arXiv subjects

Oleg Lychkovskiy

Publications and source records attributed to Oleg Lychkovskiy.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Quantum speed limit for thermal states

Quantum speed limits are rigorous estimates on how fast a state of a quantum system can depart from the initial state in the course of quantum evolution. Most known quantum speed limits, including the celebrated Mandelstam-Tamm and Margolus-Levitin ones, are general bounds applicable to arbitrary initial states. However, when applied to mixed states of many-body systems, they, as a rule, dramatically overestimate the speed of quantum evolution and fail to provide meaningful bounds in the thermodynamic limit. Here we derive a quantum speed limit for a closed system initially prepared in a thermal state and evolving under a time-dependent Hamiltonian. This quantum speed limit exploits the structure of the thermal state and, in particular, explicitly depends on the temperature. In a broad class of many-body setups it proves to be drastically stronger than general quantum speed limits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Adiabatic theorem for closed quantum systems initialized at finite temperature

The evolution of a driven quantum system is said to be adiabatic whenever the state of the system stays close to an instantaneous eigenstate of its time-dependent Hamiltonian. The celebrated quantum adiabatic theorem ensures that such pure state adiabaticity can be maintained with arbitrary accuracy, provided one chooses a small enough driving rate. Here, we extend the notion of quantum adiabaticity to closed quantum systems initially prepared at finite temperature. In this case adiabaticity implies that the (mixed) state of the system stays close to a quasi-Gibbs state diagonal in the basis of the instantaneous eigenstates of the Hamiltonian. We prove a sufficient condition for the finite temperature adiabaticity. Remarkably, it implies that the finite temperature adiabaticity can be more robust than the pure state adiabaticity, particularly in many-body systems. We present an example of a many-body system where, in the thermodynamic limit, the finite temperature adiabaticity is maintained, while the pure state adiabaticity breaks down.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Nonequilibrium phase transition in transport through a driven quantum point contact

We study transport of noninteracting fermions through a periodically driven quantum point contact (QPC) connecting two tight-binding chains. Initially, each chain is prepared in its own equilibrium state, generally with a bias in chemical potentials and temperatures. We examine the heating rate (or, alternatively, energy increase per cycle) in the nonequilibrium time-periodic steady state established after initial transient dynamics. We find that the heating rate vanishes identically when the driving frequency exceeds the bandwidth of the chain. We first establish this fact for a particular type of QPC where the heating rate can be calculated analytically. Then we verify numerically that this nonequilibrium phase transition is present for a generic QPC. Finally, we derive this effect perturbatively in leading order for cases when the QPC Hamiltonian can be considered as a small perturbation. Strikingly, we discover that for certain QPCs the current averaged over the driving cycle also vanishes above the critical frequency, despite a persistent bias. This shows that a driven QPC can act as a frequency-controlled quantum switch.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

A map between time-dependent and time-independent quantum many-body Hamiltonians

Given a time-independent Hamiltonian $\widetilde H$, one can construct a time-dependent Hamiltonian $H_t$ by means of the gauge transformation $H_t=U_t \widetilde H \, U^\dagger_t-i\, U_t\, \partial_t U_t^\dagger$. Here $U_t$ is the unitary transformation that relates the solutions of the corresponding Schrodinger equations. In the many-body case one is usually interested in Hamiltonians with few-body (often, at most two-body) interactions. We refer to such Hamiltonians as "physical". We formulate sufficient conditions on $U_t$ ensuring that $H_t$ is physical as long as $\widetilde H$ is physical (and vice versa). This way we obtain a general method for finding such pairs of physical Hamiltonians $H_t$, $\widetilde H$ that the driven many-body dynamics governed by $H_t$ can be reduced to the quench dynamics due to the time-independent $\widetilde H$. We apply this method to a number of many-body systems. First we review the mapping of a spin system with isotropic Heisenberg interaction and arbitrary time-dependent magnetic field to the time-independent system without a magnetic field [F. Yan, L. Yang, B. Li, Phys. Lett. A 251, 289 (1999); Phys. Lett. A 259, 207 (1999)]. Then we demonstrate that essentially the same gauge transformation eliminates an arbitrary time-dependent magnetic field from a system of interacting fermions. Further, we apply the method to the quantum Ising spin system and a spin coupled to a bosonic environment. We also discuss a more general situation where $\widetilde H = \widetilde H_t$ is time-dependent but dynamically integrable.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Testing eigenstate decoherence hypothesis in a model of collisional decoherence

The eigenstate decoherence hypothesis (EDH) asserts that each individual eigenstate of a large closed system is locally classical-like. We test this hypothesis for a heavy particle interacting with a gas of light particles. This system is paradigmatic for studies of the quantum-to-classical transition: The reduced state of the heavy particle is widely believed to rapidly loose any nonclassical features due to the interaction with the gas. Yet, we find numerical evidence that the EDH is violated: certain eigenstates of this model are manifestly non-classical. Only the weak version of EDH referring to the majority (instead of the totality) of eigenstates holds.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Entangling problem Hamiltonian for adiabatic quantum computation

Adiabatic quantum computation starts from embedding a computational problem into a Hamiltonian whose ground state encodes the solution to the problem. This problem Hamiltonian, $H_{\rm p}$, is normally chosen to be diagonal in the computational basis, that is a product basis for qubits. We point out that $H_{\rm p}$ can be chosen to be non-diagonal in the computational basis. To be more precise, we show how to construct $H_{\rm p}$ in such a way that all its excited states are entangled with respect to the qubit tensor product structure, while the ground state is still of the product form and encodes the solution to the problem. We discuss how such entangling problem Hamiltonians can improve the performance of the adiabatic quantum computation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Zero temperature momentum distribution of an impurity in a polaron state of one-dimensional Fermi and Tonks-Girardeau gases

We investigate the momentum distribution function of a single distinguishable impurity particle which formed a polaron state in a gas of either free fermions or Tonks-Girardeau bosons in one spatial dimension. We obtain a Fredholm determinant representation of the distribution function for the Bethe ansatz solvable model of an impurity-gas $δ$-function interaction potential at zero temperature, in both repulsive and attractive regimes. We deduce from this representation the fourth power decay at a large momentum, and a weakly divergent (quasi-condensate) peak at a finite momentum. We also demonstrate that the momentum distribution function in the limiting case of infinitely strong interaction can be expressed through a correlation function of the one-dimensional impenetrable anyons.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

A necessary condition for quantum adiabaticity applied to the adiabatic Grover search

Numerous sufficient conditions for adiabaticity of the evolution of a driven quantum system have been known for quite a long time. In contrast, necessary adiabatic conditions are scarce. A practicable necessary condition well-suited for many-body systems has been proven recently in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 200401 (2017)]. Here we tailor this condition for estimating run times of quantum adiabatic algorithms. As an illustration, the condition is applied to the adiabatic algorithm for searching in an unstructured database (adiabatic Grover search algorithm). We find that thus obtained lower bound on the run time of this algorithm reproduces $\sqrt N$ scaling ($N$ being the number of database entries) of the explicitly known optimal run time. This observation highlights the merits of the new adiabatic condition and its potential relevance to adiabatic quantum computing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

A remark on the notion of independence of quantum integrals of motion in the thermodynamic limit

Studies of integrable quantum many-body systems have a long history with an impressive record of success. However, surprisingly enough, an unambiguous definition of quantum integrability remains a matter of an ongoing debate. We contribute to this debate by dwelling upon an important aspect of quantum integrability -- the notion of independence of quantum integrals of motion (QIMs). We point out that a widely accepted definition of functional independence of QIMs is flawed, and suggest a new definition. Our study is motivated by the PXP model -- a model of $N$ spins $1/2$ possessing an extensive number of binary QIMs. The number of QIMs which are independent according to the common definition turns out to be equal to the number of spins, $N$. A common wisdom would then suggest that the system is completely integrable, which is not the case. We discuss the origin of this conundrum and demonstrate how it is resolved when a new definition of independence of QIMs is employed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Fredholm determinants, full counting statistics and Loschmidt echo for domain wall profiles in one-dimensional free fermionic chains

We consider an integrable system of two one-dimensional fermionic chains connected by a link. The hopping constant at the link can be different from that in the bulk. Starting from an initial state in which the left chain is populated while the right is empty, we present time-dependent full counting statistics and the Loschmidt echo in terms of Fredholm determinants. Using this exact representation, we compute the above quantities as well as the current through the link, the shot noise and the entanglement entropy in the large time limit. We find that the physics is strongly affected by the value of the hopping constant at the link. If it is smaller than the hopping constant in the bulk, then a local steady state is established at the link, while in the opposite case all physical quantities studied experience persistent oscillations. In the latter case the frequency of the oscillations is determined by the energy of the bound state and, for the Loschmidt echo, by the bias of chemical potentials.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2018

Droplet formation in a one-dimensional system of attractive spinless fermions

A translation invariant one-dimensional system of spinless fermions with a finite-range attraction experiences a quantum phase transition to a phase-separated state. While being a conventional Luttinger liquid for a small interaction strength, spinless fermions form a droplet with the size smaller than the available one-dimensional volume when the interaction strength exceeds some critical value. A particularly remarkable signature of the droplet formation is the change in the lower edge of the many-body excitation spectrum. In the homogeneous phase, it has a Luttinger-liquid shape of periodic arcs on top of the shallow parabolic dispersion of the center-of-mass. When the interaction strength is increased, the arcs disappear completely as soon as the droplet is formed. We perform an exact diagonalization study of this system with the focus on the signatures of the quantum phase transition and the droplet properties. The one-particle and density-density correlation functions, the pressure, the sound velocity, and the droplet density are examined. The value of the critical interaction strength obtained from numerical data reasonably agrees with a simple mean-field analytical estimate. Due to the boson-fermion correspondence valid in one dimension, our results also hold for hard-core bosons with a finite-range attraction.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

Spin excitation spectrum of high-temperature cuprate superconductors from finite cluster simulations

A cluster of spins $1/2$ of a finite size can be regarded as a basic building block of a spin texture in high-temperature cuprate superconductors. If this texture has the character of a network of weakly coupled spin clusters, then spin excitation spectra of finite clusters are expected to capture the principal features of the experimental spin response. We calculate spin excitation spectra of several clusters of spins $1/2$ coupled by Heisenberg interaction. We find that the calculated spectra exhibit a high degree of variability representative of the actual phenomenology of curates, while, at the same time, reproducing a number of important features of the experimentally measured spin response. Among such features are the spin gap, the broad peak around $\hbar ω\simeq (40 - 70)$ meV and the sharp peak at zero frequency. The latter feature emerges due to transitions inside the ground-state multiplet of the so-called "uncompensated" clusters with an odd number of spins.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2018

Necessary and sufficient condition for quantum adiabaticity in a driven one-dimensional impurity-fluid system

We study under what conditions the quantum adiabaticity is maintained in a closed many-body system consisting of a one-dimensional fluid and an impurity particle dragged through the latter by an external force. We employ an effective theory describing the low-energy sector of the system to derive the time dependence of the adiabaticity figure of merit -- the adiabatic fidelity. We find that in order to maintain adiabaticity in a large system the external force, $F_N$, should vanish with the system size, $N$, as $1/N$ or faster. This improves the necessary adiabatic condition $F_N=O(1/\log N)$ obtained for this system earlier [AIP Conf. Proc. 1936, 020024 (2018)]. Experimental implications of this result and its relation to the quasi-Bloch oscillations of the impurity are discussed.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2018

The impact of the injection protocol on an impurity's stationary state

We examine stationary state properties of an impurity particle injected into a one-dimensional quantum gas. We show that the value of the impurity's end velocity lies between zero and the speed of sound in the gas, and is determined by the injection protocol. This way, the impurity's constant motion is a dynamically emergent phenomenon whose description goes beyond accounting for the kinematic constraints of Landau approach to superfluidity. We provide exact analytic results in the thermodynamic limit, and perform finite-size numerical simulations to demonstrate that the predicted phenomena are within the reach of the existing ultracold gases experiments.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2017

Decoherence at the level of eigenstates

An eigenstate decoherence hypothesis states that each individual eigenstate of a large closed system is locally classical-like. We extend this hypothesis to account for a typically extremely short time scale of decoherence. The extension implies that nondiagonal matrix elements of certain operators - quantumness witnesses - are suppressed as long as the energy difference between corresponding eigenstates is smaller than the inverse decoherence time.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Quantum Many-Body Adiabaticity, Topological Thouless Pump and Driven Impurity in a One-Dimensional Quantum Fluid

When it comes to applying the adiabatic theorem in practice, the key question to be answered is how slow "slowly enough" is. This question can be an intricate one, especially for many-body systems, where the limits of slow driving and large system size may not commute. Recently we have shown how the quantum adiabaticity in many-body systems is related to the generalized orthogonality catastrophe [Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 200401 (2017)]. We have proven a rigorous inequality relating these two phenomena and applied it to establish conditions for the quantized transport in the topological Thouless pump. In the present contribution we (i) review these developments and (ii) apply the inequality to establish the conditions for adiabaticity in a one-dimensional system consisting of a quantum fluid and an impurity particle pulled through the fluid by an external force. The latter analysis is vital for the correct quantitative description of the phenomenon of quasi Bloch oscillations in a one-dimensional translation invariant impurity-fluid system.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2016

Large quantum superpositions of a nanoparticle immersed in superfluid helium

Preparing and detecting spatially extended quantum superpositions of a massive object comprises an important fundamental test of quantum theory. These quantum states are extremely fragile and tend to quickly decay into incoherent mixtures due to the environmental decoherence. Experimental setups considered up to date address this threat in a conceptually straightforward way -- by eliminating the environment, i.e. by isolating an object in a sufficiently high vacuum. We show that another option exists: decoherence is suppressed in the presence of a strongly interacting environment if this environment is superfluid. Indeed, as long as an object immersed in a pure superfluid at zero temperature moves with a velocity below the critical one, it does not create, absorb or scatter any excitations of the superfluid. Hence, in this idealized situations the decoherence is absent. In reality the decoherence will be present due to thermal excitations of the superfluid and impurities contaminating the superfluid. We examine various decoherence channels in the superfluid $^4$He. It is shown that the total decoherence time can be as large as tens of seconds for a $10^6$ amu nanoparticle delocalized over $300$ nm in helium at $1$ mK. Performing interference experiments in superfluid helium can provide certain practical advantages compared to conventional schemes, e.g. compensation of gravity by the buoyancy force and effective cooling.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Perpetual motion and driven dynamics of a mobile impurity in a quantum fluid

We study the dynamics of a mobile impurity in a quantum fluid at zero temperature. Two related settings are considered. In the first setting the impurity is injected in the fluid with some initial velocity ${\mathbf v}_0$, and we are interested in its velocity at infinite time, ${\mathbf v}_\infty$. We derive a rigorous upper bound on $|{\mathbf v}_0-{\mathbf v}_\infty|$ for initial velocities smaller than the generalized critical velocity. In the limit of vanishing impurity-fluid coupling this bound amounts to ${\mathbf v}_\infty={\mathbf v}_0$ which can be regarded as a rigorous proof of the Landau criterion of superfluidity. In the case of a finite coupling the velocity of the impurity can drop, but not to zero; the bound quantifies the maximal possible drop. In the second setting a small constant force is exerted upon the impurity. We argue that two distinct dynamical regimes exist -- backscattering oscillations of the impurity velocity and saturation of the velocity without oscillations. For fluids with $v_{c {\rm L}}=v_s$ (where $v_{c {\rm L}}$ and $v_s$ are the Landau critical velocity and sound velocity, respectively) the latter regime is realized. For fluids with $v_{c {\rm L}} < v_s$ both regimes are possible. Which regime is realized in this case depends on the mass of the impurity, a nonequilibrium quantum phase transition occurring at some critical mass. Our results are equally valid in one, two and three dimensions.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗