arXiv subjects

Peter Rabl

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Rabl.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Coherence as a measure for non-Markovianity and its applications to color centers in diamond

The degree of non-Markovianity of a continuous bath can be quantified by means of the coherence. This simple measure is experimentally accessible through Ramsey spectroscopy, but it is limited to incoherent dynamical maps. We propose an extension of this measure and discuss its application to color centers in diamond, where the optical coherence between two orbital states is affected by interactions with a structured phonon bath. By taking realistic phonon spectral density functions into account, we show that this measure is well-behaved at arbitrary temperatures and that it provides additional insights about how non-Markoviantiy is affected by the presence of both bulk and quasi-localized phonon modes. Importantly, with only a little overhead the measure can be adapted to eliminate the false signs of non-Markovianity from coherent dynamical maps and is thus applicable for a large class of systems modeled by the spin-boson Hamiltonian.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Breakdown of gauge invariance in ultrastrong-coupling cavity QED

We revisit the derivation of Rabi- and Dicke-type models, which are commonly used for the study of quantum light-matter interactions in cavity and circuit QED. We demonstrate that the validity of the two-level approximation, which is an essential step in this derivation, depends explicitly on the choice of gauge once the system enters the ultrastrong coupling regime. In particular, while in the electric dipole gauge the two-level approximation can be performed as long as the Rabi frequency remains much smaller than the energies of all higher-lying levels, it can dramatically fail in the Coulomb gauge, even for systems with an extremely anharmonic spectrum. We extensively investigate this phenomenon both in the single-dipole (Rabi) and multi-dipole (Dicke) case, and considering the specific examples of dipoles confined by double-well and by square-well potentials, and of circuit QED systems with flux qubits coupled to an LC resonator.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Cavity quantum electrodynamics in the non-perturbative regime

We study a generic cavity-QED system where a set of (artificial) two-level dipoles is coupled to the electric field of a single-mode LC resonator. This setup is used to derive a minimal quantum mechanical model for cavity QED, which accounts for both dipole-field and direct dipole-dipole interactions. The model is applicable for arbitrary coupling strengths and allows us to extend the usual Dicke model into the non-perturbative regime of QED, where the dipole-field interaction can be associated with an effective finestructure constant of order unity. In this regime, we identify three distinct classes of normal, superradiant and subradiant vacuum states and discuss their characteristic properties and the transitions between them. Our findings reconcile many of the previous, often contradictory predictions in this field and establish a common theoretical framework to describe ultrastrong coupling phenomena in a diverse range of cavity-QED platforms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Dissipative Phase Transition in the Open Quantum Rabi Model

We demonstrate that the open quantum Rabi model (QRM) exhibits a second-order dissipative phase transition (DPT) and propose a method to observe this transition with trapped ions. The interplay between the ultrastrong qubit-oscillator coupling and the oscillator damping brings the system into a steady-state with a diverging number of excitations, in which a DPT is allowed to occur even with a finite number of system components. The universality class of the open QRM, modified from the closed QRM by a Markovian bath, is identified by finding critical exponents and scaling functions using the Keldysh functional integral approach. We propose to realize the open QRM with two trapped ions where the coherent coupling and the rate of dissipation can be individually controlled and adjusted over a wide range. Thanks to this controllability, our work opens a possibility to investigate potentially rich dynamics associated with a dissipative phase transition.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Harvesting Multiqubit Entanglement from Ultrastrong Interactions in Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics

We analyze a multiqubit circuit QED system in the regime where the qubit-photon coupling dominates over the system's bare energy scales. Under such conditions a manifold of low-energy states with a high degree of entanglement emerges. Here we describe a time-dependent protocol for extracting these quantum correlations and converting them into well-defined multipartite entangled states of noninteracting qubits. Based on a combination of various ultrastrong-coupling effects, the protocol can be operated in a fast and robust manner, while still being consistent with experimental constraints on switching times and typical energy scales encountered in superconducting circuits. Therefore, our scheme can serve as a probe for otherwise inaccessible correlations in strongly coupled circuit QED systems. It also shows how such correlations can potentially be exploited as a resource for entanglement-based applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Strong coupling between moving atoms and slow-light Cherenkov photons

We describe the coupling of moving atoms to a one dimensional photonic waveguide in the regime where the atomic velocities are comparable to the effective speed of light. Such conditions could be achieved, for example, in photonic crystals or coupled resonator arrays, where the maximal photonic group velocity is significantly reduced compared to free space. In this case the interplay between a velocity-induced directionality and the emergence of new divergencies in the photonic density of states gives rise to a range of novel phenomena and non-perturbative effects in the emission of photons and the resulting photon-mediated interactions between moving atoms. We show that apart from potential implementations with optical waveguides, Rydberg atoms flying above a coupled array of superconducting microwave resonators provide a versatile platform for exploring this new regime of atom-light interactions under experimentally accessible conditions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Intracity quantum communication via thermal microwave networks

Communication over proven-secure quantum channels is potentially one of the most wide-ranging applications of currently developed quantum technologies. It is generally envisioned that in future quantum networks, separated nodes containing stationary solid-state or atomic qubits are connected via the exchange of optical photons over large distances. In this work we explore an intriguing alternative for quantum communication via all-microwave networks. To make this possible, we describe a general protocol for sending quantum states through thermal channels, even when the number of thermal photons in the channel is much larger than one. The protocol can be implemented with state-of-the-art superconducting circuits and enables the transfer of quantum states over distances of ~100 m via microwave transmission lines cooled to only T=4K. This opens up completely new possibilities for quantum communication within and across buildings, and consequently, for the implementation of intra-city quantum networks based on microwave technology only.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Ultrastrong coupling phenomena beyond the Dicke model

We study effective light-matter interactions in a circuit QED system consisting of a single $LC$ resonator, which is coupled symmetrically to multiple superconducting qubits. Starting from a minimal circuit model, we demonstrate that in addition to the usual collective qubit-photon coupling the resulting Hamiltonian contains direct qubit-qubit interactions, which have a drastic effect on the ground and excited state properties of such circuits in the ultrastrong coupling regime. In contrast to a superradiant phase transition expected from the standard Dicke model, we find an opposite mechanism, which at very strong interactions completely decouples the photon mode and projects the qubits into a highly entangled ground state. These findings resolve previous controversies over the existence of superradiant phases in circuit QED, but they more generally show that the physics of two- or multi-atom cavity QED settings can differ significantly from what is commonly assumed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

PT-symmetry breaking in the steady state of microscopic gain-loss systems

The phenomenon of PT (parity- and time-reversal) symmetry breaking is conventionally associated with a change in the complex mode spectrum of a non-Hermitian system that marks a transition from a purely oscillatory to an exponentially amplified dynamical regime. In this work we describe a new type of PT-symmetry breaking, which occurs in the steady-state energy distribution of open systems with balanced gain and loss. In particular, we show that the combination of nonlinear saturation effects and the presence of thermal or quantum noise in actual experiments results in unexpected behavior that differs significantly from the usual dynamical picture. We observe additional phases with preserved or `weakly' broken PT symmetry, and an unconventional transition from a high-noise thermal state to a low-amplitude lasing state with broken symmetry and strongly reduced fluctuations. We illustrate these effects here for the specific example of coupled mechanical resonators with optically-induced loss and gain, but the described mechanisms will be essential for a general understanding of the steady-state properties of actual PT-symmetric systems operated at low amplitudes or close to the quantum regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Hybrid quantum device with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond coupled to carbon nanotubes

We show that nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond interfaced with a suspended carbon nanotube carrying a dc current can facilitate a spin-nanomechanical hybrid device. We demonstrate that strong magnetomechanical interactions between a single NV spin and the vibrational mode of the suspended nanotube can be engineered and dynamically tuned by external control over the system parameters. This spin-nanomechanical setup with strong, \emph{intrinsic} and \emph{tunable} magnetomechanical couplings allows for the construction of hybrid quantum devices with NV centers and carbon-based nanostructures, as well as phonon-mediated quantum information processing with spin qubits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Atom-field dressed states in slow-light waveguide QED

We discuss the properties of atom-photon bound states in waveguide QED systems consisting of single or multiple atoms coupled strongly to a finite-bandwidth photonic channel. Such bound states are formed by an atom and a localized photonic excitation and represent the continuum analog of the familiar dressed states in single-mode cavity QED. Here we present a detailed analysis of the linear and nonlinear spectral features associated with single- and multi-photon dressed states and show how the formation of bound states affects the waveguide-mediated dipole-dipole interactions between separated atoms. Our results provide a both qualitative and quantitative description of the essential strong-coupling processes in waveguide QED systems, which are currently being developed in the optical and the microwave regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Dynamically encircling exceptional points in a waveguide: asymmetric mode switching from the breakdown of adiabaticity

Physical systems with loss or gain feature resonant modes that are decaying or growing exponentially with time. Whenever two such modes coalesce both in their resonant frequency and their rate of decay or growth, a so-called "exceptional point" occurs, around which many fascinating phenomena have recently been reported to arise. Particularly intriguing behavior is predicted to appear when encircling an exceptional point sufficiently slowly, like a state-flip or the accumulation of a geometric phase. Experiments dedicated to this issue could already successfully explore the topological structure of exceptional points, but a full dynamical encircling and the breakdown of adiabaticity inevitably associated with it remained out of reach of any measurement so far. Here we demonstrate that a dynamical encircling of an exceptional point can be mapped onto the problem of scattering through a two-mode waveguide, which allows us for the first time to access the elusive effects occurring in this context. Specifically, we present experimental results from a waveguide structure that steers incoming waves around an exceptional point during the transmission process. In this way mode transitions are induced that make this device perfectly suited as a robust and asymmetric switch between different waveguide modes. Our work opens up new and exciting avenues to explore exceptional point physics at the crossroads between fundamental research and practical applications.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2015

Electric-Field Noise above a Thin Dielectric Layer on Metal Electrodes

The electric-field noise above a layered structure composed of a planar metal electrode covered by a thin dielectric is evaluated and it is found that the dielectric film considerably increases the noise level, in proportion to its thickness. Importantly, even a thin (mono) layer of a low-loss dielectric can enhance the noise level by several orders of magnitude compared to the noise above a bare metal. Close to this layered surface, the power spectral density of the electric field varies with the inverse fourth power of the distance to the surface, rather than with the inverse square, as it would above a bare metal surface. Furthermore, compared to a clean metal, where the noise spectrum does not vary with frequency (in the radio-wave and microwave bands), the dielectric layer can generate electric-field noise which scales in inverse proportion to the frequency. For various realistic scenarios, the noise levels predicted from this model are comparable to those observed in trapped-ion experiments. Thus, these findings are of particular importance for the understanding and mitigation of unwanted heating and decoherence in miniaturized ion traps.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Hybrid quantum device based on NV centers in diamond nanomechanical resonators plus superconducting waveguide cavities

We propose and analyze a hybrid device by integrating a microscale diamond beam with a single built-in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spin to a superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) cavity. We find that under an ac electric field the quantized motion of the diamond beam can strongly couple to the single cavity photons via dielectric interaction. Together with the strong spin-motion interaction via a large magnetic field gradient, it provides a hybrid quantum device where the dia- mond resonator can strongly couple both to the single microwave cavity photons and to the single NV center spin. This enables coherent information transfer and effective coupling between the NV spin and the CPW cavity via mechanically dark polaritons. This hybrid spin-electromechanical de- vice, with tunable couplings by external fields, offers a realistic platform for implementing quantum information with single NV spins, diamond mechanical resonators, and single microwave photons.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Contextuality in phase space

We present a general framework for contextuality tests in phase space using displacement operators. First, we derive a general condition that a single-mode displacement operator should fulfill in order to construct Peres-Mermin square and similar scenarios. This approach offers a straightforward scheme for experimental implementations of the tests via modular variable measurements. In addition to the continuous variable case, our condition can also be applied to finite-dimensional systems in discrete phase space, using Heisenberg-Weyl operators. This approach, therefore, offers a unified picture of contextuality with a geometric flavor.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

General description of quasi-adiabatic dynamical phenomena near exceptional points

The appearance of so-called exceptional points in the complex spectra of non-Hermitian systems is often associated with phenomena that contradict our physical intuition. One example of particular interest is the state-exchange process predicted for an adiabatic encircling of an exceptional point. In this work we analyse this and related processes for the generic system of two coupled oscillator modes with loss or gain. We identify a characteristic system evolution consisting of periods of quasi-stationarity interrupted by abrupt non-adiabatic transitions, and we present a qualitative and quantitative description of this switching behaviour by connecting the problem to the phenomenon of stability loss delay. This approach makes accurate predictions for the breakdown of the adiabatic theorem as well as the occurrence of chiral behavior observed previously in this context, and provides a general framework to model and understand quasi-adiabatic dynamical effects in non-Hermitian systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Hybrid Mechanical Systems

We discuss hybrid systems in which a mechanical oscillator is coupled to another (microscopic) quantum system, such as trapped atoms or ions, solid-state spin qubits, or superconducting devices. We summarize and compare different coupling schemes and describe first experimental implementations. Hybrid mechanical systems enable new approaches to quantum control of mechanical objects, precision sensing, and quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Non-classicality tests and entanglement witnesses for macroscopic mechanical superposition states

We describe a set of measurement protocols for performing non-classicality tests and the verification of entangled superposition states of macroscopic continuous variable systems, such as nanomechanical resonators. Following earlier works, we first consider a setup where a two-level system is used to indirectly probe the motion of the mechanical system via Ramsey measurements and discuss the application of this methods for detecting non-classical mechanical states. We then show that the generalization of this techniques to multiple resonator modes allows the conditioned preparation and the detection of entangled mechanical superposition states. The proposed measurement protocols can be implemented in various qubit-resonator systems that are currently under experimental investigation and find applications in future tests of quantum mechanics at a macroscopic scale.

quant-ph↗