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arXiv:1511.03412 · Physical Review A

Nuclear spin squeezing via electric quadrupole interaction

Yağmur Aksu Korkmaz, Ceyhun Bulutay

Published Jan 11, 2016• 11 citations

Abstract

Control over nuclear-spin fluctuations is essential for processes that rely on preserving the quantum state of an embedded system. For this purpose, squeezing is a viable alternative, so far that has not been properly exploited for the nuclear spins. Of particular relevance in solids is the electric quadrupole interaction (QI), which operates on nuclei having spin higher than 1/2. In its general form, QI involves an electric-field gradient (EFG) biaxiality term. Here, we show that as this EFG biaxiality increases, it enables continuous tuning of single-particle squeezing from the one-axis twisting to the two-axis countertwisting limits. A detailed analysis of QI squeezing is provided, exhibiting the intricate consequences of EFG biaxiality. The initial states over the Bloch sphere are mapped out to identify those favorable for fast initial squeezing, or for prolonged squeezings. Furthermore, the evolution of squeezing in the presence of a phase-damping channel and an external magnetic field are investigated. We observe that dephasing drives toward an antisqueezed terminal state, the degree of which increases with the spin angular momentum. Finally, QI squeezing in the limiting case of a two-dimensional EFG with a perpendicular magnetic field is discussed, which is of importance for two-dimensional materials, and the associated beat patterns in squeezing are revealed.

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.93.013812

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Control over nuclear-spin fluctuations is essential for processes that rely on preserving the quantum state of an embedded system. For this purpose, squeezing is a viable alternative, so far that has not been properly exploited for the nuclear spins. Of particular relevance in solids is the electric quadrupole interaction (QI), which operates on nuclei having spin higher than 1/2. In its general form, QI involves an electric-field gradient (EFG) biaxiality term. Here, we show that as this EFG biaxiality increases, it enables continuous tuning of single-particle squeezing from the one-axis twisting to the two-axis countertwisting limits. A detailed analysis of QI squeezing is provided, exhibiting the intricate consequences of EFG biaxiality. The initial states over the Bloch sphere are mapped out to identify those favorable for fast initial squeezing, or for prolonged squeezings. Furthermore, the evolution of squeezing in the presence of a phase-damping channel and an external magnetic field are investigated. We observe that dephasing drives toward an antisqueezed terminal state, the degree of which increases with the spin angular momentum. Finally, QI squeezing in the limiting case of a two-dimensional EFG with a perpendicular magnetic field is discussed, which is of importance for two-dimensional materials, and the associated beat patterns in squeezing are revealed.

Spin cat states are superpositions of two or more coherent spin states (CSSs) that are distinctly separated over the Bloch sphere. Additionally, the nuclei with angular momenta greater than 1/2 possess a quadrupolar charge distribution. At the intersection of these two phenomena, we devise a simple scheme for generating various types of nuclear-spin cat states. The native biaxial electric quadrupole interaction that is readily available in strained solid-state systems plays a key role here. However, the fact that built-in strain cannot be switched off poses a challenge for the stabilization of target cat states once they are prepared. We remedy this by abruptly diverting via a single rotation pulse the state evolution to the neighborhood of the fixed points of the underlying classical Hamiltonian flow. Optimal process parameters are obtained as a function of electric field gradient biaxiality and nuclear-spin angular momentum. The overall procedure is seen to be robust under 5% deviations from optimal values. We show that higher-level cat states with four superposed CSS can also be formed using three rotation pulses. Finally, for open systems subject to decoherence we extract the scaling of cat-state fidelity damping with respect to the spin quantum number. This reveals rates greater than the dephasing of individual CSSs. Yet, our results affirm that these cat states can preserve their fidelities for practically useful durations under the currently attainable decoherence levels.

This study investigates spin squeezed states in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quadrupolar systems with spins

I=3/2

and

I=7/2

at room temperature, taking into account the effects of relaxation on the dynamics. The origin of spin squeezing is attributed to the interaction between the nuclear quadrupole moment and the electric field gradients in the molecular environment. The formal description of the nonlinear operators responsible for spin squeezing is achieved using the spin angular momentum representation via the one-axis twisting mechanism. This approach provides a framework for quantum control and metrology over the spin squeezing process while accounting for the influence of relaxation phenomena. Non-Cartesian angular momentum operators are proposed, with their variances products catching the quantum effects during the dynamics. An upper bound for the squeezing parameter and the Heisenberg uncertainty at thermal equilibrium are also predicted for any spin quantum number.

We have produced and characterized spin-squeezed states at a temperature of 26 °C in a nuclear magnetic resonance quadrupolar system. The experiment was carried out on 133Cs nuclei of spin I=7/2 in a sample of lyotropic liquid crystal. The source of spin squeezing was identified as the interaction between the quadrupole moment of the nuclei and the electric field gradients present within the molecules. We use the spin angular momentum representation to describe formally the nonlinear operators that produce the spin squeezing on a Hilbert space of dimension 2I+1=8. The quantitative and qualitative characterization of this spin-squeezing phenomenon is expressed by a squeezing parameter and squeezing angle developed for the two-mode Bose-Einstein condensate system, as well as by the Wigner quasiprobability distribution function. The generality of the present experimental scheme points to potential applications in solid-state physics.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments can reveal local properties in materials, but are often limited by the low signal-to-noise ratio.Spin squeezed states have an improved resolution below the Heisenberg limit in one of the spin components, and have been extensively used to improve the sensitivity of atomic clocks, for example [1].Interacting and entangled spin ensembles with non-linear coupling are a natural candidate for implementing squeezing.Here, we propose measurement of the spin-squeezing parameter that itself can act as a local probe of emergent orders in quantum materials.In particular, we demonstrate how to investigate an anisotropic electric field gradient via its coupling to the nuclear quadrupole moment.While squeezed spin states are pure, the squeezing parameter can be estimated for both pure and mixed states.We evaluate the range of fields and temperatures for which a thermal-equilibrium state is sufficient to improve the resolution in an NMR experiment and probe relevant parameters of the quadrupole Hamiltonian, including its anisotropy.

We present a detailed analysis of spin squeezing of the one-axis twisting model with a many-body phase dephasing, which is induced by external field fluctuation in a two-mode Bose-Einstein condensates. Even in the presence of the dephasing, our analytical results show that the optimal initial state corresponds to a coherent spin state

|\theta_{0}, \phi_0\rangle

with the polar angle

\theta_0=\pi/2

. If the dephasing rate

\gamma\ll S^{-1/3}

, where

S

is total atomic spin, we find that the smallest value of squeezing parameter (i.e., the strongest squeezing) obeys the same scaling with the ideal one-axis twisting case, namely

\xi^2\propto S^{-2/3}

. While for a moderate dephasing, the achievable squeezing obeys the power rule

S^{-2/5}

, which is slightly worse than the ideal case. When the dephasing rate

\gamma>S^{1/2}

, we show that the squeezing is weak and neglectable.