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arXiv:0912.4505 · Physica Scripta

Fundamental limits on the speed of evolution of quantum states

Ulvi Yurtsever

Published Sep 1, 2010• 16 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This paper reports on some new inequalities of Margolus–Levitin–Mandelstam–Tamm type involving the speed of quantum evolution between two orthogonal pure states. The clear determinant of the qualitative behavior of this time scale is the statistics of the energy spectrum.
DOI
10.1088/0031-8949/82/03/035008

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Recently, Jones and Kok [Jones and Kok, Phys. Rev. A 82, 022107 (2010)] presented alternative geometric derivations of the Mandelstam-Tamm [Mandelstam and Tamm, J. Phys. (USSR) 9, 249 (1945)] and Margolus-Levitin [Margolus and Levitin, Phys. D 120, 188 (1998)] inequalities for the quantum speed of dynamical evolution. The Margolus-Levitin inequality followed from an upper bound on the rate of change of the statistical distance between two arbitrary pure quantum states. We show that the derivation of this bound is incorrect. Subsequently, we provide two upper bounds on the rate of change of the statistical distance, expressed in terms of the standard deviation of the generator KKK and its expectation value above the ground state. The bounds lead to the Mandelstam-Tamm inequality and a quantum speed limit which is only slightly weaker than the Margolus-Levitin inequality.
The Mandelstam-Tamm and Margolus-Levitin inequalities play an important role in the study of quantum-mechanical processes in nature since they provide general limits on the speed of dynamical evolution. However, to date there has been only one derivation of the Margolus-Levitin inequality. In this paper, alternative geometric derivations for both inequalities are obtained from the statistical distance between quantum states. The inequalities are shown to hold for unitary evolution of pure and mixed states, and a counterexample to the inequalities is given for evolution described by completely positive trace-preserving maps. The counterexample shows that there is no quantum speed limit for nonunitary evolution.
Abstract. Inequalities of Mandelstam-Tamm and Margolus-Levitin type provide lower bounds on the time it takes for a quantum system to evolve from one state into another. Knowledge of such bounds, called quantum speed limits, is of utmost importance in virtually all areas of physics, where determination of the minimum time required for a quantum process is of interest. Most Mandelstam-Tamm and Margolus-Levitin inequalities found in the literature have been derived from growth estimates for the Bures length, which is a statistical distance measure. In this paper we derive such inequalities by differential geometric methods, and we compare the obtained quantum speed limits with those involving the Bures length. We also characterize the Hamiltonians which optimize the evolution time for generic finite-level quantum systems. 1.
Inequalities of Mandelstam–Tamm (MT) and Margolus–Levitin (ML) type provide lower bounds on the time that it takes for a quantum system to evolve from one state into another. Knowledge of such bounds, called quantum speed limits, is of utmost importance in virtually all areas of physics, where determination of the minimum time required for a quantum process is of interest. Most MT and ML inequalities found in the literature have been derived from growth estimates for the Bures length, which is a statistical distance measure. In this paper we derive such inequalities by differential geometric methods, and we compare the quantum speed limits obtained with those involving the Bures length. We also characterize the Hamiltonians which optimize the evolution time for generic finite-level quantum systems.
Quantum speed limits set the maximal pace of state evolution. Two well-known limits exist for a unitary time-independent Hamiltonian: the Mandelstam-Tamm and Margolus-Levitin bounds. The former restricts the rate according to the state energy uncertainty, while the latter depends on the mean energy relative to the ground state. Here we report on an additional bound that exists for states with a bounded energy spectrum. This bound is dual to the Margolus-Levitin one in the sense that it depends on the difference between the state's mean energy and the energy of the highest occupied eigenstate. Each of the three bounds can become the most restrictive one, depending on the spread and mean of the energy, forming three dynamical regimes which are accessible in a multilevel system. The new bound is relevant for quantum information applications, since in most of them, information is stored and manipulated in a Hilbert space with a bounded energy spectrum.
We perform a comprehensive analysis of the set of parameters {ri} that provide the energy distribution of pure qutrits that evolve towards a distinguishable state at a finite time τ, when evolving under an arbitrary and time-independent Hamiltonian. The orthogonality condition is exactly solved, revealing a non-trivial interrelation between τ and the energy spectrum and allowing the classification of {ri} into families organized in a 2-simplex, δ2. Furthermore, the states determined by {ri} are likewise analyzed according to their quantum-speed limit. Namely, we construct a map that distinguishes those ris in δ2 correspondent to states whose orthogonality time is limited by the Mandelstam–Tamm bound from those restricted by the Margolus–Levitin one. Our results offer a complete characterization of the physical quantities that become relevant in both the preparation and study of the dynamics of three-level states evolving towards orthogonality.