arXiv subjects

Diogo O. Soares-Pinto

Publications and source records attributed to Diogo O. Soares-Pinto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantifying and Bounding Spatiotemporal Correlations in Quantum Noise

Spatial and temporal correlations in quantum noise challenge the local Markovian models commonly used in quantum information processing. We develop a unified operational framework for quantifying temporal, spatial, and total spatiotemporal correlations in general quantum processes. Using process tensors, we define these quantities through optimal distinguishability from Markovian, spatially local, and fully uncorrelated processes. Optimization over admissible probing combs ensures monotonicity under every superprocess that preserves the corresponding free set, while Choi-state functionals and restricted probes provide accessible lower bounds. We establish hierarchy and interpolation relations among the correlation measures and derive dimension-dependent upper bounds on temporal correlations transmitted by quantum memories, with tighter bounds for classical memory, together with universal ceilings imposed by the system dimension. These bounds turn certified lower estimates into witnesses of minimum memory dimension, nonclassicality under a memory-dimension constraint, and inconsistencies in the assumed process model. We illustrate the results with effective superconducting-qubit models featuring $ZZ$ and $XY$ interactions, exhibiting saturation of classical-memory, quantum-memory, and system-dimension ceilings. These results pave the way toward practical approaches to characterizing and addressing spatiotemporally correlated errors in quantum devices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Quantum state texture of dynamical criticality

We investigate the role of quantum state texture in dynamical quantum phase transitions by establishing a direct connection between critical nonequilibrium dynamics and the recently introduced notion of rugosity, a measure of quantum state texture. Considering a generic quench protocol, we analyze both standard formulations of dynamical quantum phase transitions. For type-I transitions, characterized through the long-time behavior of a dynamical order parameter, we show that the time-averaged rugosity, evaluated in the eigenbasis of the pre-quench Hamiltonian, exhibits an order-parameter-like behavior across the transition. In the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model, this behavior is traced back to the underlying semiclassical structure, where crossing the excited-state quantum phase transition separatrix controls the redistribution of the quantum state over the pre-quench energy basis. We further demonstrate that the response function associated with the time-averaged rugosity develops a pronounced critical peak whose maximum grows algebraically with the system size, providing quantitative finite-size evidence of its sensitivity to the dynamical critical point. For type-II transitions, characterized by nonanalyticities in the Loschmidt rate function, we establish an exact connection with rugosity. For a suitable choice of basis, the rate function is exactly given by the density of rugosity, establishing a model-independent equivalence. Moreover, we show that even in physically motivated bases, such as the pre-quench energy eigenbasis, rugosity provides clear signatures of dynamical criticality. Our results establish rugosity as a sensitive probe of dynamical quantum phase transitions while highlighting its role as a basis-dependent measure of quantum state texture, thereby providing an information-theoretic perspective on nonequilibrium quantum critical phenomena.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Deterministic quantum master equation for non-Markovian signal processing

In this work, we derive a deterministic master equation to model a general, possibly non-Markovian, feedback. The master equation describes a system with a general evolution and measurement operation, with feedback being applied in terms of signal processing. The feedback signal has an arbitrary structure with dimensionality that indicates the degree of non-Markovianity of the information processing. We present examples to illustrate how such a master equation can be used to model systems with memory feedback and non-trivial frequency dependence.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

The Apparatus Strikes Back: Momentum Conservation and the Cost of Spatial Superpositions

Preparing massive particles in coherent spatial superpositions is a central objective of modern quantum science, motivated by applications ranging from fundamental tests of quantum mechanics and gravity to quantum-enhanced sensing. The experimental difficulty of realizing such superpositions is usually attributed to environmental decoherence mechanisms whose impact depends on the details of the experimental implementation. Here we identify a universal constraint arising from momentum conservation and the quantum nature of the preparation apparatus. Any protocol that places a particle of mass $m$ in a spatial superposition with separation $d$ necessarily entangles the particle with the center-of-mass degree of freedom of the apparatus responsible for the splitting. The resulting recoil displacement, fixed by conservation of the mass dipole moment, reduces the coherence of the particle when the apparatus is not included as part of the quantum system. For an apparatus of mass $M$, preserving coherence requires the recoil displacement to remain smaller than the coherence length of the apparatus center-of-mass state, leading to a quantitative bound expressible as a constraint on its temperature and on how rigidly the apparatus is anchored to the laboratory frame. We analyze the implications of this bound for current matter-wave interferometry experiments, proposals for gravitationally mediated entanglement, and tests of quantum mechanics near the Planck scale. Our main result, which may seem counterintuitive, is that the recoil of even heavy macroscopic apparatuses can pose a surprisingly strong constraint on the coherence of spatial superpositions of particles with masses well below the Planck mass. Finally, we discuss why the resulting limitation should be regarded as a conservative estimate and under which conditions it can be interpreted as an instance of false decoherence.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Ergotropic and passive contributions on the phase-space information geometry of Gaussian states

We establish a direct connection between quantum thermodynamics and information geometry by introducing an ergotropic decomposition of the Wigner-Fisher information for Gaussian quantum states. We derive an analytical expression for the Wigner-Fisher information in terms of the phase-space covariance matrix and mean vector, and show that it naturally separates into passive and ergotropic contributions. The passive term is shown to be entirely determined by the Wigner entropy rate of the associated passive state. The ergotropic contribution, in turn, quantifies how displacement and squeezing resources modify the statistical velocity and length of the system trajectory in phase space. As an application, we analyze the recently proposed ergotropic Mpemba effect and demonstrate that it can be traced to the anomalous geometric evolution of the passive state associated with squeezed thermal states. Our results reveal how the extractable work stored in a quantum state constrains its information-geometric structure, establishing a framework that links ergotropy, entropy production rate, and statistical geometry in continuous-variable quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Distinguishing Ordered Phases using Machine Learning and Classical Shadows

Classifying phase transitions is a fundamental and complex challenge in condensed matter physics. This work proposes a framework for identifying quantum phase transitions by combining classical shadows with unsupervised machine learning. We use the axial next-nearest neighbor Ising model as our benchmark and extend the analysis to the Kitaev-Heisenberg model on a two-leg ladder. Even with few qubits, we can effectively distinguish between the different phases of the Hamiltonian models. {Furthermore, by relying on a restricted set of local observables, such as pairwise correlations and plaquette operators, the sample complexity of the classical shadows protocol scales logarithmically with the number of measured features. This makes our approach a scalable and efficient tool for studying phase transitions in larger many-body systems where classical verification becomes intractable.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Trade-off between coherence and heat in a non-Markovian dephasing dynamics

How quantum coherence influences thermodynamic behavior remains an open question in quantum thermodynamics. Here we investigate this relation within the pure dephasing framework, where a central qubit interacts with a finite Ising-like spin environment. Although the system's internal energy remains constant, the interaction induces decoherence and gives rise to nontrivial thermodynamic features. Within the two-point measurement approach, we show that the heat dissipated into the environment matches the coherent energy contribution appearing in a reformulated first law of quantum thermodynamics. Numerical calculations reveal oscillatory coherence dynamics, with revivals associated with information backflow and non-Markovian effects, as quantified by the Breuer-Laine-Piilo measure. We find that heat and coherence exhibit intertwined temporal behavior, with enhanced heat dissipation during coherence decay and reduced heat during revivals. These results suggest a connection between coherence dynamics and thermodynamic quantities in finite, closed composite systems undergoing pure dephasing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Dissipative adaptation in a driven spin-boson model within the path-integral formalism

We investigate the dissipative adaptation hypothesis in a quantum regime using a system-reservoir approach. This hypothesis proposes that self-organization arises from a system's ability to dissipate the work transiently absorbed from an external drive. We analyze the quantum dynamics of a driven open system described by a time-dependent spin-boson Hamiltonian modeling a particle in a metastable double-well potential with controllable asymmetry. We explore how the work provided by the dynamic potential is related to the transition probability between the two ground states of the double well. These studies motivate further investigations of the driven spin-boson model toward an understanding of the system's evolution and its thermodynamic implications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Information flow-enhanced precision in collisional quantum thermometry

We describe and analyze a quantum thermometer based on a multilayered collisional model. We propose a qubit system whose architecture provides significant sensitivity even for short interaction times between the ancillae that compose the thermometer probe and the system to be probed. The assessment of the flow of information taking place within the layered thermometer and between system and thermometer reveals that the tuning of the mutual backflow of information has a positive influence on the precision of thermometry, and helps unveiling the information-theoretic mechanisms behind the working principles of the proposed architecture.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum Speed Limits Based on Schatten Norms: Universality and Tightness

We discuss quantum speed limits (QSLs) for finite-dimensional quantum systems undergoing general physical processes. These QSLs were obtained using Schatten $α$-norms, firstly exploiting geometric features of the quantum state space, and secondly by applying the Holder's inequality for matrix norms. For single-qubit states, we find that the geometric QSL is independent of the chosen Schatten norm, thus revealing universality behavior. We compare these QSLs with existing speed limits in literature, showing that the latter results represent particular cases of a general class of QSLs related to Schatten $α$-norms. We address necessary and sufficient conditions for the tightness of the QSLs that depends on populations and coherences of the qubits, also addressing their geometric meaning. We compare the QSLs obtained for qubit dynamics, also exploring their geometrical meaning. Finally, we show that the geometric QSL is tighter for general qubit dynamics with initial pure states, which indicates a universal QSL.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Thermodynamic interpretation to Stochastic Fisher Information and Single-Trajectory Speed Limits

The Fisher information (FI) metric is a Riemannian metric that allows a geometric treatment of stochastic thermodynamics, introducing the possibility of computing thermodynamic lengths and deviations from equilibrium. At the trajectory level, a related quantity can be introduced, the stochastic Fisher information (SFI), which on average, is equivalent to the FI. In this work, we discuss two fundamental questions regarding the SFI; namely, (i) what is the thermodynamic interpretation to the SFI, and (ii) are there any trajectory-level thermodynamic bounds . We find that, contrary to previous results in the literature for the FI, the thermodynamic interpretation of the SFI depends only on the entropy produced by the system and on the thermodynamic force. Moreover, we find that the SFI allows one to derive single-trajectory speed limits, which we demonstrate to hold for a Brownian particle under a saturating drive force and a Brownian particle under a decreasing drive force. From the ensemble of single-trajectory bounds, one can derive a hierarchy of average speed limits that are always less tight than the one derived from the FI. We test our results for speed limits on the adopted models and find that the hierarchy of average speed limits is respected and that the single-trajectory speed limits behave qualitatively similar to the average and stochastic speed limits, with some trajectories achieving velocities higher than the tightest average bound whenever it does not saturate. Our results open avenues for the exploration of uncertainty relations at the trajectory level.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Expressibility, entangling power and quantum average causal effect for causally indefinite circuits

Parameterized quantum circuits are the core of new technologies such as variational quantum algorithms and quantum machine learning, which makes studying its properties a valuable task. We implement parameterized circuits with definite and indefinite causal order and compare their performance under particular descriptors. One of these is the expressibility, which measures how uniformly a given quantum circuit can reach the whole Hilbert space. Another property that we focus on this work is the entanglement capability, more specifically the concurrence and the entangling power. We also find the causal relation between the qubits of our system with the quantum average causal effect measure. We have found that indefinite circuits offer expressibility advantages over definite ones while maintaining the level of entanglement generation. Our results also point to the existence of a correlation between the quantum average causal effect and the entangling power.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Classical Geometric Fluctuation Relations

Fisher Information (FI) is a quantity ubiquitously measured in such varied areas like metrology, machine learning, and biological complexity. Mathematically, it represents a lower bound in the variance of unknown parameters that are related to the distributions one has access, and a metric for probability manifolds. A stochastic analogous of the Fisher Information, dubbed stochastic Fisher Information was recently introduced in the literature by some of us. By exploring the probability distributions of the Stochastic Fisher Information (SFI), we uncover two fluctuation relations with an inherent geometric nature, as the SFI acts as a single nonequilibrium trajectory metric. The geometric nature of these relations is expressed through a stochastic length in entropy space derived from the system entropy associated with a nonequilibrium trajectory. We also explore the possibility of trajectory-dependent uncertainty relations linked to the SFI with time as a parameter. Finally, we test our geometric fluctuation relations using two nonequilibrium models.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Thermodynamics of the optical pumping process in Nitrogen-Vacancy centers

The optical pumping process is a fundamental tool for quantum protocols using the electronic and nuclear spins in the Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers platform. In this work, we explore the process of electronic spin polarization through optical pumping from a thermodynamic perspective. We identify the sources of work and heat and show that the heat current is direct related to the experimentally accessible fluorescence of the NV center. We also show that the polarization of the electronic spin depends on the amount of work that is provided to the system by the laser pump. Moreover, we study the von Neumann entropy change in the process. We demonstrate that the entropy can be separated into two contributions: one due to the heat produced and the other due to the work provided, which is a consequence of the non-unitary nature of the pumping process. Finally, we show that increasing the power of the laser results in the increasing of the entropy of the final state, which hinders the polarization efficiency.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Characterizing randomness in parameterized quantum circuits through expressibility and average entanglement

While scalable error correction schemes and fault tolerant quantum computing seem not to be universally accessible in the near sight, the efforts of many researchers have been directed to the exploration of the contemporary available quantum hardware. Due to these limitations, the depth and dimension of the possible quantum circuits are restricted. This motivates the study of circuits with parameterized operations that can be classically optimized in hybrid methods as variational quantum algorithms (VQAs), enabling the reduction of circuit depth and size. The characteristics of these Parameterized Quantum Circuits (PQCs) are still not fully understood outside the scope of their principal application, motivating the study of their intrinsic properties. In this work, we analyse the generation of random states in PQCs under restrictions on the qubits connectivities, justified by different quantum computer architectures. We apply the expressibility quantifier and the average entanglement as diagnostics for the characteristics of the generated states and classify the circuits depending on the topology of the quantum computer where they can be implemented. As a function of the number of layers and qubits, circuits following a Ring topology will have the highest entanglement and expressibility values, followed by Linear/All-to-all almost together and the Star topology. In addition to the characterization of the differences between the entanglement and expressibility of these circuits, we also place a connection between how steep is the increase on the uniformity of the distribution of the generated states and the generation of entanglement. Circuits generating average and standard deviation for entanglement closer to values obtained with the truly uniformly random ensemble of unitaries present a steeper evolution when compared to others.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

System-environment quantum information flow

The return of the information from the environment to the system is a phenomenon can be related to existence of non-Markovian mechanisms in the environment and such transformation of resources can be useful for quantum information applications. Thus, understanding the details of the system-environment information dynamics, i.e., the transference of quantum resources is of key importance to design noise-resilient quantum technologies. In this work, we show how a quantum resource propagates from the main system to an environment, using as model a single qubit coupled to two linear chains of qubits, and also the information dynamics among the environment qubits. In this way, we characterize the propagation of information leaving the main qubit and going through the environment. Finally, we connect the conditions for the emergence of this dynamics to the existence of quantum Darwinism.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Conditional quantum thermometry -- enhancing precision by measuring less

Taking accurate measurements of the temperature of quantum systems is a challenging task. The mathematical peculiarities of quantum information make it virtually impossible to measure with infinite precision. In the present paper, we introduce a generalize thermal state, which is conditioned on the pointer states of the available measurement apparatus. We show that this conditional thermal state outperforms the Gibbs state in quantum thermometry. The origin for the enhanced precision can be sought in its asymmetry quantified by the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson skew information. This additional resource is further clarified in a fully resource-theoretic analysis, and we show that there is a Gibbs-preserving map to convert a target state into the conditional thermal state. We relate the quantum J-divergence between the conditional thermal state and the same target state to quantum heat.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Benchmarking Variational Quantum Eigensolvers for Entanglement Detection in Many-Body Hamiltonian Ground States

Variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) have emerged in recent years as a promise to obtain quantum advantage. These task-oriented algorithms work in a hybrid loop combining a quantum processor and classical optimization. Using a specific class of VQA named variational quantum eigensolvers (VQEs), we choose some parameterized quantum circuits to benchmark them at entanglement witnessing and entangled ground state detection for many-body systems described by Heisenberg Hamiltonian, varying the number of qubits and shots. Quantum circuits whose structure is inspired by the Hamiltonian interactions presented better results on cost function estimation than problem-agnostic circuits.

quant-ph↗