Microscopic description of dissipative dynamics of a level-crossing transition

We analyze the effect of a dissipative bosonic environment on the Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) level crossing model by using a microscopic approach to derive the relevant master equation. For an environment at zero temperature and weak dissipation our microscopic approach confirms the independence of the survival probability on the decay rate that has been predicted earlier by the simple phenomenological LZSM model. For strong decay the microscopic approach predicts a notable increase of the survival probability, which signals dynamical decoupling of the initial state. Unlike the phenomenological model our approach makes it possible to study the dependence of the system dynamics…

Degenerate Landau–Zener model in the presence of quantum noise

The degenerate Landau–Zener–Majorana–Stückelberg model consists of two degenerate energy levels whose energies vary with time and in the presence of an interaction which couples the states of the two levels. In the adiabatic limit, it allows for the populations transfer from states of one level to the states of the other level. The presence of an interaction with the environment influences the efficiency of the process. Nevertheless, identification of possible decoherence-free subspaces permits to engineer coupling schemes for which the effects of quantum noise can be made negligible.

Genuine tripartite entanglement in a spin-star network at thermal equilibrium

In a recent paper [M. Huber {\it et al}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 104}, 210501 (2010)] new criteria to find out the presence of multipartite entanglement have been given. We exploit these tools in order to study thermal entanglement in a spin-star network made of three peripheral spins interacting with a central one. Genuine tripartite entanglement is found in a wide range of the relevant parameters. A comparison between predictions based on the new criteria and on the tripartite negativity is also given.

Estimation of the Repeatedly-Projected Reduced Density Matrix under Decoherence

Decoherence is believed to deteriorate the ability of a purification scheme that is based on the idea of driving a system to a pure state by repeatedly measuring another system in interaction with the former and hinder for a pure state to be extracted asymptotically. Nevertheless, we find a way out of this difficulty by deriving an analytic expression of the reduced density matrix for a two-qubit system immersed in a bath. It is shown that we can still extract a pure state if the environment brings about only dephasing effects. In addition, for a dissipative environment, there is a possibility of obtaining a dominant pure state when we perform a finite number of measurements.

Distilling angular momentum nonclassical states in trapped ions

In the spirit of Quantum Non-Demolition Measurements, we show that exploiting suitable vibronic couplings and repeatedly measuring the atomic population of a confined ion, it is possible to distill center of mass vibrational states with well defined square of angular momentum or, alternatively, angular momentum projection Schr\"odinger cat states.

Resonant Transitions Due to Changing Boundaries

The problem of a particle confined in a box with moving walls is studied, focusing on the case of small perturbations which do not alter the shape of the boundary (\lq pantography\rq). The presence of resonant transitions involving the natural transition frequencies of the system and the Fourier transform of the velocity of the walls of the box is brought to the light. The special case of a pantographic change of a circular box is analyzed in dept, also bringing to light the fact that the movement of the boundary cannot affect the angular momentum of the particle.

Master equation approach to the three-state open Majorana model

The three-state Majorana model in the presence of dissipation is considered. Different models of system-environment interaction are explored, ranging from a situation where dissipation is the main effect to regimes where dephasing is mainly produced. It is shown that the detrimental effects of the noise are stronger in the presence of dissipation than in the presence of dephasing. The role of temperature is also discussed.

Time-dependent perturbation treatment of independent Raman schemes

The problem of a trapped ion subjected to the action of two or more independent Raman schemes is analysed through a suitable time-dependent perturbative approach based on the factorization of the evolution operator in terms of other unitary operators. We show that the dynamics of the system may be traced back to an effective Hamiltonian up to a suitable dressing. Moreover, we give the method to write the master equation corresponding to the case wherein spontaneous decays occur.

Perturbative Treatment of the Evolution Operator Associated with Raman Couplings

A novel perturbative treatment of the time evolution operator of a quantum system is applied to the model describing a Raman-driven trapped ion in order to obtain a suitable 'effective model'. It is shown that the associated effective Hamiltonian describes the system dynamics up to a certain transformation which may be interpreted as a 'dynamical dressing' of the effective model.

Work extraction exploiting thermalization with a single bath

We propose a protocol which exploits the collective thermalisation of a bipartite system to extract work from another system. The protocol is based on a recently proposed work definition not requiring measurements and involving the presence of a single bath. A general description of the protocol is provided without specifying the characteristics of the bipartite system. We quantify both the extracted work and the ideal efficiency of the process also giving a maximum bound to the extracted work. Then, we apply the protocol to the case when the bipartite system is governed by the Rabi Hamiltonian while using a zero temperature bath. For very strong couplings, an extraction of work comparable …

Simple scheme for extracting work with a single bath

We propose a simple protocol exploiting the thermalization of a storage bipartite system S to extract work from a resource system R. The protocol is based on a recent work definition involving only a single bath. A general description of the protocol is provided without specifying the characteristics of S. We quantify both the extracted work and the ideal efficiency of the process, also giving maximum bounds for them. Then, we apply the protocol to two cases: two interacting qubits and the Rabi model. In both cases, for very strong couplings, an extraction of work comparable with the bare energies of the subsystems of S is obtained and its peak is reached for finite values of the bath tempe…

Star network synchronization led by strong coupling-induced frequency squeezing

We consider a star network consisting of N oscillators coupled to a central one which in turn is coupled to an infinite set of oscillators (reservoir), which makes it leaking. Two of the N + 1 normal modes are dissipating, while the remaining N - 1 lie in a frequency range which is more and more squeezed as the coupling strengths increase, which realizes synchronization of the single parts of the system.

Geometric Phase Accumulation-Based Effects in the Quantum Dynamics of an Anisotropically Trapped Ion

New physical effects in the dynamics of an ion confined in an anisotropic two-dimensional Paul trap are reported. The link between the occurrence of such manifestations and the accumulation of geometric phase stemming from the intrinsic or controlled lack of symmetry in the trap is brought to light. The possibility of observing in laboratory these anisotropy-based phenomena is briefly discussed.

Competition of Direct and Indirect Sources of Thermal Entanglement in a spin star network

A spin star system consisting of three peripheral two-state systems and a central one is considered, with the peripheral spins assumed to interact with each other, as well as with the central one. It is shown that such two couplings, each one being a thermal entanglement source, can significantly compete in the formation of quantum correlations in the thermal state, to the point that they can destroy any thermal entanglement of the peripheral spins.

Measuring the mean value of vibrational observables in trapped ion systems

The theoretical foundations of a new general approach to the measurement problem of vibrational observables in trapped ion systems is reported. The method rests upon the introduction of a simple vibronic coupling structure appropriately conceived to link the internal ionic state measurement outcomes to the mean value of a motional variable of interest. Some applications are provided and discussed in detail, bringing to light the feasibility and the wide potentiality of the proposal.

Driven Appearance and Disappearance of Quantum Zeno Effect in the Dynamics of a Four-level Trapped Ion

An example of constrained unitary quantum dynamics in the context of trapped ions is given. We study a laser driven four-level ion system confined in an isotropic three-dimensional Paul microtrap. Our main result is that when two independent controllable continuous measurement processes are simultaneously present, the unitary quantum dynamics of the system can be parametrically frozen into a one-dimensional Hilbert subspace (Quantum Zeno Effect) or constrained into a two-dimensional one, at will. Conditions under which one of the two processes acts upon the physical system inhibiting the effects due to the other one, are explicitly found and discussed (Hierarchically Controlled Dynamics).

Microscopic derivation of the Jaynes-Cummings model with cavity losses

In this paper we provide a microscopic derivation of the master equation for the Jaynes-Cummings model with cavity losses. We single out both the differences with the phenomenological master equation used in the literature and the approximations under which the phenomenological model correctly describes the dynamics of the atom-cavity system. Some examples wherein the phenomenological and the microscopic master equations give rise to different predictions are discussed in detail.

Generation of Non-Classical States through QND-like Processes

In the spirit of quantum nondemolition measurement we show that repeatedly measuring the atomic state of a trapped ion subjected to suitable vibronic couplings it is possible to extract interesting nonclassical states. The possibility of generating angular momentum Schrödinger cat is demonstrated.

Three-state Landau-Zener model in the presence of dissipation

A population transfer based on adiabatic evolutions in a three-state system undergoing an avoided crossing is considered. The efficiency of the process is analyzed in connection with the relevant parameters, bringing to light an important role of the phases of the coupling constants. The role of dissipation is also taken into account, focusing on external decays that can be described by effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. Though the population transfer turns out to be quite sensitive to the decay processes, for very large decay rates the occurrence of a Zeno-phenomenon allows for restoring a very high efficiency.

Competition of continuous and projective measurements in filtering processes

A quantum system interacting with a repeatedly measured one turns out to be subjected to a non-unitary evolution which can force the former to a specific quantum state. It is shown that in the case where the repeatedly measured system is subjected to the action of its environment, the occurrence of a competition between the dissipation and the measurements can reduce the influence of the decay on the filtering process. Both theoretical predictions and numerical results are presented.

Speeding up antidynamical Casimir effect with nonstationary qutrits

The antidynamical Casimir effect (ADCE) is a term coined to designate the coherent annihilation of excitations due to resonant external perturbation of system parameters, allowing for extraction of quantum work from nonvacuum states of some field. Originally proposed for a two-level atom (qubit) coupled to a single cavity mode in the context of nonstationary quantum Rabi model, it suffered from very low transition rate and correspondingly narrow resonance linewidth. In this paper we show analytically and numerically that the ADCE rate can be increased by at least one order of magnitude by replacing the qubit by an artificial three-level atom (qutrit) in a properly chosen configuration. For …

Population trapping due to cavity losses

In population trapping the occupation of a decaying quantum level keeps a constant non-zero value. We show that an atom-cavity system interacting with an environment characterized by a non-flat spectrum, in the non-Markovian limit, exhibits such a behavior, effectively realizing the preservation of nonclassical states against dissipation. Our results allow to understand the role of cavity losses in hybrid solid state systems and pave the way to the proper description of leakage in the recently developed cavity quantum electrodynamic systems.

Generation of minimum energy entangled states

Quantum technologies exploiting bipartite entanglement could be made more efficient by using states having the minimum amount of energy for a given entanglement degree. Here, we study how to generate these states in the case of a bipartite system of arbitrary finite dimension either by applying a unitary transformation to its ground state or through a zero-temperature thermalization protocol based on turning on and off a suitable interaction term between the subsystems. In particular, we explicitly identify three possible unitary operators and five possible interaction terms. On the one hand, two of the three unitary transformations turn out to be easily decomposable in terms of local eleme…

Quantum synchronisation and clustering in chiral networks

We study the emergence of synchronisation in a chiral network of harmonic oscillators. The network consists of a set of locally incoherently pumped harmonic oscillators coupled pairwise in cascade with travelling field modes. Such cascaded coupling leads to feedback-less dissipative interaction between the harmonic oscillators of the pair which can be described in terms of an effective pairwise hamiltonian a collective pairwise decay. The network is described mathematically in terms of a directed graph. By analysing geometries of increasing complexity we show how the onset of synchronisation depends strongly on the network topology, with the emergence of synchronised communities in the case…

Perturbative Treatment of the Evolution Operator Associated with Raman Couplings

Coarse grained and fine dynamics in trapped ion Raman schemes

A novel result concerning Raman coupling schemes in the context of trapped ions is obtained. By means of an operator perturbative approach, it is shown that the complete time evolution of these systems (in the interaction picture) can be expressed, with a high degree of accuracy, as the product of two unitary evolutions. The first one describes the time evolution related to an effective coarse grained dynamics. The second is a suitable correction restoring the {\em fine} dynamics suppressed by the coarse graining performed to adiabatically eliminate the nonresonantly coupled atomic level.

Emulation of n-photon Jaynes Cummings and Anti-Jaynes-Cummings models via parametric modulation of cyclic qutrit

We study a circuit QED setup involving a single cavity mode and a cyclic qutrit whose parameters are time modulated externally. It is shown that in the dispersive regime this system behaves as a versatile platform to implement effective $n$-photon Jaynes-Cummings (JC) and anti-Jaynes-Cummings (AJC) models by suitably setting the modulation frequency. The atomic levels and the cavity Fock states involved in the effective Hamiltonians can be controlled through adjustment of the system parameters, and different JC and AJC interactions can be implemented simultaneously using multitone modulations. Moreover, one can implement some models that go beyond simple JC and AJC-like interaction, such as…

Interaction-free evolution in the presence of time-dependent Hamiltonians

The generalization of the concept of interaction-free evolutions (IFE) [A. Napoli, {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 89}, 062104 (2014)] to the case of time-dependent Hamiltonians is discussed. It turns out that the time-dependent case allows for much more rich structures of interaction-free states and interaction-free subspaces. The general condition for the occurrence of IFE is found and exploited to analyze specific situations. Several examples are presented, each one associated to a class of Hamiltonians with specific features.

Dynamics of a two-state system through a real level crossing

The dynamics of a two-state system whose energies undergo a real crossing at some instant of time is studied. At this instant, both the coupling and the detuning vanish simultaneously, which leads to an exact degeneracy of the eigenenergies of the system. It is found that the dynamics of the system is primarily determined by the manner in which the degeneracy occurs. This interesting behavior is reminiscent of a symmetry breaking process, since the totally symmetric situation occurring at the crossing is significantly altered by infinitesimal quantities, which remove the degeneracy, with very important dynamical implications from there on. A very simple analytical formula is derived, which …

Open multistate Majorana model

Abstract The Majorana model in the presence of dissipation and dephasing is considered. First, it is proven that increasing the Hilbert space dimension the system becomes more and more fragile to quantum noise, whether dephasing or dissipation are mainly present. Second, it is shown that, contrary to its ideal counterpart, the dynamics related to the open Majorana model cannot be considered as the combined dynamics of a set of independent spin-1/2 models.

Revealing non-classical behaviours in the oscillatory motion of a trapped ion

The possibility of revealing non-classical behaviours in the dynamics of a trapped ion via measurements of the mean value of suitable operators is reported. In particular we focus on the manifestation known as `` Parity Effect\rq\rq which may be observed \emph{directly measuring} the expectation value of an appropriate correlation operator. The experimental feasibility of our proposal is discussed.

Steering Distillation Processes through Zeno dynamics

A quantum system in interaction with a repeatedly measured one undergoes a nonunitary time evolution and is pushed into a subspace substantially determined by the two-system coupling. The possibility of suitably modifying such an evolution through quantum Zeno dynamics (i.e., the generalized quantum Zeno effect) addressing the system toward an a priori decided target subspace is illustrated. Applications and their possible realizations in the context of trapped ions are also discussed.

Quantum correlations beyond entanglement in a classical-channel model of gravity

A direct quantization of the Newtonian interaction between two masses is known to establish entanglement, which if detected would witness the quantum nature of the gravitational field. Gravitational interaction is yet compatible also with gravitational decoherence models relying on classical channels, hence unable to create entanglement. Here, we show in paradigmatic cases that, despite the absence of entanglement, a classical-channel model of gravity can still establish quantum correlations in the form of quantum discord between two masses. This is demonstrated for the Kafri-Taylor-Milburn (KTM) model and a recently proposed dissipative extension of this. In both cases, starting from an un…

Zeno dynamics and high-temperature master equations beyond secular approximation

Complete positivity of a class of maps generated by master equations derived beyond the secular approximation is discussed. The connection between such class of evolutions and physical properties of the system is analyzed in depth. It is also shown that under suitable hypotheses a Zeno dynamics can be induced because of the high temperature of the bath.

Solution of the Lindblad equation in Kraus representation

The so-called Lindblad equation, a typical master equation describing the dissipative quantum dynamics, is shown to be solvable for finite-level systems in a compact form without resort to writing it down as a set of equations among matrix elements. The solution is then naturally given in an operator form, known as the Kraus representation. Following a few simple examples, the general applicability of the method is clarified.

Cavity losses for the dissipative Jaynes–Cummings Hamiltonian beyond rotating wave approximation

A microscopic derivation of the master equation for the Jaynes-Cummings model with cavity losses is given, taking into account the terms in the dissipator which vary with frequencies of the order of the vacuum Rabi frequency. Our approach allows to single out physical contexts wherein the usual phenomenological dissipator turns out to be fully justified and constitutes an extension of our previous analysis [Scala M. {\em et al.} 2007 Phys. Rev. A {\bf 75}, 013811], where a microscopic derivation was given in the framework of the Rotating Wave Approximation.

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a $\Lambda$-system in the presence of quantum noise

We exploit a microscopically derived master equation for the study of STIRAP in the presence of decay from the auxiliary level toward the initial and final state, and compare our results with the predictions obtained from a phenomenological model previously used [P. A. Ivanov, N. V. Vitanov, and K. Bergmann, Phys. Rev. A 72, 053412 (2005)]. It is shown that our approach predicts a much higher efficiency. The effects of temperature are also taken into account, proving that in b-STIRAP thermal pumping can increase the efficiency of the population transfer.

Generation of Schrödinger Cats in Trapped Ions

A quantum system in interaction with a repeatedly measured one is subjected to a non-unitary time evolution provoking the decay of some states in favor of the remaining ones. Under appropriate hypotheses the system may be addressed exactly toward a quantum state or pushed into a pre-selected finite-dimensional subspace. On the basis of such a general strategy, we propose to exploit suitable vibronic couplings in order to ‘extract’ trapped ion center of mass states of motion characterized by well defined absolute value of an angular momentum projection. In particular, since it implies the simultaneous presence of opposite angular momentum projections, we show the realizability of Schrödinger…

Reconstructing the vibrational state of a trapped ion

A new approach for reconstructing the vibrational quantum state of a trapped ion is proposed. The method rests upon the current ability of manipulating the trapped ion state and on the possibility of effectively measuring the scalar product of the two vibrational cofactors of a vibronic entangled state. The experimental feasibility of the method is briefly discussed.

Synchronizing Two Superconducting Qubits through a Dissipating Resonator

A system consisting of two qubits and a resonator is considered in the presence of different sources of noise, bringing to light the possibility of making the two qubits evolve in a synchronized way. A direct qubit–qubit interaction turns out to be a crucial ingredient, as well as the dissipation processes involving the resonator. The detrimental role of the local dephasing of the qubits is also taken into account.

Detuning-induced robustness of a three-state Landau-Zener model against dissipation

A three-state system subjected to a time-dependent Hamiltonian whose bare energies undergo one or more crossings, depending on the relevant parameters, is considered, also taking into account the role of dissipation in the adiabatic following of the Hamiltonian eigenstates. Depending on the fact that the bare energies are equidistant or not, the relevant population transfer turns out to be very sensitive to the environmental interaction or relatively robust. The physical mechanisms on the basis of this behavior are discussed in detail.

Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in an open quantum system: Master equation approach

A master equation approach to the study of environmental effects in the adiabatic population transfer in three-state systems is presented. A systematic comparison with the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach [N. V. Vitanov and S. Stenholm, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 56}, 1463 (1997)] shows that in the weak coupling limit the two treatments lead to essentially the same results. Instead, in the strong damping limit the predictions are quite different: in particular the counterintuitive sequences in the STIRAP scheme turn out to be much more efficient than expected before. This point is explained in terms of quantum Zeno dynamics.

Anisotropy-Induced Effects in the Dynamics of an Ion Confined in a Two-Dimensional Paul Trap

We investigate the role of anisotropy in the dynamics of a single trapped ion interacting with two orthogonal laser beams, considering how it modifies a scheme for the generation of Schrödinger cat states and the so called parity effect in two-dimensional isotropic Paul traps. We find that anisotropy gives rise to a richer class for the generated states and to a larger number of observables sensitive to the parity of the number of excitation of the vibrational motion of the ion.

Progress towards innovative and energy efficient logic circuits

Abstract The integration of superconductive nanowire logic memories and energy efficient computing Josephson logic is explored. Nanowire memories are based on the integration of switchable superconducting nanowires with a suitable magnetic material. These memories exploit the electro-thermal operation of the nanowires to efficiently store and read a magnetic state. In order to achieve proper memory operation a careful design of the nanowire assembly is necessary, as well as a proper choice of the magnetic material to be employed. At present several new superconducting logic families have been proposed, all tending to minimize the effect of losses in the digital Josephson circuits replacing …

Sensitivity of Measurement-Based Purification Processes to Inner Interactions

The sensitivity of a repeated measurement-based purification scheme to additional undesired couplings is analyzed, focusing on the very simple and archetypical system consisting of two two-level systems interacting with a repeatedly measured one. Several regimes are considered and in the strong coupling (i.e., when the coupling constant of the undesired interaction is very large) the occurrence of a quantum Zeno effect is proven to dramatically jeopardize the efficiency of the purification process.

Dynamics of a particle confined in a two-dimensional dilating and deforming domain

Some recent results concerning a particle confined in a one-dimensional box with moving walls are briefly reviewed. By exploiting the same techniques used for the 1D problem, we investigate the behavior of a quantum particle confined in a two-dimensional box (a 2D billiard) whose walls are moving, by recasting the relevant mathematical problem with moving boundaries in the form of a problem with fixed boundaries and time-dependent Hamiltonian. Changes of the shape of the box are shown to be important, as it clearly emerges from the comparison between the "pantographic", case (same shape of the box through all the process) and the case with deformation.

Radon transform as a set of probability distributions

It is proved that the Radon transform of the Wigner function gives the probability distributions related to measuring the observable operators obtained as linear combinations of position and momentum of the relevant particle. The generalization to an arbitrary number of degrees of freedom is given.

An algebraic approach to the study of multipartite entanglement

A simple algebraic approach to the study of multipartite entanglement for pure states is introduced together with a class of suitable functionals able to detect entanglement. On this basis, some known results are reproduced. Indeed, by investigating the properties of the introduced functionals, it is shown that a subset of such class is strictly connected to the purity. Moreover, a direct and basic solution to the problem of the simultaneous maximization of three appropriate functionals for three-qubit states is provided, confirming that the simultaneous maximization of the entanglement for all possible bipartitions is compatible only with the structure of GHZ-states.

Generation of Glauber coherent state Superpositions via Unitary Transformations

NON-MARKOVIAN DYNAMICS OF CAVITY LOSSES

We provide a microscopic derivation for the non-Markovian master equation for an atom-cavity system with cavity losses and show that they can induce population trapping in the atomic excited state, when the environment outside the cavity has a non-flat spectrum. Our results apply to hybrid solid state systems and can turn out to be helpful to find the most appropriate description of leakage in the recent developments of cavity quantum electrodynamics.

A quantum particle in a box with moving walls

We analyze the non-relativistic problem of a quantum particle that bounces back and forth between two moving walls. We recast this problem into the equivalent one of a quantum particle in a fixed box whose dynamics is governed by an appropriate time-dependent Schroedinger operator.

Three-mode two-boson Jaynes–Cummings model in trapped ions

In this paper, we analyse a two-boson three-mode Jaynes–Cummings model which can be implemented in the context of trapped ions. The symmetries of the Hamiltonian are brought to light and analysed in detail in order to solve the eigenvalue problem. The calculation of the time evolution operator shows the possibility of realizing interesting applications, such as the generation of nonclassical states.

Governing survival probabiity to distill quantum states

Synchronizing Quantum Harmonic Oscillators through Two-Level Systems

Two oscillators coupled to a two-level system which in turn is coupled to an infinite number of oscillators (reservoir) are considered, bringing to light the occurrence of synchronization. A detailed analysis clarifies the physical mechanism that forces the system to oscillate at a single frequency with a predictable and tunable phase difference. Finally, the scheme is generalized to the case of $N$ oscillators and $M(<N)$ two-level systems.

Steepest entropy ascent for two-state systems with slowly varying Hamiltonians.

The steepest entropy ascent approach is considered and applied to two-state systems. When the Hamiltonian of the system is time-dependent, the principle of maximum entropy production can still be exploited; arguments to support this fact are given. In the limit of slowly varying Hamiltonians, which allows for the adiabatic approximation for the unitary part of the dynamics, the system exhibits significant robustness to the thermalization process. Specific examples such as a spin in a rotating field and a generic two-state system undergoing an avoided crossing are considered.

Evanescent wave approximation for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

The counterpart of the rotating wave approximation for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians is considered, which allows for the derivation of a suitable effective Hamiltonian for systems with some states undergoing decay. In the limit of very high decay rates, on the basis of this effective description we can predict the occurrence of a quantum Zeno dynamics, which is interpreted as the removal of some coupling terms and the vanishing of an operatorial pseudo-Lamb shift.

Energy bounds for entangled states

We find the minimum and the maximum value for the local energy of an arbitrary bipartite system in a pure state for any given amount of entanglement. We also identify families of states reaching these lower or upper bounds. Moreover, we numerically study the probability of randomly generating pure states close to these energetic bounds finding, in all the considered configurations, that it is extremely low except for the two-qubit case and highly degenerate cases. Then, we show that the bounds found for pure states are valid also for mixed states. These results can be important in quantum technologies to design energetically more efficient entanglement generation protocols. Finally, we poin…

Oscillations of the purity in the repeated-measurement-based generation of quantum states

Repeated observations of a quantum system interacting with another one can drive the latter toward a particular quantum state, irrespectively of its initial condition, because of an {\em effective non-unitary evolution}. If the target state is a pure one, the degree of purity of the system approaches unity, even when the initial condition of the system is a mixed state. In this paper we study the behavior of the purity from the initial value to the final one, that is unity. Depending on the parameters, after a finite number of measurements, the purity exhibits oscillations, that brings about a lower purity than that of the initial state, which is a point to be taken care of in concrete appl…

Realization of a space reversal operator

In this paper we propose the realization of a bosonic-fermionic interaction in the context of trapped ions whose effect upon the ion center of mass degrees of freedom is properly speaking a spatial inversion. The physical system and its features are accurately described and some applications are briefly discussed.

Governing Survival Probability to Distill Quantum States

A quantum system interacting with a repeatedly measured one undergoes a nonunitary time evolution pushing it into some specific subspaces. We deeply investigate the origin of the relevant selection rule, bringing to the light its connection with the survival probability related with the two-system interaction. The possibility of inducing an effective dynamics in the distilled subspace just during the distillation process is demonstrated.

Effective Landau-Zener transitions in circuit dynamical Casimir effect with time-varying modulation frequency

We consider the dissipative single-qubit circuit QED architecture in which the atomic transition frequency undergoes a weak external time-modulation. For sinusoidal modulation with linearly varying frequency we derive effective Hamiltonians that resemble the Landau-Zener problem of finite duration associated to a two- or multi-level systems. The corresponding off-diagonal coupling coefficients originate either from the rotating or the counter-rotating terms in the Rabi Hamiltonian, depending on the values of the modulation frequency. It is demonstrated that in the dissipation less case one can accomplish almost complete transitions between the eigenstates of the bare Rabi Hamiltonian even f…

Influence of dissipation on the extraction of quantum states via repeated measurements

A quantum system put in interaction with another one that is repeatedly measured is subject to a non-unitary dynamics, through which it is possible to extract subspaces. This key idea has been exploited to propose schemes aimed at the generation of pure quantum states (purification). All such schemes have so far been considered in the ideal situations of isolated systems. In this paper, we analyze the influence of non-negligible interactions with environment during the extraction process, with the scope of investigating the possibility of purifying the state of a system in spite of the sources of dissipation. A general framework is presented and a paradigmatic example consisting of two inte…

Symmetries and Supersymmetries in Trapped Ion Hamiltonian Models

Revealing Anisotropy in a Paul Trap Through Berry Phase

When an ion confined in an anisotropic bidimensional Paul trap is subjected to a laser beam oriented along an arbitrary direction, the interaction between its electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom is described by a time-dependent Hamiltonian model as a consequence of the lack of symmetry. Appropriately choosing the laser frequency, the Hamiltonian model turns out to be sinusoidally oscillating at the difference between the proper frequencies of the center of mass of the ion. Thus, if the anisotropy of the trap is sufficiently small, the evolution of the system can be considered as adiabatic. In the context of this physical situation we have calculated the Berry phase acquired in a c…

Detuning effects in STIRAP processes in the presence of quantum noise

The Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) in three-state systems in the presence of quantum noise is considered. A comparison is made between different models, one based on a phenomenological introduction of decays, one traceable back to a microscopic description of the system-environment interaction. Effects related, to off-resonance in the coupling between the involved states are considered.

Role of temperature in the occurrence of some Zeno phenomena

Temperature can be responsible for strengthening effective couplings between quantum states, determining a hierarchy of interactions, and making it possible to establish such dynamical regimes known as Zeno dynamics, wherein a strong coupling can hinder the effects of a weak one. The relevant physical mechanisms which connect the structure of a thermal state with the appearance of special dynamical regimes are analyzed in depth.

Zeno-like phenomena in STIRAP processes

The presence of a continuous measurement quantum Zeno effect in a stimulated Raman adiabatic passage is studied, exploring in detail a sort of self-competition of the damping, which drives the system toward a loss of population and, at the same time, realizes the conditions for optimizing the adiabatic passage.

Hilbert space partitioning for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians: From off-resonance to Zeno subspaces

Abstract Effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonians describing decaying systems are derived and analyzed in connection with the occurrence of possible Hilbert space partitioning, resulting in a confinement of the dynamics. In some cases, this fact can be interpreted properly as Zeno effect or Zeno dynamics, according to the dimension of the subspace one focuses on; in some other cases, the interpretation is more complicated and traceable back to a mix of Zeno phenomena and lack of resonance. Depending on the complex phases of the diagonal terms of the Hamiltonian, the system reacts in different ways, requiring larger moduli for the dynamical confinement to occur when the complex phase is close to…

Generalized Interaction-Free Evolutions

A thorough analysis of the evolutions of bipartite systems characterized by the \lq effective absence\rq\, of interaction between the two subsystems is reported. First, the connection between the concepts underlying Interaction-Free Evolutions (IFE) and Decoherence-Free Subspaces (DFS) is explored, showing intricate relations between these concepts. Second, starting from this analysis and inspired by a generalization of DFS already known in the literature, we introduce the notion of generalized IFE (GIFE), also providing a useful characterization that allows to develop a general scheme for finding GIFE states.

Quantum Zeno subspaces induced by temperature

We discuss the partitioning of the Hilbert space of a quantum system induced by the interaction with another system at thermal equilibrium, showing that the higher the temperature the more effective is the formation of Zeno subspaces. We show that our analysis keeps its validity even in the case of interaction with a bosonic reservoir, provided appropriate limitations of the relevant bandwidth.

Tripartite thermal correlations in an inhomogeneous spin-star system

We exploit the tripartite negativity to study the thermal correlations in a tripartite system, that is the three outer spins interacting with the central one in a spin-star system. We analyze the dependence of such correlations on the homogeneity of the interactions, starting from the case where central-outer spin interactions are identical and then focusing on the case where the three coupling constants are different. We single out some important differences between the negativity and the concurrence.

Steering distillation processes through quantum Zeno dynamics

A quantum system in interaction with a repeatedly measured one undergoes a nonunitary time evolution and is pushed into a subspace substantially determined by the two-system coupling. The possibility of suitably modifying such an evolution through quantum Zeno dynamics (i.e., the generalized quantum Zeno effect) addressing the system toward an a priori decided target subspace is illustrated. Applications and their possible realizations in the context of trapped ions are also discussed.

A perturbative treatment of the evolution operator associated with Raman couplings

Distilling Angular Momentum Schrödinger Cats in Trapped Ions

Distillation of Schrödinger Cats in Trapped Ions