Dissipative quantum dynamics in a multiwell system

We investigate the dynamics of a quantum particle moving in a tight-binding lattice and coupled to a heat bath environment. Using the Feynman-Vernon influence functional method, we obtain an exact series representation in powers of the tunneling matrix for the generating functional of moments of the probability distribution which is valid for arbitrary temperatures and linear dissipation. We prove that the Einstein relation between the linear mobility and the diffusion coefficient holds to any order of the expansion for Ohmic, and for a restricted region of super-Ohmic dissipation. We also compute in the Ohmic case the mobility in certain regions of the parameter space. In particular, we find that the low temperature correction to the zero temperature mobility behaves asT ², and we also determine the prefactor. Finally, the exact solution of the dynamics for any times, temperatures and bias is presented for a particular value of the damping strength in the case of strict Ohmic dissipation.     

Multiphoton transitions in a macroscopic quantum two-state system

We have observed multiphoton transitions between two macroscopic quantum-mechanical superposition states formed by two opposite circulating currents in a superconducting loop with three Josephson junctions. Resonant peaks and dips of up to three-photon transitions were observed in spectroscopic measurements when the system was irradiated with a strong rf-photon field. The widths of the multiphoton absorption dips are shown to scale with the Bessel functions in agreement with theoretical predictions derived from the Bloch equation or from a spin-boson model.     

Dissipative death of quantum coherences in a spin system

We investigate the influence of weak dissipation on the dynamics of a kicked spin system. Compared to its classical limit the quantum system is strongly affected by small dissipation. We present the attenuation of two different intrinsically quantum phenomena, recurrencies and tunneling. We find agreement of analytical perturbative estimates and numerical results. We further show that dissipation acts quite differently on the quantum evolution depending on whether we are in a classically chaotic or regular domain.     

Dissipative quantum dynamics for systems periodic in time

A model of dissipative quantum dynamics (with a nonlinear friction term) is applied to systems periodic in time. The model is compared with the standard approaches based on the Floquet theorem. It is shown that for weak frictions the asymptotic states of the dynamics we propose are the periodic steady states which are usually postulated to be the states relevant for the statistical mechanics of time-periodic systems. A solution to the problem of nonuniqueness of the “quasienergies” is proposed. The implication of a nonlinear evolution for Ludwig's axiomatization is briefly outlined.     

A non-Hermitian quantum approach to reliability of a two-state system

We explore the concept of the reliability theory in the quantum domain, by giving a Hilbert structure to the system states, then utilize a non-Hermitian Schrodinger equation to describe the state evolution and finally derive two new lifetime distributions. Beyond this, the alternative density matrix approach implies that the degradation term can be separated into two parts, one only related to the system properties and the other only influenced by the environment. Applications on six real data sets further show that the proposed models can outperform the existing well-known distributions, which verifies the validity of the proposed method.     

Geometric phase contribution to quantum nonequilibrium many-body dynamics

We study the influence of geometry of quantum systems underlying space of states on its quantum many-body dynamics. We observe an interplay between dynamical and topological ingredients of quantum nonequilibrium dynamics revealed by the geometrical structure of the quantum space of states. As a primary example we use the anisotropic XY ring in a transverse magnetic field with an additional time-dependent flux. In particular, if the flux insertion is slow, nonadiabatic transitions in the dynamics are dominated by the dynamical phase. In the opposite limit geometric phase strongly affects transition probabilities. This interplay can lead to a nonequilibrium phase transition between these two regimes. We also analyze the effect of geometric phase on defect generation during crossing a quantum-critical point.     

Dissipative quantum dynamics of bosonic atoms in a shallow 1D optical lattice

We theoretically study the dipolar motion of bosonic atoms in a very shallow, strongly confined 1D optical lattice using the parameters of the recent experiment [C. D. Fertig, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 120403 (2005)]. We find that, due to momentum uncertainty, a small, but non-negligible, atom population occupies the unstable velocity region of the corresponding classical dynamics, resulting in the observed dissipative atom transport. This population is generated even in a static vapor, due to quantum fluctuations which are enhanced by the lattice and the confinement, and is not notably affected by the motion of atoms or finite temperature.     

Dissipative behavior of a quantum system interacting with a macroscopic medium

The modified Coleman-Hepp (AgBr) model describes the interaction between an ultrarelativistic quantum mechanical particle Q and an N-spin array D (a macroscopic medium in the N → ∞ limit). We prove that the energy operator for D essentially behaves as a Wiener process in the weak-coupling, macroscopic limit, in a restricted state space. No assumptions are made on the spectrum of the Hamiltonian of the macroscopic system D. The mechanism of appearance of such a stochastic process and its relevance to issues like dissipation and irreversibility are briefly discussed.     

Dissipative preparation of Bell states with parallel quantum Zeno dynamics

We propose a new mechanism, parallel quantum Zeno dynamics, to dissipatively prepare all Bell entangled states of the twoqubit system in the context of cavity quantum electrodynamics. This mechanism can provide two transition channels between ground states and two different dark states simultaneously, which efficiently speeds up the stabilization of the entanglement and suppresses the adverse influence of surrounding environments. In addition, there is no need for the initialization of quantum states and the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality can be violated in a finite temperature bath. The experimental feasibility is also studied by the state-of-the-art technique and a high fidelity about 99% can be achieved.     

Mean-field dynamics of a quantum dot-microcavity system

Mean-field evolution equations for the exciton and photon populations and polarizations (Bloch–Lamb equations) are written and numerically solved in order to describe the dynamics of electronic states in a quantum dot coupled to the photon field of a microcavity. The equations account for phase space filling effects and Coulomb interactions among carriers, and include also (in a phenomenological way) incoherent pumping of the quantum dot, photon losses through the microcavity mirrors, and electron–hole population decay due to spontaneous emission of the dot. When the dot may support more than one electron–hole pair, asymptotic oscillatory states, with periods between 0.5 and 1.5 ps, are found almost for any values of the system parameters.     

Ultrafast dynamics of coherences in a quantum Hall system

Using three-pulse four-wave-mixing optical spectroscopy, we study the ultrafast dynamics of the quantum Hall system. We observe striking differences as compared to an undoped system, where the 2D electron gas is absent. In particular, we observe a large off-resonant signal with strong oscillations. Using a microscopic theory, we show that these are due to many-particle coherences created by interactions between photoexcited carriers and collective excitations of the 2D electron gas. We extract quantitative information about the dephasing and interference of these coherences.     

Recovering pure states in two-state quantum systems

In this work, we study the loss and recovery of pure states (i.e., coherence) in two-state molecules and quantum dots. The molecules of two electronic states and a one-dimensional nuclear vibration are modeled by a quantum–classical dynamical model. According to the simulations, pure states of a two-state molecule can be restored by the excitation of the nuclear vibration by a well-defined electromagnetic field. In the case of a quantum dot, pure states can be regained through the modulation of the energy levels through the application of a proper bias voltage on the dot.     

Low-frequency fluctuations in two-state quantum dot lasers

We study the feedback-induced instabilities in a quantum dot semiconductor laser emitting in both ground and excited states. Without optical feedback the device exhibits dynamics corresponding to antiphase fluctuations between ground and excited states, while the total output power remains constant. The introduction of feedback leads to power dropouts in the ground state and intensity bursts in the excited state, resulting in a practically constant total output power.