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Eric R Bittner

Publications and source records attributed to Eric R Bittner.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Holonomy and Complementarity in Open Quantum Systems

Complementarity relations constrain the distribution of coherence, predictability, and openness in quantum systems. Here we show that, in open quantum systems, these local constraints acquire a geometric interpretation through quasistatic transport. For a driven dissipative qubit, the complementarity variables define cylindrical coordinates on the Bloch sphere, while openness appears geometrically as a radial deficit associated with reduction from a larger Hilbert space. Quasistatic driving induces a work connection on the resulting steady-state manifold whose curvature determines the cyclic response. Hamiltonian-aligned dissipation produces an exact work connection and vanishing cyclic work, whereas fixed pointer-basis dissipation generates non-integrable transport, finite curvature, and holonomic response. The resulting curvature admits a phase-resolved representation on the triality manifold and develops perturbatively with pointer--Hamiltonian mismatch. In the weak-mismatch limit, the curvature is governed by a competition between coherence-preserving and pure-dephasing channels, producing symmetry-related positive- and negative-curvature sectors. These results establish a direct connection between complementarity, dissipation, and geometric thermodynamic response, and show that cyclic quasistatic work provides an operational probe of nonequilibrium quantum geometry.

quant-ph

Phase-Reference Control of Steady-State Entanglement in Open Quantum Systems

We show that steady-state entanglement in open quantum systems is controlled by the phase reference of a phase-sensitive reservoir. Using a covariance-matrix approach for Gaussian-preserving dynamics, we demonstrate that purely local, phase-sensitive dissipation can generate entanglement when combined with coherent coupling. The steady state exhibits a finite entangled region with an optimal squeezing strength that maximizes both the magnitude and thermal robustness of entanglement. We find that coherent coupling does not enhance entanglement monotonically, but instead regulates the conversion of local squeezing into nonlocal correlations. Importantly, the coupling dependence is controlled by the phase reference of the squeezed reservoir: phase-locked (rotating-frame) and laboratory-frame implementations yield qualitatively distinct steady states and entanglement structure. These results establish phase-sensitive reservoir engineering as a controllable route to steady-state entanglement in continuous-variable systems. Steady-state entanglement in phase-sensitive open systems depends explicitly on the reservoir phase reference and is not invariant under changes of that reference.}

quant-ph

Noise-Induced Thermalization in Quantum Systems

In the current Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum era, noise is widely regarded as the primary obstacle to achieving fault-tolerant quantum computation. However, certain stages of the quantum computing pipeline can, in fact, benefit from this noise. In this work, we exploit the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis to show that noise generically accelerates a fundamental task in quantum computing -- the preparation of Gibbs states. We demonstrate this behavior using classical and quantum simulations with Haar-random and phase-flip noise, respectively, on a spin-1/2 chain with a local Hamiltonian. Our non-integrable model sees ~3.5x faster thermalization in the presence of noise, while our integrable model, which would not otherwise thermalize, reaches a thermal state due to noise. Since certifying a local Gibbs state is relatively easy on a quantum computer, our approach provides a new practical solution to a key problem in quantum computing. More broadly, these results establish a new paradigm in which noise can be harnessed on quantum computers, enabling practical advantages before the years of fault-tolerance.

quant-ph

Coherent Spectroscopic Probes of Topology: A Velocity-Gauge Perspective

We present a velocity-gauge formalism for computing nonlinear current response functions in periodic systems and apply it to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model as a minimal topological testbed. By retaining the full minimal coupling Hamiltonian and avoiding the rotating wave approximation, we construct gauge-consistent expressions for the linear and third-order current susceptibilities using retarded Green's functions. Our results reveal how nonlinear optical spectra encode not only energy-level transitions but also interband phase coherence and topological winding. In the topological phase, the third-order response exhibits characteristic phase inversions and spectral asymmetries that are absent in the trivial phase. These features reflect geometric changes in the Bloch eigenstates and highlight the role of virtual pathways in shaping the nonlinear signal. Our framework offers a robust and extensible platform for modeling nonlinear light-matter interactions in topological materials beyond the dipole approximation and the standard Coulomb-gauge formulation in molecular spectroscopy.

physics.chem-ph

Noise-induced synchronization in coupled quantum oscillators

We consider the quantum dynamics of a pair of coupled quantum oscillators coupled to a common correlated dissipative environment. The resulting equations of motion for both the operator moments and covariances can be integrated analytically using the Lyapunov equations. We find that for fully correlated and fully anti-correlated environments, the oscillators relax into a phase-synchronized state that persists for long times when the two oscillators are nearly resonant and (essentially) forever if the two oscillators are in resonance. This can be traced to the symmetry of the Lindblad dissipator, which can lead to strong damping in one region of state space and under damping in others. In the extreme cases of fully correlated or fully anti-correlated environments, specific regions of state space are fully decoupled from the environment. We also show that the environmental noise correlation leads to quantum entanglement, and all the correlations between the two oscillators are purely quantum mechanical in origin. This work provides a robust mathematical foundation for understanding how long-lived exciton coherences can be linked to vibronic correlation effects.

quant-ph

Spin/Phonon Dynamics in Single Molecular Magnets: II. spin/phonon entanglemen

We introduce a new quantum embedding method to explore spin-phonon interactions in molecular magnets. This technique consolidates various spin/phonon couplings into a limited number of collective degrees of freedom, allowing for a fully quantum mechanical treatment. By precisely factorizing the entire system into "system" and "bath" sub-ensembles, our approach simplifies a previously intractable problem, making it solvable on modest-scale computers. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this method by studying the spin relaxation and dephasing times of the single-molecule qubit \ce{VOPc(OH)8}, which features a lone unpaired electron on the central vanadium atom. By using this mode projection method, we are able to perform numerical exact quantum dynamical calculation on this system which allows us to follow the flow of quantum information from the single spin qubit into the projected phonon degrees of freedom. Our results demonstrate both the utility of the method and suggest how one can engineer the environment as to further optimize the quantum properties of a qubit system.

quant-ph

Spin/Phonon Dynamics in Single Molecular Magnets: I. quantum embedding

Single molecular magnets (SMMs) and Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) attract significant interest due to their potential in quantum information processing, scalable quantum computing, and extended lifetimes and coherence times. The limiting factor in these systems is often the spin dephasing caused by interactions and couplings with the vibrational motions of the molecular framework. This work introduces a systematic projection/embedding scheme to analyze spin-phonon dynamics in molecular magnets. This scheme consolidates all spin/phonon couplings into a few collective degrees of freedom. quantum mechanically. Using parameters obtained from ab initio methods for spin/phonon coupling via Zeeman interaction, we apply this approach to compute the electronic spin relaxation times for a single-molecule qubit \ce{VOPc(OH)8}, which features a single unpaired electron localized on the central vanadium atom. However, our general embedding scheme can be applied to any single-molecule magnet or qubit MOF with any coupling/interaction Hamiltonian. This development offers a crucial tool for simulating spin relaxation in complex environments with significantly reduced computational complexity.

quant-ph

Correlated noise enhances coherence and fidelity in coupled qubits

It is generally assumed that environmental noise arising from thermal fluctuations is detrimental to preserving coherence and entanglement in a quantum system. In the simplest sense, dephasing and decoherence are tied to energy fluctuations driven by coupling between the system and the normal modes of the bath. Here, we explore the role of noise correlation in an open-loop model quantum communication system whereby the ``sender'' and the ``receiver'' are subject to local environments with various degrees of correlation or anticorrelation. We introduce correlation within the spectral density by solving a multidimensional stochastic differential equations and introduce these into the Redfield equations of motion for the system density matrix. We find that correlation can enhance both the fidelity and purity of a maximally entangled (Bell) state. Moreover, by comparing the evolution of different initial Bell states, we show that one can effectively probe the correlation between two local environments. These observations may be useful in the design of high-fidelity quantum gates and communication protocols.

quant-ph

Exact Schrodinger wave-function solutions of the fully-correlated few-electron gas and the uniform electron gas

We present numerically exact solutions to the full-dimensional Schrodinger Equation for the few-electron gas (few-EG) model of electronic structure theory. Our core methodology uses a Sum-of-Products (SOP) representation of singular potentials to make the fully correlated multi-particle quantum mechanical problem computationally tractable. With full access to periodic wave-functions, we analyze the exchange/correlation, spin symmetry, and thermodynamic ($T = 0$K) phases for few-EG systems with up to four explicit electrons per unit cell. We also present pure-spin exchange/correlation functionals for the same few-EG solutions. Finally, we consider the family of few-EG calculations in juxtaposition with the closely related uniform electron gas (UEG) system, for which previous calculations have been performed using density functional theory and quantum Monte Carlo methods. The exact few-EG solutions all display a similar oscillatory behavior at lower densities, which is not predicted by previous UEG simulations.

cond-mat.str-el

Effect of Disorder on Free Energy and Open-Circuit Voltage of Organic Photovoltaic Systems

Organic Photovoltaic devices (OPVs) are becoming adequately cost and energy efficient to be considered a good investment and it is, therefore, especially important to have a concrete understanding of their operation. We compute energies of charge-transfer (CT) states of the model donor-acceptor lattice system with varying degrees of structural disorder to investigate how fluctuations in the material properties affect electron-hole separation. We also demonstrate how proper statistical treatment of the CT energies recovers experimentally observed "hot" and "cold" exciton dissociation pathways. Using a quantum mechanical model for a model heterojunction interface, we recover experimental values for the open-circuit voltage at 50 and 100meV of site-energy disorder. We find that energetic and conformational disorder generally facilitates charge transfer; however, due to excess energy supplied by photoexcitation, highly energetic electron-hole pairs can dissociate in unfavorable directions, potentially never contributing to the photocurrent. We find that "cold" excitons follow the free energy curve defined at the operating temperature of the device. Our results provide a unifying picture linking various proposed mechanisms for charge separation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Probing polaron excitation spectra in organic semiconductors by photoinduced-absorption-detected two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy

We report a theoretical description and experimental implementation of a novel two-dimensional coherent excitation spectroscopy based on quasi-steady-state photoinduced absorption measurement of a long-lived nonlinear population. We have studied a semiconductor-polymer:fullerene-derivative distributed heterostructure by measuring the 2D excitation spectrum by means of photoluminescence, photocurrent and photoinduced absorption from metastable polaronic products. We conclude that the photoinduced absorption probe is a viable and valuable probe in this family of 2D coherent spectroscopies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Do ultrafast exciton-polaron decoherence dynamics govern photocarrier generation efficiencies in polymer solar cells?

All-organic-based photovoltaic solar cells have attracted considerable attention because of their low-cost processing and short energy payback time. In such systems the primary dissociation of an optical excitation into a pair of photocarriers has been recently shown to be extremely rapid and efficient, but the physical reason for this remains unclear. Here, two-dimensional photocurrent excitation spectroscopy, a novel non-linear optical spectroscopy, is used to probe the ultrafast coherent decay of photoexcitations into charge-producing states in a polymer:fullerene based solar cell. The two-dimensional photocurrent spectra are interpreted by introducing a theoretical model for the description of the coupling of the electronic states of the system to an external environment and to the applied laser fields. The experimental data show no cross-peaks in the two-dimensional photocurrent spectra, as predicted by the model for coherence times between the exciton and the photocurrent producing states of 20\,fs or less.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Dynamics of a Polariton Condensate in an Organic Semiconducting Microcavity

Recent experiments on thin-film microcavities give evidence of Bose condensation of exciton-polariton states. Inspired by these observations, we consider the possibility that such exotic "half-light/half matter" states could be observed in thin-film organic semiconductors where the oscillator strength is generally stronger than in inorganic systems. Here we present a theoretical model and simulations of macroscopic exciton-polartiton condensates in thracene thin films sandwiched within a micro-meter scale resonant cavity and establish criteria for the conditions under which BEC could be achieved in these systems. We consider the effect of lattice disorder on the threshold intensities necessary to create polartion superfluid states and conclude that even allowing for up to 5% angular disorder of the molecules within the crystal lattice, the superfluid transition remains sharp.

cond-mat.quant-gas