arXiv subjects

S. Zhong

Publications and source records attributed to S. Zhong.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Quantum synchronization of spin-1 system: Enhanced synchronization due to additive Lindblad operators

We experimentally investigate quantum synchronization for one of the simplest possible quantum systems, namely an externally driven few-level system with equally spaced energy levels effectively acting as a spin-1 system. Coupling to excited auxiliary states, we realize additive effective Lindblad operators that are associated with non-conventional dissipative pathways, which are shown to enhance, in certain parameter regimes, quantum synchronization. The experimental set-up, which utilizes cold $^{87}$Rb atoms in a MOT, and associated synchronization extraction protocol are benchmarked carefully through dedicated simulations. Convincing agreement is found between experiment and simulations. The dissipation engineering approach established in our work can be readily extended to systems with more energy levels, such as effective spin-$3/2$ or spin-$2$ systems, and has implications for quantum synchronization studies in higher-spin systems as well as for a wide range of quantum science studies and technology applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Auxiliary-state facilitated phase synchronization phenomena in isolated spin systems

Extending classical synchronization to the quantum domain is of great interest both from the fundamental physics point of view and with a view toward quantum technology applications. This work characterizes phase synchronization of an effective spin-1 system, which is realized by coupling three quantum states with infinite lifetime to auxiliary excited states that have a finite lifetime. Integrating out the excited states, the effective spin-1 model features coherent and incoherent effective couplings. Our key findings are: (i) Phase synchronization can be controlled by adjusting the phases of the couplings to the excited states. (ii) Unlike in the paradigmatic spin-1 system studied in the literature, where the dissipative couplings describe decay into the limit cycle state, the effective spin-1 model investigated in this work is governed by a competition between dissipative decay into and out of the limit cycle state, with the dissipative decay out of the limit cycle state playing a critical role. (iii) We identify a parameter regime where phase synchronization of the effective spin-1 system is -- in the absence of coherent effective couplings -- governed entirely by the effective dissipators. The effective spin-1 model is benchmarked through comparisons with master equation calculations for the full Hilbert space. Physical insights are gained through analytical perturbation theory calculations. Our findings, which are expected to hold for a broad class of energy level and coupling schemes, are demonstrated using hyperfine states of $^{87}$Rb.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Dynamical mean-field driven spinor condensate physics beyond the single-mode approximation

$^{23}$Na spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates are used to experimentally demonstrate that mean-field physics beyond the single-mode approximation can be relevant during the non-equilibrium dynamics. The experimentally observed spin oscillation dynamics and associated dynamical spatial structure formation confirm theoretical predictions that are derived by solving a set of coupled mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii equations [J. Jie et al., Phys. Rev. A 102, 023324 (2020)]. The experiments rely on microwave dressing of the $f=1$ hyperfine states, where $f$ denotes the total angular momentum of the $^{23}$Na atom. The fact that beyond single-mode approximation physics at the mean-field level, i.e., spatial mean-field dynamics that distinguishes the spatial density profiles associated with different Zeeman levels, can -- in certain parameter regimes -- have a pronounced effect on the dynamics when the spin healing length is comparable to or larger than the size of the Bose-Einstein condensate has implications for using Bose-Einstein condensates as models for quantum phase transitions and spin squeezing studies as well as for non-linear SU(1,1) interferometers.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Mean-field spin-oscillation dynamics beyond the single-mode approximation for a harmonically trapped spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate

Compared to single-component Bose-Einstein condensates, spinor Bose-Einstein condensates display much richer dynamics. In addition to density oscillations, spinor Bose-Einstein condensates exhibit intriguing spin dynamics that is associated with population transfer between different hyperfine components. This work analyzes the validity of the widely employed single-mode approximation when describing the spin dynamics in response to a quench of the system Hamiltonian. The single-mode approximation assumes that the different hyperfine states all share the same time-independent spatial mode. This implies that the resulting spin Hamiltonian only depends on the spin interaction strength and not on the density interaction strength. Taking the spinor sodium Bose-Einstein condensate in the $f=1$ hyperfine manifold as an example and working within the mean-field theory framework, it is found numerically that the single-mode approximation misses, in some parameter regimes, intricate details of the spin and spatial dynamics. We develop a physical picture that explains the observed phenomenon. Moreover, using that the population oscillations described by the single-mode approximation enter into the effective potential felt by the mean-field spinor, we derive a semi-quantitative condition for when dynamical mean-field induced corrections to the single-mode approximation are relevant. Our mean-field results have implications for a variety of published and planned experimental studies.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Attosecond timing of electron emission from a molecular shape resonance

Shape resonances in physics and chemistry arise from the spatial confinement of a particle by a potential barrier. In molecular photoionization, these barriers prevent the electron from escaping instantaneously, so that nuclei may move and modify the potential, thereby affecting the ionization process. By using an attosecond two-color interferometric approach in combination with high spectral resolution, we have captured the changes induced by the nuclear motion on the centrifugal barrier that sustains the well-known shape resonance in valence-ionized N$_2$. We show that despite the nuclear motion altering the bond length by only $2\%$, which leads to tiny changes in the potential barrier, the corresponding change in the ionization time can be as large as $200$ attoseconds. This result poses limits to the concept of instantaneous electronic transitions in molecules, which is at the basis of the Franck-Condon principle of molecular spectroscopy.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2020

Attosecond photoionization dynamics in the vicinity of the Cooper minima in argon

Using a spectrally resolved electron interferometry technique, we measure photoionization time delays between the $3s$ and $3p$ subshells of argon over a large 34-eV energy range covering the Cooper minima in both subshells. The observed strong variations of the $3s-3p$ delay difference, including a sign change, are well reproduced by theoretical calculations using the Two-Photon Two-Color Random Phase Approximation with Exchange. Strong shake-up channels lead to photoelectrons spectrally overlapping with those emitted from the $3s$ subshell. These channels need to be included in our analysis to reproduce the experimental data. Our measurements provide a stringent test for multielectronic theoretical models aiming at an accurate description of inter-channel correlation.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2020

Tracking downflows from the chromosphere to the photosphere in a solar arch filament system

We study the dynamics of plasma along the legs of an arch filament system (AFS) from the chromosphere to the photosphere, observed with high-cadence spectroscopic data from two ground-based solar telescopes: the GREGOR telescope (Tenerife) using the GREGOR Infrarred Spectrograph (GRIS) in the He I 10830 Å range and the Swedish Solar Telescope (La Palma) using the CRisp Imaging Spectro-Polarimeter to observe the Ca II 8542 Å and Fe I 6173 Å spectral lines. The temporal evolution of the draining of the plasma was followed along the legs of a single arch filament from the chromosphere to the photosphere. The average Doppler velocities inferred at the upper chromosphere from the He I 10830 Å triplet reach velocities up to 20-24~km~s$^{-1}$, in the lower chromosphere and upper photosphere the Doppler velocities reach up to 11~km~s$^{-1}$ and 1.5~km~s$^{-1}$ in the case of the Ca II 8542 Å and Si I 10827 Å spectral lines, respectively. The evolution of the Doppler velocities at different layers of the solar atmosphere (chromosphere and upper photosphere) shows that they follow the same LOS velocity pattern, which confirm the observational evidence that the plasma drains towards the photosphere as proposed in models of AFSs. The Doppler velocity maps inferred from the lower photospheric Ca I 10839 Å or Fe I 6173 Å spectral lines do not show the same LOS velocity pattern. Thus, there is no evidence that the plasma reaches the lower photosphere. The observations and the nonlinear force-free field extrapolations demonstrate that the magnetic field loops of the AFS rise with time. We found flow asymmetries at different footpoints of the AFS. The NLFFF values of the magnetic field strength give us a clue to explain these flow asymmetries.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Temporal Resolution of the RABBITT technique

One of the most ubiquitous techniques within attosecond science is the so-called Reconstruction of Attosecond Bursts by Interference of Two-Photon Transitions (RABBITT). Originally proposed for the characterization of attosecond pulses, it has been successfully applied to accurate determinations of time delays in photoemission. Here, we examine in detail, using numerical simulations, the effect of the spatial and temporal properties of the light fields and of the experimental procedure on the accuracy of the method. This allows us to identify the necessary conditions to achieve the best temporal resolution in RABBITT measurements.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2017

Time-frequency representations of autoionization dynamics in helium

Autoionization, which results from the interference between direct photoionization and photoexcitation to a discrete state decaying to the continuum by configuration interaction, is a well known example of the important role of electron correlation in light-matter interaction. Information on this process can be obtained by studying the spectral, or equivalently, temporal complex amplitude of the ionized electron wavepacket. Using an energy-resolved interferometric technique, we measure the spectral amplitude and phase of autoionized wavepackets emitted via the sp2+ and sp3+ resonances in helium. These measurements allow us to reconstruct the corresponding temporal profiles by Fourier transform. In addition, applying various time-frequency representations, we observe the build up of the wavepackets in the continuum, monitor the instantaneous frequencies emitted at any time and disentangle the dynamics of the direct and resonant ionization channels.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2017

Photoionization in the time and frequency domain

Ultrafast processes in matter, such as the electron emission following light absorption, can now be studied using ultrashort light pulses of attosecond duration ($10^{-18}$s) in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range. The lack of spectral resolution due to the use of short light pulses may raise serious issues in the interpretation of the experimental results and the comparison with detailed theoretical calculations. Here, we determine photoionization time delays in neon atoms over a 40 eV energy range with an interferometric technique combining high temporal and spectral resolution. We spectrally disentangle direct ionization from ionization with shake up, where a second electron is left in an excited state, thus obtaining excellent agreement with theoretical calculations and thereby solving a puzzle raised by seven-year-old measurements. Our experimental approach does not have conceptual limits, allowing us to foresee, with the help of upcoming laser technology, ultra-high resolution time-frequency studies from the visible to the x-ray range.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

Up to 700k GPU cores, Kepler, and the Exascale future for simulations of star clusters around black holes

We present direct astrophysical N-body simulations with up to a few million bodies using our parallel MPI/CUDA code on large GPU clusters in China, Ukraine and Germany, with different kinds of GPU hardware. These clusters are directly linked under the Chinese Academy of Sciences special GPU cluster program in the cooperation of ICCS (International Center for Computational Science). We reach about the half the peak Kepler K20 GPU performance for our phi-GPU code [2], in a real application scenario with individual hierarchically block time-steps with the high (4th, 6th and 8th) order Hermite integration schemes and a real core-halo density structure of the modeled stellar systems. The code and hardware are mainly used to simulate star clusters [23, 24] and galactic nuclei with supermassive black holes [20], in which correlations between distant particles cannot be neglected.

astro-ph.IM↗