arXiv subjects

Gian Marcello Andolina

Publications and source records attributed to Gian Marcello Andolina.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2023

First-order photon condensation in magnetic cavities: A two-leg ladder model

We consider a model of free fermions in a ladder geometry coupled to a nonuniform cavity mode via Peierls substitution. Since the cavity mode generates a magnetic field, no-go theorems on spontaneous photon condensation do not apply, and we indeed observe a phase transition to a photon condensed phase characterized by finite circulating currents, alternatively referred to as the equilibrium superradiant phase. We consider both square and triangular ladder geometries, and characterize the transition by studying the energy structure of the system, light-matter entanglement, the properties of the photon mode, and chiral currents. The transition is of first order and corresponds to a sudden change in the fermionic band structure as well as the number of its Fermi points. Thanks to the quasi-one dimensional geometry we scrutinize the accuracy of (mean field) cavity-matter decoupling against large scale density-matrix renormalization group simulations. We find that light-matter entanglement is essential for capturing corrections to matter properties at finite sizes and for the description of the correct photon state. The latter remains Gaussian in the the thermodynamic limit both in the normal and photon condensed phases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2023

The maximum refractive index of an atomic crystal $\unicode{x2013}$ from quantum optics to quantum chemistry

All known optical materials have an index of refraction of order unity. Despite the tremendous implications that an ultrahigh index could have for optical technologies, little research has been done on why the refractive index of materials is universally small, and whether this observation is fundamental. Here, we investigate the index of an ordered arrangement of atoms, as a function of atomic density. At dilute densities, this problem falls into the realm of quantum optics, where atoms do not interact with one another except via the scattering of light. On the other hand, when the lattice constant becomes comparable to the Bohr radius, the electronic orbitals begin to overlap, giving rise to quantum chemistry. We present a minimal model that allows for a unifying theory of index spanning these two regimes. A key aspect is the treatment of multiple light scattering, which can be highly non-perturbative over a large density range, and which is the reason that conventional theories of the index break down. In the quantum optics regime, we show that ideal light-matter interactions can have a single-mode nature, allowing for a purely real refractive index that grows with density as $(N/V)^{1/3}$. At the onset of quantum chemistry, we show how two physical mechanisms (excited electron tunneling dynamics and the buildup of electronic density-density correlations) can open up inelastic or spatial multi-mode light scattering processes, which ultimately reduce the index back to order unity while introducing absorption. Around the onset of chemistry, our theory predicts that ultrahigh index ($n\sim 30$), low-loss materials could in principle be allowed by the laws of nature.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Off-resonant Dicke Quantum Battery: Charging by Virtual Photons

We investigate a Dicke quantum battery in the dispersive regime, where the photons trapped into a resonant cavity are way more energetic with respect to the two-level systems embedded into it. Under such off-resonant conditions, even an empty cavity can lead to the charging of the quantum battery through a proper modulation of the matter-radiation coupling. This counterintuitive behaviour has its roots in the effective interaction between two-level systems mediated by virtual photons emerging from the fluctuations of the quantum electromagnetic field. In order to properly characterize it, we address relevant figures of merit such as the stored energy, the time required to reach the maximum charging, and the averaged charging power. Moreover, the possibility of efficiently extracting energy in various ranges of parameters is discussed. The scaling of stored energy and power as a function of the number $N$ of two-level systems and for different values of the matter-radiation coupling is also discussed showing, in the strong coupling regime, performances in line with what reported for the Dicke quantum battery in the resonant regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Optimal Control Methods for Quantum Batteries

We investigate the optimal charging processes for several models of quantum batteries, finding how to maximize the energy stored in a given battery with a finite-time modulation of a set of external fields. We approach the problem using advanced tools of optimal control theory, highlighting the universality of some features of the optimal solutions, for instance the emergence of the well-known Bang-Bang behavior of the time-dependent external fields. The technique presented here is general, and we apply it to specific cases in which the energy is both pumped into the battery by external forces (direct charging) or transferred into it from an external charger (mediated charging). In this article we focus on particular systems that consist of coupled qubits and harmonic oscillators, for which the optimal charging problem can be explicitly solved using a combined analytical-numerical approach based on our optimal control techniques. However, our approach can be applied to more complex setups, thus fostering the study of many-body effects in the charging process.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Quantum advantage in the charging process of Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev batteries

The exactly-solvable Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model has recently received considerable attention in both condensed matter and high energy physics because it describes quantum matter without quasiparticles, while being at the same time the holographic dual of a quantum black hole. In this Letter, we examine SYK-based charging protocols of quantum batteries with N quantum cells. Extensive numerical calculations based on exact diagonalization for N up to 16 strongly suggest that the optimal charging power of our SYK quantum batteries displays a super-extensive scaling with N that stems from genuine quantum mechanical effects. While the complexity of the nonequilibrium SYK problem involved in the charging dynamics prevents us from an analytical proof, we believe that this Letter offers the first (to the best of our knowledge) strong numerical evidence of a quantum advantage occurring due to the maximally-entangling underlying quantum dynamics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Ultra-stable charging of fast-scrambling SYK quantum batteries

Collective behavior strongly influences the charging dynamics of quantum batteries (QBs). Here, we study the impact of nonlocal correlations on the energy stored in a system of $N$ QBs. A unitary charging protocol based on a Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) quench Hamiltonian is thus introduced and analyzed. SYK models describe strongly interacting systems with nonlocal correlations and fast thermalization properties. Here, we demonstrate that, once charged, the average energy stored in the QB is very stable, realizing an ultraprecise charging protocol. By studying fluctuations of the average energy stored, we show that temporal fluctuations are strongly suppressed by the presence of nonlocal correlations at all time scales. A comparison with other paradigmatic examples of many-body QBs shows that this is linked to the collective dynamics of the SYK model and its high level of entanglement. We argue that such feature relies on the fast scrambling property of the SYK Hamiltonian, and on its fast thermalization properties, promoting this as an ideal model for the ultimate temporal stability of a generic QB. Finally, we show that the temporal evolution of the ergotropy, a quantity that characterizes the amount of extractable work from a QB, can be a useful probe to infer the thermalization properties of a many-body quantum system.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Many-body localized quantum batteries

The collective and quantum behavior of many-body systems may be harnessed to achieve fast charging of energy storage devices, which have been recently dubbed quantum batteries. In this paper, we present an extensive numerical analysis of energy flow in a quantum battery described by a disordered quantum Ising chain Hamiltonian, whose equilibrium phase diagram presents many-body localized (MBL), Anderson localized (AL), and ergodic phases. We demonstrate that i) the low amount of entanglement of the MBL phase guarantees much better work extraction capabilities than the ergodic phase and ii) interactions suppress temporal energy fluctuations in comparison with those of the non-interacting AL phase. Finally, we show that the statistical distribution of values of the optimal charging time is a clear-cut diagnostic tool of the MBL phase.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Quantum supercapacitors

Recently there has been a great deal of interest on the possibility to exploit quantum-mechanical effects to increase the performance of energy storage systems. Here we introduce and solve a model of a quantum supercapacitor. This consists of two chains, one containing electrons and the other one holes, hosted by arrays of double quantum dots, the latter being a building block of experimental architectures for realizing charge and spin qubits. The two chains are in close proximity and embedded in the same photonic cavity, which is responsible for long-range coupling between all the qubits, in the same spirit of the Dicke model. By employing a variational approach, we find the phase diagram of the model, which displays ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases for suitable pseudospin degrees of freedom, together with phases characterized by collective superradiant behavior. Importantly, we show that when transitioning from the ferro/antiferromagnetic to the superradiant phase, the quantum capacitance of the model is greatly enhanced. Our work offers opportunities for the experimental realization of a novel class of quantum supercapacitors with an enhanced storing power stemming from exquisite quantum mechanical effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Extractable work, the role of correlations, and asymptotic freedom in quantum batteries

We investigate a quantum battery made of N two-level systems, which is charged by an optical mode via an energy-conserving interaction. We quantify the fraction E(N) of energy stored in the B battery that can be extracted in order to perform thermodynamic work. We first demonstrate that E(N) is highly reduced by the presence of correlations between the charger and the battery or B between the two-level systems composing the battery. We then show that the correlation-induced suppression of extractable energy, however, can be mitigated by preparing the charger in a coherent optical state. We conclude by proving that the charger-battery system is asymptotically free of such locking correlations in the N \to \infty limit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Quantum versus classical many-body batteries

Quantum batteries are quantum mechanical systems with many degrees of freedom which can be used to store energy and that display fast charging. The physics behind fast charging is still unclear. Is this just due to the collective behavior of the underlying interacting many-body system or does it have its roots in the quantum mechanical nature of the system itself? In this work we address these questions by studying three examples of quantum-mechanical many-body batteries with rigorous classical analogs. We find that the answer is model dependent and, even within the same model, depends on the value of the coupling constant that controls the interaction between the charger and the battery itself.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Charger-mediated energy transfer in exactly-solvable models for quantum batteries

We present a systematic analysis and classification of several models of quantum batteries involving different combinations of two level systems and quantum harmonic oscillators. In particular, we study energy transfer processes from a given quantum system, termed charger, to another one, i.e. the proper battery. In this setting, we analyze different figures of merit, including the charging time, the maximum energy transfer, and the average charging power. The role of coupling Hamiltonians which do not preserve the number of local excitations in the charger-battery system is clarified by properly accounting them in the global energy balance of the model.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Charger-mediated energy transfer for quantum batteries: an open system approach

The energy charging of a quantum battery is analyzed in an open quantum setting, where the interaction between the battery element and the external power source is mediated by an ancilla system (the quantum charger) that acts as a controllable switch. Different implementations are analyzed putting emphasis on the interplay between coherent energy pumping mechanisms and thermalization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Quantum non-local theory of topological Fermi arc plasmons in Weyl semimetals

The surface of a Weyl semimetal (WSM) displays Fermi arcs, i.e. disjoint segments of a two-dimensional Fermi contour. We present a quantum-mechanical non-local theory of chiral Fermi arc plasmons in WSMs with broken time-reversal symmetry. These are collective excitations constructed from topological Fermi arc and bulk electron states and arising from electron-electron interactions, which are treated in the realm of the random phase approximation. Our theory includes quantum effects associated with the penetration of the Fermi arc surface states into the bulk and dissipation, which is intrinsically non-local in nature and arises from decay processes mainly involving bulk electron-hole pair excitations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Topological properties of chains of magnetic impurities on a superconducting substrate: Interplay between the Shiba band and ferromagnetic wire limits

We consider a one-dimensional system combining local magnetic moments and a delocalized metallic band on top of a superconducting substrate. This system can describe a chain of magnetic impurities with both localized polarized orbitals and delocalized s-like orbitals or a conducting wire with embedded magnetic impurities. We study the interplay between the one-dimensional Shiba band physics arising from the interplay between magnetic moments and the substrate and the delocalized wire-like conduction band on top of the superconductor. We derive an effective low-energy Hamiltonian in terms of two coupled asymmetric Kitaev-like Hamiltonians and analyze its topological properties. We have found that this system can host multiple Majorana bound states at its extremities provided a magnetic mirror symmetry is present. We compute the phase diagram of the system depending on the magnetic exchange interactions, the impurity distance and especially the coupling between both bands. In presence of inhomogeneities which typically break this magnetic mirror symmetry, we show that the coexistence of a Shiba and wire delocalized topological band can drive the system into a non-topological regime with a splitting of Majorana bound states.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

High-power collective charging of a solid-state quantum battery

Quantum information theorems state that it is possible to exploit collective quantum resources to greatly enhance the charging power of quantum batteries (QBs) made of many identical elementary units. We here present and solve a model of a QB that can be engineered in solid-state architectures. It consists of $N$ two-level systems coupled to a single photonic mode in a cavity. We contrast this collective model ("Dicke QB"), whereby entanglement is genuinely created by the common photonic mode, to the one in which each two-level system is coupled to its own separate cavity mode ("Rabi QB"). By employing exact diagonalization, we demonstrate the emergence of a quantum advantage in the charging power of Dicke QBs, which scales like $\sqrt{N}$ for $N\gg 1$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗