In this paper we consider quantum metastability in a class of moving potentials introduced by Berry and Klein. Potential in this class has its height and width scaled in a specific way so that it can be transformed into a stationary one. In deriving the non-decay probability of the system, we argue that the appropriate technique to use is the less known method of scattering states. This method is illustrated through two examples, namely, a moving delta-potential and a moving barrier potential. For expanding potentials, one finds that a small but finite non-decay probability persists at large times. Generalization to scaling potentials of arbitrary shape is briefly indicated.
The semiclassical Euclidean path integral method is applied to compute the low temperature quantum decay rate for a particle placed in the metastable minimum of a cubic potential in a {\it finite} time theory. The classical path, which makes a saddle for the action, is derived in terms of Jacobian elliptic functions whose periodicity establishes the one-to-one correspondence between energy of the classical motion and temperature (inverse imaginary time) of the system. The quantum fluctuation contribution has been computed through the theory of the functional determinants for periodic boundary …
We present a general theory of classical metastability in open quantum systems. Metastability is a consequence of a large separation in timescales in the dynamics, leading to the existence of a regime when states of the system appear stationary, before eventual relaxation toward a true stationary state at much larger times. In this work, we focus on the emergence of classical metastability, i.e., when metastable states of an open quantum system with separation of timescales can be approximated as probabilistic mixtures of a finite number of states. We find that a number of classical features f…
We study in detail an open quantum generalisation of a classical kinetically constrained model -- the East model -- known to exhibit slow glassy dynamics stemming from a complex hierarchy of metastable states with distinct lifetimes. Using the recently introduced theory of classical metastability for open quantum systems, we show that the driven open quantum East model features a hierarchy of classical metastabilities at low temperature and weak driving field. We find that the effective long-time description of its dynamics is not only classical, but shares many properties with the classical E…
Uncovering and Circumventing Noise in Quantum Algorithms via Metastability
Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室）；Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC) UIB-CSIC（跨学科物理与复杂系统研究所 (IFISC) 巴利阿里群岛大学-西班牙高等科学研究委员会）；USRA Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science (RIACS)（美国大学空间研究协会高级计算机科学研究所 (RIACS)）；Information Science & Technology Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室信息科学与技术研究所）
One of the general mechanisms that give rise to the slow cooperative relaxation characteristic of classical glasses is the presence of kinetic constraints in the dynamics. Here we show that dynamical constraints can similarly lead to slow thermalization and metastability in translationally invariant quantum many-body systems. We illustrate this general idea by considering two simple models: (i) a one-dimensional quantum analogue to classical constrained lattice gases where excitation hopping is constrained by the state of neighboring sites, mimicking excluded-volume interactions of dense fluid…
By generalising concepts from classical stochastic dynamics, we establish the basis for a theory of metastability in Markovian open quantum systems. Partial relaxation into long-lived metastable states - distinct from the asymptotic stationary state - is a manifestation of a separation of timescales due to a splitting in the spectrum of the generator of the dynamics. We show here how to exploit this spectral structure to obtain a low dimensional approximation to the dynamics in terms of motion in a manifold of metastable states constructed from the low-lying eigenmatrices of the generator. We …
Random matrix theory for quantum and classical metastability in local Liouvillians
University of Cambridge（剑桥大学）；University of Nottingham（诺丁汉大学）；University College London（伦敦大学学院）；Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems（马克斯·普朗克复杂系统物理研究所）
We apply a recently developed theory for metastability in open quantum systems to a one-dimensional dissipative quantum Ising model. Earlier results suggest this model features either a non-equilibrium phase transition or a smooth but sharp crossover, where the stationary state changes from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic, accompanied by strongly intermittent emission dynamics characteristic of first-order coexistence between dynamical phases. We show that for a range of parameters close to this transition/crossover point the dynamics of the finite system displays pronounced metastability, i.e.,…
Long lived quasi-stationary states (QSSs) are a signature characteristic of long-range interacting systems both in the classical and in the quantum realms. Often, they emerge after a sudden quench of the Hamiltonian internal parameters and present a macroscopic life-time, which increases with the system size. Despite their ubiquity, the fundamental mechanism at their root remains unknown. Here, we show that the spectrum of systems with power-law decaying couplings remains discrete up to the thermodynamic limit. As a consequence, several traditional results on the chaotic nature of the spectrum…
In this work, we provide a model of a moving-qubit interacting with the multimode cavity, where the qubit is driven by the classical field. We obtain the analytic solution of the density operator of the qubit, then investigate the quantum speed limit time(QSLT) and the non-Markovianity based on the classical field and the moving-velocity. The results show that the transition from Markovian to non-Markovian dynamics is the intrinsic physical reason of the quantum speed-up process, both of the driving field and the strong coupling can enhance the non-Markovianity in the dynamics process and spee…
We propose to store non-classical states of light into the macroscopic collective nuclear spin ($10^{18}$ atoms) of a $^3$He vapor, using metastability exchange collisions. These collisions, commonly used to transfer orientation from the metastable state $2^{3}S\_1$ to the ground state state of $^3$He, can also transfer quantum correlations. This gives a possible experimental scheme to map a squeezed vacuum field state onto a nuclear spin state with very long storage times (hours).
We propose a new picture, which we call the {\it moving picture}, in quantum mechanics. The Schrödinger equation in this picture is derived and its solution is examined. We also investigate the close relationship between the moving picture and the Hamilton-Jacobi theory in classical mechanics.
In this work, we study quantum evolution of an open moving-qubit modulated by a classical driving field. We obtain the density operator of qubit at zero temperature and analyze its quantum evolution dynamics by using quantum speed limit time (QSLT) and a non-Markovianity measure introduced recently. The results show that both the non-Markovian environment and the classical driving can speed up the evolution process, this quantum speedup process is induced by the non-Markovianity and the critical points only depend on the qubit velocity. Moreover, the qubit motion will delay the evolution proce…
We establish a link between metastability and a discrete time-crystalline phase in a periodically driven open quantum system. The mechanism we highlight requires neither the system to display any microscopic symmetry nor the presence of disorder, but relies instead on the emergence of a metastable regime. We investigate this in detail in an open quantum spin system, which is a canonical model for the exploration of collective phenomena in strongly interacting dissipative Rydberg gases. Here, a semi-classical approach reveals the emergence of a robust discrete time-crystalline phase in the ther…
We study the effects of non-hermitian perturbation on a quantum kicked model exhibiting a localization transition. Using an exact renormalization scheme, we show that the critical line separating the extended and localized phases approaches its semiclassical limit as the imaginary part of the kicking parameter is steadily increased. Further, the metastability of the quantum states appears to be directly correlated with the deviation between the semi-classical and quantum results. This direct evidence of quantum-classical correspondence suggests that non-hermitian perturbations may be used to m…
We find the quantum power emitted and distribution in $3+1$-dimensions of relativistic acceleration radiation using a single perfectly reflecting mirror via Lorentz invariance demonstrating close analogies to point charge radiation in classical electrodynamics.
A general formula in closed form to obtain exact similarity solutions of the Fokker-Planck equation with both time-dependent drift and diffusion coefficients was recently presented by Lin and Ho [ Ann. Phys. \textbf{327}, 386 (2012); J. Math. Phys. \textbf{54}, 041501 (2013)]. In this paper we extend the class of exact solutions by exploiting certain properties of the general formula.
