arXiv subjects

Lucas Chibebe Céleri

Publications and source records attributed to Lucas Chibebe Céleri.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Gravitational decoherence of a composite particle: the interplay between gravitons and a classical Newtonian potential

The fact that gravitational environments cannot be shielded (since gravity is universal) makes them of great theoretical interest to decoherence mechanisms and to the quantum-to-classical transition. While past results seemed to indicate that graviton-induced decoherence of spatial superpositions happens only for macroscopic systems, recently it was shown that this mechanism can be enhanced through the system's own dynamical internal structure. In this work, we extend this analysis by including the interaction with a classical Newtonian potential. We show that, although the graviton bath alone dominates the mechanism for short times compared to a timescale established by the size of the quantum spatial superposition, the interaction between the gravitons and the internal degrees of freedom of the system renders decoherence inevitable in the long-time limit, even for microscopic masses. We also show that this mechanism is slightly slowed down by the interplay with the classical Newtonian potential, which, for systems without dynamical internal degrees of freedom, can even lead to recoherence-like behaviour, at least in principle.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Asymmetry and dynamical criticality

Symmetries play a central role in both equilibrium and nonequilibrium phase transitions, yet their quantitative characterization in dynamical quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) remains an open challenge. In this work, we establish a direct connection between symmetry properties of a many-body model and measures of quantum asymmetry, showing that asymmetry monotones provide a robust and physically transparent indicator of dynamical quantum criticality. Focusing on the quenched Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model, we demonstrate that asymmetry measures associated with collective spin generators faithfully capture the onset of DQPTs, reflecting the dynamical restoration or breaking of underlying symmetries. Remarkably, the time-averaged asymmetry exhibits clear signatures of the dynamical critical point, in close correspondence with both the dynamical order parameter and the behavior of entropy production. We further uncover a quantitative link between asymmetry generation and thermodynamic irreversibility, showing that peaks in asymmetry coincide with maximal entropy production across the transition. Our results position asymmetry as a unifying concept bridging symmetry, information-theoretic quantifiers, and nonequilibrium thermodynamics in dynamical quantum phase transitions, providing a powerful framework for understanding critical dynamics beyond traditional order parameters.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Geometry of restricted information: the case of quantum thermodynamics

We formulate a geometric framework in which physical laws emerge from restricted access to microscopic information. Measurement constraints are modeled as a gauge symmetry acting on density operators, inducing a gauge-reduced space of physically distinguishable states. In the case of quantum thermodynamics, this construction leads to a gauge-invariant formulation in which the invariant entropy admits a stochastic description and satisfies a general detailed fluctuation theorem. From this result, we derive an integrated fluctuation theorem and a Clausius-like inequality that unifies the first and second laws in terms of invariant work and coherent heat. Entropy production is identified with the relative entropy between forward and backward probability measures on the gauge-reduced space of thermodynamic trajectories, revealing irreversibility as a geometric consequence of limited observability. The third law emerges as a singular zero-temperature limit in which thermodynamic orbits collapse and entropy production vanishes. Since the framework applies to arbitrary information constraints, it encompasses energy-based thermodynamics as a particular case of more general measurement scenarios.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Dynamical Casimir effect under the action of gravitational waves

Several nontrivial phenomena emerge when a quantum field is subjected to dynamical perturbations, with prominent examples including the Hawking and Unruh effects, as well as the dynamical Casimir effect. In this work, we compute the number of particles produced via the dynamical Casimir effect in an ideal cavity, where one of the mirrors is allowed to move under the influence of a gravitational wave. Assuming an oscillatory mirror motion and a plane gravitational wave, we identify the resonance conditions that lead to an exponential increase in the number of created particles through parametric amplification.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum thermodynamics as a gauge theory

Thermodynamics is based on a coarse-grained approach, from which its fundamental variables emerge, effectively erasing the complicate details of the microscopic dynamics within a macroscopic system. The strength of Thermodynamics lies in the universality provided by this paradigm. In contrast, quantum mechanics focuses on describing the dynamics of microscopic systems, aiming to make predictions about experiments we perform, a goal shared by all fundamental physical theories, which are often framed as gauge theories in modern physics. Recently, a gauge theory for quantum thermodynamics was introduced, defining gauge invariant work and heat, and exploring their connections to quantum phenomena. In this work, we extend that theory in two significant ways. First, we incorporate energy spectrum degeneracies, which were previously overlooked. Additionally, we define gauge-invariant entropy, exploring its properties and connections to other physical and informational quantities. This results in a complete framework for quantum thermodynamics grounded in the principle of gauge invariance. To demonstrate some implications of this theory, we apply it to well-known critical systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Quantum fluctuation theorem in a curved spacetime

The interplay between thermodynamics, general relativity and quantum mechanics has long intrigued researchers. Recently, important advances have been obtained in thermodynamics, mainly regarding its application to the quantum domain through fluctuation theorems. In this letter, we apply Fermi normal coordinates to report a fully general relativistic detailed quantum fluctuation theorem based on the two point measurement scheme. We demonstrate how the spacetime curvature can produce entropy in a localized quantum system moving in a general spacetime. The example of a quantum harmonic oscillator living in an expanding universe is presented. This result implies that entropy production is strongly observer dependent and deeply connects the arrow of time with the causal structure of the spacetime.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2024

Gauge invariant quantum thermodynamics: consequences for the first law

Universality of classical thermodynamics rests on the central limit theorem, due to which, measurements of thermal fluctuations are unable to reveal detailed information regarding the microscopic structure of a macroscopic body. When small systems are considered and fluctuations become important, thermodynamic quantities can be understood in the context of classical stochastic mechanics. A fundamental assumption behind thermodynamics is therefore that of coarse-graning, which stems from a substantial lack of control over all degrees of freedom. However, when quantum systems are concerned, one claims a high level of control. As a consequence, information theory plays a major role in the identification of thermodynamic functions. Here, drawing from the concept of gauge symmetry, essential in all modern physical theories, we put forward a new possible, intermediate route. Working within the realm of quantum thermodynamics we explicitly construct physically motivated gauge transformations which encode a gentle variant of coarse-graining behind thermodynamics. As a consequence, we reinterpret quantum work and heat, as well as the role of quantum coherence.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Analogue gravitational lensing in optical Bose-Einstein condensates

We consider acoustic propagation of phonons in the presence of a non-rotating vortex with radial flow in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of photons. Since the vortex can be used to simulate a static acoustic black hole, the phonon would experience a considerable spacetime curvature at appreciable distance from the vortex core. The trajectory of the phonons is bended after passing by the vortex, which can be used as a simulation of gravitational lensing for phonons in a photonic BEC.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Decoherence of a composite particle induced by a weak quantized gravitational field

Despite the fact that we have some proposals for the quantum theory of gravity like string theory or loop quantum gravity, we do not have any experimental evidence supporting any of these theories. Actually, we do not have experimental evidence pointing in the direction that we really need a quantum description of the gravitational field. In this scenario, several proposals for experimentally investigating quantum gravitational effects far from Plank scale have recently appear in literature, like gravitationally induced entanglement, for instance. An important issue of theses approaches is the decoherence introduced by the quantum nature not only of the system under consideration, but also from the gravitational field itself. Here, by means of the Feynman-Vernon influence functional we study the decoherence of a quantum system induced by the quantized gravitational field and by its own quantum nature. Our results may be important in providing a better understanding of many phenomena like the decoherence induced by the gravitational time-dilation, the quantum reference frames and the quantum equivalence principle.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Reassessing thermodynamic advantage from indefinite causal order

Indefinite causal order is a key feature involved in the study of quantum higher order transformations. Recently, intense research has been focused on possible advantages related to the lack of definite causal order of quantum processes. Quite often the quantum switch is claimed to provide advantages in information-theoretic and thermodynamic tasks. We address here the question whether indefinite causal order is a resource for quantum thermodynamics. Inspired by previous results in the literature, we show that indefinite causal order is not necessary for the reported increase in free energy and ergotropy. More specifically, we show that a simple causally ordered process, which replaces the system's state with a new one before the final measurement, outperforms the quantum switch in all thermodynamic tasks considered so far. We further show that a similar advantage can be also achieved without completely discarding system, if we allow for non-Markovian interactions between the system and an environment. We extend the analysis to more extreme examples of indefinite causal order, showing that they do not provide an advantage either. Finally, we discuss a possible way to study the advantages that may arise from indefinite causal order in a general scenario.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Analogue Penrose process in rotating acoustic black Hole

Analogue gravity stands today as an important tool for the investigation of gravitational phenomena that would be otherwise out of reach considering our technology. We consider here the analogue Penrose process in a rotating acoustic black hole based on a quantum fluid described by the draining bathtub model. Because of the rotating nature of this acoustic spacetime, a particle, that is a phonon travelling on the quantum fluid, will experience the well known frame dragging effect. By defining the effective Komar mass and angular momentum of this acoustic black hole, we found that energy can be extracted from it. At the same time, we show that the black hole angular momentum and mass are reduced, in complete analogy with the Penrose effect.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2021

Bounding generalized relative entropies: Nonasymptotic quantum speed limits

Information theory has become an increasingly important research field to better understand quantum mechanics. Noteworthy, it covers both foundational and applied perspectives, also offering a common technical language to study a variety of research areas. Remarkably, one of the key information-theoretic quantities is given by the relative entropy, which quantifies how difficult is to tell apart two probability distributions, or even two quantum states. Such a quantity rests at the core of fields like metrology, quantum thermodynamics, quantum communication and quantum information. Given this broadness of applications, it is desirable to understand how this quantity changes under a quantum process. By considering a general unitary channel, we establish a bound on the generalized relative entropies (Rényi and Tsallis) between the output and the input of the channel. As an application of our bounds, we derive a family of quantum speed limits based on relative entropies. Possible connections between this family with thermodynamics, quantum coherence, asymmetry and single-shot information theory are briefly discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Unruh effect as a result of quantization of spacetime

A way to encode acceleration directly into fields has recently being proposed, thus establishing a new kind of fields, the accelerated fields. The definition of accelerated fields points to the quantization of space and time, analogously to the way quantities like energy and momentum are quantized in usual quantum field theories. Unruh effect has been studied in connection with quantum field theory in curved spacetime and it is described by recruiting a uniformly accelerated observer. In this work, as a first attempt to demonstrate the utility of accelerated fields, we present an alternative way to derive Unruh effect. We show, by studying quantum field theory on quantum spacetime, that Unruh effect can be obtained without changing the reference frame. Thus, in the framework of accelerated fields, the observational confirmation of Unruh effect could be assigned to the existence of quantum properties of spacetime.

gr-qc↗