arXiv subjects

C. Noh

Publications and source records attributed to C. Noh.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Quantum pure noise-induced transitions: A truly nonclassical limit cycle sensitive to number parity

It is universally accepted that noise may bring order to complex nonequilibrium systems. Most strikingly, entirely new states not seen in the noiseless system can be induced purely by including multiplicative noise -- an effect known as pure noise-induced transitions. It was first observed in superfluids in the 1980s. Recent results in complex nonequilibrium systems have also shown how new collective states emerge from such pure noise-induced transitions, such as the foraging behavior of insect colonies, and schooling in fish. Here we report such effects of noise in a quantum-mechanical system without a classical limit. We use a minimal model of a nonlinearly damped oscillator in a fluctuating environment that is analytically tractable, and whose microscopic physics can be understood. When multiplicative environmental noise is included, the system is seen to transition to a limit-cycle state. The noise-induced quantum limit cycle also exhibits other genuinely nonclassical traits, such as Wigner negativity and number-parity sensitive circulation in phase space. Such quantum limit cycles are also conservative. These properties are in stark contrast to those of a widely used limit cycle in the literature, which is dissipative and loses all Wigner negativity. Our results establish the existence of a pure noise-induced transition that is nonclassical and unique to open quantum systems. They illustrate a fundamental difference between quantum and classical noise.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Photonic realization of the deformed Dirac equation via the segmented graphene nanoribbons under inhomogeneous strain

Starting from an engineered periodic optical structure formed by waveguide arrays comprised of two interleaved lattices, we simulate a deformed Dirac equation. We show that the system also simulate graphene nano ribbons under strain. This optical analogue allows us to study the phenomenon of Zitterbewegung for the modified Dirac equation. Our results show that the amplitude of Zitterbewegung oscillations changes as the deformation parameter is changed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Relaxation oscillations and frequency entrainment in quantum mechanics

Frequency entrainment of continuous-variable oscillators has to date been restrained to the weakly nonlinear regime. Here we overcome this bottleneck and extend frequency entrainment of quantum continuous-variable oscillators to arbitrary nonlinearities. The previously known steady state of such quantum oscillators in the weakly nonlinear regime (also known as a Stuart-Landau oscillator) is shown to emerge as a special case. Most importantly, the hallmark of strong nonlinearity--relaxation oscillations--is shown in quantum mechanics. Depending on the oscillator's nonlinearity, relaxation oscillations are found to occur via two distinct mechanisms in phase space.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Dirac equation in 2-dimensional curved spacetime, particle creation, and coupled waveguide arrays

When quantum fields are coupled to gravitational fields, spontaneous particle creation may occur similarly to when they are coupled to external electromagnetic fields. Gravitational fields can be incorporated as background spacetime if the back-action of matter on it can be neglected, yielding modified Dirac or Klein-Gordon equations for elementary fermions and bosons respectively. The semi-classical description predicts particle creation in many scenarios including expanding universe, near the event horizon of a black hole (the Hawking effect), and an accelerating observer in flat spacetime (the Unruh effect). In this work, we give a pedagogical introduction to the Dirac equation in a general 2D spacetime and show examples of spinor wave packet dynamics in some background spacetimes. In particular, we cover the phenomenon of particle creation in a time-dependent metric. Photonic analogs of these effects are then proposed, where classical light propagating in an array of coupled waveguides provides a visualisation of the Dirac spinor propagating in curved 2D spacetime. The extent to which such a single-particle description can be said to mimic particle creation is discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Experimental simulation of charge conservation violation and Majorana dynamics

Unphysical particles are commonly ruled out from the solution of physical equations, as they fundamentally cannot exist in any real system and, hence, cannot be examined experimentally in a direct fashion. One of the most celebrated equations that allows unphysical solutions is the relativistic Majorana equation\cite{Majorana} which might describe neutrinos and other exotic particles beyond the Standard Model. The equation's physical solutions, the Majorana fermions, are predicted to be their own anti-particles and as a consequence they have to be neutrally charged; the charged version however (called Majoranon) is, due to charge non-conservation, unphysical and cannot exist. On the other hand, charge conservation violation has been contemplated in alternative theories associated with higher spacetime dimensions or a non-vanishing photon mass; theories whose exotic nature makes experimental testing with current technology an impossible task. In our work, we present an experimental scheme based on optics with which we simulate the dynamics of a Majoranon, involving the implementation of unphysical charge conjugation and complex conjugation. We show that the internal dynamics of the Majoranon is fundamentally different from that of its close cousin, the Dirac particle, to illustrate the nature of the unphysical operations. For this we exploit the fact that in quantum mechanics the wave function itself is not a measurable quantity. Therefore, wave functions of real physical particles, in our case Dirac particles with opposite masses, can be superposed to a wave function of an unphysical particle, the Majoranon. Our results open a new front in the field of quantum simulations of exotic phenomena, with possible applications in condensed matter physics, topological quantum computing, and testing theories within and beyond the Standard Model with existing technology.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Onset of a Quantum Phase Transition with a Trapped Ion Quantum Simulator

A quantum simulator is a well controlled quantum system that can simulate the behavior of another quantum system which may require exponentially large classical computing resources to understand otherwise. In the 1980s, Feynman proposed the use of quantum logic gates on a standard controllable quantum system to efficiently simulate the behavior of a model Hamiltonian. Recent experiments using trapped ions and neutral atoms have realized quantum simulation of Ising model in presence of external magnetic fields, and showed almost arbitrary control in generating non-trivial Ising coupling patterns. Here we use laser-cooled trapped 171-Yb+ ions to simulate the emergence of magnetism in a system of interacting spins by implementing a fully-connected non-uniform ferromagnetic Ising model in a transverse magnetic field. To link this quantum simulation to condensed matter physics, we measure scalable correlation functions and order parameters appropriate for the description of larger systems, such as various moments of the magnetization. By increasing the Ising coupling strengths compared with the external field, the crossover from paramagnetism to ferromagnetic order sharpens as the system is scaled up from N = 2 to 9 trapped ion spins. This points toward the onset of a quantum phase transition that should become infinitely sharp as the system approaches the macroscopic scale. We compare the measured ground state order to theory, which may become intractable for non-uniform Ising couplings as the number of spins grows beyond 20- 30 and even NP complete for a fully-connected frustrated Ising model, making this experiment an important benchmark for large-scale quantum simulation.

quant-ph↗