It has been experimentally demonstrated that quantum coherence can persist in macroscopic phenomena [J.R. Friedman et al.,Nature, 406 (2000) 43]. To face the challenge of this new fact, in this article QM in its standard form is assumed to be extended by one beable (hidden variable), i. e., a quantum observable with always definite values in nature (but usually only statistically given in the quantum state). Localization is taken as the most plausible beable. The paradoxical aspects of conventional QM take now a different form. Suitably defining the notion of "subject" fully within the QM formalism, proving the quantum conditional subsystem-state theorem, and choosing the relative-decoherence interpretation of QM, the paradoxes formally disappear, leaving one with decoherence relative to the definite values of the beable; thus being only appearance, not absolute reality in QM. Relative to a different subject one has perseverance of coherence. Hence, in this approach it is claimed that decoherence and coherence, both exist in reality, but are not "seen" by the same subject, and "subject" is, in this interpretation, indispensable. The two mentioned, apparently contradictory phenomena, are in this way decoupled from each other, contradiction is avoided, and any one of the two can be treated in the way that is usual in QM.
Following almost a century of debate on possible `independent of measurement' elements of reality, or `induced' elements of reality - originally invoked as an ad-hoc collapse postulate, we propose a novel line of interference experiments which may be able to examine the regime of induced elements of reality. At the basis of the proposed experiment, lies the hypothesis that all models of 'induced' elements of reality should exhibit symmetry breaking within quantum evolution. The described {\em symmetry experiment} is thus aimed at being able to detect and resolve symmetry breaking signatures.
Although coupling to a super-Ohmic bosonic reservoir leads only to partial dephasing on short time scales, exponential decay of coherence appears in the Markovian limit (for long times) if anharmonicity of the reservoir is taken into account. This effect not only qualitatively changes the decoherence scenario but also leads to localization processes in which superpositions of spatially separated states dephase with a rate that depends on the distance between the localized states. As an example of the latter process, we study the decay of coherence of an electron state delocalized over two semi…
In this article I aim to provide an intuitive and non-technical introduction to decoherence and quantum Darwinism. Together these theories explain how our classical reality emerges from an underlying quantum mechanical description. Here I focus on two aspects of this and explain, firstly, how decoherence can tell us why we never see macroscopic superpositions, such as dead-and-alive cats, in our classical surroundings; and secondly I describe and then provide a resolution to the so-called preferred basis problem. I then introduce recent results demonstrating that certain aspects of classicalit…
As illustrated by Schrodingers cat, there are often several macroscopically different versions of reality simultaneously existing in the wave function. On the face of it, this would seem to imply that an observer could perceive a superposition of versions and thereby put quantum mechanics at odds with our perceptions. However one can show, without invoking decoherence or the environment, that the linearity of quantum mechanics implies we will perceive only a single, classical version of reality. Linearity also implies our perceptions will have a particle-like consistency.
Theories of decoherence come in two flavors---Platonic and Aristotelian. Platonists grant ontological primacy to the concepts and mathematical symbols by which we describe or comprehend the physical world. Aristotelians grant it to the physical world. The significance one attaches to the phenomenon of decoherence depends on the school to which one belongs. The debate about the significance of quantum states has for the most part been carried on between Platonists and Kantians, who advocate an epistemic interpretation, with Aristotelians caught in the crossfire. For the latter, quantum states a…
We provide an alternative approach to the decoherence-by-environment paradigm in the field of the quantum measurement process and the appearance of a classical world. In contrast to the decoherence approach we argue that the transition from pure states to mixtures and the appearance of macro objects (and macroscopic properties) can be understood without invoking the measurement-like influence of the environment on the pointer-states of the measuring instrument. We show that every generic many-body system contains within the class of microscopic quantum observables a subalgebra of macro observa…
It is shown that the nature of quantum states that emerge from decoherence is such that one can {\em measure} the expectation value of any observable of the system in a single measurement. This can be done even when such pointer states are a priori unknown. The possibility of measuring the expectation value of any observable, without any prior knowledge of the state, points to the objective existence of such states.
It is accepted that among the ways through which a quantum phenomenon decoheres and becomes a classical one is what is termed in the literature the Zeno effect. This effect, named after the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea (born about 485 B.C), were used in 1977 to analytically predict that an initial quantum state may be preserved in time by merely repeating a large number of times, in a finite total time, the experiment of checking its state. Since then this effect has been experimentally validated and has become an established physical fact. It has been argued by Simonius that the Zen…
Emergence of the classical world from the quantum substrate of our Universe is a long-standing conundrum. I describe three insights into the transition from quantum to classical that are based on the recognition of the role of the environment. I begin with derivation of preferred sets of states that help define what exists - our everyday classical reality. They emerge as a result of breaking of the unitary symmetry of the Hilbert space which happens when the unitarity of quantum evolutions encounters nonlinearities inherent in the process of amplification - of replicating information. This der…
We analyze the quantum entanglement at the equilibrium in a class of exactly solvable one-dimensional spin models at finite temperatures and identify a region where the quantum fluctuations determine the behavior of the system. We probe the response of the system in this region by studying the spin dynamics after projective measurement of one local spin which leads to the appearance of the ``decoherence wave''. We investigate time-dependent spin correlation functions, the entanglement dynamics, and the fidelity of the quantum information transfer after the measurement.
We apply the time-dependent decoherence-free subspace theory to a Markovian open quantum system in order to present a novel proposal for quantum-state engineering program. By quantifying the purity of the quantum state, we verify that the quantum-state engineering process designed via our method is completely unitary within any total engineering time. Even though the controls on the open quantum system are not perfect, the asymptotic purity is still robust. Owing to its ability to completely resist decoherence and the lack of restraint in terms of the total engineering time, our proposal is su…
Phase sensitive adiabatic states for a quantum system interacting with an electromagnetic field have been derived taking into account all material phase factors of the initial bare states. The adiabatic states so obtained show a traceable phase behavior, causally depending on the initial conditions and the relevant physical processes. Experimental appearance of the material phase effects has been discussed.
In this paper, we study mixing and large decoherence in continuous-time quantum walks on one dimensional regular networks, which are constructed by connecting each node to its $2l$ nearest neighbors($l$ on either side). In our investigation, the nodes of network are represented by a set of identical tunnel-coupled quantum dots in which decoherence is induced by continuous monitoring of each quantum dot with nearby point contact detector. To formulate the decoherent CTQWs, we use Gurvitz model and then calculate probability distribution and the bounds of instantaneous and average mixing times. …
This work investigates the influence of directional properties of decoherence on kinetics rate equations. The physical reality is understood as a chain of unitary and decoherence events. The former are quantum-deterministic, while the latter introduce uncertainty and increase entropy. For interactions of matter and antimatter, two approaches are considered: symmetric decoherence, which corresponds to conventional symmetric (CP-invariant) thermodynamics, and antisymmetric decoherence, which corresponds to antisymmetric (CPT-invariant) thermodynamics. Radiation, in its interactions with matter a…
We consider the description of quantum noise within the framework of the standard Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics applied to a composite system environment setting. Averaging over the environmental degrees of freedom leads to a stochastic quantum dynamics, described by equations complying with the constraints arising from the statistical structure of quantum mechanics. Simple examples are considered in the framework of open system dynamics described within a master equation approach, pointing in particular to the appearance of the phenomenon of decoherence and to the relevance o…
We argue that quantum mechanics makes sense without such controversial postulates as the wave function collapse, the quantum probability rule and the observable postulate. We only need the existence of a wave function as a representation of a state, its dynamical evolution rule and another rather trivial postulate proposed here (Read-Off Postulate). The wave function collapse and the probability rule are replaced with intrinsic properties of the theory, i.e. decoherence and relative frequency, respectively. Interpretation of the wave function as a faithful representation of the reality natural…
Coherence in an open quantum system is degraded through its interaction with a bath. This decoherence can be avoided by restricting the dynamics of the system to special decoherence-free subspaces. These subspaces are usually constructed under the assumption of spatially symmetric system-bath coupling. Here we show that decoherence-free subspaces may appear without spatial symmetry. Instead, we consider a model of system-bath interactions in which to first order only multiple-qubit coupling to the bath is present, with single-qubit system-bath coupling absent. We derive necessary and sufficien…
Quantum Darwinism recognizes the role of the environment as a communication channel: Decoherence can selectively amplify information about the pointer states of a system of interest (preventing access to complementary information about their superpositions) and can make records of this information accessible to many observers. This redundancy explains the emergence of objective, classical reality in our quantum Universe. Here, we demonstrate that the amplification of information in realistic spin environments can be quantified by the quantum Chernoff information, which characterizes the distin…
Emergent quantum technologies have led to increasing interest in decoherence - the processes that limit the appearance of quantum effects and turn them into classical phenomena. One important cause of decoherence is the interaction of a quantum system with its environment, which 'entangles' the two and distributes the quantum coherence over so many degrees of freedom as to render it unobservable. Decoherence theory has been complemented by experiments using matter waves coupled to external photons or molecules, and by investigations using coherent photon states, trapped ions and electron inter…
Quantum states of gravitational source masses can lead to experimental outcomes that are inconsistent with the predictions of a purely classical field theory of gravity. Environmental decoherence places strict boundary conditions to the potential realization of such experiments: sufficiently mild not to act as a fundamental show-stopper, yet sufficiently demanding to represent a formidable challenge to the next generation of quantum experiment(er)s.
A state selected at random from the Hilbert space of a many-body system is overwhelmingly likely to exhibit highly non-classical correlations. For these typical states, half of the environment must be measured by an observer to determine the state of a given subsystem. The objectivity of classical reality-the fact that multiple observers can agree on the state of a subsystem after measuring just a small fraction of its environment-implies that the correlations found in nature between macroscopic systems and their environments are very exceptional. Building on previous studies of quantum Darwin…
This brief note in response to Wojciech Zurek's article "Quantum Darwinism, classical reality, and the randomness of quantum jumps" (Physics Today, October 2014, page 44) points out extant rebuttals in the literature to some of the author's key claims.
Decoherence shows how the openness of quantum systems -- interaction with their environment -- suppresses flagrant manifestations of quantumness. Einselection accounts for the emergence of preferred quasi-classical pointer states. Quantum Darwinism goes beyond decoherence. It posits that the information acquired by the monitoring environment responsible for decoherence is disseminated, in many copies, in the environment, and thus becomes accessible to observers. This indirect nature of the acquisition of information by observers who use the environment as a communication channel is the mechani…
We analyze quantum computers which perform Shor's factoring algorithm, paying attention to asymptotic properties as the number L of qubits is increased. Using numerical simulations and a general theory of the stabilities of many-body quantum states, we show the following: Anomalously fluctuating states (AFSs), which have anomalously large fluctuations of additive operators, appear in various stages of the computation. For large L, they decohere at anomalously great rates by weak noises that simulate noises in real systems. Decoherence of some of the AFSs is fatal to the results of the computat…
We study the role of the information deposited in the environment of an open quantum system in course of the decoherence process. Redundant spreading of information -- the fact that some observables of the system can be independently ``read-off'' from many distinct fragments of the environment -- is investigated as the key to effective objectivity, the essential ingredient of ``classical reality''. This focus on the environment as a communication channel through which observers learn about physical systems underscores importance of quantum Darwinism -- selective proliferation of information ab…
We explain the quantum structure as due to the presence of two effects, (a) a real change of state of the entity under influence of the measurement and, (b) a lack of knowledge about a deeper deterministic reality of the measurement process. We present a quantum machine, where we can illustrate in a simple way how the quantum structure arises as a consequence of the two mentioned effects. We introduce a parameter epsilon that measures the size of the lack of knowledge on the measurement process, and by varying this parameter, we describe a continuous evolution from a quantum structure (maximal…
The question of how irreversibility can emerge as a generic phenomena when the underlying mechanical theory is reversible has been a long-standing fundamental problem for both classical and quantum mechanics. We describe a mechanism for the appearance of irreversibility that applies to coherent, isolated systems in a pure quantum state. This equilibration mechanism requires only an assumption of sufficiently complex internal dynamics and natural information-theoretic constraints arising from the infeasibility of collecting an astronomical amount of measurement data. Remarkably, we are able to …
We study the use of a pair of qubits as a decoherence probe of a non-trivial environment. This dual-probe configuration is modelled by three two-level-systems which are coupled in a chain in which the middle system represents an environmental two-level-system (TLS). This TLS resides within the environment of the qubits and therefore its coupling to perturbing fluctuations (i.e. its decoherence) is assumed much stronger than the decoherence acting on the probe qubits. We study the evolution of such a tripartite system including the appearance of a decoherence-free state (dark state) and non-Mar…
When one takes into account gravitation, the measurement of space and time cannot be carried out with infinite accuracy. When quantum mechanics is reformulated taking into account this lack of accuracy, the resolution of the measurement problem can be implemented via decoherence without the usual pitfalls. The resulting theory has the same physical predictions of quantum mechanics with a reduction postulate, but is radically different, with the quantum states evolving unitarily in terms of the underlying variables. Gravitation therefore makes this worrisome situation, potentially leading to tw…
Quantum chaos imposes universal spectral signatures that govern the thermofield dynamics of a many-body system in isolation. The fidelity between the initial and time-evolving thermofield double states exhibits as a function of time a decay, dip, ramp and plateau. Sources of decoherence give rise to a nonunitary evolution and result in information loss. Energy dephasing gradually suppresses quantum noise fluctuations and the dip associated with spectral correlations. Decoherence further delays the appearance of the dip and shortens the span of the linear ramp associated with chaotic behavior. …
The problem of measurement is often considered as an inconsistency inside the quantum formalism. Many attempts to solve (or to dissolve) it have been made since the inception of quantum mechanics. The form of these attempts depends on the philosophical position that their authors endorse. I will review some of them and analyze their relevance. The phenomenon of decoherence is often presented as a solution lying inside the pure quantum formalism and not demanding any particular philosophical assumption. Nevertheless, a widely debated question is to decide between two different interpretations. …
The complex (composite) systems such as the Universe allow the different decompositions into subsystems. The Everett's Many Times Interpretation (MWI) heavily relies on the occurrence of decohernce that should provide the classical reality for the Worlds. However, applying the occurrence of decoherence as the sufficient condition for the classical reality of the open systems, one seems obliged to consider the different decomposition equally (classically) realistic. But this leads to an inconsistency of the Everett's MWI in its very foundations: why the decomposition as we perceive it should be…
One of the biggest unsolved problems in physics is the unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity. The lack of experimental guidance has made the issue extremely evasive, though various attempts have been made to relate the loss of matter wave coherence to quantum spacetime fluctuations. We present a new approach to the gravitational decoherence near the Planck scale, made possible by recently discovered conformal structure of canonical gravity. This leads to a gravitational analogue of the Brownian motion whose correlation length is given by the Planck length up to a scaling fact…
In this essay a quantum-dualistic, perspectival and synchronistic interpretation of quantum mechanics is further developed in which the classical world-from-decoherence which is perceived (decoherence) and the perceived world-in-consciousness which is classical (collapse) are not necessarily identified. Thus, Quantum Reality or "{\it unus mundus}" is seen as both i) a physical non-perspectival causal Reality where the quantum-to-classical transition is operated by decoherence, and as ii) a quantum linear superposition of all classical psycho-physical perspectival Realities which are governed b…
A pair of coupled quantum dissipative oscillators, serving as a model for a nanosystem, is here described by the Lindblad equation. Its dynamic evolution is shown to exhibit the features of decoherence (spatial extent of quantum behavior), correlation (spatial scale over which the system localizes to its physical dimensions), and entanglement (a special quantum feature making its appearance first in such bipartite systems) as a function of the coupling constants of the Lindblad equation. One interesting feature emerging out of this calculation is that the entanglement may exhibit revivals in t…
I make the case that the Universe according to unitary (no-collapse) quantum theory has a branching structure, and so can literally be regarded as a "many-worlds" theory. These worlds are not part of the fundamental ontology of quantum theory - instead, they are to be understood as structures, or patterns, emergent from the underlying theory, through the dynamical process of decoherence. That they are structures in this sense does not mean that they are in any way unreal: indeed, pretty much all higher-level ontology in science, from tables to phonons to tigers, is likewise emergent. Unitary q…
Preparing and detecting spatially extended quantum superpositions of a massive object comprises an important fundamental test of quantum theory. These quantum states are extremely fragile and tend to quickly decay into incoherent mixtures due to the environmental decoherence. Experimental setups considered up to date address this threat in a conceptually straightforward way -- by eliminating the environment, i.e. by isolating an object in a sufficiently high vacuum. We show that another option exists: decoherence is suppressed in the presence of a strongly interacting environment if this envir…
In previous works, we introduced a geometric route to define our Ehrenfest Statistical Dynamics (ESD) and we proved that, for a simple toy-model, the resulting ESD does not preserve purity. We now take a step further: we investigate decoherence and pointer basis in the ESD model by considering some uncertainty in the degrees of freedom of a simple but realistic molecular model, consisting of two classical cores and one quantum electron. The Ehrenfest model is sometimes discarded as a valid approximation to non-adiabatic coupled quantum-classical dynamics because it does not describe the decohe…
Single-site measurement in a distributed macroscopic antiferromagnet is considered; we show that it can create antiferromagnetic sublattices at macroscopic scale. We demonstrate that the result of measurement depends on the symmetry of the ground state: for the easy-axis case the Neel state is formed, while for the easy-plane case unusual ``fan'' sublattices appear with unbroken rotational symmetry, and a decoherence wave is generated. For the latter case, a macroscopically large number of measurements is needed to pin down the orientation of the sublattices, in spite of the high degeneracy of…
It is well known that the dynamical mechanism of decoherence may cause apparent superselection rules, like that of molecular chirality. These `environment-induced' or `soft' superselection rules may be contrasted with `hard' superselection rules, like that of electric charge, whose existence is usually rigorously demonstrated by means of certain symmetry principles. We address the question of whether this distinction between `hard' and `soft' is well founded and argue that, despite first appearance, it might not be. For this we give a detailed and somewhat pedagogical exposition of the basic s…
One of the fundamental problems of modern physics is how the classical world, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the whole irreversibility emerges from the quantum reality with reversible evolution. This relates to the problem of measurement transforming quantum, non-copyable data, towards intersubjective, copyable classical knowledge. We use the quantum state discrimination to show in a central system model how it's evolution leads to the broadcasting of the classical information. We analyze the process of orthogonalization and decoherence, their time scales and dependence on the environment.
The origin of classical reality in our quantum world is a long-standing mystery. Here, we examine a nitrogen vacancy center evolving naturally in the presence of its environment to study quantum Darwinism - the proliferation of information about preferred quantum states throughout the world via the environment. This redundantly imprinted information accounts for the perception of objective reality, as it is independently accessible by many without perturbing the system of interest. To observe the emergence of redundant information, we implement a novel dynamical decoupling scheme that enables …
We study in some detail the master equation, and its solution in a simplified case modelling flavour oscillations of a two-level system, stemming from the Liouville-string approach to quantum space time foam. In this framework we discuss the appearance of diffusion terms and decoherence due to the interaction of low-energy string matter with space-time defects, such as D-particles in the specific model of ``D-particle foam'', as well as dark energy contributions. We pay particular attention to contrasting the decoherent role of a cosmological constant in inducing exponential quantum damping in…
A study of the effects of Gaussian distribution of coherence length of source on the diffraction of partial temporal coherence beam from multi slits: Theory and simulation
We examine the time evolution of cold atoms (impurities) interacting with an environment consisting of a degenerate bosonic quantum gas. The impurity atoms differ from the environment atoms, being of a different species. This allows one to superimpose two independent trapping potentials, each being effective only on one atomic kind, while transparent to the other. When the environment is homogeneous and the impurities are confined in a potential consisting of a set of double wells, the system can be described in terms of an effective spin-boson model, where the occupation of the left or right …
We consider symmetry as a foundational concept in quantum mechanics and rewrite quantum mechanics and measurement axioms in this description. We argue that issues related to measurements and physical reality of states can be better understood in this view. In particular, the abstract concept of symmetry provides a basis-independent definition for observables. Moreover, we show that the apparent projection/collapse of the state as the final step of measurement or decoherence is the result of breaking of symmetries. This phenomenon is comparable with a phase transition by spontaneous symmetry br…
The point of building a quantum computer is that it allows to model living things with predictive power and gives the opportunity to control life. Its scaling means not just the improvement of the instrument part, but also, mainly, mathematical and software tools, and our understanding of the QC problem. The first principle of quantum modeling is the reduction of reality to finite-dimensional models similar to QED in optical cavities. The second principle is a strict limitation of the so-called Feynman principle, the number of qubits in the standard formulation of the QC. This means treating d…
We establish bounds on quantum correlations in many-body systems. They reveal what sort of information about a quantum system can be simultaneously recorded in different parts of its environment. Specifically, independent agents who monitor environment fragments can eavesdrop only on amplified and redundantly disseminated - hence, effectively classical - information about the decoherence-resistant pointer observable. We also show that the emergence of classical objectivity is signaled by a distinctive scaling of the conditional mutual information, bypassing hard numerical optimizations. Our re…
I review arguments demonstrating how the concept of "particle" numbers arises in the form of equidistant energy eigenvalues of coupled harmonic oscillators representing free fields. Their quantum numbers (numbers of nodes of the wave functions) can be interpreted as occupation numbers for objects with a formal mass (defined by the field equation) and spatial wave number ("momentum") characterizing classical field modes. A superposition of different oscillator eigenstates, all consisting of n modes having one node, while all others have none, defines a nondegenerate "n-particle wave function". …
