arXiv subjects

Jordan S. Cotler

Publications and source records attributed to Jordan S. Cotler.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Preparing random states and benchmarking with many-body quantum chaos

Producing quantum states at random has become increasingly important in modern quantum science, with applications both theoretical and practical. In particular, ensembles of such randomly-distributed, but pure, quantum states underly our understanding of complexity in quantum circuits and black holes, and have been used for benchmarking quantum devices in tests of quantum advantage. However, creating random ensembles has necessitated a high degree of spatio-temporal control, placing such studies out of reach for a wide class of quantum systems. Here we solve this problem by predicting and experimentally observing the emergence of random state ensembles naturally under time-independent Hamiltonian dynamics, which we use to implement an efficient, widely applicable benchmarking protocol. The observed random ensembles emerge from projective measurements and are intimately linked to universal correlations built up between subsystems of a larger quantum system, offering new insights into quantum thermalization. Predicated on this discovery, we develop a fidelity estimation scheme, which we demonstrate for a Rydberg quantum simulator with up to 25 atoms using fewer than 10^4 experimental samples. This method has broad applicability, as we show for Hamiltonian parameter estimation, target-state generation benchmarking, and comparison of analog and digital quantum devices. Our work has implications for understanding randomness in quantum dynamics, and enables applications of this concept in a much wider context.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Emergent quantum state designs from individual many-body wavefunctions

Quantum chaos in many-body systems provides a bridge between statistical and quantum physics with strong predictive power. This framework is valuable for analyzing properties of complex quantum systems such as energy spectra and the dynamics of thermalization. While contemporary methods in quantum chaos often rely on random ensembles of quantum states and Hamiltonians, this is not reflective of most real-world systems. In this paper, we introduce a new perspective: across a wide range of examples, a single non-random quantum state is shown to encode universal and highly random quantum state ensembles. We characterize these ensembles using the notion of quantum state $k$-designs from quantum information theory and investigate their universality using a combination of analytic and numerical techniques. In particular, we establish that $k$-designs arise naturally from generic states as well as individual states associated with strongly interacting, time-independent Hamiltonian dynamics. Our results offer a new approach for studying quantum chaos and provide a practical method for sampling approximately uniformly random states; the latter has wide-ranging applications in quantum information science from tomography to benchmarking.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Entanglement Entropy of the Gross-Neveu Model

We compute a variational approximation to the entanglement entropy for states of the Gross-Neveu model. Further, we examine the functional dependence of the entanglement entropy on the coupling and number of colors in the theory. Our results display non-peturbative behavior. It is shown that the entanglement entropy is monotonically decreasing and convex with respect to the coupling. We also show how the behavior of the entanglement entropy under renormalization group transformations is related to the beta function of the Gross-Neveu model, and compare these renormalization group results to our previous work on interacting scalar field theories.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

Black Holes and Random Matrices

We argue that the late time behavior of horizon fluctuations in large anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes is governed by the random matrix dynamics characteristic of quantum chaotic systems. Our main tool is the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model, which we use as a simple model of a black hole. We use an analytically continued partition function $|Z(β+it)|^2$ as well as correlation functions as diagnostics. Using numerical techniques we establish random matrix behavior at late times. We determine the early time behavior exactly in a double scaling limit, giving us a plausible estimate for the crossover time to random matrix behavior. We use these ideas to formulate a conjecture about general large AdS black holes, like those dual to 4D super-Yang-Mills theory, giving a provisional estimate of the crossover time. We make some preliminary comments about challenges to understanding the late time dynamics from a bulk point of view.

hep-th↗

arXiv2018

A Gaussian Variational Approach to cMERA for Interacting Fields

We use the Gaussian variational principle to apply cMERA to interacting quantum field theories in arbitrary spacetime dimensions. By establishing a correspondence between the first two terms in the variational expansion and the Gaussian Effective Potential, we can exactly solve for a variational approximation to the cMERA entangler. As examples, we treat scalar $φ^4$ theory and the Gross-Neveu model and extract non-perturbative behavior. We also comment on the connection between generalized squeezed coherent states and more generic entanglers.

hep-th↗

arXiv2017

Locality from the Spectrum

Essential to the description of a quantum system are its local degrees of freedom, which enable the interpretation of subsystems and dynamics in the Hilbert space. While a choice of local tensor factorization of the Hilbert space is often implicit in the writing of a Hamiltonian or Lagrangian, the identification of local tensor factors is not intrinsic to the Hilbert space itself. Instead, the only basis-invariant data of a Hamiltonian is its spectrum, which does not manifestly determine the local structure. This ambiguity is highlighted by the existence of dualities, in which the same energy spectrum may describe two systems with very different local degrees of freedom. We argue that in fact, the energy spectrum alone almost always encodes a unique description of local degrees of freedom when such a description exists, allowing one to explicitly identify local subsystems and how they interact. As a consequence, we can almost always write a Hamiltonian in its local presentation given only its spectrum. In special cases, multiple dual local descriptions can be extracted from a given spectrum, but generically the local description is unique.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Out-of-time-order Operators and the Butterfly Effect

Out-of-time-order (OTO) operators have recently become popular diagnostics of quantum chaos in many-body systems. The usual way they are introduced is via a quantization of classical Lyapunov growth, which measures the divergence of classical trajectories in phase space due to the butterfly effect. However, it is not obvious how exactly they capture the sensitivity of a quantum system to its initial conditions beyond the classical limit. In this paper, we analyze sensitivity to initial conditions in the quantum regime by recasting OTO operators for many-body systems using various formulations of quantum mechanics. Notably, we utilize the Wigner phase space formulation to derive an $\hbar$-expansion of the OTO operator for spatial degrees of freedom, and a large spin $1/s$-expansion for spin degrees of freedom. We find in each case that the leading term is the Lyapunov growth for the classical limit of the system and argue that quantum corrections become dominant at around the scrambling time, which is also when we expect the OTO operator to saturate. We also express the OTO operator in terms of propagators and see from a different point of view how it is a quantum generalization of the divergence of classical trajectories.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Entanglement Growth after a Global Quench in Free Scalar Field Theory

We compute the entanglement and Rényi entropy growth after a global quench in various dimensions in free scalar field theory. We study two types of quenches: a boundary state quench and a global mass quench. Both of these quenches are investigated for a strip geometry in 1, 2, and 3 spatial dimensions, and for a spherical geometry in 2 and 3 spatial dimensions. We compare the numerical results for massless free scalars in these geometries with the predictions of the analytical quasiparticle model based on EPR pairs, and find excellent agreement in the limit of large region sizes. At subleading order in the region size, we observe an anomalous logarithmic growth of entanglement coming from the zero mode of the scalar.

hep-th↗

arXiv2014

Resolution of a Conjecture in Nonlocal Strain-gradient Plasticity

Strain-gradient theories of plasticity have been successful in modeling the behavior of complex materials. However, the traditional formulation of these theories lacks a material length scale, and is thus incapable of capturing experimentally observed size effects that play an important role in the behavior of nano structures. As a result, a modified theory was proposed which incorporates an intrinsic dissipative length scale. The theory predicts that the solutions to the flow rule are global minimizers of the functional for energy dissipation. We prove that there are no global minimizers of the functional, thus resolving a previously unsolved conjecture. Our result shows that the variational formulation of the theory is unviable. The non-existence of a global minimizer appears to be related to the formation of infinitely fine plastic boundary layers.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

A New Relativistic Orthogonal States Quantum Key Distribution Protocol

We introduce a new relativistic orthogonal states quantum key distribution protocol which leverages the properties of both quantum mechanics and special relativity to securely encode multiple bits onto the spatio-temporal modes of a single photon. If the protocol is implemented using a single photon source, it can have a key generation rate faster than the repetition rate of the source, enabling faster secure communication than is possible with existing protocols. Further, we provide a proof that the protocol is secure and give a method of implementing the protocol using line-of-sight and fiber optic channels.

quant-ph↗