We analyse the performance of two quantum-state-transfer Hamiltonians in the presence of diagonal and off-diagonal disorder, and in terms of different measures. The first Hamiltonian pertains to a fully-engineered chain and the second to a chain with modified boundary couplings. The task is to find which Hamiltonian is the most robust to given levels of disorder and irrespective of the input state. In this respect, it is shown that the performance of the two protocols are approximately equivalent.
It was recently shown [S. Lorenzo et al., Sci. Rep. 7, 42729 (2017)] that the presence of static disorder in a bosonic bath - whose normal modes thus become all Anderson-localised - leads to non-Markovianity in the emission of an atom weakly coupled to it (a process which in absence of disorder is fully Markovian). Here, we extend the above analysis beyond the weak-coupling regime for a finite-band bath so as to account for band edge effects. We study the interplay of these with static disorder in the emergence of non-Markovian behaviour in terms of a suitable non-Markovianity measure.
We examine the speed and fidelity of several protocols for state or single excitation transfer in finite spin chains subject to diagonal and off-diagonal disorder. We find that, for a given chain length and maximal achievable inter-spin exchange (XY) coupling strength, the optimal static spin-coupling protocol, implementing the fastest state transfer between the two ends of the chain, is more susceptible to off-diagonal (XY coupling) disorder, as compared to a much slower but robust adiabatic transfer protocol with time-dependent coupling strengths.
We present an exact method to calculate the electronic states of one electron Hamiltonians with diagonal disorder. We show that the disorder averaged one particle Green's function can be calculated directly, using a deterministic complex (non-Hermitian) Hamiltonian. For this, we assume that the molecular states have a Cauchy (Lorentz) distribution and use the supersymmetric method which has already been used in problems of solid state physics. Using the method we find exact solutions to the states of $N$ molecules, confined to a microcavity, for any value of $N$. Our analysis shows that the wi…
We present a statistical analysis on the performance of a protocol for the faithful transfer of a quantum state in finite qubit or spin chains, in the presence of diagonal and off-diagonal disorder. It is shown that the average-state fidelity, typically employed in the literature for the quantification of the transfer, may overestimate considerably the performance of the protocol in a single realization, leading to faulty conclusions about the success of the transfer.
We derive general evolution equations describing the ensemble-average quantum dynamics generated by disordered Hamiltonians. The disorder average affects the coherence of the evolution and can be accounted for by suitably tailored effective coupling agents and associated rates which encode the specific statistical properties of the Hamiltonian's eigenvectors and eigenvalues, respectively. Spectral disorder and isotropically disordered eigenvector distributions are considered as paradigmatic test cases.
In this paper, we examine disorder (i.e. static imperfections in manufacture) for the fixed-Hamiltonian evolution protocol of quantum state transfer. We improve the performance by optimising the choice of Hamiltonian, and by implementing an encoding/decoding procedure on small regions at either end of the chain. We find that encoding in only the single excitation subspace is optimal, and provides substantial enhancement to the operating regime of these systems.
The phenomenon of chiral-symmetry protected thermalization gap in Hermitian photonic systems is counterintuitive as it implies that the photon coherence can be continuously improved by disorders towards an asymptotic limit. We show that the phenomenon disappears in time-independent, non-Hermitian photonic systems even when the chiral symmetry is well preserved. In fact, the degree of thermalization generally increases with the disorder strength, in agreement with intuition. As non-Hermitian characteristics (e.g., weak gain and loss) can be expected in realistic physical situations, the phenome…
We study effects of perturbation Hamiltonian to quantum spin systems which can include quenched disorder. Model-independent inequalities are derived, using an additional artificial disordered perturbation. These inequalities enable us to prove that the variance of the perturbation Hamiltonian density vanishes in the infinite volume limit even if the artificial perturbation is switched off. This theorem is applied to spontaneous symmetry breaking phenomena in a disordered classical spin model, a quantum spin model without disorder and a disordered quantum spin model.
We propose a procedure to obtain exact analytical solutions to the time-dependent Schrödinger equations involving explicit time-dependent Hermitian Hamitonians from solutions to time-independent non-Hermitian Hamiltonian systems and the time-dependent Dyson relation together with the time-dependent quasi-Hermiticity relation. We illustrate the working of this method for a simple Hermitian Rabi-type model by relating it to a non-Hermitian time-independent system corresponding to the one-site lattice Yang-Lee model.
We numerically investigate statistical ensembles for the occupations of eigenstates of an isolated quantum system emerging as a result of quantum quenches. The systems investigated are sparse random matrix Hamiltonians and disordered lattices. In the former case, the quench consists of sudden switching-on the off-diagonal elements of the Hamiltonian. In the latter case, it is sudden switching-on of the hopping between adjacent lattice sites. The quench-induced ensembles are compared with the so-called "quantum micro-canonical" (QMC) ensemble describing quantum superpositions with fixed energy …
In a recent paper -- F. Ciccarello \emph{et al.}, New J. Phys. \textbf{8}, 214 (2006) -- we have demonstrated that the electron transmission properties of a one-dimensional (1D) wire with two identical embedded spin-1/2 impurities can be significantly affected by entanglement between the spins of the scattering centers. Such effect is of particular interest in the control of transmission of quantum information in nanostructures and can be used as a detection scheme of maximally entangled states of two localized spins. In this letter, we relax the constraint that the two magnetic impurities are…
We demonstrate that the output statistics of a quantum annealing protocol run on D-Wave 2000Q can be explained by static disorder garnishing an otherwise ideal device hardware. A Boltzmann-like distribution over distinct output states emerges with increasing problem size, and significantly reduces the chances for a correct identification of the sought-after optimal solutions.
Quantum coherences are paramount resources for applications, such as quantum-enhanced light-harvesting or quantum computing, which are fragile against environmental noise. We here derive generalized quantum master equations using perturbation theory in order to describe the effective ensemble-averaged time-evolution of finite-size quantum systems subject to static noise on all time scales. We then analyse the time-evolution of the coherences under energy broadening noise in a variety of systems characterized by both short and long-range interactions, by strongly correlated and fully uncorrelat…
We investigate how the introduction of different types of disorder affects the generation of entanglement between the internal (spin) and external (position) degrees of freedom in one-dimensional quantum random walks (QRW). Disorder is modeled by adding another random feature to QRW, i.e., the quantum coin that drives the system's evolution is randomly chosen at each position and/or at each time step, giving rise to either dynamic, fluctuating, or static disorder. The first one is position-independent, with every lattice site having the same coin at a given time, the second has time and positi…
We address the effects of quenched disorder averaging in the time-evolution of systems of ultracold atoms in optical lattices in the presence of noise, imposed by of an environment. For bosonic systems governed by the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian, we quantify the response of disorder in Hamiltonian parameters in terms of physical observables, including bipartite entanglement in the ground state and report the existence of disorder-induced enhancement in weakly interacting cases. For systems of two-species fermions described by the Fermi-Hubbard Hamiltonian, we find similar results. In both cases, …
Dynamics of a system exhibits non-adiabaticity even for slow quenches near critical points. We analyze the response to disorder in quenches on a non-adiabaticity quantifier for the quantum Rabi model, which possesses a phase transition between normal and superradiant phases. We consider a disordered version of a quench in the Rabi model, in which the system residing in the ground state of an initial Hamiltonian of the normal phase is quenched to the final Hamiltonian corresponding to the critical point. The disorder is inserted either in the total time the quench or in the quench parameter its…
The effect of disorder in the intensity of the driving laser on the dynamics of a disordered three-cavity system of four-level atoms is investigated. This system can be described by a Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian for dark-state polaritons. We examine the evolution of the first- and second-order correlation functions, the photon and atomic excitation numbers and the basis state occupation probabilities. We use the full Hamiltonian and the approximate Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian with uniform and speckle disorder, as well as with different dipole couplings. We find that the results for the two Hamiltoni…
Ultracold atoms in optical lattices offer a unique platform for investigating disorder-driven phenomena. While static disordered site potentials have been explored in a number of optical lattice experiments, a more general control over site-energy and off-diagonal tunneling disorder has been lacking. The use of atomic quantum states as "synthetic dimensions" has introduced the spectroscopic, site-resolved control necessary to engineer new, more tailored realizations of disorder. Here, by controlling laser-driven dynamics of atomic population in a momentum-space lattice, we extend the range of …
Using a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach to open systems, we study the interplay of disorder and superradiance in a one- and three-dimensional Anderson model. Analyzing the complex eigenvalues of the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, a transition to a superradiant regime is shown to occur. As an effect of openness the structure of eigenstates undergoes a strong change in the superradiant regime: we show that the sensitivity to disorder of the superradiant and the subradiant subspaces is very different; superradiant states remain delocalized as disorder increases, while subradiant states are sensiti…
Using a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian approach to open systems, we study the interplay of disorder and superradiance in a one-dimensional Anderson model. Analyzing the complex eigenvalues of the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian, a transition to a superradiant regime is shown to occur. As an effect of openness the structure of eigenstates undergoes a strong change in the superradiant regime: we show that the sensitivity to disorder of the superradiant and the subradiant subspaces is very different; superradiant states remain delocalized as disorder increases, while subradiant states are sensitive to the d…
Recently, model systems with quadratic Hamiltonians and time-dependent interactions were studied by Briegel and Popescu and by Galve et al. in order to consider the possibility of both quantum refrigeration in enzymes [Proc. R. Soc. 469 20110290 (2013)] and entanglement in the high temperature limit [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105 180501 (2010); Phys. Rev. A 81 062117 (2010)]. Following this line of research, we studied a model comprising two quantum harmonic oscillators driven by a time-dependent harmonic coupling. Such a system was embedded in a thermal bath represented in two different ways. In one c…
Quantum walks are promising for information processing tasks because on regular graphs they spread quadratically faster than random walks. Static disorder, however, can turn the tables: unlike random walks, quantum walks can suffer Anderson localization, whereby the spread of the walker stays within a finite region even in the infinite time limit. It is therefore important to understand when we can expect a quantum walk to be Anderson localized and when we can expect it to spread to infinity even in the presence of disorder. In this work we analyze the response of a generic one-dimensional qua…
We address two issues in the quantum electrodynamical description of photonic media with some disorder, neglecting material dispersion. When choosing a gauge in which the static potential vanishes, the normal modes of the medium with disorder satisfy another transversality condition than the modes of the ideal medium. Our first result is an integral equation for optical modes such that all perturbation-theory solutions automatically satisfy the desired transversality condition. Secondly, when expanding the vector potential for the medium with disorder in terms of the normal modes of the ideal …
We utilize the concept of a measurement-induced entanglement transition to analyze the interplay and competition of processes that generate and destroy entanglement in a one-dimensional quantum spin chain evolving under a locally noisy and disordered Hamiltonian. We employ continuous measurements of variable strength to induce a transition from volume to area-law scaling of the steady-state entanglement entropy. While static background disorder systematically reduces the critical measurement strength, this critical value depends non-monotonically on the strength of non-static noise. According …
Quantum dot arrays are a promising media for transferring quantum information between two distant points without resorting to mobile qubits. Here we study two most common disorders namely, hyperfine interaction and exchange coupling fluctuations, in quantum dot arrays and their effects on quantum communication through these chains. Our results show that the hyperfine interaction is more destructive than the exchange coupling fluctuations. The average optimal time for communication is not affected by any disorder in the system and our simulations show that anti-ferromagnetic chains are much mor…
Time crystals in periodically driven systems have initially been studied assuming either the ability to quench the Hamiltonian between different many-body regimes, the presence of disorder or long-range interactions. Here we propose the simplest scheme to observe discrete time crystal dynamics in a one-dimensional driven quantum system of the Ising type with short-range interactions and no disorder. The system is subject only to a periodic kick by a global magnetic field, and no extra Hamiltonian quenching is performed. We analyze the emerging time crystal stabilizing mechanisms via extensive …
We introduce a phenomenological theory for many-body control of critical phenomena by engineering causally-induced gaps for quantum Hamiltonian systems. The core mechanisms are controlling information flow within and/or between clusters that are created near a quantum critical point. To this end, we construct inhomogeneous quantum phase transitions via designing spatio-temporal quantum fluctuations. We show how non-equilibrium evolution of disordered quantum systems can create new effective correlation length scales and effective dynamical critical exponents. In particular, we construct a clas…
We present a recursive formula for the computation of the static effective Hamiltonian of a system under a fast-oscillating drive. Our analytical result is well-suited to symbolic calculations performed by a computer and can be implemented to arbitrary order, thus overcoming limitations of existing time-dependent perturbation methods and allowing computations that were impossible before. We also provide a simple diagrammatic tool for calculation and treat illustrative examples. By construction, our method applies directly to both quantum and classical systems; the difference is left to a low-l…
The interplay between interaction, disorder, and dissipation has shown a rich phenomenology. Here we investigate a disordered XXZ spin chain in contact with a bath which, alone, would drive the system towards a highly delocalized and coherent Dicke state. We show that there exist regimes for which the natural orbitals of the single-particle density matrix of the steady state are all localized in the presence of strong disorders, either for weak interaction or strong interaction. We show that the averaged steady-state occupation in the eigenbasis of the open system Hamiltonian could follow an e…
This paper reviews the physics of quantum disorder in relation with a series of experiments using laser-cooled atoms exposed to "kicks" of a standing wave, realizing a paradigmatic model of quantum chaos, the kicked rotor. This dynamical system can be mapped onto a tight-binding Hamiltonian with pseudo-disorder, formally equivalent to the Anderson model of quantum disorder, with quantum chaos playing the role of disorder. This provides a very good quantum simulator for the Anderson physics.
We study many-body properties of quantum harmonic oscillator lattices with disorder. A sufficient condition for dynamical localization, expressed as a zero-velocity Lieb-Robinson bound, is formulated in terms of the decay of the eigenfunction correlators for an effective one-particle Hamiltonian. We show how state-of-the-art techniques for proving Anderson localization can be used to prove that these properties hold in a number of standard models. We also derive bounds on the static and dynamic correlation functions at both zero and positive temperature in terms of one-particle eigenfunction c…
