Abstract Understanding defect-phonon interactions in solid-state devices is crucial for improving our current knowledge of quantum platforms. In this work, we develop first-principles calculations for a defect composed of two spin- 1 / 2 particles that interact with phonon modes in a one-dimensional lattice. We follow a bottom-up approach that begins with a dipolar magnetic interaction to ultimately derive the spectral density function and time-local master equation that describes the open dynamics of the defect. We provide theoretical and numerical analysis for the non-Markovian (NM) features of the defect-phonon dynamics induced by a pure dephasing channel acting on the Bell basis. Finally, we analyze two measures of NM based on the canonical rates and Coherence, shedding more light on the role of the spectral density function and temperature; and envisioning experimental realizations.
Abstract Understanding defect-phonon interactions in solid-state devices is crucial for improving our current knowledge of quantum platforms. In this work, we develop first-principles calculations for a defect composed of two spin- 1 / 2 particles that interact with phonon modes in a one-dimensional lattice. We follow a bottom-up approach that begins with a dipolar magnetic interaction to ultimately derive the spectral density function and time-local master equation that describes the open dynamics of the defect. We provide theoretical and numerical analysis for the non-Markovian (NM) features of the defect-phonon dynamics induced by a pure dephasing channel acting on the Bell basis. Finally, we analyze two measures of NM based on the canonical rates and Coherence, shedding more light on the role of the spectral density function and temperature; and envisioning experimental realizations.
The electron-phonon interaction is one of the most fundamental mechanisms in condensed matter physics. Phonons can induce memory effects in solid-state platforms when localized electronic states interact with lattice vibrations in non-unitary dynamical maps. In this work, we demonstrate how single-mode and structured phonon environments can give rise to non-Markovian dynamics of an individual negatively charged silicon-vacancy center in diamond. Using trace distance as a quantifier via numerical simulations and theoretical calculations, we identify the physical conditions for emerging and understanding non-Markovian behavior in diverse scenarios. Most importantly, we investigate the influence of magnetic fields (longitudinal and transverse), phonon couplings, Fock states, and temperature to understand how these factors influence memory effects in this solid-state device.
We propose the application of a coherence-based measure for non-Markovianity to study the dynamics of color centers in diamond, where the optical coherence between two orbital states is affected by interactions with a structured phonon bath. Although limited to pure dephasing, we show that this measure is well behaved at arbitrary temperatures and experimentally accessible through Ramsey spectroscopy. By taking realistic phonon spectral density functions into account, we use this quantity to show how non-Markovianity is affected by the presence of both bulk and quasilocalized phonon modes, as relevant for most defects in solids. Importantly, with only a minor modification the measure can be adapted to study the source of non-Markovianity in driven two-level systems and is thus applicable for a large class of systems modeled by the spin-boson Hamiltonian.
Qubit coherence is an essential figure of merit for quantum information processing applications such as quantum computing, or quantum repeaters. Understanding the coherence properties of the underlying physical qubits that facilitate such applications is therefore are often limited by coupling to lattice phonons, which in turn constrains operation temperature. Here we study phonon induced electronic spin decoherence in group-IV vacancy centers in diamond. We begin by modeling the spin-phonon interaction and then employ the widely used Born-Markov approximation, highlighting its inconsistencies in this setting and its deviations from experimental observations. To close the gap between theoretical predictions and experimental results, we relax certain approximations, investigate their contributions to the predicted coherence times, and identify the dominant sources of discrepancy. We further demonstrate that experimentally measured electronic spin coherence dynamics are consistently captured within a non-Markovian framework, and we show how the magnetic field orientation influences the qubit coherence time.
Abstract The electron–phonon interaction is a cornerstone of condensed matter physics, playing a pivotal role in the properties of solid-state systems. When localized electronic states are coupled to lattice vibrations, phonons can induce memory effects. This study explores the non-equilibrium dynamics of a negatively charged silicon-vacancy center in diamond, analyzing the effects of both single phonon mode and structured phonon environment. Using numerical simulations and theoretical analysis, we employ trace distance as a metric to identify and understand memory effects in the transient dynamics and non-Markovian evolution. We systematically investigate the impact of longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields, phonon coupling strengths, Fock states, localized vibrations, and temperature on memory effects in this solid-state system. Our findings provide deeper insights into the interplay between electronic states and phonon environments, offering a comprehensive understanding of the conditions that govern the backflow of information in quantum solid-state devices.
In the first part of this thesis, we investigate the dynamics of open quantum systems coupled in a purely dephasing way to their environment, which is a paradigmatic example of decoherent dynamics. We focus more specifically on the emergence of non-Markovian effects in the dynamics of such open systems. After reviewing different measures of non-Markovianity, we obtain an analytical expression for the reduced density operator of a finite-dimensional open system coupled with its environment through time-dependent purely dephasing interactions. When the system is initially uncorrelated with its environment, we obtain the time-local master equation that describes its dynamics. In this case, we also derive an exact expression for the witness of non-Markovianity based on the volume of accessible states of the open system. These results are then applied to spin systems coupled to either a spin or a bosonic environment. For spin environments, we study non-Markovianity for different ranges of interaction and in different thermodynamical limits. Moreover, the generation of entanglement between the open system and its environment as well as between spins within the open system is investigated. For bosonic environments, we study the effect of the initial state of the environment on non-Markovianity. We also show that time-dependent modulations of the system-environment coupling can dramatically alter the non-Markovian behavior of the open system. Finally, we consider the case of an open quantum system simultaneously coupled to spin and bosonic baths. In that case, we study how the coupling between the different baths and of the presence of initial correlations in the environment affect the non-Markovianity displayed by the open quantum system. The second part of this thesis is a contribution to the investigation of how quantum systems can be used to process information. More precisely, we focus on the implementation of gate-based quantum computing using neutral atoms trapped in optical or magnetic lattices and interacting through dipole-dipole interactions when excited to Rydberg states. In this context, we present protocols implementing two-qubit quantum gates between atoms far apart in the lattice. To this end, we propose to use a chain of non-coding ancilla atoms to transfer the state of the control qubit to an atom near the target qubit. Before discussing entangling gates between distant qubits, we present two protocols that implement state transfer along a chain of two-level atoms relying respectively on single- and two-atom laser pulses combined with dipole blockade. After reviewing protocols implementing CZ and CNOT gates between nearby qubits using dipole-dipole interactions, we show how the state-transfer protocols previously presented can be used to perform entangling gates between distant qubits. The performance of the state-transfer and gate protocols are assessed using the process fidelity. Moreover, we provide a theoretical explanation for the behavior of the process fidelity with respect to dissipation and imperfect blockade.
Abstract We discuss phonon‐induced non‐Markovian and Markovian features in QD‐based quantum nanooptics. We cover lineshapes in linear absorption experiments, phonon‐induced incoherence in the Heitler regime, and memory correlations in two‐photon coherences. To qualitatively and quantitatively understand the underlying physics, we present several theoretical models that capture the non‐Markovian properties of the electron–phonon interaction accurately in different regimes. Examples are the Heisenberg equation of motion approach, the polaron master equation, and Liouville propagator techniques in the independent boson limit and beyond via the path integral method. Phenomenological modeling overestimates typically the dephasing due to the finite memory kernel of phonons and we give instructive examples of phonon‐mediated coherence such as phonon‐dressed anticrossings in Mollow physics, robust quantum state preparation, cavity feeding, and the stabilization of the collapse and revival phenomenon in the strong coupling limit of cavity quantum electrodynamics.