We present a wavefunction methodology to account for finite temperature initial conditions in the quantum Rabi model. The approach is based on the Davydov-Ansatz together with a statistical sampling of the canonical harmonic oscillator initial density matrix. Equations of motion are gained from a variational principle and numerical results are compared to those of the thermal Hamiltonian approach. For a system consisting of a single spin and a single oscillator and for moderate coupling strength, we compare our new results with full quantum ones as well as with other Davydov-type results based on alternative sampling/summation strategies. All of these perform better than the ones based on the thermal Hamiltonian approach. The best agreement is shown by a Boltzmann weighting of individual eigenstate propagations. Extending this to a bath of many oscillators will, however, be very demanding numerically. The use of any one of the investigated stochastic sampling approaches will then be favorable.
Quantum coherent light-matter interactions have been at the forefront of scientific interest since the fundamental predictions of Einstein and the later work of Rabi. Direct observation of quantum coherent interactions entails probing the electronic wavefunction which requires that the electronic state of the matter does not de-phase during the measurement, a condition that can be satisfied by lengthening the coherence time or by shortening the observation time. The short de-phasing time in semiconductors has dictated that all coherent effects reported to date have been recorded directly only …
By mapping the Hamiltonians of the two-mode and 2-photon Rabi models to differential operators in suitable Hilbert spaces of entire functions, we prove that the two models possess entire and normalizable wavefunctions in the Bargmann-Hilbert spaces only if the frequency $ω$ and coupling strength $g$ satisfy certain constraints. This is in sharp contrast to the quantum Rabi model for which entire wavefunctions always exist. For model parameters fulfilling the aforesaid constraints we determine transcendental equations whose roots give the regular energy eigenvalues of the models. Furthermore, w…
We obtain the exceptional part of the eigenspectrum of the generalised Rabi model, also known as the driven Rabi model, in terms of the roots of a set of algebraic equations. This approach provides a product form for the wavefunction components and allows an explicit connection with recent results obtained for the wavefunction in terms of truncated confluent Heun functions. Other approaches are also compared. For particular parameter values the exceptional part of the eigenspectrum consists of doubly degenerate crossing points. We give a proof for the number of roots of the constraint polynomi…
We present a simple theoretical description of two recent experiments where damping of Rabi oscillations, which cannot be attributed to dissipative decoherence, has been observed. This is obtained considering the evolution time or the Hamiltonian as random variables and then averaging the usual unitary evolution on a properly defined, model-independent, probability distribution.
Parity describing the symmetry of quantum mechanics wavefunction under space inversion transformation not only plays an essential role in solving quantum systems but also can be used to manipulate and measure the motional quantum states of such hybrid quantum systems as quantum Rabi model(QRM) and/or its variants through parity measurements. Here we address an exotic parity behavior of the QRM in its superradiant phase by numerical exact diagonalization, namely, the parities of eigenstates of the QRM behave irregular in the strong coupling regime but the sum of parities for each pair of eigens…
Comparison of theory of Rabi oscillations with experiment [M. Wilczewski and M. Czachor, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 79}, 033836 (2009)] suggests that cavity lifetime parameters obtained in measurements with many photons may be much smaller than those applicable to almost vacuum states of light. In this context we show that the conclusion remains unchanged even if one takes a more realistic description of the initial state of light in cavity.
We investigate the applicability of the two major approximations which are most commonly employed in the study of the quantum Rabi model, namely the description of a resonant cavity mode as a single-mode quantized field and the use of the rotating wave approximation. Starting from the Hamiltonian of a two-level system interacting with a multi-mode quantized field, we perform the canonical transformation of the field operators. This allows one to partition the Hamiltonian of the system into two parts. The first part is the interaction of the two-level system with a single collective field mode,…
The Rabi model that describes the fundamental interaction between a two-level system with a quantized harmonic oscillator is one of the simplest and most ubiquitous models in modern physics. However, this model has not been solved exactly because it is hard to find a second conserved quantity besides the energy. Here we present a unitary transformation to map this unsolvable Rabi model into a solvable Jaynes-Cummings-like model by choosing a proper variation parameter. As a result, the analytical energy spectrums and wavefunctions including both the ground and the excited states can be obtaine…
We show that the quantum wavefunction, interpreted as the probability density of finding a single non-localized quantum particle, which evolves according to classical laws of motion, is an intermediate description of a material quantum particle between the quantum and classical realms. Accordingly, classical and quantum mechanics should not be treated separately, a unified description in terms of the Wigner distribution function being possible. Although defined on classical phase space coordinates, the Wigner distribution function accommodates the nonlocalization property of quantum systems, a…
The Rabi model plays a fundamental role in understanding light-matter interaction. It reduces to the Jaynes-Cummings model via the rotating-wave approximation, which is applicable only to the cases of near resonance and weak coupling. However, recent experimental breakthroughs in upgrading light-matter coupling order require understanding the physics of the full quantum Rabi model (QRM). Despite the fact that its integrability and energy spectra have been exactly obtained, the challenge to formulate an exact wavefunction in a general case still hinders physical exploration of the QRM. Here we …
We extend the asymptotic boundary layer (ABL) method, originally developed for stable resonator modes, to the description of individual wavefunctions localized around unstable periodic orbits. The formalism applies to the description of scar states in fully or partially chaotic quantum systems, and also allows for the presence of smooth and sharp potentials, as well as magnetic fields. We argue that the separatrix wave function provides the largest contribution to the scars on a single wave function. This agrees with earlier results on the wave-function asymptotics and on the quantization cond…
In this work, we investigate the quantum phase transition of light in the dissipative Rabi-Hubbard lattice under the framework of the mean-field theory and quantum dressed master equation. The order parameter of photons in strong qubit-photon coupling regime is derived analytically both at zero and low temperatures. Interestingly, we can locate the localization and delocalization phase transition very well in a wide parameter region. {In particular for the zero-temperature limit, the critical tunneling strength approaches zero generally in the deep-strong qubit-photon coupling regime, regardle…
We consider a generalized version of the Rabi model that includes a nonlinear, dispersive-type atom-field interaction in addition to the usual linear dipole coupling, as well as cavity dissipation. An effective system of this sort arises, for example, in a quantum simulation of the Rabi model based upon Raman transitions in an optical cavity QED setting [A. L. Grimsmo and S. Parkins, Phys. Rev. A {\bf87}, 033814 (2013)]. For a suitable choice of the nonlinear interaction strength, near degeneracies of the states in the cavity-mode vacuum and single-photon subspaces, in combination with cavity …
We discuss the limits of the photon wavefunction (PWF) formalism, which is experiencing a revival in these days from the new practical applications in photonics and quantum optics. We build a Dirac-like equation for the PWF written in a manifestly covariant form and show that, in presence of charged matter fields, it reproduces the standard formulation of (classical) Electrodinamics. This shows the inconsistency of the attempts to construct a quantum theory of interacting photons, based on the so called photon wavefunction approach, alternative to standard QED. PWF formalism can then be used t…
The effect of atom losses on a homogeneous one-dimensional Bose gas lying within the quasi-condensate regime is investigated using a Monte Carlo wavefunction approach. The evolution of the system is calculated, conditioned by the loss sequence, namely the times of individual losses and the position of the removed atoms. We describe the gas within the linearized Bogoliubov approach. For each mode, we find that, for a given quantum trajectory, the state of the system converges towards a coherent state, i.e. the ground state, displaced in phase space. Provided losses are recorded with a temporal …
The most puzzling issue in the foundations of quantum mechanics is perhaps that of the status of the wave function of a system in a quantum universe. Is the wave function objective or subjective? Does it represent the physical state of the system or merely our information about the system? And if the former, does it provide a complete description of the system or only a partial description? We shall address these questions here mainly from a Bohmian perspective, and shall argue that part of the difficulty in ascertaining the status of the wave function in quantum mechanics arises from the fact…
We propose a multilevel quantum heat engine with a working medium described by a generalized Rabi model which consists of a two-level system coupled to a single mode bosonic field. The model is constructed to be a continuum limit of a quantum biological description of light harvesting complexes so that it can amplify quantum coherence by a mechanism which is a quantum analog of classical Huygen's clocks. The engine operates in quantum Otto cycle where the working medium is coupled to classical heat baths in the isochoric processes of the four stroke cycle; while either the coupling strength or…
The quantum Rabi model is a widespread description for the coupling between a two-level system and a quantized single mode of an electromagnetic resonator. Issues about this model's gauge invariance have been raised. These issues become evident when the light-matter interaction reaches the so-called ultrastrong coupling regime. Recently, a modified quantum Rabi model able to provide gauge-invariant physical results in any interaction regime was introduced [Nature Physics 15, 803 (2019)]. Here we provide an alternative derivation of this result, based on the implementation in two-state systems …
Bohmian mechanics is an alternative to standard quantum mechanics that does not suffer from the measurement problem. While it agrees with standard quantum mechanics concerning its experimental predictions, it offers novel types of approximations not suggested by the latter. Of particular interest are semi-classical approximations, where part of the system is treated classically. Bohmian semi-classical approximations have been explored before for systems without electromagnetic interactions. Here, the Rabi model is considered as a simple model involving light-matter interaction. This model desc…
We map a quantum Rabi ring, consisting of $N$ cavities arranged in a ring geometry, into an effective magnetic model containing the XY exchange and the Dzyaloshinskii Moriya (DM) interactions. The analogue of the latter is induced by an artificial magnetic field, which modulates photon hopping between nearest-neighbor cavities with a phase. The mean-field behavior of both systems is almost identical, facilitating the description of the different phases in the quantum optical model through simple arguments of competing magnetic interactions. For the square geometry ($N=4$) the rich phase diagra…
The quantum Rabi model is a widespread description of the coupling between a two-level system and a quantized single mode of an electromagnetic resonator. Issues about this model's gauge invariance have been raised. These issues become evident when the light-matter interaction reaches the so-called ultrastrong coupling regime. Recently, a modified quantum Rabi model able to provide gauge-invariant physical results (e.g., energy levels, expectation values of observables, quantum probabilities) in any interaction regime was introduced [Nature Physics 15, 803 (2019)]. Here we provide an alternati…
Wavefunction is the foundation of quantum theory, which is assumed to give a complete description of a quantum system. For a long time, wavefunction is introduced as an abstract element of the theory and there lacks effective ways to measure it directly. The situation, however, is somewhat changed when Lundeen et al. reported the direct measurement of the quantum wavefunction via weak measurements, which gives the wavefunction a clearly operational definition [Nature 474, 188 (2011)]. The weak measurement method requires sequential measurements of conjugate observables position and momentum wi…
A tractable N-state Rabi Hamiltonian is introduced by extending the parity symmetry of the two-state model. The single-mode case provides a few-parameter description of a novel class of periodic systems, predicting that the ground state of certain four-state atom-cavity systems will undergo parity change at strong coupling. A group-theoretical treatment provides physical insight into dynamics and a modified rotating wave approximation obtains accurate analytical energies. The dissipative case can be applied to study excitation energy transfer in molecular rings or chains.
Quantum mechanics is an outstandingly successful description of nature, underpinning fields from biology through chemistry to physics. At its heart is the quantum wavefunction, the central tool for describing quantum systems. Yet it is still unclear what the wavefunction actually is: does it merely represent our limited knowledge of a system, or is it an element of reality? Recent no-go theorems argued that if there was any underlying reality to start with, the wavefunction must be real. However, that conclusion relied on debatable assumptions, without which a partial knowledge interpretation …
The quantum critical behavior of the Bose-Hubbard model for a description of two coupled Bose-Einstein condensates is studied within the framework of an algebraic theory. Energy levels, wavefunction overlaps with those of the Rabi and Fock regimes, and the entanglement are calculated exactly as functions of the phase parameter and the number of bosons. The results show that the system goes though a phase transition and that the critical behavior is enhanced in the thermodynamic limit.
We argue that quaternions form a natural language for the description of quantum-mechanical wavefunctions with spin. We use the quaternionic spinor formalism which is in one-to-one correspondence with the usual spinor language. No unphysical degrees of freedom are admitted, in contrast to the majority of literature on quaternions. In this paper we first build a Dirac Lagrangian in the quaternionic form, derive the Dirac equation and take the non-relativistic limit to find the Schrödinger's equation. We show that the quaternionic formalism is a natural choice to start with, while in the transit…
The scientific interest in the analytical solution of the quantum Rabi model is due to the widespread use of this simple model in quantum optics, quantum computing, cavity QED, and nanoelectromechanical systems. This interest is related to the need for the theoretical description of the interaction of a two-level system with a quantum oscillator in the case when the rotating wave approximation fails. In this Letter, we present an approach to the exact diagonalization of the quantum Rabi Hamiltonian. This approach is based on the properties of the Pauli operators and allows us to readily solve …
We discuss the particle method in quantum mechanics which provides an exact scheme to calculate the time-dependent wavefunction from a single-valued continuum of trajectories where two spacetime points are linked by at most a single orbit. A natural language for the theory is offered by the hydrodynamic analogy, in which wave mechanics corresponds to the Eulerian picture and the particle theory to the Lagrangian picture. The Lagrangian model for the quantum fluid may be developed from a variational principle. The Euler-Lagrange equations imply a fourth-order nonlinear partial differential equa…
The aim of this paper is a better understanding for the eigenstates of the asymmetric quantum Rabi model by Lie algebra representations of $\mathfrak{sl}_2$. We define a second order element of the universal enveloping algebra $\mathcal{U}(\mathfrak{sl}_2)$ of $\mathfrak{sl}_2(\mathbb{R})$, which, through the action of a certain infinite dimensional representation of $\mathfrak{sl}_2(\mathbb{R})$, provides a picture of the asymmetric quantum Rabi model equivalent to the one drawn by confluent Heun ordinary differential equations. Using this description, we prove the existence of level crossing…
We develop an hybrid quantum-classical algorithm to solve an optimal population transfer problem for a molecule subject to a laser pulse. The evolution of the molecular wavefunction under the laser pulse is simulated on a quantum computer, while the optimal pulse is iteratively shaped via a machine learning (evolutionary) algorithm. A method to encode on the quantum computer the n-electrons wavefunction is discussed, the circuits accomplishing its quantum simulation are derived and the scalability in terms of number of operations is discussed. Performance on Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum de…
A diabatization method is developed for the approximated description of the photoinduced charge separation/transfer processes in the van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure complex, which is based on the wavefunction projection approach using a plane wave basis set in the framework of the single-particle picture. We build the diabatic Hamiltonian for the description of the interlayer photoinduced hole-transfer process of the two-dimensional vdW MoS2/WS2 heterostructure complexes. The diabatic Hamiltonian gives the energies of the localized valence band states (located at MoS2 and valence band stat…
Multi-phonon physics is an emerging field that serves as a test bed for fundamental quantum physics and several applications in metrology, on-chip communication, among others. Quantum acoustic cavities or resonators are devices that are being used to study multi-phonon phenomena both theoretically and experimentally. In particular, we study a system consisting of a semiconductor quantum dot pumped by a driving laser, and coupled to an acoustic cavity. This kind of systems has proven to yield interesting multi-phonon phenomena, but the description of the quantum dot has been limited to a two-le…
Path integral formulation of quantum mechanics defines the wavefunction associated with a particle as a sum of phase-factors, which are periodic functions of classical action. In the present article, this periodicity is shown to impart the corresponding periodicity to a one parameter family of wavefunctions generated by the translations of arclength used to parameterize the trajectories. Translation parameter is adjoined to the base to obtain an extended manifold. Periodicity of the family of wavefunctions with respect to the translation parameter together with solutions of the generalized Kle…
We derive dynamical equations for a driven, dissipative quantum system in which the environment- induced relaxation rate is comparable to the Rabi frequency, avoiding assumptions on the frequency dependence of the environmental coupling. When the environmental coupling varies significantly on the scale of the Rabi frequency, secular or rotating wave approximations break down. Our approach avoids these approximations, yielding dynamical, periodic steady-states. This is important for the qualitative and quantitative description of the interaction between driven quantum dots and their phonon envi…
Descriptions of molecular systems usually refer to two distinct theoretical frameworks. On the one hand the quantum pure state, i.e. the wavefunction, of an isolated system which is determined to calculate molecular properties and to consider the time evolution according to the unitary Schrödinger equation. On the other hand a mixed state, i.e. a statistical density matrix, is the standard formalism to account for thermal equilibrium, as postulated in the microcanonical quantum statistics. In the present paper an alternative treatment relying on a statistical analysis of the possible wavefunct…
We numerically solve the Liouville equation for the Tavis Cummings model of multiple spins coupled to a lossless single mode cavity, starting from an initial condition with small numbers of fully polarized spins tipped by a specified angle, and the cavity in its ground Fock state. Time evolution of the magnetizations and cavity states, following small to medium nutation by a classical field, yields a microscopic quantum mechanical picture of radiation damping in magnetic resonance, and the formation of the free induction signal, that is, the transfer of Zeeman energy, via spin coherence, to ca…
The semiclassical theory of light-matter interactions describes the interaction between a classical electromagnetic field with a quantum mechanical two-level system.We show that the quantum mechanical two-level system can be modeled by a system of two coupled classical harmonic oscillators whose eigenstates are split in frequency according to the coupling strength and play the roles of the two levels of the quantum mechanical two-level system. The effect of the light field on the mechanical system is modeled as a modulation of the spring constants of the individual oscillators. Using this full…
Simulation of quantum systems promises to deliver physical and chemical predictions for the frontiers of technology. Unfortunately, the exact representation of these systems is plagued by the exponential growth of dimension with the number of particles, or colloquially, the curse of dimensionality. The success of approximation methods has hinged on the relative simplicity of physical systems with respect to the exponentially complex worst case. Exploiting this relative simplicity has required detailed knowledge of the physical system under study. In this work, we introduce a general and effici…
A brief account of the world view of classical physics is given first. We then recapitulate as to why the Copenhagen interpretation of the quantum mechanics had to renounce most of the attractive features of the clasical world view such as a causal description, locality, scientific realism and introduce a fundamental distinction between system and apparatus. The crucial role is played in this by the Bohr's insistence on the wavefunction providing the most complete description possible for an even individual system. The alternative of introducing extra dynamical variables, called hidden variabl…
Upon revisiting the Hamiltonian structure of classical wavefunctions in Koopman-von Neumann theory, this paper addresses the long-standing problem of formulating a dynamical theory of classical-quantum coupling. The proposed model not only describes the influence of a classical system onto a quantum one, but also the reverse effect -- the quantum backreaction. These interactions are described by a new Hamiltonian wave equation overcoming shortcomings of currently employed models. For example, the density matrix of the quantum subsystem is always positive-definite. While the Liouville density o…
We present an analytical and comprehensive description of the quantum dynamics of a microwave resonantly driven superconducting phase qubit coupled to a microscopic two-level system (TLS), covering a wide range of the external microwave field strength. Our model predicts several interesting phenomena in such an ac driven four-level bipartite system including anomalous Rabi oscillations, high-contrast beatings of Rabi oscillations, and extraordinary two-photon transitions. Our experimental results in a coupled qubit-TLS system agree quantitatively very well with the predictions of the theoretic…
Modern advances in transformation optics and electromagnetic metamaterials made possible experimental demonstrations of highly unusual curvilinear optical spaces, such as various geometries necessary for electromagnetic cloaking. Recently we demonstrated that mapping light intensity in a hyperbolic metamaterial may also model the flow of time in an effective (2+1) dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Curving such an effective spacetime creates experimental model of a toy big bang. Here we demonstrate that at low light levels this model may be used to emulate a fully covariant version of quantum me…
