arXiv subjects

Stephan De Bievre

Publications and source records attributed to Stephan De Bievre.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Properties and Applications of the Kirkwood-Dirac Distribution

Recent years have seen the Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) distribution come to the forefront as a powerful quasi-probability distribution for analysing quantum mechanics. The KD distribution allows tools from statistics and probability theory to be applied to problems in quantum-information processing. A notable difference to the Wigner function is that the KD distribution can represent a quantum state in terms of arbitrary observables. This paper reviews the KD distribution, in three parts. First, we present definitions and basic properties of the KD distribution and its generalisations. Second, we summarise the KD distribution's extensive usage in the study or development of measurement disturbance; quantum metrology; weak values; direct measurements of quantum states; quantum thermodynamics; quantum scrambling and out-of-time-ordered correlators; and the foundations of quantum mechanics, including Leggett-Garg inequalities, the consistent-histories interpretation and contextuality. We emphasise connections between operational quantum advantages and negative or non-real KD quasi-probabilities. Third, we delve into the KD distribution's mathematical structure. We summarise the current knowledge regarding the geometry of KD-positive states (the states for which the KD distribution is a classical probability distribution), describe how to witness and quantify KD non-positivity, and outline relationships between KD non-positivity, coherence and observables' incompatibility.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Rigorous results on approach to thermal equilibrium, entanglement, and nonclassicality of an optical quantum field mode scattering from the elements of a non-equilibrium quantum reservoir

Rigorous derivations of the approach of individual elements of large isolated systems to a state of thermal equilibrium, starting from arbitrary initial states, are exceedingly rare. This is particularly true for quantum mechanical systems. We demonstrate here how, through a mechanism of repeated scattering, an approach to equilibrium of this type actually occurs in a specific quantum system, one that can be viewed as a natural quantum analog of several previously studied classical models. In particular, we consider an optical mode passing through a reservoir composed of a large number of sequentially-encountered modes of the same frequency, each of which it interacts with through a beam splitter. We then analyze the dependence of the asymptotic state of this mode on the assumed stationary common initial state $σ$ of the reservoir modes and on the transmittance $τ=\cosλ$ of the beam splitters. These results allow us to establish that at small $λ$ such a mode will, starting from an arbitrary initial system state $ρ$, approach a state of thermal equilibrium even when the reservoir modes are not themselves initially thermalized. We show in addition that, when the initial states are pure, the asymptotic state of the optical mode is maximally entangled with the reservoir and exhibits less nonclassicality than the state of the reservoir modes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Relating incompatibility, noncommutativity, uncertainty and Kirkwood-Dirac nonclassicality

We provide an in-depth study of the recently introduced notion of completely incompatible observables and its links to the support uncertainty and to the Kirkwood-Dirac nonclassicality of pure quantum states. The latter notion has recently been proven central to a number of issues in quantum information theory and quantum metrology. In this last context, it was shown that a quantum advantage requires the use of Kirkwood-Dirac nonclassical states. We establish sharp bounds of very general validity that imply that the support uncertainty is an efficient Kirkwood-Dirac nonclassicality witness. When adapted to completely incompatible observables that are close to mutually unbiased ones, this bound allows us to fully characterize the Kirkwood-Dirac classical states as the eigenvectors of the two observables. We show furthermore that complete incompatibility implies several weaker notions of incompatibility, among which features a strong form of noncommutativity.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Kirkwood-Dirac nonclassicality, support uncertainty and complete incompatibility

Given two orthonormal bases in a d-dimensional Hilbert space, one associates to each state its Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) quasi-probability distribution. KD-nonclassical states - for which the KD-distribution takes on negative and/or nonreal values - have been shown to provide a quantum advantage in quantum metrology and information, raising the question of their identification. Under suitable conditions of incompatibility between the two bases, we provide sharp lower bounds on the support uncertainty of states that guarantee their KD-nonclassicality. In particular, when the bases are completely incompatible, a notion we introduce, states whose support uncertainty is not equal to its minimal value d+1 are necessarily KD-nonclassical. The implications of these general results for various commonly used bases, including the mutually unbiased ones, and their perturbations, are detailed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Measuring nonclassicality of bosonic field quantum states via operator ordering sensitivity

We introduce a new distance-based measure for the nonclassicality of the states of a bosonic field, which outperforms the existing such measures in several ways. We define for that purpose the operator ordering sensitivity of the state which evaluates the sensitivity to operator ordering of the Renyi entropy of its quasi-probabilities and which measures the oscillations in its Wigner function. Through a sharp control on the operator ordering sensitivity of classical states we obtain a precise geometric image of their location in the density matrix space allowing us to introduce a distance-based measure of nonclassicality. We analyse the link between this nonclassicality measure and a recently introduced quantum macroscopicity measure, showing how the two notions are distinct.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Orbital stability via the energy-momentum method: the case of higher dimensional symmetry groups

We consider the orbital stability of relative equilibria of Hamiltonian dynamical systems on Banach spaces, in the presence of a multi-dimensional invariance group for the dynamics. We prove a persistence result for such relative equilibria, present a generalization of the Vakhitov-Kolokolov slope condition to this higher dimensional setting, and show how it allows to prove the local coercivity of the Lyapunov function, which in turn implies orbital stability. The method is applied to study the orbital stability of relative equilibria of nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger and Manakov equations. We provide a comparison of our approach to the one by Grillakis-Shatah-Strauss.

math.AP↗

arXiv2017

A rigourous demonstration of the validity of Boltzmann's scenario for the spatial homogenization of a freely expanding gas and the equilibration of the Kac ring

Boltzmann provided a scenario to explain why individual macroscopic systems composed of a large number $N$ of microscopic constituents are inevitably (i.e., with overwhelming probability) observed to approach a unique macroscopic state of thermodynamic equilibrium, and why after having done so, they are then observed to remain in that state, apparently forever. We provide here rigourous new results that mathematically prove the basic features of Boltzmann's scenario for two classical models: a simple boundary-free model for the spatial homogenization of a non-interacting gas of point particles, and the well-known Kac ring model. Our results, based on concentration inequalities that go back to Hoeffding, and which focus on the typical behavior of individual macroscopic systems, improve upon previous results by providing estimates, exponential in $N$, of probabilities and time scales involved.

math-ph↗

arXiv2015

Peregrine comb: multiple compression points for Peregrine rogue waves in periodically modulated nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equations

It is shown that sufficiently large periodic modulations in the coefficients of a nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equation can drastically impact the spatial shape of the Peregrine soliton solutions: they can develop multiple compression points of the same amplitude, rather than only a single one, as in the spatially homogeneous focusing nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equation. The additional compression points are generated in pairs forming a comb-like structure. The number of additional pairs depends on the amplitude of the modulation but not on its wavelength, which controls their separation distance. The dynamics and characteristics of these generalized Peregrine soliton are analytically described in the case of a completely integrable modulation. A numerical investigation shows that their main properties persist in nonintegrable situations, where no exact analytical expression of the generalized Peregrine soliton is available. Our predictions are in good agreement with numerical findings for an interesting specific case of an experimentally realizable periodically dispersion modulated photonic crystal fiber. Our results therefore pave the way for the experimental control and manipulation of the formation of generalized Peregrine rogue waves in the wide class of physical systems modeled by the nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equation.

nlin.PS↗

arXiv2015

Orbital stability: analysis meets geometry

We present an introduction to the orbital stability of relative equilibria of Hamiltonian dynamical systems on (finite and infinite dimensional) Banach spaces. A convenient formulation of the theory of Hamiltonian dynamics with symmetry and the corresponding momentum maps is proposed that allows us to highlight the interplay between (symplectic) geometry and (functional) analysis in the proofs of orbital stability of relative equilibria via the so-called energy-momentum method. The theory is illustrated with examples from finite dimensional systems, as well as from Hamiltonian PDE's, such as solitons, standing and plane waves for the nonlinear Schr{ö}dinger equation, for the wave equation, and for the Manakov system.

math.AP↗

arXiv2014

Stochastic acceleration in a random time-dependent potential

We study the long time behaviour of the speed of a particle moving in $\mathbb{R}^d$ under the influence of a random time-dependent potential representing the particle's environment. The particle undergoes successive scattering events that we model with a Markov chain for which each step represents a collision. Assuming the initial velocity is large enough, we show that, with high probability, the particle's kinetic energy $E(t)$ grows as $t^{\frac25}$ when $d>5$.

math.PR↗

arXiv2010

Scattering induced current in a tight-binding band

In the single band tight-binding approximation, we consider the transport properties of an electron in a homogeneous static electric field. We show that repeated interactions of the electron with two-level systems in thermal equilibrium suppress the Bloch oscillations and induce a steady current, the statistical properties of which we study.

math-ph↗

arXiv2005

Chaotic Dynamics of a Free Particle Interacting Linearly with a Harmonic Oscillator

We study the closed Hamiltonian dynamics of a free particle moving on a ring, over one section of which it interacts linearly with a single harmonic oscillator. On the basis of numerical and analytical evidence, we conjecture that at small positive energies the phase space of our model is completely chaotic except for a single region of complete integrability with a smooth sharp boundary showing no KAM-type structures of any kind. This results in the cleanest mixed phase space structure possible, in which motions in the integrable region and in the chaotic region are clearly separated and independent of one another. For certain system parameters, this mixed phase space structure can be tuned to make either of the two components disappear, leaving a completely integrable or completely chaotic phase space. For other values of the system parameters, additional structures appear, such as KAM-like elliptic islands, and one parameter families of parabolic periodic orbits embedded in the chaotic sea. The latter are analogous to bouncing ball orbits seen in the stadium billiard. The analytical part of our study proceeds from a geometric description of the dynamics, and shows it to be equivalent to a linked twist map on the union of two intersecting disks.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2005

Adiabatic-Nonadiabatic Transition in the Diffusive Hamiltonian Dynamics of a Classical Holstein Polaron

We study the Hamiltonian dynamics of a free particle injected onto a chain containing a periodic array of harmonic oscillators in thermal equilibrium. The particle interacts locally with each oscillator, with an interaction that is linear in the oscillator coordinate and independent of the particle's position when it is within a finite interaction range. At long times the particle exhibits diffusive motion, with an ensemble averaged mean-squared displacement that is linear in time. The diffusion constant at high temperatures follows a power law D ~ T^{5/2} for all parameter values studied. At low temperatures particle motion changes to a hopping process in which the particle is bound for considerable periods of time to a single oscillator before it is able to escape and explore the rest of the chain. A different power law, D ~ T^{3/4}, emerges in this limit. A thermal distribution of particles exhibits thermally activated diffusion at low temperatures as a result of classically self-trapped polaronic states.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗