arXiv subjects

G. M. Palma

Publications and source records attributed to G. M. Palma.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Remnants of Anderson localization in pre-thermalization induced by white noise

We study the non-equilibrium evolution of a one-dimensional quantum Ising chain with spatially disordered, time-dependent, transverse fields characterised by white noise correlation dynamics. We establish pre-thermalization in this model, showing that the quench dynamics of the on-site transverse magnetisation first approaches a metastable state unaffected by noise fluctuations, and then relaxes exponentially fast towards an infinite temperature state as a result of the noise. We also consider energy transport in the model, starting from an inhomogeneous state with two domain walls which separate regions characterised by spins with opposite transverse magnetization. We observe at intermediate time scales a phenomenology akin to Anderson localization: energy remains localised within the two domain walls, until the Markovian noise destroys coherence and accordingly disorder-induced localization, allowing the system to relax towards the late stages of its non-equilibrium dynamics. We benchmark our results with the simpler case of a noisy quantum Ising chain without disorder, and we find that the pre-thermal plateau is a generic property of weakly noisy spin chains, while the phenomenon of pre-thermal Anderson localisation is a specific feature arising from the competition of noise and disorder in the real-time transport properties of the system.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2017

Quantum synchronization as a local signature of super- and subradiance

We study the relationship between the collective phenomena of super and subradiance and spontaneous synchronization of quantum systems. To this aim we revisit the case of two detuned qubits interacting through a pure dissipative bosonic environment, which contains the minimal ingredients for our analysis. By using the Liouville formalism, we are able to find analytically the ultimate connection between these phenomena. We find that dynamical synchronization is due to the presence of long standing coherence between the ground state of the system and the subradiant state. We finally show that, under pure dissipation, the emergence of spontaneous synchronization and of subradiant emission occur on the same time scale. This reciprocity is broken in the presence of dephasing noise.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Tunable Polarons in Bose-Einstein Condensates

A toolbox for the quantum simulation of polarons in ultracold atoms is presented. Motivated by the impressive experimental advances in the area of ultracold atomic mixtures, we theoretically study the problem of ultracold atomic impurities immersed in a Bose-Einstein condensate mixture (BEC). The coupling between impurity and BEC gives rise to the formation of polarons whose mutual interaction can be effectively tuned using an external laser driving a quasi-resonant Raman transition between the BEC components. Our scheme allows one to change the effective interactions between polarons in different sites from attractive to zero. This is achieved by simply changing the intensity and the frequency of the two lasers. Such arrangement opens new avenues for the study of strongly correlated condensed matter models in ultracold gases.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Work Fluctuations in Bosonic Josephson Junctions

We calculate the first two moments and full probability distribution of the work performed on a system of bosonic particles in a two-mode Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian when the self-interaction term is varied instantaneously or with a finite-time ramp. In the instantaneous case, we show how the irreversible work scales differently depending on whether the system is driven to the Josephson or Fock regime of the bosonic Josephson junction. In the finite-time case, we use optimal control techniques to substantially decrease the irreversible work to negligible values. Our analysis can be implemented in present-day experiments with ultracold atoms and we show how to relate the work statistics to that of the population imbalance of the two modes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Landauer's principle in multipartite open quantum system dynamics

We investigate the link between information and thermodynamics embodied by Landauer's principle in the open dynamics of a multipartite quantum system. Such irreversible dynamics is described in terms of a collisional model with a finite temperature reservoir. We demonstrate that Landauer's principle holds, for such a configuration, in a form that involves the flow of heat dissipated into the environment and the rate of change of the entropy of the system. Quite remarkably, such a principle for {\it heat and entropy power} can be explicitly linked to the rate of creation of correlations among the elements of the multipartite system and, in turn, the non-Markovian nature of their reduced evolution. Such features are illustrated in two exemplary cases.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Cavity-aided quantum parameter estimation in a bosonic double-well Josephson junction

We describe an apparatus designed to make non-demolition measurements on a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped in a double-well optical cavity. This apparatus contains, as well as the bosonic gas and the trap, an optical cavity. We show how the interaction between the light and the atoms, under appropriate conditions, can allow for a weakly disturbing yet highly precise measurement of the population imbalance between the two wells and its variance. We show that the setting is well suited for the implementation of quantum-limited estimation strategies for the inference of the key parameters defining the evolution of the atomic system and based on measurements performed on the cavity field. This would enable {\it de facto} Hamiltonian diagnosis via a highly controllable quantum probe.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Transfer of arbitrary two qubit states via a spin chain

We investigate the fidelity of the quantum state transfer (QST) of two qubits by means of an arbitrary spin-1/2 network, on a lattice of any dimensionality. Under the assumptions that the network Hamiltonian preserves the magnetization and that a fully polarized initial state is taken for the lattice, we obtain a general formula for the average fidelity of the two qubits QST, linking it to the one- and two-particle transfer amplitudes of the spin-excitations among the sites of the lattice. We then apply this formalism to a 1D spin chain with XX-Heisenberg type nearest-neighbour interactions adopting a protocol that is a generalization of the single qubit one proposed in Ref. [Phys. Rev. A 87, 062309 (2013)]. We find that a high-quality two qubit QST can be achieved provided one can control the local fields at sites near the sender and receiver. Under such conditions, we obtain an almost perfect transfer in a time that scales either linearly or, depending on the spin number, quadratically with the length of the chain.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Superadiabatic dynamics in open quantum systems

We extend the concept of superadiabatic dynamics, or transitionless quantum driving, to quantum open systems whose evolution is governed by a master equation in the Lindblad form. We provide the general framework needed to determine the control strategy required to achieve superadiabaticity. We apply our formalism to two examples consisting of a two-level system coupled to environments with time-dependent bath operators.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Non-classicality of optomechanical devices in experimentally realistic operating regimes

Enforcing a non-classical behavior in mesoscopic systems is important for the study of the boundaries between quantum and classical world. Recent experiments have shown that optomechanical devices are promising candidates to pursue such investigations. Here we consider two different setups where the indirect coupling between a three-level atom and the movable mirrors of a cavity is achieved. The resulting dynamics is able to conditionally prepare a non-classical state of the mirrors by means of projective measurements operated over a pure state of the atomic system. The non-classical features are persistent against incoherent thermal preparation of the mechanical systems and their dissipative dynamics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Collision-model-based approach to non-Markovian quantum dynamics

We present a theoretical framework to tackle quantum non-Markovian dynamics based on a microscopic collision model (CM), where the bath consists of a large collection of initially uncorrelated ancillas. Unlike standard memoryless CMs, we endow the bath with memory by introducing inter-ancillary collisions between next system-ancilla interactions. Our model interpolates between a fully Markovian dynamics and the continuous interaction of the system with a single ancilla, i.e., a strongly non-Markovian process. We show that in the continuos limit one can derive a general master equation, which while keeping such features is guaranteed to describe an unconditionally completely positive and trace-preserving dynamics. We apply our theory to an atom in a dissipative cavity for a Lorentzian spectral density of bath modes, a dynamics which can be exactly solved. The predicted evolution shows a significant improvement in approaching the exact solution with respect to two well-known memory-kernel master equations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Entanglement control in hybrid optomechanical systems

We demonstrate the control of entanglement in a hybrid optomechanical system comprising an optical cavity with a mechanical end-mirror and an intracavity Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). Pulsed laser light (tuned within realistic experimental conditions) is shown to induce an almost sixfold increase of the atom-mirror entanglement and to be responsible for interesting dynamics between such mesoscopic systems. In order to assess the advantages offered by the proposed control technique, we compare the time-dependent dynamics of the system under constant pumping with the evolution due to the modulated laser light.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Master equation for cascade quantum channels: a collisional approach

It has been recently shown that collisional models can be used to derive a general form for the master equations which describe the reduced time evolution of a composite multipartite quantum system, whose components "propagate" in an environmental medium which induces correlations among them via a cascade mechanism. Here we analyze the fundamental assumptions of this approach showing how some of them can be lifted when passing into a proper interaction picture representation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Probing mechanical quantum coherence with an ultracold-atom probe

We propose a scheme to probe quantum coherence in the state of a nano-cantilever based on its magnetic coupling (mediated by a magnetic tip) with a spinor Bose Einstein condensate (BEC). By mapping the BEC into a rotor, its coupling with the cantilever results in a gyroscopic motion whose properties depend on the state of the cantilever: the dynamics of one of the components of the rotor angular momentum turns out to be strictly related to the presence of quantum coherence in the state of the cantilever. We also suggest a detection scheme relying on Faraday rotation, which produces only a very small back-action on the BEC and it is thus suitable for a continuous detection of the cantilever's dynamics.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2011

Geometric phase kickback in a mesoscopic qubit-oscillator system

We illustrate a reverse Von Neumann measurement scheme in which a geometric phase induced on a quantum harmonic oscillator is measured using a microscopic qubit as a probe. We show how such a phase, generated by a cyclic evolution in the phase space of the harmonic oscillator, can be kicked back on the qubit, which plays the role of a quantum interferometer. We also extend our study to finite-temperature dissipative Markovian dynamics and discuss potential implementations in micro and nano-mechanical devices coupled to an effective two-level system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Physical model for the generation of ideal resources in multipartite quantum networking

We propose a physical model for generating multipartite entangled states of spin-$s$ particles that have important applications in distributed quantum information processing. Our protocol is based on a process where mobile spins induce the interaction among remote scattering centers. As such, a major advantage lies on the management of stationary and well separated spins. Among the generable states, there is a class of $N$-qubit singlets allowing for optimal quantum telecloning in a scalable and controllable way. We also show how to prepare Aharonov, W and Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Cold-Atom-Induced Control of an Optomechanical Device

We consider a cavity with a vibrating end mirror and coupled to a Bose-Einstein condensate. The cavity field mediates the interplay between mirror and collective oscillations of the atomic density. We study the implications of this dynamics and the possibility of an indirect diagnostic. Our predictions can be observed in a realistic setup that is central to the current quest for mesoscopic quantumness.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2010

Structural change in multipartite entanglement sharing: a random matrix approach

We study the typical entanglement properties of a system comprising two independent qubit environments interacting via a shuttling ancilla. The initial preparation of the environments is modeled using random-matrix techniques. The entanglement measure used in our study is then averaged over many histories of randomly prepared environmental states. Under a Heisenberg interaction model, the average entanglement between the ancilla and one of the environments remains constant, regardless of the preparation of the latter and the details of the interaction. We also show that, upon suitable kinematic and dynamical changes in the ancilla-environment subsystems, the entanglement-sharing structure undergoes abrupt modifications associated with a change in the multipartite entanglement class of the overall system's state. These results are invariant with respect to the randomized initial state of the environments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2009

Collective decoherence of cold atoms coupled to a Bose-Einstein condensate

We examine the time evolution of cold atoms (impurities) interacting with an environment consisting of a degenerate bosonic quantum gas. The impurity atoms differ from the environment atoms, being of a different species. This allows one to superimpose two independent trapping potentials, each being effective only on one atomic kind, while transparent to the other. When the environment is homogeneous and the impurities are confined in a potential consisting of a set of double wells, the system can be described in terms of an effective spin-boson model, where the occupation of the left or right well of each site represents the two (pseudo)-spin states. The irreversible dynamics of such system is here studied exactly, i.e., not in terms of a Markovian master equation. The dynamics of one and two impurities is remarkably different in respect of the standard decoherence of the spin - boson system. In particular we show: i) the appearance of coherence oscillations, i) the presence of super and sub decoherent states which differ from the standard ones of the spin boson model, and iii) the persistence of coherence in the system at long times. We show that this behaviour is due to the fact that the pseudospins have an internal spatial structure. We argue that collective decoherence also prompts information about the correlation length of the environment. In a one dimensional configuration one can change even stronger the qualitative behaviour of the dephasing just by tuning the interaction of the bath.

quant-ph↗