of single-qubit unital evolution, which includes the case of a phase noisy laser. Although the light field is treated as classical, we find that this model can describe revivals of quantum correlations. Two different dynamical regimes of decay of correlations occur, a Markovian one (exponential decay) and a non-Markovian one (oscillatory decay with revivals) depending on the values of system parameters. In particular, in the non-Markovian regime, quantum correlations quantified by quantum discord show an oscillatory decay faster than that of classical correlations. Moreover, there are time regions where nonzero discord is present while entanglement is zero.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Scripta, special issue for CEWQO 2011 proceeding

Hilbert–Schmidt speed as an efficient figure of merit for quantum estimation of phase encoded into the initial state of open n-qubit systems

Hilbert–Schmidt speed (HSS) is a special type of quantum statistical speed which is easily computable, since it does not require diagonalization of the system state. We find that, when both HSS and quantum Fisher information (QFI) are calculated with respect to the phase parameter encoded into the initial state of an n-qubit register, the zeros of the HSS dynamics are actually equal to those of the QFI dynamics. Moreover, the signs of the time-derivatives of both HSS and QFI exactly coincide. These findings, obtained via a thorough investigation of several paradigmatic open quantum systems, show that HSS and QFI exhibit the same qualitative time evolution. Therefore, HSS reveals itself as a powerful figure of merit for enhancing quantum phase estimation in an open quantum system made of n qubits. Our results also provide strong evidence for both contractivity of the HSS under memoryless dynamics and its sensitivity to system-environment information backflows to detect the non-Markovianity in high-dimensional systems, as suggested in previous studies