arXiv subjects

M. Paternostro

Publications and source records attributed to M. Paternostro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Driving Enhanced Exciton Transfer by Automatic Differentiation

We model and study the processes of excitation, absorption, and transfer in various networks. The model consists of a harmonic oscillator representing a single-mode radiation field, a qubit acting as an antenna, a network through which the excitation propagates, and a qubit at the end serving as a sink. We investigate how off-resonant excitations can be optimally absorbed and transmitted through the network. Three strategies are considered: optimising network energies, adjusting the couplings between the radiation field, the antenna, and the network, or introducing and optimising driving fields at the start and end of the network. These strategies are tested on three different types of network with increasing complexity: nearest-neighbour and star configurations, and one associated with the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex. The results show that, among the various strategies, the introduction of driving fields is the most effective, leading to a significant increase in the probability of reaching the sink in a given time. This result remains stable across networks of varying dimensionalities and types, and the driving process requires only a few parameters to be effective.

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arXiv2024

Coherent expansion of the motional state of a massive nanoparticle beyond its linear dimensions

Quantum mechanics predicts that massive particles exhibit wave-like behavior. Matterwave interferometry has been able to validate such predictions through ground-breaking experiments involving microscopic systems like atoms and molecules. The wavefunction of such systems coherently extends over a distance much larger than their size, an achievement that is incredibly challenging for massive and more complex objects. Yet, reaching similar level of coherent diffusion will enable tests of fundamental physics at the genuinely macroscopic scale, as well as the development of quantum sensing apparata of great sensitivity. We report on experimentally achieving an unprecedented degree of position diffusion in a massive levitated optomechanical system through frequency modulation of the trapping potential. By starting with a pre-cooled state of motion and employing a train of sudden pulses yet of mild modulation depth, we surpass previously attained values of position diffusion in this class of systems to reach diffusion lengths that exceed the physical dimensions of the trapped nanoparticle.

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arXiv2024

A Reinforcement Learning Approach to the Design of Quantum Chains for Optimal Energy Transfer

We propose a bottom-up approach, based on Reinforcement Learning, to the design of a chain achieving efficient excitation-transfer performances. We assume distance-dependent interactions among particles arranged in a chain under tight-binding conditions. Starting from two particles and a localised excitation, we gradually increase the number of constitutents of the system so as to improve the transfer probability. We formulate the problem of finding the optimal locations and numbers of particles as a Markov Decision Process: we use Proximal Policy Optimization to find the optimal chain-building policies and the optimal chain configurations under different scenarios. We consider both the case in which the target is a sink connected to the end of the chain and the case in which the target is the right-most particle in the chain. We address the problem of disorder in the chain induced by particle positioning errors. We are able to achieve extremely high excitation transfer in all cases, with different chain configurations and properties depending on the specific conditions.

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arXiv2022

Efficient excitation-transfer across fully connected networks via local-energy optimization

We study the excitation transfer across a fully connected quantum network whose sites energies can be artificially designed. Starting from a simplified model of a broadly-studied physical system, we systematically optimize its local energies to achieve high excitation transfer for various environmental conditions, using an adaptive Gradient Descent technique and Automatic Differentiation. We show that almost perfect transfer can be achieved with and without local dephasing, provided that the dephasing rates are not too large. We investigate our solutions in terms of resilience against variations in either the network connection strengths, or size, as well as coherence losses. We highlight the different features of a dephasing-free and dephasing-driven transfer. Our work gives further insight into the interplay between coherence and dephasing effects in excitation-transfer phenomena across fully connected quantum networks. In turn, this will help designing optimal transfer in artificial open networks through the simple manipulation of local energies.

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arXiv2022

Experimental signature of initial quantum coherence on entropy production

We report the experimental quantification of the contribution to non-equilibrium entropy production that stems from the quantum coherence content in the initial state of a qubit exposed to both coherent driving and dissipation. Our experimental demonstration builds on the exquisite experimental control of the spin state of a nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond and is underpinned, theoretically, by the formulation of a generalized fluctuation theorem designed to track the effects of quantum coherence. Our results provide significant evidence of the possibility to pinpoint the genuinely quantum mechanical contributions to the thermodynamics of non-equilibrium quantum processes.

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arXiv2022

On the role of initial coherence in the spin phase-space entropy production rate

Recent studies have pointed out the intrinsic dependence of figures of merit of thermodynamic relevance -- such as work, heat and entropy production -- on the amount of quantum coherences that is made available to a system. However, whether coherences hinder or enhance the value taken by such quantifiers of thermodynamic performance is yet to be ascertained. We show that, when considering entropy production generated in a process taking a finite-size bipartite quantum system out of equilibrium through local non-unitary channels, no general monotonicity relationship exists between the entropy production and degree of quantum coherence in the state of the system. A direct correspondence between such quantities can be retrieved when considering specific forms of open-system dynamics applied to suitably chosen initial states. Our results call for a systematic study of the role of genuine quantum features in the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of quantum processes.

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arXiv2021

The role of quantum coherence in energy fluctuations

We discuss the role of quantum coherence in the energy fluctuations of open quantum systems. To this aim, we introduce a protocol, to which we refer to as the end-point-measurement scheme, allowing to define the statistics of energy changes as a function of energy measurements performed only after the evolution of the initial state. At the price of an additional uncertainty on the initial energies, this approach prevents the loss of initial quantum coherences and enables the estimation of their effects on energy fluctuations. We demonstrate our findings by running an experiment on the IBM Quantum Experience superconducting qubit platform.

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arXiv2020

The role of quantum coherence in energy fluctuations

We discuss the role of quantum coherence in the energy fluctuations of open quantum systems. To this aim, we introduce an operational protocol, to which we refer to as the end-point-measurement scheme, allowing to define the statistics of energy changes as a function of energy measurements performed only after its evolution. At the price of an additional uncertainty on the value of the initial energies, this approach prevents the loss of initial quantum coherences and enables the estimation of their effects on energy fluctuations. We illustrate our findings using a three-level quantum system in interaction with thermal reservoirs.

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arXiv2020

Versatile Atomic Magnetometry Assisted by Bayesian Inference

Quantum sensors typically translate external fields into a periodic response whose frequency is then determined by analyses performed in Fourier space. This allows for a linear inference of the parameters that characterize external signals. In practice, however, quantum sensors are able to detect fields only in a narrow range of amplitudes and frequencies. A departure from this range, as well as the presence of significant noise sources and short detection times, lead to a loss of the linear relationship between the response of the sensor and the target field, thus limiting the working regime of the sensor. Here we address these challenges by means of a Bayesian inference approach that is tolerant to strong deviations from desired periodic responses of the sensor and is able to provide reliable estimates even with a very limited number of measurements. We demonstrate our method for an $^{171}$Yb$^{+}$ trapped-ion quantum sensor but stress the general applicability of this approach to different systems.

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arXiv2019

Experimental distribution of entanglement with separable carriers

The key requirement for quantum networking is the distribution of entanglement between nodes. Surprisingly, entanglement can be generated across a network without direct transfer - or communication - of entanglement. In contrast to information gain, which cannot exceed the communicated information, the entanglement gain is bounded by the communicated quantum discord, a more general measure of quantum correlation that includes but is not limited to entanglement. Here, we experimentally entangle two communicating parties sharing three initially separable photonic qubits by exchange of a carrier photon that is unentangled with either party at all times. We show that distributing entanglement with separable carriers is resilient to noise and in some cases becomes the only way of distributing entanglement through noisy environments.

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arXiv2019

Spin-boson model as a simulator of non-Markovian multiphoton Jaynes-Cummings models

The paradigmatic spin-boson model considers a spin degree of freedom interacting with an environment typically constituted by a continuum of bosonic modes. This ubiquitous model is of relevance in a number of physical systems where, in general, one has neither control over the bosonic modes, nor the ability to tune distinct interaction mechanisms. Despite this apparent lack of control, we present a suitable transformation that approximately maps the spin-boson dynamics into that of a tunable multiphoton Jaynes-Cummings model undergoing dissipation. Interestingly, the latter model describes the coherent interaction between a spin and a single bosonic mode via the simultaneous exchange of n bosons per spin excitation. Resorting to the so-called reaction coordinate method, we identify a relevant collective bosonic mode in the environment which is then used to generate multiphoton interactions following the proposed theoretical framework. Moreover, we show that spin-boson models featuring structured environments can lead into non-Markovian multiphoton Jaynes-Cummings dynamics. We discuss the validity of the proposed method depending on the parameters and analyze its performance, which is supported by numerical simulations. In this manner, the spin-boson model serves as a good analog quantum simulator for the inspection and realization of multiphoton Jaynes-Cummings models as well as the interplay of non-Markovian effects, and thus, as a simulator of light-matter systems with tunable interaction mechanisms.

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arXiv2019

Characterizing irreversibility in open quantum systems

Irreversibility is a fundamental concept with important implications at many levels. It pinpoints the fundamental difference between the intrinsically reversible microscopic equations of motion and the unidirectional arrow of time that emerges at the macroscopic level. More pragmatically, a full quantification of the degree of irreversibility of a given process can help in the characterisation of the performance of thermo-machines operating at the quantum level. Here, we review the concept of entropy production, which is commonly intended as {\it the} measure of thermodynamic irreversibility of a process, pinpointing the features and shortcomings of its current formulation.

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arXiv2018

Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of continuously measured quantum systems: a circuit-QED implementation

We propose a fully operational framework to study the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of a quantum system $S$ that is coupled to a detector $D$ whose state is continuously monitored, allowing to single out individual quantum trajectories of $S$. We focus on detailed fluctuation theorems and characterize the entropy production of the system. We establish fundamental differences with respect to the thermodynamic of unmonitored, unitarily evolved systems. We consider the paradigmatic example of circuit-QED, where superconducting qubits can be coupled to a continuously monitored resonator and show numerical simulations using state of the art experimental parameters.

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arXiv2018

Unitary unravelling for the Dissipative Continuous Spontaneous Localization model: application to optomechanical experiments

The Continuous Spontaneous Localization (CSL) model strives to describe the quantum-to-classical transition from the viewpoint of collapse models. However, its original formulation suffers from a fundamental inconsistency in that it is explicitly energy non-conserving. Fortunately, a dissipative extension to CSL has been recently formulated that solves such energy-divergence problem. We compare the predictions of the dissipative and non-dissipative CSL models when various optomechanical settings are used, and contrast such predictions with available experimental data, thus building the corresponding exclusion plots.

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arXiv2018

Experimental determination of irreversible entropy production in out-of-equilibrium mesoscopic quantum systems

By making use of a recently proposed framework for the inference of thermodynamic irreversibility in bosonic quantum systems, we experimentally measure and characterize the entropy production rates in the non-equilibrium steady state of two different physical systems -- a micro-mechanical resonator and a Bose-Einstein condensate -- each coupled to a high finesse cavity and hence also subject to optical loss. Key features of our setups, such as cooling of the mechanical resonator and signatures of a structural quantum phase transition in the condensate are reflected in the entropy production rates. Our work demonstrates the possibility to explore irreversibility in driven mesoscopic quantum systems and paves the way to a systematic experimental assessment of entropy production beyond the microscopic limit.

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arXiv2018

Quantum work statistics and resource theories: bridging the gap through Renyi divergences

The work performed on or extracted from a non-autonomous quantum system described by means of a two-point projective-measurement approach takes the form of a stochastic variable. We show that the cumulant generating function of work can be recast in the form of quantum Renyi divergences, and by exploiting convexity of this cumulant generating function, derive a single-parameter family of bounds for the first moment of work. Higher order moments of work can also be obtained from this result. In this way, we establish a link between quantum work statistics in stochastic approaches on the one hand and resource theories for quantum thermodynamics on the other hand, a theory in which Renyi divergences take a central role. To explore this connection further, we consider an extended framework involving a control switch and an auxiliary battery, which is instrumental to reconstruct the work statistics of the system. We compare and discuss our bounds on the work distribution to findings on deterministic work studied in resource theoretic settings.

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arXiv2018

Robust quantum state engineering through coherent localization in biased-coin quantum walks

We address the performance of a coin-biased quantum walk as a generator for non-classical position states of the walker. We exploit a phenomenon of coherent localisation in the position space --- resulting from the choice of small values of the coin parameter and assisted by post-selection --- to engineer large-size coherent superpositions of distinguishable position states of the walker. The protocol that we design appears to be remarkably robust against both the actual value taken by the coin parameter and strong dephasing-like noise acting on the spatial degree of freedom. We finally illustrate a possible linear-optics implementation of our proposal, suitable for both bulk and integrated-optics platforms.

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arXiv2017

Non-Markovianity, coherence and system-environment correlations in a long-range collision model

We consider the dynamics of a collisional model in which both the system and environment are embodied by spin-$1/2$ particles. In order to include non-Markovian features in our model we introduce interactions among the environmental qubits and investigate the effect that different models of such interaction have on the degree of non-Markovianity of the system's dynamics. By extending that interaction beyond the nearest-neighbour, we enhance the degree of non-Markovianity in the system's dynamics. A further significant increase can be observed if a collective interaction with the forthcoming environmental qubits is considered. However, the observed degree of non-Markovianity in this case is non-monotonic with the increasing number of qubits included in the interaction. Moreover, one can establish a connection between the degree of non-Markovianity in the evolution of the system and the fading behaviour of quantum coherence in its state as the number of collisions grow. We complement our study with an investigation on system-environment correlations and present an example of their importance on a physical upper bound on the trace distance derivative.

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