Unfolding multi-particle quantum correlations hidden in decoherence

Abstract

Quantum coherence is a fundamental characteristic to distinguish quantum systems from their classical counterparts. Though quantum coherence persists in isolated non-interacting systems, interactions inevitably lead to decoherence, which is in general believed to cause the lost of quantum correlations. Here, we show that, accompanying to the single-particle decoherence, interactions build up quantum correlations on the two-, three-, and multi-particle levels. Using the quantitative solutions of the quantum dynamics of a condensate occupying two modes, such as two bands of an optical lattice, we find out that such dynamically emergent multi-particle correlations not only reveal how interactions control the quantum coherence of a many-body system in a highly intriguing means, but also evince the rise of exotic fragmented condensates, which are difficult to access at the ground state. We further develop a generic interferometry that can be used in experiments to measure high order correlation functions directly.