arXiv subjects

Aurélia Chenu

Publications and source records attributed to Aurélia Chenu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Measurement and Control of the Complex Berry Phase in a Quantum System

The Berry phase is a geometric phase acquired during adiabatic evolution over a closed loop in parameter space. It plays an essential role in geometric quantum gates and other phase-based protocols. In non-Hermitian systems, the Berry phase is complex, introducing fundamentally new geometric effects, including state amplification. In this work, we report experimental measurement of both the real and imaginary components of a Berry phase in a fully quantum system using a superconducting transmon circuit with engineered dissipation. We also demonstrate the path-dependent effects of the imaginary part on the dissipation and its utility in the implementation of non-unitary quantum control. These findings establish a clear geometric distinction between the real and imaginary components of the Berry phase and experimentally confirm the unique adiabatic behavior of non-Hermitian quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Magic Steady State Production: Non-Hermitian, Dissipative, and Stochastic Pathways

Universal quantum computers require entanglement and non-stabilizerness, a resource known as \textit{quantum magic}. Here, we introduce a protocol that prepares magic steady states by leveraging non-Hermitian dynamics, which, contrary to unitary dynamics, can host pure-state attractors. By studying the dissipative qubit, we find the optimal parameters to prepare $|H\rangle$ and $|T\rangle$ steady states. Interestingly, this approach does not require knowledge or preparation of a particular initial state, since all the states of the Bloch sphere converge to the engineered target steady state. We also consider the addition of classical noise in the anti-hermitian part and provide the regimes for which the noisy dynamics still converges to high magic states. We also introduce a dissipative protocol to prepare magic steady states, compare the approaches with magic state cultivation and provide a particular realization of the non-Hermitian scheme in a cat qubit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Förster resonance energy transfer with transient coherent effects

We formulate the weak intramolecular coupling Förster resonance energy transfer theory in a form suitable for calculating ultrafast nonlinear response of molecular systems. We introduce a formally exact time-dependent factorization of the molecular statistical operator into the system and bath components. Combining this factorization with unperturbed environment evolution, we generalize the traditional Förster master equation for the state population probabilities into a complete master equation for the system's reduced statistical operator. The traditional Förster theory applies in the limit where the intermolecular coupling is weak, and the system-bath coupling is strong. Our technique of derivation explicitly leads to a time non-local Förster type master equation, which remains valid also in the limit of vanishing system-bath coupling. The theory predicts a rapid initial coherent evolution of populations arising from a transient initial coherence-dependent term, which induces a slippage of the initial condition that persists during subsequent rate-controlled transfer. Comparison with exact numerical results confirms the clear improvement of the present generalization over earlier formulations of the Förster theory and delineates its range of validity.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2025

Surmise for random matrices' level spacing distributions beyond nearest-neighbors

Correlations between energy levels can help distinguish whether a many-body system is of integrable or chaotic nature. The study of short-range and long-range spectral correlations generally involves quantities which are very different, unless one uses the $k$-th nearest neighbor ($k$NN) level spacing distributions. For nearest-neighbor (NN) spectral spacings, the distribution in random matrices is well captured by the Wigner surmise. This well-known approximation, derived exactly for a 2$\times$2 matrix, is simple and satisfactorily describes the NN spacings of larger matrices. There have been attempts in the literature to generalize Wigner's surmise to further away neighbors. However, as we show, the current proposal in the literature fails to accurately capture numerical data. Using the known variance of the distributions from random matrix theory, we propose a corrected surmise for the $k$NN spectral distributions. This surmise better characterizes spectral correlations while retaining the simplicity of Wigner's surmise. We test the predictions against numerical results and show that the corrected surmise is systematically more accurate at capturing data from random matrices. Using the XXZ spin chain with random on-site disorder, we illustrate how these results can be used as a refined probe of many-body quantum chaos for both short- and long-range spectral correlations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Exploring the topology of a non-Hermitian superconducting qubit using shortcuts to adiabaticity

Open quantum systems described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian exhibit rich dynamics due to the topology of their complex energy spectrum. By encircling an exceptional point degeneracy, this topology allows for topological state transport, chiral geometric phases, and eigenvalue braiding. To access these topological features, it is desirable to drive the system adiabatically. However, adiabatic transport in a system with complex spectrum is conventionally only possible for the eigenstate whose eigenenergy has the lowest loss. Previous experiments have demonstrated such adiabatic evolution for the quantum state with relative gain, yet observed a breakdown in adiabaticity for quantum states with relative loss. In this work, we harness a shortcut to adiabaticity -- counterdiabatic driving -- to avoid the effects of loss while maintaining trajectories that follow the instantaneous eigenstates in significantly shorter timescales. We experimentally investigate the robustness of this control method using a superconducting transmon circuit with engineered dissipation. We observe that counterdiabatic driving stabilizes quasistatic transport and preserves the complex energy spectrum's topology.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

A geometrical description of non-Hermitian dynamics: speed limits in finite rank density operators

Non-Hermitian dynamics in quantum systems preserves the rank of the state density operator. Using this insight, we develop a geometric framework to describe its time evolution. In particular, we identify mutually orthogonal coherent and incoherent directions and provide their physical interpretation. This understanding enables us to optimize the success rate of non-Hermitian driving along prescribed trajectories, with direct relevance to shortcuts to adiabaticity. Next, we explore the geometric interpretation of a speed limit for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and analyze its tightness. We derive the explicit expression that saturates this bound and illustrate our results with a minimal example of a dissipative qubit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Decomposing the Spectral Form Factor

Correlations between the energies of a system's spectrum are one of the defining features of quantum chaos. They can be probed using the Spectral Form Factor (SFF). We investigate how each spectral distance contributes in building this two-point correlation function. Specifically, starting from the spectral distribution of $k$-th neighbor level spacing ($k$nLS), we provide analytical expressions for the $k$-th neighbor Spectral Form Factor ($k$nSFF). We do so for the three Gaussian Random Matrix ensembles and the `Poissonian' ensemble of uncorrelated energy levels. We study the properties of the $k$nSFF, namely its minimum value and the time at which this minimum is reached, as well as the energy spacing with the deepest $k$nSFF. This allows us to quantify the contribution of each individual $k$nLS to the SFF ramp, which is a characteristic feature of quantum chaos. In particular, we show how the onset of the ramp, characterized either by the dip or the Thouless time, shifts to shorter times as contributions from longer-range spectral distance are included. Interestingly, the even and odd neighbors contribute quite distinctively, the first being the most important to built the ramp. They respectively yield a resonance or antiresonance in the ramp. All of our analytical results are tested against numerical realizations of random matrices. We complete our analysis and show how the introduced tools help characterize the spectral properties of a physical many-body system by looking at the interacting XXZ Heisenberg model with local on-site disorder that allows transitioning between the chaotic and integrable regimes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Diagnosing non-Hermitian Many-Body Localization and Quantum Chaos via Singular Value Decomposition

Strong local disorder in interacting quantum spin chains can turn delocalized eigenmodes into localized eigenstates, giving rise to many-body localized (MBL) phases. This is accompanied by distinct spectral statistics: chaotic for the delocalized phase and integrable for the localized phase. In isolated systems, localization and chaos are defined through a web of relations among eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and real-time dynamics. These may change as the system is made open. We ask whether random dissipation (without random disorder) can induce chaotic or localized behavior in an otherwise integrable system. The dissipation is described using non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, which can effectively be obtained from Markovian dynamics conditioned on null measurement. Through the use of the singular value decomposition and the introduction of new diagnostic tools complementing the singular-value statistics, namely, the singular form factor, the inverse participation ratio, and entanglement entropy for singular vectors, we provide a positive answer. Our method is illustrated in an XXZ Hamiltonian with random local dissipation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Hermitian and Non-Hermitian Topology from Photon-Mediated Interactions

Light can mediate effective dipole-dipole interactions between atoms or quantum emitters coupled to a common environment. Exploiting them to tailor a desired effective Hamiltonian can have major applications and advance the search for many-body phases. Quantum technologies are mature enough to engineer large photonic lattices with sophisticated structures coupled to quantum emitters. In this context, a fundamental problem is to find general criteria to tailor a photonic environment that mediates a desired effective Hamiltonian of the atoms. Among these criteria, topological properties are of utmost importance since an effective atomic Hamiltonian endowed with a non-trivial topology can be protected against disorder and imperfections. Here, we find general theorems that govern the topological properties (if any) of photon-mediated Hamiltonians in terms of both Hermitian and non-Hermitian topological invariants, thus unveiling a system-bath topological correspondence. The results depend on the number of emitters relative to the number of resonators. For a photonic lattice where each mode is coupled to a single quantum emitter, the Altland-Zirnbauer classification of topological insulators allows us to link the topology of the atoms to that of the photonic bath: we unveil the phenomena of topological preservation and reversal to the effect that the atomic topology can be the same or opposite to the photonic one, depending on Hermiticity of the photonic system and on the parity of the spatial dimension. As a consequence, the bulk-edge correspondence implies the existence of atomic boundary modes with the group velocity opposite to the photonic ones in a 2D Hermitian topological system. If there are fewer emitters than photonic modes, the atomic system is less constrained and no general photon-atom topological correspondence can be found. We show this with two counterexamples.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Analyticity constraints bound the decay of the spectral form factor

Quantum chaos cannot develop faster than $λ\leq 2 π/(\hbar β)$ for systems in thermal equilibrium [Maldacena, Shenker & Stanford, JHEP (2016)]. This `MSS bound' on the Lyapunov exponent $λ$ is set by the width of the strip on which the regularized out-of-time-order correlator is analytic. We show that similar constraints also bound the decay of the spectral form factor (SFF), that measures spectral correlation and is defined from the Fourier transform of the two-level correlation function. Specifically, the inflection exponent $η$, that we introduce to characterize the early-time decay of the SFF, is bounded as $η\leq π/(2\hbarβ)$. This bound is universal and exists outside of the chaotic regime. The results are illustrated in systems with regular, chaotic, and tunable dynamics, namely the single-particle harmonic oscillator, the many-particle Calogero-Sutherland model, an ensemble from random matrix theory, and the quantum kicked top. The relation of the derived bound with other known bounds, including quantum speed limits, is discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

From hybrid polariton to dipolariton using non-hermitian Hamiltonians to handle particle lifetimes

We consider photons strongly coupled to the excitonic excitations of a coupled quantum well, in the presence of an electric field. We show how under a field increase, the hybrid polariton made of photon coupled to hybrid carriers lying in the two wells, transforms into a dipolariton made of photon coupled to direct and indirect excitons. We also show how the cavity photon lifetime and the coherence time of the carrier wave vectors, that we analytically handle through non-hermitian Hamiltonians, affect these polaritonic states. While the hybrid polaritons display a spectral singularity, where the eigenvalues coalesce and known as exceptional point, that depends on detuning and lifetimes, we find that the three dipolaritonic states display an anti-crossing without exceptional point, due to interaction between photons, direct and indirect excitons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

First Law of Quantum Thermodynamics in a Driven Open Two-Level System

Assigning the variations of internal energy into heat or work contributions is a challenging task due to the fact that these properties are trajectory dependent. A number of proposals have been put forward for open quantum systems following an arbitrary dynamics. We here focus on non-equilibrium thermodynamics of a two-level system and explore, in addition to the conventional approach, two definitions motivated by either classical work or heat, in which the driving Hamiltonian or the trajectory itself are respectively used to set up a reference basis. We first give the thermodynamic properties for an arbitrary dynamics and illustrate the results on the Bloch sphere. Then, we solve the particular example of a periodically driven qubit interacting with a dissipative and decoherence bath. Our results illustrate the trajectory-dependent character of heat and work, and how contributions originally assigned to dissipation in the Lindblad equation can become coherent part assigned to work.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Shortcuts to Squeezed Thermal States

Squeezed state in harmonic systems can be generated through a variety of techniques, including varying the oscillator frequency or using nonlinear two-photon Raman interaction. We focus on these two techniques to drive an initial thermal state into a final squeezed thermal state with controlled squeezing parameters -- amplitude and phase -- in arbitrary time. The protocols are designed through reverse engineering for both unitary and open dynamics. Control of the dissipation is achieved using stochastic processes, readily implementable via, e.g., continuous quantum measurements. Importantly, this allows controlling the state entropy and can be used for fast thermalization. The developed protocols are thus suited to generate squeezed thermal states at controlled temperature in arbitrary time.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Composite boson signature in the interference pattern of atomic dimer condensates

We predict the existence of high frequency modes in the interference pattern of two condensates made of fermionic-atom dimers. These modes, which result from fermion exchanges between condensates, constitute a striking signature of the dimer composite nature. From the 2-coboson spatial correlation function, that we derive analytically, and the Shiva diagrams that visualize many-body effects specific to composite bosons, we identify the physical origin of these high frequency modes and determine the conditions to see them experimentally by using bound fermionic-atom pairs trapped on optical lattice sites. The dimer granularity which appears in these modes comes from Pauli blocking that prevents two dimers to be located at the same lattice site.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2019

Work Statistics, Loschmidt Echo and Information Scrambling in Chaotic Quantum Systems

Characterizing the work statistics of driven complex quantum systems is generally challenging because of the exponential growth with the system size of the number of transitions involved between different energy levels. We consider the quantum work distribution associated with the driving of chaotic quantum systems described by random matrix Hamiltonians and characterize exactly the work statistics associated with a sudden quench for arbitrary temperature and system size. Knowledge of the work statistics yields the Loschmidt echo dynamics of an entangled state between two copies of the system of interest, the thermofield double state. This echo dynamics is dictated by the spectral form factor. We discuss its relation to frame potentials and its use to assess information scrambling.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Extreme Decoherence and Quantum Chaos

We study the ultimate limits to the decoherence rate associated with dephasing processes. Fluctuating chaotic quantum systems are shown to exhibit extreme decoherence, with a rate that scales exponentially with the particle number, thus exceeding the polynomial dependence of systems with fluctuating $k$-body interactions. Our findings suggest the use of quantum chaotic systems as a natural test-bed for spontaneous wave function collapse models. We further discuss the implications on the decoherence of AdS/CFT black holes resulting from the unitarity loss associated with energy dephasing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Two-level System coupled to Phonons: Full Analytical Solution

We propose an analytical procedure to fully solve a two-level system coupled to phonons. Instead of using the common formulation in terms of linear and quadratic system-phonon couplings, we introduce different phonons depending on the system electronic level. We use this approach to recover known results for the linear-coupling limit in a simple way. More importantly, we derive results for the quadratic coupling induced by a phonon frequency change, a problem considered up to now as not analytically solvable.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Thermal States and Wave Packets

The classical and quantum representations of thermal equilibrium are strikingly different, even for free, non-interacting particles. While the first involves particles with well-defined positions and momenta, the second usually involves energy eigenstates that are delocalized over a confining volume. In this paper, we derive convex decompositions of the density operator for non-interacting, non-relativistic particles in thermal equilibrium that allow for a connection between these two descriptions. Associated with each element of the decomposition of the N-particle thermal state is an N-body wave function, described as a set of wave packets; the distribution of the average positions and momenta of the wave packets can be linked to the classical description of thermal equilibrium, while the different amplitudes in the wave function capture the statistics relevant for fermions or bosons.

quant-ph↗