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arXiv:2209.11667 · Physical Review A

Mixedness timescale in non-Hermitian quantum systems

Diego Paiva Pires, Tommaso Macrì

Published Feb 3, 2023• 3 citations
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Abstract

We discuss the short-time perturbative expansion of the linear entropy for finite-dimensional quantum systems whose dynamics can be effectively described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. We derive a timescale for the degree of mixedness for an input state undergoing non-Hermitian dynamics and specialize these results in the case of a driven-dissipative two-level system. Next, we derive a timescale for the growth of mixedness for bipartite quantum systems that depends on the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. In the Hermitian limit, this result recovers the perturbative expansion for coherence loss in Hermitian systems, while it provides an entanglement timescale for initial pure and uncorrelated states. To illustrate these findings, we consider the many-body transverse-field XY Hamiltonian coupled to an imaginary all-to-all Ising model. We find that the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian enhances the short-time dynamics of the linear entropy for the considered input states. Overall, each timescale depends on minimal ingredients such as the probe state and the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian of the system, and its evaluation requires low computational cost. Our results find applications to non-Hermitian quantum sensing, quantum thermodynamics of non-Hermitian systems, and $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric quantum field theory.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.107.022202

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We discuss the short-time perturbative expansion of the linear entropy for finite-dimensional quantum systems whose dynamics can be effectively described by a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. We derive a timescale for the degree of mixedness for an input state undergoing non-Hermitian dynamics and specialize these results in the case of a driven-dissipative two-level system. Next, we derive a timescale for the growth of mixedness for bipartite quantum systems that depends on the effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. In the Hermitian limit, this result recovers the perturbative expansion for coherence loss in Hermitian systems, while it provides an entanglement timescale for initial pure and uncorrelated states. To illustrate these findings, we consider the many-body transverse-field XY Hamiltonian coupled to an imaginary all-to-all Ising model. We find that the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian enhances the short-time dynamics of the linear entropy for the considered input states. Overall, each timescale depends on minimal ingredients such as the probe state and the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian of the system, and its evaluation requires low computational cost. Our results find applications to non-Hermitian quantum sensing, quantum thermodynamics of non-Hermitian systems, and PT\mathcal{PT}PT-symmetric quantum field theory.
The conventional time-dependent perturbation theory in quantum mechanics is established within the framework of Hermitian Hamiltonians, applicable for describing quantum transitions and associated energy level responses in such systems. However, this theory has fundamental limitations when applied to non-Hermitian systems. Consequently, researchers have systematically extended time-dependent perturbation theory to non-Hermitian systems, establishing a corresponding mature framework. Building on this foundation, this study extends the theory to investigate the transition dynamics induced by non-Hermitian interactions in non-Hermitian Hamiltonian systems. We employ a biorthogonal basis representation for a three-level non-Hermitian system. This work investigates a system comprising an unperturbed static non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and a periodically driven time-dependent perturbation Hamiltonian. Taking the three-level system as a concrete example, we combine analytical methods with numerical simulations to solve and analyze its dynamical evolution equations. These complementary approaches reveal that when system parameters complete a full cycle around an exceptional point, the transitional behavior exhibits specific evolutionary patterns. In this system, quantum transition probabilities exhibit significant asymmetry and non-conservation that depend on the initial and final states, revealing inherent directional characteristics in the dynamical process. Furthermore, for a three-level, periodically driven non-Hermitian system with time-dependent perturbations, this asymmetry is even more pronounced, manifesting as a distinct disparity between forward and reverse transition probabilities. The periodic driving actively amplifies the asymmetry in the transition process. By designing the perturbation spectrum, selective manipulation of specific quantum states can be achieved. Moreover, transition probabilities can be significantly enhanced under resonance conditions, while non-Hermiticity further breaks the system's inherent symmetry, leading to substantial amplification of transitions in a single direction. By precisely tuning the drive frequency, interactions between specific coupling channels can be selectively enhanced or suppressed. The amplification of channel asymmetry by non-Hermitian properties provides a novel mechanism for directional control of quantum states and opens new pathways for realizing related quantum technologies.
We consider the description of open quantum systems with probability sinks (or sources) in terms of general non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. Within such a framework, we study novel possible definitions of the quantum linear entropy as an indicator of the flow of information during the dynamics. Such linear entropy functionals are necessary in the case of a partially Wigner-transformed non-Hermitian Hamiltonian (which is typically useful within a mixed quantum-classical representation). Both the case of a system represented by a pure non-Hermitian Hamiltonian as well as that of the case of non-Hermitian dynamics in a classical bath are explicitly considered.
We study an entanglement phase transition in a class of chaotic non-Hermitian spin chains whose spin-spin coupling terms commute with the non-Hermitian contributions. Two representative models are investigated: the transverse-field Ising model with a complex longitudinal field and the non-Hermitian XX model with a transverse field. By analyzing their complex spectra, we find that both models undergo a dissipation-induced gapless-gapped phase transition when the transverse field exceeds a model-dependent threshold. Interestingly, the complex gap does not vary monotonically with the dissipation rate; instead, it exhibits pronounced oscillations before entering the gapped phase. By simulating their non-unitary dynamics, we show that the steady-state entanglement entropy undergoes a transition from volume-law to area-law scaling as the dissipation rate increases. Moreover, several unexpected features emerge within the volume-law regime: a larger complex gap or dissipation rate may lead to a more entangled steady state. We trace these unusual behaviors of the complex gap and the steady-state entanglement to level crossings between the maximal imaginary level and other spectral levels. Our work uncovers an exotic entanglement transition in chaotic non-Hermitian many-body systems.
Understanding the interplay between quantum coherence and non-Hermitian features would enable the devising of quantum technologies based on dissipative systems. In turn, quantum coherence can be characterized in terms of the language of multiple quantum coherences (MQCs) originally developed in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), nowadays applied to the detection of quantum chaos and to the study of criticality in many-body quantum systems. Here, we show the usefulness of MQCs for probing equilibrium phase transitions in non-Hermitian systems. To do so, we investigate the connection of quantum coherences and critical points for several paradigmatic non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. For a non-Hermitian two-level system, MQCs witness the parity-symmetry-breaking phase transition from the unbroken to the broken phase. Furthermore, for the non-Hermitian transverse field Ising model, MQCs capture the Yang-Lee phase transition in which the ground state energy acquires a nonzero imaginary component. For the disordered Hatano-Nelson (HN) model with periodic boundary conditions, MQCs testify the emergence of mobility edges in the spectrum of this model. In addition, MQCs signal the topological phase transition exhibited by the complex energy spectra of the disorder-free HN model. Finally, we comment on experimentally probing phase transitions in NMR systems, realizing non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. Our results have applications to non-Hermitian quantum sensing, quantum thermodynamics, and in the study of the non-Hermitian skin effect.
Abstract. We study the quantum entropy of systems that are described by general non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, including those which can model the effects of sinks or sources. We generalize the von Neumann entropy to the non-Hermitian case and find that one needs both the normalized and non-normalized density operators in order to properly describe irreversible processes. It turns out that such a generalization monitors the onset of disorder in quantum dissipative systems. We give arguments for why one can consider the generalized entropy as the informational entropy describing the flow of information between the system and the bath. We illustrate the theory by explicitly studying few simple models, including tunneling systems with two energy levels and non-Hermitian detuning.
We consider a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian in order to effectively describe a two-level system (TLS) coupled to a generic dissipative environment. The total Hamiltonian of the model is obtained by adding a general anti-Hermitian part, depending on four parameters, to the Hermitian Hamiltonian of a tunneling TLS. The time evolution is formulated and derived in terms of the normalized density operator of the model, different types of decays are revealed and analyzed. In particular, the population difference and coherence are defined and calculated analytically. We have been able to mimic various physical situations with different properties, such as dephasing, vanishing population difference and purification.