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arXiv:0706.1090 · Canadian Journal of Physics

Effective Hamiltonian theory and its applications in quantum information

D F James, J. Jerke

Published Jun 1, 2007• 459 citations
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Abstract

This paper presents a useful compact formula for deriving an effective Hamiltonian describing the time-averaged dynamics of detuned quantum systems. The formalism also works for ensemble-averaged dynamics of stochastic systems. To illustrate the technique, we give examples involving Raman processes, Bloch-Siegert shifts, and quantum logic gates. PACS Nos: 03.65.–w

DOI
10.1139/p07-060

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This paper presents a useful compact formula for deriving an effective Hamiltonian describing the time-averaged dynamics of detuned quantum systems. The formalism also works for ensemble-averaged dynamics of stochastic systems. To illustrate the technique, we give examples involving Raman processes, Bloch-Siegert shifts, and quantum logic gates. PACS Nos: 03.65.–w
We develop a technique for finding the dynamical evolution in time of an averaged density matrix. The result is an equation of evolution that includes an effective Hamiltonian, as well as decoherence terms in Lindblad form. Applying the general equation to harmonic Hamiltonians, we confirm a previous formula for the effective Hamiltonian together with a additional decoherence term which should, in general, be included and whose vanishing provides the criteria for validity of the effective Hamiltonian approach. Finally, we apply the theory to examples of the ac Stark shift and three-level Raman transitions, recovering a decoherence effect in the latter.
Understanding how physical systems are influenced by disorder is a fundamental challenge in quantum science. Addressing its effects often involves numerical averaging over a large number of samples, and it is not always easy to gain an analytical handle on exploring the effect of disorder. In this work, we derive exact solutions for disorder-averaged dynamics generated by any Hamiltonian that is a periodic matrix (potentially with non-trivial base, a property also called (p,qp,qp,q)-potency). Notably, this approach is independent of the initial state, exact for arbitrary evolution times, and it holds for Hermitian as well as non-Hermitian systems. The ensemble behavior resembles that of an open quantum system, whose decoherence function or rates are determined by the disorder distribution and the periodicity of the Hamiltonian. Depending on the underlying distribution, the dynamics can display non-Markovian characteristics detectable through non-Markovian witnesses. We illustrate the scheme for qubit and qudit systems described by (products of) spin 1/21/21/2, spin 111, and clock operators. Our methodology offers a framework to leverage disorder-averaged exact dynamics for a range of applications in quantum-information processing and beyond.
We present an effective operator formalism for open quantum systems. Employing perturbation theory and adiabatic elimination of excited states for a weakly driven system, we derive an effective master equation which reduces the evolution to the ground-state dynamics. The effective evolution involves a single effective Hamiltonian and one effective Lindblad operator for each naturally occurring decay process. Simple expressions are derived for the effective operators which can be directly applied to reach effective equations of motion for the ground states. We compare our method with the hitherto existing concepts for effective interactions and present physical examples for the application of our formalism, including dissipative state preparation by engineered decay processes.
Stochastic methods are ubiquitous to a variety of fields, ranging from physics to economics and mathematics. In many cases, in the investigation of natural processes, stochasticity arises every time one considers the dynamics of a system in contact with a somewhat bigger system, an environment with which it is considered in thermal equilibrium. Any small fluctuation of the environment has some random effect on the system. In physics, stochastic methods have been applied to the investigation of phase transitions, thermal and electrical noise, thermal relaxation, quantum information, Brownian motion and so on. In this review, we will focus on the so-called stochastic Schrödinger equation. This is useful as a starting point to investigate the dynamics of open quantum systems capable of exchanging energy and momentum with an external environment. We discuss in some detail the general derivation of a stochastic Schrödinger equation and some of its recent applications to spin thermal transport, thermal relaxation, and Bose-Einstein condensation. We thoroughly discuss the advantages of this formalism with respect to the more common approach in terms of the reduced density matrix. The applications discussed here constitute only a few examples of a much wider range of applicability.