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arXiv:1803.04712 · Science Advances

Probing measurement-induced effects in quantum walks via recurrence

Thomas Nitsche, Sonja Barkhofen, Regina Kruse, Linda Sansoni, M. Štefaňák, A. Gábris, Václav Potoček, T. Kiss, Igor Jex, Christine Silberhorn

Published Jun 1, 2018• 48 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Measurements on a quantum particle unavoidably affect its state, since the otherwise unitary evolution of the system is interrupted by a nonunitary projection operation. To probe measurement-induced effects in the state dynamics using a quantum simulator, the challenge is to implement controlled measurements on a small subspace of the system and continue the evolution from the complementary subspace. A powerful platform for versatile quantum evolution is represented by photonic quantum walks because of their high control over all relevant parameters. However, measurement-induced dynamics in such a platform have not yet been realized. We implement controlled measurements in a discrete-time quantum walk based on time-multiplexing. This is achieved by adding a deterministic outcoupling of the optical signal to include measurements constrained to specific positions resulting in the projection of the walker's state on the remaining ones. With this platform and coherent input light, we experimentally simulate measurement-induced single-particle quantum dynamics. We demonstrate the difference between dynamics with only a single measurement at the final step and those including measurements during the evolution. To this aim, we study recurrence as a figure of merit, that is, the return probability to the walker's starting position, which is measured in the two cases. We track the development of the return probability over 36 time steps and observe the onset of both recurrent and transient evolution as an effect of the different measurement schemes, a signature which only emerges for quantum systems. Our simulation of the observed one-particle conditional quantum dynamics does not require a genuine quantum particle but is demonstrated with coherent light.

DOI
10.1126/sciadv.aar6444

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Measurements on a quantum particle unavoidably affect its state, since the otherwise unitary evolution of the system is interrupted by a nonunitary projection operation. To probe measurement-induced effects in the state dynamics using a quantum simulator, the challenge is to implement controlled measurements on a small subspace of the system and continue the evolution from the complementary subspace. A powerful platform for versatile quantum evolution is represented by photonic quantum walks because of their high control over all relevant parameters. However, measurement-induced dynamics in such a platform have not yet been realized. We implement controlled measurements in a discrete-time quantum walk based on time-multiplexing. This is achieved by adding a deterministic outcoupling of the optical signal to include measurements constrained to specific positions resulting in the projection of the walker's state on the remaining ones. With this platform and coherent input light, we experimentally simulate measurement-induced single-particle quantum dynamics. We demonstrate the difference between dynamics with only a single measurement at the final step and those including measurements during the evolution. To this aim, we study recurrence as a figure of merit, that is, the return probability to the walker's starting position, which is measured in the two cases. We track the development of the return probability over 36 time steps and observe the onset of both recurrent and transient evolution as an effect of the different measurement schemes, a signature which only emerges for quantum systems. Our simulation of the observed one-particle conditional quantum dynamics does not require a genuine quantum particle but is demonstrated with coherent light.
The measurement process plays a crucial role in quantum mechanics as it interrupts the unitary evolution of a state. The consequences are apparent when investigating the return probability (Polya-number) of a particle in a Hadamard walk on the line [1,2]: Depending on whether the evolution is restarted or continued after the measurement, either a transient or a recurrent evolution can be observed. We investigate both cases experimentally for the first time by introducing sinks in a time-multiplexed quantum walk setup using a fast-switching electro-optic modulator (EOM). Monitoring the evolution of the walker over 39 steps reveals the fundamental differences of the two cases as predicted by theory: In the restart-regime, the Polya-number will gradually approach unity. In contrast, the continue-regime yields an asymptotic value of the Polya-number of 2/π, which is reached in good approximation after only four steps and then remains almost constant.
Recurrence is an interesting property that describes whether the walker will eventually return to the origin on infinite lattices in classical random walks. Since measurement collapse affects the wave function of the walker, in the quantum case, there are two schemes for studying recurrence properties in quantum walks (QWs) depending on how the measurement process is described. One involves restarting after measurements, known as unmonitored measurements, while the other entails monitoring after each step, referred to as monitored measurements. In this paper, we utilize the dependence of recurrence probabilities on the coin parameter to construct biased-coin QWs on a line and investigate the recurrence properties of both schemes. Based on the bulk-optics framework and using a single-photon source, we experimentally demonstrate the distinct recurrence behaviors resulting from the different evolution processes of the walker in the two schemes. This work showcases diverse recurrence properties in single-particle QW systems, thereby enhancing our understanding of measurement-induced recurrence.
The measurement process plays a crucial role in quantum mechanics as it interrupts the unitary evolution of a state. The consequences are apparent when investigating the return probability (Polya-number) of a particle in a Hadamard walk on the line [1, 2]: Depending on whether the evolution is restarted or continued after the measurement, either a transient or a recurrent evolution can be observed. We investigate both cases experimentally for the first time and monitor the evolution of the walker over 39 steps, revealing the fundamental differences of the two cases as predicted by theory: In the restart-regime, the Polya-number will gradually approach 1. In contrast, the continue-regime yields an asymptotic value of 2/π.
We make and generalize the observation that summing of probability amplitudes of a discrete-time quantum walk over partitions of the walking graph consistent with the step operator results in a unitary evolution on the reduced graph which is also a quantum walk. Since the effective walking graph of the projected walk is not necessarily simpler than the original, this may bring new insights into the dynamics of some kinds of quantum walks using known results from thoroughly studied cases like Euclidean lattices. We use abstract treatment of the walking space and walker displacements in aim for a generality of the presented statements. Using this approach we also identify some pathological cases in which the projection mapping breaks down. For walks on lattices, the operation typically results in quantum walks with hyper-dimensional coin spaces. Such walks can, conversely, be viewed as projections of walks on inaccessible, larger spaces, and their properties can be inferred from the parental walk. We show that this is is the case for a lazy quantum walk, a walk with large coherent jumps and a walk on a circle with a twisted boundary condition. We also discuss the relation of this theory to the time-multiplexing optical implementations of quantum walks. Moreover, this manifestly irreversible operation can, in some cases and with a minor adjustment, be undone, and a quantum walk can be reconstructed from a set of its projections.
Abstract In real photonic quantum systems losses are an unavoidable factor limiting the scalability to many modes and particles, restraining their application in fields as quantum information and communication. For this reason, a considerable amount of engineering effort has been taken in order to improve the quality of particle sources and system components. At the same time, data analysis and collection methods based on post-selection have been used to mitigate the effect of particle losses. This has allowed for investigating experimentally multi-particle evolutions where the observer lacks knowledge about the system's intermediate propagation states. Nonetheless, the fundamental question how losses affect the behaviour of the surviving subset of a multi-particle system has not been investigated so far. For this reason, here we study the impact of particle losses in a quantum walk of two photons reconstructing the output probability distributions for one photon conditioned on the loss of the other in a known mode and temporal step of our evolution network. We present the underlying theoretical scheme that we have devised in order to model controlled particle losses, we describe an experimental platform capable of implementing our theory in a time multiplexing encoding. In the end we show how localized particle losses change the output distributions without altering their asymptotic spreading properties. Finally we devise a quantum civilization problem, a two walker generalisation of single particle recurrence processes.
Signaled by nonanalyticities in the time evolution of physical observables, dynamic quantum phase transitions (DQPTs) emerge in quench dynamics of topological systems and possess an interesting geometric origin captured by dynamic topological order parameters (DTOPs). In this Letter, we report the experimental study of DQPTs using discrete-time quantum walks of single photons. We simulate quench dynamics between distinct Floquet topological phases using quantum-walk dynamics and experimentally characterize DQPTs and the underlying DTOPs through interference-based measurements. The versatile photonic quantum-walk platform further allows us to experimentally investigate DQPTs for mixed states and in parity-time-symmetric nonunitary dynamics for the first time. Our experiment directly confirms the relation between DQPTs and DTOPs in quench dynamics of topological systems and opens up the avenue of simulating emergent topological phenomena using discrete-time quantum-walk dynamics.