Cecilia Cormick

Classicality in discrete Wigner functions

Gibbons et al., [Phys. Rev. A 70, 062101 (2004)] have recently defined discrete Wigner functions W to represent quantum states in a Hilbert space with finite dimension. We show that such a class of Wigner functions W can be defined so that the only pure states having non-negative W for all such functions are stabilizer states, as conjectured by Galvao, [Phys. Rev. A 71, 042302 (2005)]. We also show that the unitaries preserving non-negativity of W for all definitions of W in the class form a subgroup of the Clifford group. This means pure states with non-negative W and their associated unitary dynamics are classical in the sense of admitting an efficient classical simulation scheme using the stabilizer formalism.

Emergent thermodynamics in a quenched quantum many-body system

We study the statistics of the work done, fluctuation relations, and irreversible entropy production in a quantum many-body system subject to the sudden quench of a control parameter. By treating the quench as a thermodynamic transformation we show that the emergence of irreversibility in the nonequilibrium dynamics of closed many-body quantum systems can be accurately characterized. We demonstrate our ideas by considering a transverse quantum Ising model that is taken out of equilibrium by an instantaneous change of the transverse field.

Decoherence of Bell states by local interactions with a dynamic spin environment

This article studies the decoherence induced on a system of two qubits by local interactions with a spin chain with nontrivial internal dynamics (governed by an XY Hamiltonian). Special attention is payed to the transition between two limits: one in which both qubits interact with the same site of the chain and another one where they interact with distant sites. The two cases exhibit different behaviours in the weak and strong coupling regimes: when the coupling is weak it is found that decoherence tends to decrease with distance, while for strong coupling the result is the opposite. Also, in the weak coupling case, the long distance limit is rapidly reached, while for strong coupling there is clear evidence of an expected effect: environment-induced interactions between the qubits of the system. A consequence of this is the appearance of quasiperiodic events that can be interpreted as “sudden deaths” and “sudden revivals” of the entanglement between the qubits, with a time scale related to the distance between them.

Quantum quenches of ion Coulomb crystals across structural instabilities

Quenches in an ion chain can create coherent superpositions of motional states across the linear-zigzag structural transition. The procedure has been described in [Phys. Rev. A 84, 063821 (2011)] and makes use of spin-dependent forces, so that a coherent superposition of the electronic states of one ion evolves into an entangled state between the chains internal and external degrees of freedom. The properties of the crystalline state so generated are theoretically studied by means of Ramsey interferometry on one ion of the chain. An analytical expression for the visibility of the interferometric measurement is obtained for a chain of arbitrary number of ions and as a function of the time elapsed after the quench. Sufficiently close to the linear-zigzag instability the visibility decays very fast, but exhibits revivals at the period of oscillation of the mode that drives the structural instability. These revivals have a periodicity that is independent of the crystal size, and they signal the creation of entanglement by the quantum quench.

Trapping ions with lasers

This work theoretically addresses the trapping of an ionized atom with a single valence electron by means of lasers, analyzing qualitatively and quantitatively the consequences of the net charge of the particle. In our model, the coupling between the ion and the electromagnetic field includes the charge monopole and the internal dipole, within a multipolar expansion of the interaction Hamiltonian. Specifically, we perform a Power–Zienau–Woolley transformation, taking into account the motion of the center of mass. The net charge produces a correction in the atomic dipole that is of order me/M, with me the electron mass and M the total mass of the ion. With respect to neutral atoms, there is also an extra coupling to the laser field that can be approximated by that of the monopole located at the position of the center of mass. These additional effects, however, are shown to be very small compared to the dominant dipolar trapping term.

Dissipative ground-state preparation of a spin chain by a structured environment

We propose a dissipative method to prepare the ground state of the isotropic XY spin Hamiltonian in a transverse field. Our model consists of a spin chain with nearest-neighbor interactions and an additional collective coupling of the spins to a damped harmonic oscillator. The latter provides an effective environment with a Lorentzian spectral density and can be used to drive the chain asymptotically toward its multipartite-entangled ground state at a rate that depends on the degree of non-Markovianity of the evolution. We also present a detailed proposal for the experimental implementation with a chain of trapped ions. The protocol does not require individual addressing, concatenated pulses, or multi-particle jump operators, and is capable of generating the desired target state in small ion chains with very high fidelities.

Decoherence induced by a dynamic spin environment: The universal regime

This paper analyzes the decoherence induced on a single qubit by the interaction with a spin chain with nontrivial internal dynamics (XY-type interactions). The aim of the paper is to study the existence and properties of the so-called universal regime, in which the decoherence time scale becomes independent of the strength of the coupling with the environment. It is shown that, although such a regime does exist, as previously established by Cucchietti et al. [Phys. Rev. A 75, 032337 (2007)], it is not a clear signature of a quantum phase transition in the environment. In fact, this kind of universality also exists in the absence of quantum phase transitions. A universal regime can be related to the existence of an energy scale separation between the Hamiltonian of the environment and the one characterizing the system-environment interaction. The results presented also indicate that in the strong-coupling regime the quantum phase transition does not produce an enhancement of decoherence (as opposed to what happens in the weak-coupling regime)

Generation of two-mode entangled states by quantum reservoir engineering

A method for generating entangled cat states of two modes of a microwave cavity field is proposed. Entanglement results from the interaction of the field with a beam of atoms crossing the microwave resonator, giving rise to non-unitary dynamics of which the target entangled state is a fixed point. We analyse the robustness of the generated two-mode photonic ?cat state? against dephasing and losses by means of numerical simulation. This proposal is an instance of quantum reservoir engineering of photonic systems.

Two-dimensional spectroscopy for the study of ion coulomb crystals.

Ion Coulomb crystals are currently establishing themselves as a highly controllable test bed for mesoscopic systems of statistical mechanics. The detailed experimental interrogation of the dynamics of these crystals, however, remains an experimental challenge. In this work, we show how to extend the concepts of multidimensional nonlinear spectroscopy to the study of the dynamics of ion Coulomb crystals. The scheme we present can be realized with state-of-the-art technology and gives direct access to the dynamics, revealing nonlinear couplings even in the presence of thermal excitations. We illustrate the advantages of our proposal showing how two-dimensional spectroscopy can be used to detect signatures of a structural phase transition of the ion crystal, as well as resonant energy exchange between modes. Furthermore, we demonstrate in these examples how different decoherence mechanisms can be identified.

Dissipative Quantum Control of a Spin Chain

A protocol is discussed for preparing a spin chain in a generic many-body state in the asymptotic limit of tailored nonunitary dynamics. The dynamics require the spectral resolution of the target state, optimized coherent pulses, engineered dissipation, and feedback. As an example, we discuss the preparation of an entangled antiferromagnetic state, and argue that the procedure can be applied to chains of trapped ions or Rydberg atoms.