We discuss the notion of quantum mechanical coherence in its connection with time evolution and stationarity. The transition from coherence to decoherence is examined in terms of an equation for the time dependence of the density matrix. It is explained how the decoherence rate parameter arising in this description is related to the ``unitarity defect'' in interactions with the environment as well as the growth in entropy of the system. Applications to the ``Zeno-Watched Pot Effect'' and gravitational interactions are given. Finally, some recent results on applications to macroscopic coherence with the rf SQUID, where the transition from quantum to classical behavior could be studied experimentally, are shown.
The Conditional Probability Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics replaces the abstract notion of time used in standard Quantum Mechanics by the time that can be read off from a physical clock. The use of physical clocks leads to apparent non-unitary and decoherence. Here we show that a close approximation to standard Quantum Mechanics can be recovered from conditional Quantum Mechanics for semi-classical clocks, and we use these clocks to compute the minimum decoherence predicted by the Conditional Probability Interpretation.
The notion of time is given a different footing in Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity, treated as a parameter in the former and being an observer dependent property in the later. From a operational point of view time is simply the correlation between a system and a clock, where an idealized clock can be modelled as a two level systems. We investigate the dynamics of clocks interacting gravitationally by treating the gravitational interaction as a classical information channel. In particular, we focus on the decoherence rates and temporal resolution of arrays of $N$ clocks showing how the…
We study two quantum versions of the Eddington clock-synchronization protocol in the presence of decoherence. The first protocol uses maximally entangled states to achieve the Heisenberg limit for clock synchronization. The second protocol achieves the limit without using entanglement. We show the equivalence of the two protocols under any single-qubit decoherence model that does not itself provide synchronization information.
It is shown how possible corrections to ordinary quantum mechanics described by the Lindblad equation might be detected by exploiting the great precision of atomic clocks.
Ordinary quantum mechanics is formulated on the basis of the existence of an ideal classical clock external to the system under study. This is clearly an idealization. As emphasized originally by Salecker and Wigner and more recently by other authors, there exist limits in nature to how ``classical'' even the best possible clock can be. When one introduces realistic clocks, quantum mechanics ceases to be unitary and a fundamental mechanism of decoherence of quantum states arises. We estimate the rate of universal loss of unitarity using optimal realistic clocks. In particular we observe that t…
The ultimate stability of atomic clocks is limited by the quantum noise of the atoms. To reduce this noise it has been suggested to use entangled atomic ensembles with reduced atomic noise. Potentially this can push the stability all the way to the limit allowed by the Heisenberg uncertainty relation, which is denoted the Heisenberg limit. In practice, however, entangled states are often more prone to decoherence, which may prevent reaching this performance. Here we present an adaptive measurement protocol that in the presence of a realistic source of decoherence enables us to get near Heisenb…
Optical lattice clocks can now resolve the height difference below 1 mm within an atomic ensemble by means of gravitational redshift with integration over sufficient amount of time. Further improvement in the stability enables the clocks to resolve the height difference of subsystems within an atomic ensemble that is conventionally interrogated as a single coherent spin state in a single Ramsey sequence, resulting in the dephasing of the coherent spin state. This effect is observable with a clock of a stability of $\lesssim 10^{-21}$ by introducing a single-layer-resolved imaging system for a …
We indicate some of the lessons learned from our work on coherence and decoherence in various fields and mention some recent work with sold state devices as elements of the ``quantum computer'', including the realization of simple logic gates controlled by adiabatic processes. We correct a commonly held misconception concerning decoherence for a free particle.
Short coherence times present a primary obstacle in quantum computing and sensing applications. In atomic systems, clock transitions (CTs), formed from avoided crossings in an applied Zeeman field, can substantially increase coherence times. We show how CTs can dampen intrinsic and extrinsic sources of quantum noise in molecules. Conical intersections between two periodic potentials form CTs in electron paramagnetic resonance experiments of the spin-polarized singlet fission photoproduct. We report on a pair of CTs for a two-chromophore molecule in terms of the Zeeman field strength, molecular…
In Crull (2015) it is argued that, in order to confront outstanding problems in cosmology and quantum gravity, interpretational aspects of quantum theory can by bypassed because decoherence is able to resolve them. As a result, Crull (2015) concludes that our focus on conceptual and interpretational issues, while dealing with such matters in Okon and Sudarsky (2014), is avoidable and even pernicious. Here we will defend our position by showing in detail why decoherence does not help in the resolution of foundational questions in quantum mechanics, such as the measurement problem or the emergen…
Steady-State Coherences under Partial Collective non-Markovian Decoherence
Dalian Minzu University（大连民族大学）；Ocean University of China（中国海洋大学）；University of Toronto（多伦多大学）；University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU（巴斯克大学）；IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science（伊卡巴斯基克科学基金会）
We present a detailed analysis of decoherence free subspaces and develop a rigorous theory that provides necessary and sufficient conditions for dynamically stable decoherence free subspaces. This allows us to identify a special class of decoherence free states which rely on incoherent generation of coherences. We provide examples of physical systems that support such states. Our approach employs Markovian master equations and applies primarily to finite-dimensional quantum systems.
By virtue of quantum coherence resource measure, we show that the dephasing measurement on a coherence basis can transfer the coherence contained in system into environment totally, which gives a quantification of decoherence.
We present a quantum interference approach to preserve coherence in the external states of an atom trapped in an optical lattice. We show that this is possible by suitably choosing the initial state of the atom. We demonstrate this in context of decoherence due to spontaneous emission in an one-dimensional optical double-well lattice.
In thermodynamics, quantum coherences - superpositions between energy eigenstates - behave in distinctly nonclassical ways. Recently mathematical frameworks have emerged to account for these features and have provided a range of novel insights. Here we describe how thermodynamic coherence splits into two kinds - "internal" coherence that admits an energetic value in terms of thermodynamic work, and "external" coherence that does not have energetic value, but instead corresponds to the functioning of the system as a quantum clock. For the latter form of coherence we provide dynamical constraint…
Recently it was shown that by means of an STM it is experimentally possible to stimulate clock transitions between the singlet and the non-magnetic triplet state of a Heisenberg-coupled spin dimer (Bae et al., Science Advances 4, eaau4159). This leads to more strongly protected clock transitions while ordinary ones only provide first-order protection against magnetic noise. However, large decoherence times of clock like states normally refer to ensembles of spins which do not dephase. In the cited experiment only one single dimer is manipulated and not an ensemble. For this reason we simulate …
A multi-slit interference experiment, with which-way detectors, in the presence of environment induced decoherence, is theoretically analyzed. The effect of environment is modeled via a coupling to a bath of harmonic oscillators. Through an exact analysis, an expression for $\mathcal{C}$, a recently introduced measure of coherence, of the particle at the detecting screen is obtained as a function of the parameters of the environment. It is argued that the effect of decoherence can be quantified using the measured coherence value which lies between zero and one. For the specific case of two sli…
Despite the importance of isotopically purified samples in current experiments, there have been few corresponding studies of spin qubit decoherence using full quantum bath calculations. Isotopic purification eliminates the well-studied nuclear spin baths which usually dominate decoherence. We model the coherence of electronic spin qubits in silicon near so called Clock Transitions (CT) where experiments have electronic $T_{2e}$ times of seconds. Despite the apparent simplicity of the residual decoherence mechanism, this regime is not well understood: the state mixing which underpins CTs allows…
The clock transitions (CTs) of central spins have long coherence times because their frequency fluctuations vanish in the linear order of external field noise (such as Overhauser fields from nuclear spin baths). Therefore, CTs are useful for quantum technologies. Also, the quadratic dependence of frequencies on noises makes the CT decoherence an interesting physics problem. Thus we are motivated to study the decoherence of CTs. We consider noise from spin baths, which is one of the most relevant mechanisms of qubit decoherence. Various quantum many-body methods have been developed to study the…
We analyze a system consisting of an oscillator coupled to a field. With the field traced out as an environment, the oscillator loses coherence on a very short {\it decoherence timescale}; but, on a much longer {\it relaxation timescale}, predictably evolves into a unique, pure (ground) state. This example of {\it re-coherence} has interesting implications both for the interpretation of quantum theory and for the loss of information during black hole evaporation. We examine these implications by investigating the intermediate and final states of the quantum field, treated as an open system cou…
We suggest a procedure for demonstrating quantum coherence and measuring decoherence times between different fluxoid states of a SQUID by using ``adiabatic inversion'', where one macroscopic fluxoid state is smoothly transferred into the other, like a spin reversing direction by following a slowly moving magnetic field. This is accomplished by sweeping an external applied flux, and depends on a well-defined quantum phase between the two macroscopic states. Varying the speed of the sweep relative to the decoherence time permits one to move from the quantum regime, where such a well-defined phas…
We present an algorithm for synchronizing two clocks based on second-order quantum interference between entangled photons generated by parametric down-conversion. The procedure is distinct from the standard Einstein two-way clock synchronization method in that photon correlations are used to define simultaneous events in the frame of reference of a Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer. Once the HOM interferometer is balanced, by use of an adjustable optical delay in one arm, arrival times of simultaneously generated photons are recorded by each clock. Classical information on the arrival times …
In this paper, we study the suppression of adiabatic decoherence in a three-level atom with $Λ$ configuration using bang-bang control technique. We have given the decoupling bang-bang operation group, and programmed a sequence of periodic radio frequency twinborn pulses to realize the control process. Moreover, we have studied the process with non-ideal situation and established the condition for efficient suppression of adiabatic decoherence.
A procedure for demonstrating quantum coherence and measuring decoherence times between different fluxoid states of a SQUID by using ``adiabatic inversion'' is discussed. One fluxoid state is smoothly transferred into the other, like a spin reversing direction by following a slowly moving magnetic field. This is accomplished by sweeping an external applied flux, and depends on a well-defined quantum phase between the two macroscopic states. Varying the speed of the sweep relative to the decoherence time permits one to move from the quantum regime, where such a well-defined phase exists, to the…
We develop differential measurement protocols that circumvent the laser noise limit in the stability of optical clock comparisons by synchronous probing of two clocks using phase-locked local oscillators. This allows for probe times longer than the laser coherence time, avoids the Dick effect, and supports Heisenberg-limited measurement precision. We present protocols for such frequency comparisons and develop numerical simulations of the protocols with realistic noise sources. These methods provide a route to reduce frequency ratio measurement durations by more than an order of magnitude.
Beyond-Ten-Hour Coherence in a Decoherence-Free Trapped-Ion Clock Qubit
Tsinghua University（清华大学）；Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences（北京量子信息科学研究院）；Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室）；Renmin University of China（中国人民大学）
The total correlations in a bipartite quantum system are measured by the quantum mutual information $\mathcal{I}$, which consists of quantum discord and classical correlation. However, recent results in quantum information shows that coherence, which is a part of total correlation, is more general and more fundamental than discord. The role of coherence in quantum resource theories is worthwhile to investigate. We first study the relation between quantum discord and coherence by reducing the difference between them. And then, we consider the dynamics of quantum discord, classical correlations …
We introduce, for each state of a bosonic quantum field, its quadrature coherence scale (QCS), a measure of the range of its quadrature coherences. Under coupling to a thermal bath, the purity and QCS are shown to decrease on a time scale inversely proportional to the QCS squared. The states most fragile to decoherence are therefore those with quadrature coherences far from the diagonal. We further show a large QCS is difficult to measure since it induces small scale variations in the state's Wigner function. These two observations imply a large QCS constitutes a mark of "macroscopic coherence…
A general semiclassical approach to quantum systems with system-bath interactions is developed. We study system decoherence in detail using a coherent state semiclassical wavepacket method which avoids singularity issues arising in the usual Green's function approach. We discuss the general conditions under which it is approximately correct to discuss quantum decoherence in terms of a ``dephasing'' picture and we derive semiclassical expressions for the phase and phase distribution. Remarkably, an effective system wavefunction emerges whose norm measures the decoherence and is equivalent to a …
The dynamics of coherence in a two-qubit Heisenberg XXX model with magnetic field in the presence of the intrinsic decoherence is investigated. We discuss the influence of dipole parameter, spin distance, magnetic field and initial state parameter on coherence of the long time limit situation. Then, we discuss how decoherence changes with time with the initial state parameter and the decoherence parameter.
Since the dawn of quantum theory, coherence was attributed as a key to understand the weirdness of fundamental concepts like the wave-particle duality and the Stern-Gerlach experiment. Recently, based on a resource theory approach, the notion of quantum coherence was revisited and a plethora of coherence quantifiers were proposed. In this work, we address this issue using the language of coherence orders, developed by the NMR community. This allowed us to investigate the role played by different subspaces of the Hilbert-Schmidt space into physical processes and quantum protocols. We found some…
We present a feasible scheme for reconstructing the quantum state of a field prepared inside a lossy cavity. Quantum coherences are normally destroyed by dissipation, but we show that at zero temperature we are able to retrieve enough information about the initial state, making possible to recover its Wigner function as well as other quasiprobabilities. We provide a numerical simulation of a Schroedinger cat state reconstruction.
A simplified Heisenberg spin model is studied in order to examine the idea of decoherence in closed quantum systems. For this purpose, we present a quantifiable definition to quantum coherence $Ξ$, and discuss in some detail a general coherence theory and its elementary results. As expected, decoherence is understood as a statistical process that is caused by the dynamics of the system, similar to the growth of entropy. It appears that coherence is an important measure that helps to understand quantum properties of a system, e.g., the decoherence time can be derived from the coherence function…
This paper identifies and investigates nature of the transition between Gaussian and exponential forms of decoherence. We show that the decoherence factor (that controls the time dependence of the suppression of the off-diagonal terms when the density matrix is expressed in the pointer basis representation) can be described by the convolution of Gaussian and exponential functions, their contributions modulated by the strength of the system-environment interaction. In the strong and weak coupling limits, decoherence reduces to the familiar Gaussian and exponential forms, respectively. The mecha…
The use of a relational time in quantum mechanics is a framework in which one promotes to quantum operators all variables in a system, and later chooses one of the variables to operate like a ``clock''. Conditional probabilities are computed for variables of the system to take certain values when the ``clock'' specifies a certain time. This framework is attractive in contexts where the assumption of usual quantum mechanics of the existence of an external, perfectly classical clock, appears unnatural, as in quantum cosmology. Until recently, there were problems with such constructions in ordina…
We discuss decrease of coherence in a massive system due to the emission of gravitational waves. In particular we investigate environmental gravitational decoherence in the context of an interference experiment. The time-evolution of the reduced density matrix is solved analytically using the path-integral formalism. Furthermore, we study the impact of a tensor noise onto the coherence properties of massive systems. We discuss that a particular choice of tensor noise shows similarities to a mechanism proposed by Diosi and Penrose.
We consider the conditioning of the timeless solution to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation by a predefined matter clock state in the simple scenario of de Sitter universe. The resulting evolution of the geometrodynamical degree of freedom with respect to clock time is characterized by the "Berry connection" of the reduced geometrodynamical space, which relies on the coupling of the clock with the geometry. When the connection vanishes, the standard Schrödinger equation is obtained for the geometry with respect to clock time. When one considers environment-induced decoherence in the semi-classical li…
Optically trapped ensembles are of crucial importance for frequency measurements and quantum memories, but generally suffer from strong dephasing due to inhomogeneous density and light shifts. We demonstrate a drastic increase of the coherence time to 21 s on the magnetic field insensitive clock transition of Rb-87 by applying the recently discovered spin self-rephasing. This result confirms the general nature of this new mechanism and thus shows its applicability in atom clocks and quantum memories. A systematic investigation of all relevant frequency shifts and noise contributions yields a s…
We investigate the meaning of gravity-induced decoherence in quantum theory, known as `intrinsic' or `fundamental' decoherence in the literature. We explore a range of issues relevant to this problem, including the meaning of modified uncertainty relations, the interpretations of the Planck scale, the distinction between quantum and stochastic fluctuations and the role of the time variable in quantum mechanics. We examine the specific physical assumptions that enter into different approaches to the subject. In particular, we critique two representative approaches that identify time fluctuation…
We present a general relativistic model of a spherical shell of matter with a perfect fluid on its surface coupled to an internal oscillator, which generalizes a model recently introduced by the authors to construct a self-gravitating interferometer [1]. The internal oscillator evolution is defined with respect to the local proper time of the shell, allowing the oscillator to serve as a local clock that ticks differently depending on the shell's position and momentum. A Hamiltonian reduction is performed on the system, and an approximate quantum description is given to the reduced phase space.…
The preparation of large, low-entropy, highly coherent ensembles of identical quantum systems is foundational for many studies in quantum metrology, simulation, and information. Here, we realize these features by leveraging the favorable properties of tweezer-trapped alkaline-earth atoms while introducing a new, hybrid approach to tailoring optical potentials that balances scalability, high-fidelity state preparation, site-resolved readout, and preservation of atomic coherence. With this approach, we achieve trapping and optical clock excited-state lifetimes exceeding $ 40 $ seconds in ensembl…
Optical clocks based on atoms and ions achieve exceptional precision and accuracy, with applications to relativistic geodesy, tests of relativity, and searches for dark matter. Achieving such performance requires balancing competing desirable features, including a high particle number, isolation of atoms from collisions, insensitivity to motional effects, and high duty-cycle operation. Here we demonstrate a new platform based on arrays of ultracold strontium atoms confined within optical tweezers that realizes a novel combination of these features by providing a scalable platform for isolated …
The use of real clocks and measuring rods in quantum mechanics implies a natural loss of unitarity in the description of the theory. We briefly review this point and then discuss the implications it has for the measurement problem in quantum mechanics. The intrinsic loss of coherence allows to circumvent some of the usual objections to the measurement process as due to environmental decoherence.
We study the coherence properties of optical vortices stored in atomic ensembles. In the presence of thermal diffusion, the topological nature of stored optical vortices is found not to guarantee slow decoherence. Instead the stored vortex state has decoherence surprisingly larger than the stored Gaussian mode. Generally, the less phase gradient, the more robust for stored coherence against diffusion. Furthermore, calculation of coherence factor shows that the center of stored vortex becomes completely incoherent once diffusion begins and, when reading laser is applied, the optical intensity a…
We employ a continuous dynamical decoupling scheme to suppress the decoherence induced by elastic collisions of cold atoms. Using a continuous echo pulse we achieve a thirty-fold increase in the coherence time of Rb87 atoms trapped in a dipole trap. Coherence times of more than 100ms are demonstrated for an ensemble with an optical depth of 120.
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…
Atomic lattice clocks have spurred numerous ideas for tests of fundamental physics, detection of general relativistic effects, and studies of interacting many-body systems. On the other hand, molecular structure and dynamics offer rich energy scales that are at the heart of new protocols in precision measurement and quantum information science. Here we demonstrate a fundamentally distinct type of lattice clock that is based on vibrations in diatomic molecules, and present coherent Rabi oscillations between weakly and deeply bound molecules that persist for 10's of milliseconds. This control is…
We demonstrate that the spin decoherence of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond can be suppressed by a transverse magnetic field if the electron spin bath is the primary decoherence source. The NV spin coherence, created in "a decoherence-free subspace" is protected by the transverse component of the zero-field splitting, increasing the spin-coherence time about twofold. The decoherence due to the electron spin bath is also suppressed at magnetic fields stronger than ~25 gauss when applied parallel to the NV symmetry axis. Our method can be used to extend the spin-coherence time of simila…
The decoherence of a fast quantum particle in a gas is studied by applying the Kramers-Moyal expansion to the quantum master equation for the reduced density matrix of the particle. This expansion leads to a general form of the Caldeira-Leggett master equation accounting for the angular variation of the differential cross section. The equation describes the decoherence in both the longitudinal and transverse directions with respect to the particle motion. It is shown that, when the differential cross section is concentrated in the forward direction, transverse decoherence dominates. The cohere…
In this study, we propose a spin-star model for spin-(1/2) particles in order to examine the coherence dynamics of a quantum neural network (QNN) unit. Since quantum computing paradigm promises advantages over their classical counterparts, quantum versions of neural networks can be examined in this context. We focus on quantum coherence as a natural resource for quantum computing and investigate the central spin coherence of a spin star model in the time domain in a dissipative environment. More particularly, we investigate the extend to which the central spin coherence time would be prolonged…
