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arXiv:2212.06586 · Physical Review A

PT -symmetric quantum Rabi model

Xilin Lu, Hui Li, Jia-Kai Shi, Li‐Bao Fan, Vladimir V. Mangazeev, Zi-Min Li, Murray T. Batchelor

Published Nov 15, 2023• 18 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In this work, we explore the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric quantum Rabi model, which describes a $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric qubit coupled to a quantized light field. By employing the adiabatic approximation (AA), we are able to solve this model analytically in the parameter regime of interest and analyze various physical aspects. We investigate the static and dynamic properties of the model, using both the AA and numerical diagonalization. Our analysis reveals a multitude of exceptional points (EPs) that are closely connected with the exactly solvable points in the Hermitian counterpart of the model. Intriguingly, these EPs vanish and revive depending on the light-matter coupling strength. Furthermore, we discuss the time evolution of physical observables under the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Rich and exotic behaviors are observed in both strong and ultrastrong coupling regimes. Our work extends the theory of $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry into the full quantum light-matter interaction regime and provides insights that can be readily enlarged to a broad class of quantum optical systems.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.108.053712

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In this work, we explore the PT\mathcal{PT}PT-symmetric quantum Rabi model, which describes a PT\mathcal{PT}PT-symmetric qubit coupled to a quantized light field. By employing the adiabatic approximation (AA), we are able to solve this model analytically in the parameter regime of interest and analyze various physical aspects. We investigate the static and dynamic properties of the model, using both the AA and numerical diagonalization. Our analysis reveals a multitude of exceptional points (EPs) that are closely connected with the exactly solvable points in the Hermitian counterpart of the model. Intriguingly, these EPs vanish and revive depending on the light-matter coupling strength. Furthermore, we discuss the time evolution of physical observables under the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Rich and exotic behaviors are observed in both strong and ultrastrong coupling regimes. Our work extends the theory of PT\mathcal{PT}PT symmetry into the full quantum light-matter interaction regime and provides insights that can be readily enlarged to a broad class of quantum optical systems.
The quantum Rabi model (QRM), describing a two-level system coupled to a quantum harmonic oscillator, is one of the simplest and most ubiquitous interaction models in quantum mechanics. Despite its simplicity, the QRM has found applications in various fields of physics. The most exciting realization of the QRM nowadays is arguably the circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED) system, where an on-chip artificial atom (or a qubit) is coupled to a transmission line or a waveguide. The qubits in circuit QED systems contain a bias term, which breaks the Z_2 symmetry in the QRM. Therefore, the precise model realized in circuit QED systems is referred to as the asymmetric quantum Rabi model (AQRM). This thesis explores theoretical methods to treat the AQRM and develops a complete approach to describe its energy landscape. The hidden symmetry of the AQRM is investigated in detail, and seen to be a rather general phenomenon in light-matter interaction models. The equivalence between the generalised Poschl-Teller potential and the spectrum of the AQRM is also established. Chapter 1 is dedicated to reviewing the analytic solutions and conventional approximations to the QRM/AQRM. Regarding the analytic solutions, the analytic results in terms of the transcendental functions determining the eigenspectrum of the AQRM are collected. Special emphasis is placed on the isolated closed-form exceptional solutions to the AQRM. Due to the lack of simple closed-form expressions for the general eigenvalues, some well-known approximations are considered. In Chapter 2, a generalised adiabatic approximation (GAA) is developed to calculate the eigenvalues of the excited states of the QRM and apply it to the AQRM. The GAA is based on the similarity between the exact exceptional solutions and the Laguerre polynomials. By construction, the GAA always has exact exceptional energy and approximates the regular spectrum with rather good agreement in a large parameter regime. Furthermore, the GAA is applied to the AQRM and shown to correctly recover the conical intersections in the energy landscape. The geometric phases around these conical intersections are calculated analytically as an illustrative example. In Chapter 3, a physically motivated variational wave function is presented for the ground state of the AQRM. The wave function is a weighted superposition of squeezed coherent states entangled with non-orthogonal qubit states and relies only on three variational parameters in the regimes of interest. The variational expansion describes the ground state remarkably well in almost all parameter regimes, especially with arbitrary bias. The results show that the variational expansion is a significant improvement over the existing approximations for the AQRM. In Chapter 4, the hidden symmetry and tunnelling dynamics in the AQRM and several related models are analysed in detail. The AQRM has a broken Z_2 symmetry, with generally a non-degenerate eigenvalue spectrum. In some special cases of the related models, stable level crossings typical of the Z_2-symmetric quantum Rabi model are recovered. It is thus shown that this hidden symmetry is not limited to the AQRM, but exists in various related light-matter interaction models. In Chapter 5, starting with the Gaudin-like Bethe ansatz equations associated with the quasi-exactly solved (QES) exceptional points of the AQRM, a spectral equivalence is established with QES hyperbolic Schrodinger potentials. This leads to particular QES Poschl-Teller potentials. The complete spectral equivalence is then established between the AQRM and generalised Poschl-Teller potentials. Conclusions and future directions are presented in the final Chapter 6.
The PT -symmetric semiclassical Rabi model explores the fundamental interaction between a two-level atom and a classical field, revealing novel phenomena in open systems through the inclusion of non-Hermitian terms. We propose a single similarity transformation that yields an effective Hamiltonian in rotating-wave approximation, enabling an analytical solution. The phase boundary of the PT -broken phase, derived from the analytical eigenvalues, closely matches the numerically exact one over a wide range of atomic frequencies, demonstrating the effectiveness of the analytical approach, especially at the main resonance. The Floquet parity operator is also introduced, providing a deeper physical understanding of the emergence of the PT -broken phase. Furthermore, by analyzing the dynamics of excited-state population, we observe several stable oscillations in the Fourier spectrum, demonstrating the applicability of the analytical method beyond the single-photon resonance region. The Bloch-Siegert shift is also discussed, and surprisingly, resembles its Hermitian counterpart, except for the higher-order terms in the coupling strength. The present analytical treatment provides a concise and accurate description of the main physics of this non-Hermitian atom-field interaction system.
PTPT\mathcal {PT}PT‐Symmetric Quantum Rabi Model: Solutions and Exceptional Points
Abstract The ‐symmetric non‐Hermitian quantum Rabi model (QRM) with imaginary coupling is solved using the Bogoliubov operators approach. A transcendental function responsible for the exact solutions is derived, with its zeros yielding the regular spectrum. Two types of intersections: the exceptional points (EPs), which are well‐studied in the non‐Hermitian system; and another arising from doubly degenerate states due to the conserved QRM parity, which is well‐known in the Hermitian QRM, are found. These intersections are identified through this transcendental function. EPs emerge between pairs of adjacent excited energy levels, shifting toward lower coupling strengths as energy levels increase, and can also be predicted by a generalized rotating‐wave approximation approach. The fidelity susceptibility diverges to negative infinity at the EPs, consistent with recent findings in non‐Hermitian systems, while it diverges to positive infinity at the doubly degenerate points. The EPs are further confirmed by the vanishing c‐product in the biorthogonal basis.
The interplay of three light-matter interaction processes, i.e., rotating and counterrotating interactions and two-photon relaxation of the light field, is a topic of interest in quantum optics and quantum information processing. In this work we investigate theoretically the three light-matter interaction processes using the anisotropic Rabi model, which accounts for different strengths of rotating and counterrotating interactions and the unique occurrence of photon escape exclusively in pairs. By numerically solving the Lindblad master equation, we analyze the excitation-relaxation dynamics and derive a non-Hermitian effective Hamiltonian to gain further physical insights. To explore the individual effects of these interactions, we examine three analytically tractable limits of the effective Hamiltonian. Our analysis reveals that the three competitive light-matter interaction processes exhibit sensitivity to parity, leading to intriguing phenomena in both transient and steady states. Particularly interesting dynamical patterns resembling quantum phase transitions emerge when these three interaction terms compete. This work deepens the understanding of ultrastrong light-matter interaction in open quantum systems and offers valuable insights into cavity-based quantum computations.
We revisit the analytic solution of the two-qubit quantum Rabi model with inhomogeneous coupling and transition frequencies using a displaced oscillator basis. This approach enables us to apply the same truncation rules and techniques adopted in the Rabi model to the two qubits system. The derived analytical spectra match perfectly with the numerical solutions in the parameter regime where the qubits’ transition frequencies are far off-resonance with the field frequency and the interaction strengths reach the ultrastrong coupling regime. We further explore the dynamical behavior of the two qubits as well as the evolution of entanglement. The analytical methods provide unexpectedly accurate results in describing the dynamics of the two qubits in the present experimentally accessible coupling regime. The time evolutions of the probability for the qubits show that the collapse-revival phenomena emerge, survive and finally disappear when one coupling strength increases from weak to strong coupling regimes and the other coupling strength is well into the ultrastrong coupling regime. The inhomogeneous coupling system exhibits new dynamics, which are different from the homogeneous coupling case.
The quantum Rabi model is in the scientific spotlight due to the recent theoretical and experimental progress. Nevertheless, a full-fledged classification of its coupling regimes remains as a relevant open question. We propose a spectral classification dividing the coupling regimes into three regions based on the validity of perturbative criteria on the quantum Rabi model, which allows us the use of exactly solvable effective Hamiltonians. These coupling regimes are (i) the perturbative ultrastrong coupling regime which comprises the Jaynes-Cummings model, (ii) a region where nonperturbative ultrastrong and nonperturbative deep strong coupling regimes coexist, and (iii) the perturbative deep strong coupling regime. We show that this spectral classification depends not only on the ratio between the coupling strength and the natural frequencies of the unperturbed parts, but also on the energy to which the system can access. These regimes additionally discriminate the completely different behaviors of several static physical properties, namely the total number of excitations, the photon statistics of the field, and the cavity-qubit entanglement. Finally, we explain the dynamical properties which are traditionally associated with the deep strong coupling regime, such as the collapses and revivals of the state population, in the frame of the proposed spectral classification.