Dynamical symmetry and analytical solutions of the non-autonomous quantum master equation of the dissipative two-level system: decoherence of quantum register
Shun-Jin Wang, Jun-Hong An, Hong-Gang Luo, Cheng-Long Jia
Based on the non-autonomous quantum master equation, we investigate the dissipative and decoherence properties of the two-level atom system interacting with the environment of thermal quantum radiation fields. For this system, by a novel algebraic dynamic method, the dynamical symmetry of the system is found, the quantum master equation is converted into a Schrödinger-like equation and the non-Hermitian rate (quantum Liouville) operator of the master equation is expressed as a linear function of the dynamical u(2) generators. Furthermore, the integrability of the non-autonomous master equation has been proved for the first time. Based on the time-dependent analytical solutions, the asymptotic behavior of the solution has been examined and the approach to the equilibrium state has been proved. Finally, we have studied the decoherence property of the multiple two-level atom system coupled to the thermal radiation fields, which are related to the quantum register.
In order to eliminate disturbing effects of decoherence, encoding of quantum information in decoherence-free subspaces has been suggested. We analyze the benefits of this concept for a quantum register that is realized in a spin chain in contact with a common bosonic bath. Within a dissipation-less model we provide explicit analytical results for the average fidelity of plain and encoded quantum registers. For the investigation of dissipative spin-boson couplings we employ a master equation of Bloch-Redfield type.
We consider decoherence of quantum registers, which consist of the qubits sited approximately periodically in space. The sites of the qubits are permitted to have a small random variance. We derive the explicit conditions under which the qubits can be assumed decohering independently. In other circumstances, the qubits are decohered cooperatively. We describe two kinds of collective decoherence. In each case, a scheme is proposed for reducing the collective decoherence. The schemes operate by encoding the input states of the qubits into some ''subdecoherent'' states.
We study a model of a quantum spin register interacting with an environment of spin particles in quantum-measurement limit. In the limit of collective decoherence we obtain the form of state vectors that constitute high-dimensional decoherence-free subspaces (DFS). In a more general setting we present sufficient and necessary conditions for existence of low-dimensional DFSs that can be used to construct subspaces of higher dimension.
We revisit decoherence process of a qubit register interacting with a thermal bosonic bath. We generalize the previous studies by considering not only the register's behavior but also of a part of its environment. In particular, we are interested in information flow from the register to the environment, which we describe using recently introduced multipartite quantum state structures called Spectrum Broadcast Structures. Working in two specific cases of: i) two-qubit register and ii) collective decoherence, we identify the regimes where the environment acquires almost complete information abou…
A model for a quantum register $\cal R$ made of $N$ replicas of a $d$-dimensional quantum system (cell) coupled with the environment, is studied by means of a Born-Markov Master Equation (ME). Dissipation and decoherence are discussed in various cases in which a sub-decoherent enconding can be rigorously found. For the qubit case ($d=2$) we have solved, for small $N,$ the ME by numerical direct integration and studied, as a function of the coherence length $ξ_c$ of the bath, fidelity and decoherence rates of states of the register. For large enough $ξ_c$ the singlet states of the global $su(2)…
It is shown that a nonequilibrium environment can be instrumental in suppressing decoherence between distinct decoherence free subspaces in quantum registers. The effect is found in the framework of exact coherent-product solutions for model registers decohering in a bath of degenerate harmonic modes, through couplings linear in bath coordinates. These solutions represent a natural nonequilibrium extension of the standard solution for a decoupled initial register state and a thermal environment. Under appropriate conditions, the corresponding reduced register distribution can propagate in an u…
This study deals with the further development of nuclear spin model of scalable quantum register, which presents the one-dimensional chain of the magnetic atoms with nuclear spins 1/2, substituting the basic atoms in the plate of nuclear spin-free easy-axis 3D antiferromagnet. The decoherence rates of one qubit state and entanglement state of two removed qubits and longitudinal relaxation rates are caused by the interaction of nuclear spins-qubits with virtual spin waves in antiferromagnet ground state were calculated. It was considered also one qubit adiabatic decoherence, is caused by the in…
We point out that the celebrated GRW master-equation is invariant under translations, reflecting the homogeneity of space, thus providing a particular realization of a general class of translation-covariant Markovian master-equations. Such master-equations are typically used for the description of decoherence due to momentum transfers between system and environment. Building on this analogy we show the exact relationship between the GRW master-equation and decoherence master-equations, further providing a collisional decoherence model formally equivalent to the GRW master-equation. This allows…
Different structures of master-equation used for the description of decoherence of a microsystem interacting through collisions with a surrounding environment are considered and compared. These results are connected to the general expression of the generator of a quantum dynamical semigroup in presence of translation invariance recently found by Holevo.
Based on the recent experiments on the hybrid quantum system of a superconducting microwave cavity coupling strongly to an inhomogeneous broadening spin ensemble under an external driving field, we use the exact master equation approach to investigate its non-Markovian decoherence dynamics. Here the spin ensemble is made by negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in diamond. Our exact master equation theory for open systems depicts the experimental decoherence results and reveals the mechanism how the decoherence induced by the inhomogeneous broadening is suppressed in the strong-coup…
Solution of free particle quantum master equation with spatial decoherence can be unravelled into stochastic quantum trajectories in many ways. The first example, published in 1985, proposed a piecewise deterministic jump process for the wave function. While alternative unravellings, diffusive ones in particular, proved to be tractable analytically, the jump process 1985, also called orthojump, allows for few analytic results, it needs numeric methods as well. Here we prove that, similarly to diffusive unravellings, it is localizing the quantum state.
Solid-state quantum registers are exceptional for storing quantum information at room temperature with long coherence time. Nevertheless, practical applications toward quantum supremacy require even longer coherence time to allow for more complex algorithms. In this work we propose a quantum register that lies in a decoherence-free subspace to be implemented with color centers in diamond. The quantum information is encoded in two logical states composed of two nearby nuclear spins, while an electron spin is used as ancilla for initialization and control. Moreover, by tuning an off-axis magneti…
The dynamical evolution of a quantum register of arbitrary length coupled to an environment of arbitrary coherence length is predicted within a relevant model of decoherence. The results are reported for quantum bits (qubits) coupling individually to different environments (`independent decoherence') and qubits interacting collectively with the same reservoir (`collective decoherence'). In both cases, explicit decoherence functions are derived for any number of qubits. The decay of the coherences of the register is shown to strongly depend on the input states: we show that this sensitivity is …
Translation-covariant Markovian master equations used in the description of decoherence and dissipation are considered in the general framework of Holevo's results on the characterization of generators of covariant quantum dynamical semigroups. A general connection between the characteristic function of classical Lévy processes and loss of coherence of the statistical operator describing the center of mass degrees of freedom of a quantum system interacting through momentum transfer events with an environment is established. The relationship with both microphysical models and experimental reali…
Exact solutions of the Caldeira-Leggett Master equation for the reduced density matrix for a free particle and for a harmonic oscillator system coupled to a heat bath of oscillators are obtained for arbitrary initial conditions. The solutions prove that the Fourier transform of the density matrix at time t with respect to (x + x')/2, where x and x' are the initial and final coordinates, factorizes exactly into a part depending linearly on the initial density matrix and a part independent of it. The theorem yields the exact initial state dependence of the density operator at time t and its even…
We review results on evaluation of loss of information in quantum registers due to their interactions with the environment. It is demonstrated that an optimal measure of the level of quantum noise effects can be introduced via the maximal absolute eigenvalue norm of deviation of the density matrix of a quantum register from that of ideal, noiseless dynamics. For a semiconductor quantum dot charge qubits interacting with acoustic phonons, explicit expressions for this measure are derived. For a broad class of environmental modes, this measure is shown to have the property that for small levels …
A mesoscopic evolution equation for an ensemble of mesoparticles follows after the elimination of internal degrees of freedom. If the system is composed of a hierarchy of scales, the reduction procedure could be worked repeatedly and the characterization of this iterating method is carried out. Namely, a prescription describing a discrete hierarchy of master equations for the density operator is obtained. Decoherence follows from the irreversible coupling of the systems, defined by mesoscopic variables, to internal degrees of freedom. We discuss briefly the existence of systems with the same d…
In idealized models of a quantum register and its environment, quantum information can be stored indefinitely by encoding it into a decoherence-free subspace (DFS). Nevertheless, perturbations to the idealized register-environment coupling will cause decoherence in any realistic setting. Expanding a measure for state preservation, the dynamical fidelity, in powers of the strength of the perturbations, we prove stability to linear order is a generic property of quantum state evolution. The effect of noise perturbation is quantified by a concise expression for the strength of the quadratic, lead…
In the framework of theory of open quantum systems, we derive quantum master equations for the ultrastrong system-bath coupling regime and, more generally, the strong-decoherence regime. In this regime, the strong decoherence is complemented by slow relaxation processes. We use a generalization of the Foerster and modified Redfield peturbation theories known in theory of excitation energy transfer. Also, we show that the mean force Gibbs state in the corresponding limits are stationary for the derived master equations.
In this paper we analyze the double Caldeira-Leggett model: the path integral approach to two interacting dissipative harmonic oscillators. Assuming a general form of the interaction between the oscillators, we consider two different situations: i) when each oscillator is coupled to its own reservoir, and ii) when both oscillators are coupled to a common reservoir. After deriving and solving the master equation for each case, we analyze the decoherence process of particular entanglements in the positional space of both oscillators. To analyze the decoherence mechanism we have derived a general…
A perturbative treatment of reduced density operators of quantum subsystems is implemented in the same spirit as Fermi Golden Rule for scattering. Analytic expressions for linear entropy (a measure of purity loss, and in some cases of coherence loss) and for subsystem's energy variations (dissipation) are given. Application to electromagnetic field superposition states in a dissipative cavity is performed. Evaluation of typical field and reservoir time scales ($τ_{F}$ and $τ_{R}$) show that even for small temperatures they are very different. We also indicate the condition on the cutoff temper…
Canonical coupling between classical and quantum systems cannot result in reversible equations, rather it leads to irreversible master equations. Coupling of quantized non-relativistic matter to gravity is illustrated by a simplistic example. The heuristic derivation yields the theory of gravity-related decoherence proposed longtime ago by Penrose and the author.
We perform a first- principles derivation of the general master equation to study the non-Markovian dynamics of a two-level atom (2LA) interacting with an electromagnetic field (EMF). We use the influence functional method which can incorporate the full backreaction of the field on the atom, while adopting Grassmannian variables for the 2LA and the coherent state representation for the EMF. We find exact master equations for the cases of a free quantum field and a cavity field in the vacuum. In response to the search for mechanisms to preserve maximal coherence in quantum computations in ion t…
The dynamics associated with a measurement-based master equation for quantum Brownian motion are investigated. A scheme for obtaining time evolution from general initial conditions is derived. This is applied to analyze dissipation and decoherence in the evolution of both a Gaussian and a Schrödinger cat initial state. Dependence on the diffusive terms present in the master equation is discussed with reference to both the coordinate and momentum representations.
The quantum state of motion of a large and rotating polar molecule can lose coherence through the collisions with gas atoms. We show how the associated quantum master equation for the center of mass can be expressed in terms of the orientationally averaged differential and total scattering cross sections, for which we provide approximate analytic expressions. The master equation is then utilized to quantify collisional decoherence in a interference experiment with polar molecules.
Central to many discussion of decoherence is a master equation for the reduced density matrix of a massive particle experiencing scattering from its surrounding environment, such as that of Joos and Zeh. Such master equations enjoy a close relationship with spontaneous localization models, like the GRW model. This aim of this paper is to present two derivations of the master equation. The first derivation is a pedagogical model designed to illustrate the origins of the master equation as simply as possible, focusing on physical principles and without the complications of S-matrix theory. This …
Decoherence-free subspaces (DFSs) provide a strategy for protecting the dynamics of an open system from decoherence induced by the system-environment interaction. So far, DFSs have been primarily studied in the framework of Markovian master equations. In this work, we study decoherence-free (DF) states in the general setting of a non-Markovian fermionic environment. We identify the DF states by diagonalizing the non-unitary evolution operator for a two-level fermionic system attached to an electron reservoir. By solving the exact master equation, we show that DF states can be stabilized dynami…
Master equations govern the time evolution of a quantum system interacting with an environment, and may be written in a variety of forms. Time-independent or memoryless master equations, in particular, can be cast in the well-known Lindblad form. Any time-local master equation, Markovian or non-Markovian, may in fact also be written in a Lindblad-like form. A diagonalisation procedure results in a unique, and in this sense canonical, representation of the equation, which may be used to fully characterize the non-Markovianity of the time evolution. Recently, several different measures of non-Ma…
In this paper, we derive the exact master equation to investigate the decoherence dynamics of Majorana zero modes in the Kitaev model, a 1D $p\,$-wave spinless topological superconducting chain (TSC), that is disturbed by charge fluctuations through gate controls. The exact master equation is derived by extending Feynman-Vernon influence functional approach to fermionic open systems involving pairing excitations. We obtain the exact master equations for the zero-energy bogoliubon in the TSC, and then transfer it into the master equation for Majorana zero modes. Within this exact master equatio…
Open-system dynamics play a key role in the experimental and theoretical study of cavity optomechanical systems. In many cases, the quantum Langevin equations have enabled excellent models for optical decoherence, yet a master-equation approach to the fully nonlinear optomechanical Hamiltonian has thus far proven more elusive. To address this outstanding question and broaden the mathematical tool set available, we derive a solution to the Lindblad master equation that models optical decoherence for a system evolving with the nonlinear optomechanical Hamiltonian. The method combines a Lie-algeb…
We consider one source of decoherence for a single trapped ion due to intensity and phase fluctuations in the exciting laser pulses. For simplicity we assume that the stochastic processes involved are white noise processes, which enables us to give a simple master equation description of this source of decoherence. This master equation is averaged over the noise, and is sufficient to describe the results of experiments that probe the oscillations in the electronic populations as energy is exchanged between the internal and electronic motion. Our results are in good qualitative agreement with r…
In this paper we study the decoherence and purity of a driven solid-state qubit in the Ohmic bath by using the method based on the master equation. At first, instead of solving the master equation we investigate the coefficients of the equation which describe the shift in frequency, diffusive, decoherence, and so on. It is shown that one of the coefficients (we called it decoherence coefficient) is crucial to the decoherence of the qubit in the model. Then we investigate the evolution of the purity of the state in the model. From the analysis of the purity we see that the decoherence time of t…
The equations of motion for the molecular rotation are derived for vibrationally cold dimers that are polarized by off-resonant laser light. It is shown that, by eliminating electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom, a quantum master equation for the reduced rotational density operator can be obtained. The coherent rotational dynamics is caused by stimulated Raman transitions, whereas spontaneous Raman transitions lead to decoherence in the motion of the quantized angular momentum. As an example the molecular dynamics for the optical Kerr effect is chosen, revealing decoherence and heating…
Using non-relativistic many body quantum field theory, a master equation is derived for the reduced density matrix of a dilute gas of massive particles undergoing scattering interactions with an environment of light particles. The dynamical variable that naturally decoheres (the pointer basis) is essentially the local number density of the dilute gas. Earlier master equations for this sort of system (such as that derived by Joos and Zeh) are recovered on restricting to the one-particle sector for the distinguished system. The derivation shows explicitly that the scattering environment stores i…
We propose to use a collective excitation blockade mechanism to identify errors that occur due to disturbances of single atoms in ensemble quantum registers where qubits are stored in the collective population of different internal atomic states. A simple error correction procedure and a simple decoherence-free encoding of ensemble qubits in the hyperfine states of alkali atoms are presented.
We present an exact master equation for a central spin-$1/2$ system coupled to a spin-$1/2$ bath in terms of hyperfine interaction, which provides a unified formalism for both free evolution and controlled dynamics of the central spin. The equation enables us to study controllability of dynamics processes with various degrees of non-Markovianity. We investigate the Overhauser's effect on decoherence dynamics of the central spin under different bath spectra and the system-bath coupling strengths. Nonperturbative leakage elimination approach is applied to the system to suppress decoherence in so…
We study in details decoherence process of a spin register, coupled to a spin environment. We use recently developed methods of information transfer study in open quantum systems to analyze information flow between the register and its environment. We show that there are regimes when not only the register decoheres effectively to a classical bit string, but this bit string is redundantly encoded in the environment, making it available to multiple observations. This process is more subtle than in a case of a single qubit due to possible presence of protected subspaces: Decoherence free subspace…
A Mean-Field Lindblad Master Equation Framework for Interaction-Driven Decoherence in Solid-State Qubit Ensembles
Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder（科罗拉多大学博尔德分校化学系）；Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder（科罗拉多大学博尔德分校安恩和H.J.斯米德航空航天工程科学）
We give a first principles derivation of a master equation for the evolution of a quantum matter field in a linearly perturbed Minkowski spacetime, based solely on quantum field theory and general relativity. We make no additional assumptions nor introduce extra ingredients, as is often done in alternative quantum theories. When the quantum matter field is projected to a one-particle state, the master equation for a non-relativistic quantum particle in a weak gravitational field predicts decoherence in the energy basis, in contrast to most existing theories of gravitational decoherence. We poi…
We introduce a general formalism to describe the effects of Markovian noise which is spatially correlated, typically decaying over some finite correlation length. For any system of interest, this formalism describes spatial correlations without the necessity to choose a particular microscopic model for the environment. We present a method of mapping the equations to Lindblad form and discuss functional forms for homogeneous spatial correlation functions. We also discuss two example microscopic models for the environment which exhibit non-trivial spatial-temporal correlation functions.
The decoherence rate is a nonlinear channel parameter that describes quantitatively the decay of the off-diagonal elements of a density operator in the decoherence basis. We address the question of how to experimentally access such a nonlinear parameter directly without the need of complete process tomography. In particular, we design a simple experiment working with two copies of the channel, in which the registered mean value of a two-valued measurement directly determines the value of the average decoherence rate. No prior knowledge of the decoherence basis is required.
The conventional interpretation of quantum mechanics, though it permits a correspondence to classical physics, leaves the exact mechanism of transition unclear. Though this was only of philosophical importance throughout the twentieth century, over the past decade new technological developments, such as quantum computing, require a more thorough understanding of not just the result of quantum emergence, but also its mechanism. Quantum decoherence theory is the model that developed out of necessity to deal with the quantum-classical transition explicitly, and without external observers. In this…
We propose and analyse a robust quantum state transfer protocol by the use of a combination of coherent quantum coupling and decoherence-free subspaces in a coupled quantum spin chain. Under decoherence, an arbitrary unknown quantum state embedded in a decoherence-free subspace can be perfectly transferred through a noisy channel being weakly coupled to two end registers. The method protects quantum information from both the channel noise and the environmental decoherence. A special case of utilizing two physical qubits to encode one logical qubit is considered as an example and the robustness…
We first review the usefulness of the Wigner distribution functions (WDF), associated with Lindblad and pre-master equations, for analyzing a host of problems in Quantum Optics where dissipation plays a major role, an arena where weak coupling and long-time approximations are valid. However, we also show their limitations for the discussion of decoherence, which is generally a short-time phenomenon with decay rates typically much smaller than typical dissipative decay rates. We discuss two approaches to the problem both of which use a quantum Langevin equation (QLE) as a starting-point: (a) us…
It is shown that if the decoherence matrix corresponding to a qubit master equation has a block-diagonal real part, then the evolution is determined by a one-dimensional oscillator equation. Further, when the full decoherence matrix is block-diagonal, then the necessary and sufficient conditions for completely positive evolution may be formulated in terms of the oscillator Hamiltonian or Lagrangian. When the solution of the oscillator equation is not known, an explicit sufficient condition for complete positivity can still be obtained, based on a Hamiltonian/Lagrangian inequality. A rotational…
Decoherence is the main obstacle to quantum computation. The decoherence rate per qubit is typically assumed to be constant. It is known, however, that quantum registers coupling to a single reservoir can show a decoherence rate per qubit that increases linearly with the number of qubits. This effect has been referred to as superdecoherence, and has been suggested to pose a threat to the scalability of quantum computation. Here, we show that superdecoherence is absent when the spectrum of the single reservoir is continuous, rather than discrete. The reason of this absence, is that, as the numb…
We considered the interaction of semiconductor quantum register with noisy environment leading to various types of qubit errors. We analysed both phase and amplitude decays during the process of electron-phonon interaction. The performance of quantum error correction codes (QECC) which will be inevitably used in full scale quantum information processors was studied in realistic conditions in semiconductor nanostructures. As a hardware basis for quantum bit we chose the quantum spatial states of single electron in semiconductor coupled double quantum dot system. The modified 5- and 9-qubit quan…
Protecting the dynamics of coupled quantum systems from decoherence by the environment is a key challenge for solid-state quantum information processing. An idle qubit can be efficiently insulated from the outside world via dynamical decoupling, as has recently been demonstrated for individual solid-state qubits. However, protection of qubit coherence during a multi-qubit gate poses a non-trivial problem: in general the decoupling disrupts the inter-qubit dynamics, and hence conflicts with gate operation. This problem is particularly salient for hybrid systems, wherein different types of qubit…
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…
We investigate the decoherence process for a quantum register composed of N qubits coupled to an environment. We consider an environment composed of one common phonon bath and several electronic baths. This environment is relevant to the implementation of a charge based solid-state quantum computer. We explicitly compute the time evolution of all off-diagonal terms of the register's reduced density matrix. We find that in realistic configurations, "superdecoherence" and "decoherence free subspaces" do not exist for an N-qubit system. This means that all off-diagonal terms decay like exp(-q(t)N…
We derive and analyze the Born-Markov master equation for a quantum harmonic oscillator interacting with a bath of independent two-level systems. This hitherto virtually unexplored model plays a fundamental role as one of the four "canonical" system-environment models for decoherence and dissipation. To investigate the influence of further couplings of the environmental spins to a dissipative bath, we also derive the master equation for a harmonic oscillator interacting with a single spin coupled to a bosonic bath. Our models are experimentally motivated by quantum-electromechanical systems an…
Quantum computing promises to provide exponential speed-ups to certain classes of problems. In many such algorithms, a classical vector $\mathbf{b}$ is encoded in the amplitudes of a quantum state $\left |b \right >$. However, efficiently preparing $\left |b \right >$ is known to be a difficult problem because an arbitrary state of $Q$ qubits generally requires approximately $2^Q$ entangling gates, which results in significant decoherence on today's Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers. We present a deterministic (nonvariational) algorithm that allows one to flexibly reduce the qu…
We study decoherence of a three-qubit array coupled to substrate phonons. Assuming an initial three-qubit entangled state that would be decoherence-free for identical qubit positions, allows us to focus on non-Markovian effects of the inevitable spatial qubit separation. It turns out that the coherence is most affected when the qubits are regularly spaced. Moreover, we find that up to a constant scaling factor, two-qubit entanglement is not influenced by the presence f the third qubit, even though all qubits interact via the phonon field.
I give a pedagogical overview of decoherence and its role in providing a dynamical account of the quantum-to-classical transition. The formalism and concepts of decoherence theory are reviewed, followed by a survey of master equations and decoherence models. I also discuss methods for mitigating decoherence in quantum information processing and describe selected experimental investigations of decoherence processes.
We present the quantum master equation describing the coherent and incoherent dynamics of a rapidly rotating molecule in presence of a thermal background gas. The master equation relates the rate of rotational alignment decay and decoherence to the microscopic scattering amplitudes, which we calculate for anisotropic van der Waals scattering. For large rotational energies, we find excellent agreement of the resulting alignment decay rate with recent superrotor experiments.
We examine a stochastic noise process that has a decohering effect on the average evolution of qubits in the quantum register of the solid state quantum computer proposed by Kane. We consider the effects of this process on the single qubit operations necessary to perform quantum logical gates and derive an expression for the fidelity of these gates in this system. We then calculate an upper bound on the level of this stochastic noise tolerable in a workable quantum computer.
