Environment-assisted quantum transport (ENAQT) is a unique situation where environmental noise can, counterintuitively, enhance the transport of an open quantum system. In this paper, we investigate how the presence of a one-dimensional single-particle mobility edge can generate strong ENAQT. For this purpose, we study the energy current of a generalized Aubry-André-Harper (AAH) tight binding model coupled at its edges to spin baths of differing temperature and dephasing noise along the system. We find that the ENAQT increases by orders of magnitude and depends on the number of localized eigenstates and disorder strength nonmonotonically. We show that this enhancement is the result of the cooperation between population uniformization and localization.
In non-Hermitian quasicrystals, mobility edges (ME) separating localized and extended states in complex energy plane can arise as a result of non-Hermitian terms in the Hamiltonian. Such ME are of topological nature, i.e. the energies of localized and extended states exhibit distinct topological structures in the complex energy plane. However, depending on the origin of non-Hermiticity, i.e. asymmetry of hopping amplitudes or complexification of the incommensurate potential phase, different winding numbers are introduced, corresponding to different transport features in the bulk of the lattice…
The transmission of an excitation along a spin chain can be hindered by the presence of small fixed imperfections that create trapping regions where the excitation may get caught (Anderson localization). A certain degree of noise, ensuing from the interaction with a thermal bath, allows to overcome localization (noise-assisted transport). In this paper we investigate the relation between noise-assisted transport and (quantum) computation. In particular we prove that noise does assist classical computation on a quantum computing device but hinders the possibility of creating entanglement.
It is shown that energy transfer in a homogeneous fully connected quantum network is assisted by a decohering interaction with environmental spins. Analytic expressions for the transfer probabilities are obtained for the zero temperature case, and the effect is shown to persist at physiological temperatures. This model of decoherence-assisted energy transfer is applied to the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex.
Noise-assisted transport in quantum systems occurs when quantum time-evolution and decoherence conspire to produce a transport efficiency that is higher than what would be seen in either the purely quantum or purely classical cases. In disordered systems, it has been understood as the suppression of coherent quantum localisation through noise, which brings detuned quantum levels into resonance and thus facilitates transport. We report several new mechanisms of environment-assisted transport in ordered systems, in which there is no localisation to overcome and where one would naively expect tha…
Quantum transport in a one-dimensional (1D) quasiperiodic lattice with mobility edges is explored. We first investigate the adiabatic pumping between left and right edge modes by resorting to two edge-bulk-edge channels and demonstrate that the success or failure of the adiabatic pumping depends on whether the corresponding bulk subchannel undergoes a localization-delocalization transition. Compared with the paradigmatic Aubry-André (AA) model, the introduction of mobility edges triggers an opposite outcome for successful pumping in the two channels, showing a discrepancy of critical condition…
High mobility, strong spin-orbit coupling, and large Landé g-factor make the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in InAs quantum wells grown on nearly-lattice-matched GaSb substrates an attractive platform for mesoscopic quantum transport experiments. Successful operation of mesoscopic devices relies on three key properties: electrical isolation from the substrate; ability to fully deplete the 2DEG and control residual sidewall conduction with lithographic gates; and high mobility to ensure ballistic transport over mesoscopic length scales. Simultaneous demonstration of these properties has re…
Transport phenomena are fundamental in Physics. They allow for information and energy to be exchanged between individual constituents of communication systems, networks or even biological entities. Environmental noise will generally hinder the efficiency of the transport process. However, and contrary to intuition, there are situations in classical systems where thermal fluctuations are actually instrumental in assisting transport phenomena. Here we show that, even at zero temperature, transport of excitations across dissipative quantum networks can be enhanced by local dephasing noise. We exp…
Dephased quantum transport of excitations occurs when energetic fluctuations in a system are sufficient to suppress the built-up of coherent amplitudes. While this has been extensively studied in many different systems, a unified and comprehensive understanding of quantum assisted transport via on-site and coupling-induced dephasing processes is lacking. The aim of the present work is to present a simple and unified understanding of the role of these two key dephasing processes in dephasing assisted transport. Our work explicitly links continuous dephasing to classical and quantum transitions.…
Recent theoretical and experimental efforts have shown the remarkable and counter-intuitive role of noise in enhancing the transport efficiency of complex systems. Here, we realize simple, scalable, and controllable optical fiber cavity networks that allow us to analyze the performance of transport networks for different conditions of interference, dephasing and disorder. In particular, we experimentally demonstrate that the transport efficiency reaches a maximum when varying the external dephasing noise, i.e. a bell-like shape behavior that had been predicted only theoretically. These optical…
We determine the characteristic of dissipative quantum transport in a coupled qubit network in the presence of on-site and off-diagonal external driving. The work is motivated by the dephasing-assisted quantum transport where noise is beneficial to the transport efficiency. Using Floquet-Magnus expansion extended to Markovian open systems, we analytically derive transport efficiency and compare it to exact numerical results. We find that driving may increase the efficiency at frequencies near the coupling rate. On the contrary, at some other frequencies the transport may be suppressed. We then…
Understanding the interplay between disorder, environment and interactions is key to elucidating the transport properties of open quantum systems, from excitons in photosynthetic networks to qubits in ion traps. This interplay is studied here theoretically in the context of environment-assisted quantum transport (ENAQT), a unique situation in open system where an environment-induced dephasing can, counter-intuitively, enhance transport. First, we show a surprising situation where the particle current grows with increasing disorder, even without dephasing. Then, we suggest a specific mechanism …
Single-molecule electronics has been envisioned as the ultimate goal in the miniaturisation of electronic circuits. While the aim of incorporating single-molecule junctions into modern technology still proves elusive, recent developments in this field have begun to enable experimental investigation fundamental concepts within the area of chemical physics. One such phenomenon is the concept of Environment-Assisted Quantum Transport which has emerged from the investigation of exciton transport in photosynthetic complexes. Here, we study charge transport through a two-site molecular junction coup…
Environmental noise usually hinders the efficiency of charge transport through coherent quantum systems; an exception is dephasing-assisted transport (DAT). We show that linear triple quantum dots in a transport configuration and subjected to pure dephasing exhibit DAT if the coupling to the drain reservoir exceeds a threshold. DAT occurs for arbitrarily weak dephasing and the enhancement can be directly controlled by the coupling to the drain. Moreover, for specific settings, the enhanced current is accompanied by a reduction in relative shot noise. We identify the quantum Zeno effect and lon…
Recently, the presence of noise has been found to play a key role in assisting the transport of energy and information in complex quantum networks and even in biomolecular systems. Here we propose an experimentally realizable optical network scheme for the demonstration of the basic mechanisms underlying noise-assisted transport. The proposed system consists of a network of coupled quantum optical cavities, injected with a single photon, whose transmission efficiency can be measured. Introducing dephasing in the photon path this system exhibits a characteristic enhancement of the transport eff…
Selective energy transport throughout a quantum network connected to more than one reaction center can play an important role in many natural and technological considerations in photo-systems. In this work, we propose a method in which an excitation can be transported from the original site of the network to one of the reaction centers arbitrarily using independent sources of dephasing noises. We demonstrate a situation that in the absence of dephasing noises the coherent evolution of the system has no role in the energy transport in the network. Therefore, incoherent evolution via application…
We study the dynamics of a two-level quantum system interacting with an external environment that takes the form of an XY spin chain in the presence of an external magnetic field. While the presence of the bath itself can enhance the transition probability from the lower level to the upper level of the system, we show that this noise-assisted phenomenon is sensitive to a change of the quantum phase of the environment. The derivative of the transition probability displays a maximum in correspondence with the critical value of the applied field both in the case of isotropic and anisotropic chain…
We address two-level systems arranged in ring configurations affected by static disorder. In particular we investigate the role of dephasing in the transport of an excitation along the ring. We compare the efficiency of the transfer process on isotropic rings and on biomimetic rings modelled according to the structure of light-harvesting complexes. Our analysis provides a simple but clear and interesting example of how an interplay between the coherent dynamics of the system and the incoherent action of the environment can enhance the transfer capabilities of disordered lattices.
Quantum key distribution, initialized in 1984, is a commercialized secure communication method which enables two parties to produce shared random secret key by the nature of quantum mechanics. We propose QQUIC (Quantum assisted Quick UDP Internet Connections) transport protocol, which modifies the famous QUIC transport protocol by employing the quantum key distribution instead of the original classical algorithms in the key exchanging stage. Thanks to the provable security of quantum key distribution, the security of QQUIC key does not depend on computational assumptions. Maybe surprisingly, Q…
Transport phenomena at the nanoscale are of interest due to the presence of both quantum and classical behavior. In this work, we demonstrate that quantum transport efficiency can be enhanced by a dynamical interplay of the system Hamiltonian with pure dephasing induced by a fluctuating environment. This is in contrast to fully coherent hopping that leads to localization in disordered systems, and to highly incoherent transfer that is eventually suppressed by the quantum Zeno effect. We study these phenomena in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein complex as a prototype for larger photosynthetic e…
The way in which energy is transported through an interacting system governs fundamental properties in many areas of physics, chemistry, and biology. Remarkably, environmental noise can enhance the transport, an effect known as environment-assisted quantum transport (ENAQT). In this paper, we study ENAQT in a network of coupled spins subject to engineered static disorder and temporally varying dephasing noise. The interacting spin network is realized in a chain of trapped atomic ions and energy transport is represented by the transfer of electronic excitation between ions. With increasing nois…
One of the new discoveries in quantum biology is the role of Environment Assisted Quantum Transport (ENAQT) in excitonic transport processes. In disordered quantum systems transport is most efficient when the environment just destroys quantum interferences responsible for localization, but the coupling does not drive the system to fully classical thermal diffusion yet. This poised realm between the pure quantum and the semi-classical domains has not been considered in other biological transport processes, such as charge transport through organic molecules. Binding in receptor-ligand complexes …
Recent theoretical studies show that decoherence process can enhance transport efficiency in quantum systems. This effect is known as environment-assisted quantum transport (ENAQT). The role of ENAQT in optimal quantum transport is well investigated, however, it is less known how robust ENAQT is with respect to variations in the system or its environment characteristic. Toward answering this question, we simulated excitonic energy transfer in Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) photosynthetic complex. We found that ENAQT is robust with respect to many relevant parameters of environmental interactions a…
