arXiv subjects

Fabio Anza

Publications and source records attributed to Fabio Anza.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

State Diagnostics of Complexity in Open Quantum Systems

We study the emergence of complexity in finite-size quantum systems as their dynamics transition from closed and coherent evolution to interacting and effectively open behavior. Using a state-based geometric framework, we represent mixed quantum states as probability measures on complex projective Hilbert space. This representation allows us to track how interactions reshape the underlying pure-state geometry. We introduce two complementary diagnostics: a distinguishability measure, based on the Wasserstein distance between probability-measure representations of mixed states, that quantifies sensitivity to initial states, and a state-space coverage index that measures long-time exploration of the subsystem state space. These diagnostics provide a geometric perspective on the emergence and evolution of quantum dynamical complexity. When applied to the quantum kicked top, both diagnostics generally increase with interaction strength. Their dependence on environment size is structured by parity symmetry, with integer-spin systems often exhibiting greater sensitivity and state-space coverage than half-integer-spin systems. These results highlight finite-size quantum effects and provide a geometric approach to quantifying dynamical complexity deep in the quantum regime

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Non-equilibrium theory of projected ensembles

Projected ensembles---the collections of conditional pure states induced on a system by measuring an entangled environment---have become central objects in quantum science, underlying deep thermalization, quantum state designs, the emergence of classicality, and exhibiting interesting phase transitions. Here we develop a general and exact theory of their dynamics, yielding a systematic approach to their dynamics and equilibrium and non-equilibrium stationary states. We derive an exact continuity equation on quantum state space for the projected ensemble, together with microscopic kinetic equations and analytical expressions for the probability flux and source terms generated by the system-environment interaction. The resulting dynamics admits a classical representation: isolated systems obey Hamiltonian transport and Liouville's theorem, while open systems are described by a kinetic theory of probability transport. The stationary continuity equation provides a general characterization of equilibrium and non-equilibrium stationary projected ensembles, which can be analyzed through the method of characteristics. The theory provides an analytical framework for studying the emergence, structure, and timescales of equilibrium and non-equilibrium stationary projected ensembles, with applications ranging from deep thermalization and the emergence of classicality to random quantum-state generation and quantum device benchmarking.

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arXiv2025

Probability-Phase Mutual Information

Quantum coherence is an exquisitely quantum phenomenon that depends on both probability amplitudes and relative phases. Standard coherence measures quantify superposition within density matrices but cannot distinguish ensembles that produce the same mixed state through different distributions of pure states. Building on the geometric formulation of quantum mechanics, we introduce the probability-phase mutual information $I(P;\Phi)$. We show that it characterizes quantum coherence at the ensemble level and that ensemble coherence systematically exceeds density-matrix coherence, thus quantifying the structure lost when averaging over pure states. Eventually, its relevance for quantum thermodynamics, quantum information theory, and deep thermalization is highlighted by explicit examples: canonical ensembles reveal temperature-dependent probability-phase correlations absent from thermal density matrices; we show that the probability of converting an ensemble into another one is bound by the ratio of their $I(P;\Phi)$; and, that a non-vanishing $I(P;\Phi)$ signals the breakdown of deep thermalization.

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arXiv2025

Non-classicality at equilibrium and efficient predictions under non-commuting charges

A quantum thermodynamic system can conserve non-commuting observables, but the consequences of this phenomenon on relaxation are still not fully understood. We investigate this problem by leveraging an observable-dependent approach to equilibration and thermalization in isolated quantum systems. We extend such approach to scenarios with non-commuting charges, and show that it can accurately estimate the equilibrium distribution of coarse observables without access to the energy eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Our predictions do not require weak coupling and are not restricted to local observables, thus providing an advantage over the non-Abelian thermal state. Within this approach, weak values and quasiprobability distributions emerge naturally and play a crucial role in characterizing the equilibrium distributions of observables. We show and numerically confirm that, due to charges' non-commutativity, these weak values can be anomalous even at equilibrium, which has been proven to be a proxy for non-classicality. Our work thus uncovers a novel connection between the relaxation of observables under non-commuting charges, weak values, and Kirkwood-Dirac quasiprobability distributions.

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arXiv2023

Observable Statistical Mechanics

Predicting the stationary behavior of observables in isolated many-body quantum systems is a central challenge in quantum statistical mechanics. While one can often use the Gibbs ensemble, which is simple to compute, there are many scenarios where this is not possible and one must instead use another ensemble, such as the diagonal, microcanonical or generalized Gibbs ensembles. However, these all require detailed information about the energy or other conserved quantities to be constructed. Here we propose a general and computationally easy approach to determine the stationary probability distribution of observables with few outcomes. Interpreting coarse measurements at equilibrium as noisy communication channels, we provide general analytical arguments in favor of the applicability of a maximum entropy principle for this class of observables. We show that the resulting theory accurately predicts stationary probability distributions without detailed microscopic information like the energy eigenstates. Extensive numerical experiments on 7 non-weakly interacting spin-1/2 Hamiltonians demonstrate the broad applicability and robustness of this framework in both quantum integrable and chaotic models.

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arXiv2022

Szilard Engines as Quantum Thermodynamical Systems

We analyze an engine whose working fluid consists of a single quantum particle, paralleling Szilard's construction of a classical single-particle engine. Following his resolution of Maxwell's Second Law paradox using the latter, which turned on physically instantiating the demon (control subsystem), the quantum engine's design mirrors the classically-chaotic Szilard Map that operates a thermodynamic cycle of measurement, thermal-energy extraction, and memory reset. Focusing on the thermodynamic costs to observe and control the particle and comparing these in the quantum and classical limits, we detail the thermodynamic tradeoffs behind Landauer's Principle for information-processing-induced thermodynamic dissipation in the quantum and classical regimes. In particular, and as found with the classical engine, we show that the sum of the thermodynamic costs over a cycle obeys a generalized Landauer Principle, exactly balancing energy extraction from the heat bath. Thus, the quantum engine obeys the Second Law. However, the quantum engine does so via substantially different mechanisms: classically measurement and erasure determine the thermodynamics, while in the quantum implementation the cost of partition insertion is key.

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arXiv2022

Branching States as The Emergent Structure of a Quantum Universe

Quantum Darwinism builds on decoherence theory to explain the emergence of classical behavior in a fundamentally quantum universe. Within this framework we prove two crucial insights about the emergence of classical phenomenology, centered around quantum discord as the measure of quantumness of correlations. First, we show that the so-called branching structure of the joint state of the system and environment is the only one compatible with zero discord. Second, we prove that for small but nonzero discord and for good but not perfect decoherence, the structure of the globally pure state must be arbitrarily close to the branching form, with each branch exhibiting low entanglement. Our results significantly improve on previous bounds and reinforce the existing evidence that this class of branching states is the only one compatible with the emergence of classical phenomenology, as described by Quantum Darwinism.

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arXiv2021

Quantum Information Dimension and Geometric Entropy

Geometric quantum mechanics, through its differential-geometric underpinning, provides additional tools of analysis and interpretation that bring quantum mechanics closer to classical mechanics: state spaces in both are equipped with symplectic geometry. This opens the door to revisiting foundational questions and issues, such as the nature of quantum entropy, from a geometric perspective. Central to this is the concept of geometric quantum state -- the probability measure on a system's space of pure states. This space's continuity leads us to introduce two analysis tools, inspired by Renyi's information theory, to characterize and quantify fundamental properties of geometric quantum states: the quantum information dimension that is the rate of geometric quantum state compression and the dimensional geometric entropy that monitors information stored in quantum states. We recount their classical definitions, information-theoretic meanings, and physical interpretations, and adapt them to quantum systems via the geometric approach. We then explicitly compute them in various examples and classes of quantum system. We conclude commenting on future directions for information in geometric quantum mechanics.

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arXiv2020

Geometric Quantum Thermodynamics

Building on parallels between geometric quantum mechanics and classical mechanics, we explore an alternative basis for quantum thermodynamics that exploits the differential geometry of the underlying state space. We develop both microcanonical and canonical ensembles, introducing continuous mixed states as distributions on the manifold of quantum states. We call out the experimental consequences for a gas of qudits. We define quantum heat and work in an intrinsic way, including single-trajectory work, and reformulate thermodynamic entropy in a way that accords with classical, quantum, and information-theoretic entropies. We give both the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics and Jarzynki's Fluctuation Theorem. The result is a more transparent physics, than conventionally available, in which the mathematical structure and physical intuitions underlying classical and quantum dynamics are seen to be closely aligned.

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arXiv2020

Beyond Density Matrices: Geometric Quantum States

A quantum system's state is identified with a density matrix. Though their probabilistic interpretation is rooted in ensemble theory, density matrices embody a known shortcoming. They do not completely express an ensemble's physical realization. Conveniently, when working only with the statistical outcomes of projective and positive operator-valued measurements this is not a hindrance. To track ensemble realizations and so remove the shortcoming, we explore geometric quantum states and explain their physical significance. We emphasize two main consequences: one in quantum state manipulation and one in quantum thermodynamics.

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arXiv2020

Maximum Geometric Quantum Entropy

Any given density matrix can be represented as an infinite number of ensembles of pure states. This leads to the natural question of how to uniquely select one out of the many, apparently equally suitable, possibilities. Following Jaynes' information-theoretic perspective, this can be framed as an inference problem. We propose the Maximum Geometric Quantum Entropy Principle to exploit the notions of Quantum Information Dimension and Geometric Quantum Entropy. These allow us to quantify the entropy of fully arbitrary ensembles and select the one that maximizes it. After formulating the principle mathematically, we give the analytical solution to the maximization problem in a number of cases and discuss the physical mechanism behind the emergence of such maximum entropy ensembles.

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arXiv2020

Logarithmic growth of local entropy and total correlations in many-body localized dynamics

The characterizing feature of a many-body localized phase is the existence of an extensive set of quasi-local conserved quantities with an exponentially localized support. This structure endows the system with the signature logarithmic in time entanglement growth between spatial partitions. This feature differentiates the phase from Anderson localization, in a non-interacting model. Experimentally measuring the entanglement between large partitions of an interacting many-body system requires highly non-local measurements which are currently beyond the reach of experimental technology. In this work we demonstrate that the defining structure of many-body localization can be detected by the dynamics of a simple quantity from quantum information known as the total correlations which is connected to the local entropies. Central to our finding is the necessity to propagate specific initial states, drawn from the Hamiltonian unbiased basis (HUB). The dynamics of the local entropies and total correlations requires only local measurements in space and therefore is potentially experimentally accessible in a range of platforms.

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arXiv2018

New equilibrium ensembles for isolated quantum systems

The unitary dynamics of isolated quantum systems does not allow a pure state to thermalize. Because of that, if an isolated quantum system equilibrates, it will do so to the predictions of the so-called "diagonal ensemble" $ρ_{DE}$. Building on the intuition provided by Jaynes' maximum entropy principle, in this paper we present a novel technique to generate progressively better approximations to $ρ_{DE}$. As an example, we write down a hierarchical set of ensembles which can be used to describe the equilibrium physics of small isolated quantum systems, going beyond the "thermal ansatz" of Gibbs ensembles.

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arXiv2018

Pure states statistical mechanics: On its foundations and applications to quantum gravity

The project concerns the interplay among quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, in isolated quantum systems. The underlying goal is to improve our understanding of the concept of thermal equilibrium in quantum systems. First, I investigated the role played by observables and measurements in the emergence of thermal behaviour. This led to a new notion of thermal equilibrium which is specific for a given observable, rather than for the whole state of the system. The equilibrium picture that emerges is a generalization of statistical mechanics in which we are not interested in the state of the system but only in the outcome of the measurement process. I investigated how this picture relates to one of the most promising approaches for the emergence of thermal behaviour in isolated quantum systems: the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis. Then, I applied the results to study some equilibrium properties of many-body localised systems. Despite the localization phenomenon, which prevents thermalization of subsystems, I was able to show that we can still use the predictions of statistical mechanics to describe the equilibrium of some observables. Moreover, the intuition developed in the process led me to propose an experimentally accessible way to unravel the interacting nature of many-body localised systems. Second, I exploited the "Concentration of Measure" phenomenon to study the macroscopic properties of the basis states of Loop Quantum Gravity. These techniques were previously used to explain why the thermal behaviour in quantum systems is such an ubiquitous phenomenon, at the macroscopic scale. I focused on the local properties, their thermodynamic behaviour and interplay with the semiclassical limit. This was motivated by the necessity to understand, from a quantum gravity perspective, how and why a classical horizon exhibits thermal properties.

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arXiv2017

Degenerate observables and the many Eigenstate Thermalization Hypotheses

Under unitary time evolution, expectation values of physically reasonable observables often evolve towards the predictions of equilibrium statistical mechanics. The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) states that this is also true already for individual energy eigenstates. Here we aim at elucidating the emergence of ETH for observables that can realistically be measured due to their high degeneracy, such as local, extensive or macroscopic observables. We bisect this problem into two parts, a condition on the relative overlaps and one on the relative phases between the eigenbases of the observable and Hamiltonian.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2017

Information-theoretic equilibrium and observable thermalization

To understand under which conditions thermodynamics emerges from the microscopic dynamics is the ultimate goal of statistical mechanics. Despite the fact that the theory is more than 100 years old, we are still discussing its foundations and its regime of applicability. A point of crucial importance is the definition of the notion of thermal equilibrium, which is given as the state that maximises the von Neumann entropy. Here we argue that it is necessary to propose a new way of describing thermal equilibrium, focused on observables rather than on the full state of the quantum system. We characterise the notion of thermal equilibrium, for a given observable, via the maximisation of its Shannon entropy and highlight the thermal properties that such a principle heralds. The relation with Gibbs ensembles is brought to light. Furthermore, we apply such a notion of equilibrium to a closed quantum systems and prove that there is always a class of observables which exhibits thermal equilibrium properties and we give a recipe to explicitly construct them. Eventually, we bring to light an intimate connection of such a principle with the Eigenstate Thermalisation Hypothesis.

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