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arXiv:2407.02617 · The Journal of Chemical Physics

Open quantum dynamics with variational non-Gaussian states and the truncated Wigner approximation

Liam J. Bond, Bas Gerritsen, Jiří Minář, Jeremy T. Young, Johannes Schachenmayer, Arghavan Safavi-Naini

Published Nov 12, 2024• 8 citations
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Abstract

We present a framework for simulating the open dynamics of spin-boson systems by combining variational non-Gaussian states with a quantum trajectories approach. We apply this method to a generic spin-boson Hamiltonian that has both Tavis-Cummings and Holstein type couplings and which has broad applications to a variety of quantum simulation platforms, polaritonic physics, and quantum chemistry. Additionally, we discuss how the recently developed truncated Wigner approximation for open quantum systems can be applied to the same Hamiltonian. We benchmark the performance of both methods and identify the regimes where each method is best suited. Finally, we discuss strategies to improve each technique.

DOI
10.1063/5.0226268

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We present a framework for simulating the open dynamics of spin-boson systems by combining variational non-Gaussian states with a quantum trajectories approach. We apply this method to a generic spin-boson Hamiltonian that has both Tavis-Cummings and Holstein type couplings and which has broad applications to a variety of quantum simulation platforms, polaritonic physics, and quantum chemistry. Additionally, we discuss how the recently developed truncated Wigner approximation for open quantum systems can be applied to the same Hamiltonian. We benchmark the performance of both methods and identify the regimes where each method is best suited. Finally, we discuss strategies to improve each technique.
We construct a class of variational methods for the study of open quantum systems based on Gaussian ansatzes for the quantum trajectory formalism. Gaussianity in the conjugate position and momentum quadratures is distinguished from Gaussianity in density and phase. We apply these methods to a driven-dissipative Kerr cavity where we study dephasing and the stationary states throughout the bistability regime. Computational cost proves to be similar to the Truncated Wigner Approximation (TWA) method, with at most quadratic scaling in system size. Meanwhile, strong correspondence with the numerically-exact trajectory description is maintained so that these methods contain more information on the ensemble constitution than TWA and can be more robust.
We apply a hybrid variational framework to interacting spin-boson Hamiltonians, targeting regimes where simulations are limited by the unbounded bosonic Hilbert space and strong many-body correlations. The bosonic sector and spin-boson correlations are captured within a compact non-Gaussian variational manifold, while the minimized spin sector is obtained as the solution to an effective spin Hamiltonian. Minimization is carried out inside a self-consistent energy-minimization loop, where variational parameters are minimized and the effective Hamiltonian is solved via DMRG. The results are obtained without eliminating or truncating the photonic field. We benchmark the method on the Dicke and Dicke-Ising models by comparison to converged spin-boson DMRG, finding accurate ground-state solutions with reduced bond dimension.
Phase-space approaches such as the truncated Wigner approximation (TWA) provide an efficient semiclassical framework for performing approximate simulations of the dynamics of open quantum many-body systems outside the reach of exact numerical methods but beyond the mean-field level. For bosonic systems, TWA is known to be equivalent to a Keldysh path-integral formulation truncated at second order in the so-called quantum fluctuations. This semiclassical approach provides an alternative transparent route towards approximate stochastic equations of motion, which can be efficiently solved. Here we establish the corresponding path-integral formulation for interacting open spin-1/21/21/2 systems using the continuous SU(2)\mathrm{SU}(2)SU(2) phase space. We show, in particular, that a consistent treatment of dissipation requires correctly mapping operator products onto the curved spin phase space, leading to stochastic equations that coincide with those obtained from the continuous TWA formulation and thus reproduce the exact dynamics of a single dissipative spin. Our results provide a unified field-theoretic foundation for the TWA to dissipative spin dynamics and offer a systematic starting point for extensions beyond the semiclassical approximation.
We describe an efficient numerical method for simulating the dynamics and steady states of collective spin systems in the presence of dephasing and decay. The method is based on the Schwinger boson representation of spin operators and uses an extension of the truncated Wigner approximation to map the exact open system dynamics onto stochastic differential equations for the corresponding phase space distribution. This approach is most effective in the limit of very large spin quantum numbers, where exact numerical simulations and other approximation methods are no longer applicable. We benchmark this numerical technique for known superradiant decay and spin-squeezing processes and illustrate its application for the simulation of non-equilibrium phase transitions in dissipative spin lattice models.
An accurate description of the nonequilibrium dynamics of systems with coupled spin and bosonic degrees of freedom remains theoretically challenging, especially for large system sizes and in higher than one dimension. Phase-space methods such as the truncated Wigner approximation (TWA) have the advantage of being easily scalable and applicable to arbitrary dimensions. In this work we adapt the TWA to generic spin-boson models by making use of recently developed algorithms for discrete phase spaces [J. Schachenmayer, A. Pikovski, and A. M. Rey, Phys. Rev. X 5, 011022 (2015)]. Furthermore we go beyond the standard TWA approximation by applying a scheme based on the Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy of equations to our coupled spin-boson model. This allows us, in principle, to study how systematically adding higher-order corrections improves the convergence of the method. To test various levels of approximation we study an exactly solvable spin-boson model, which is particularly relevant for trapped-ion arrays. Using TWA and its BBGKY extension we accurately reproduce the time evolution of a number of one- and two-point correlation functions in several dimensions and for an arbitrary number of bosonic modes.
We describe an efficient numerical method for simulating the dynamics and steady states of collective spin systems in the presence of dephasing and decay. The method is based on the Schwinger boson representation of spin operators and uses an extension of the truncated Wigner approximation to map the exact open system dynamics onto stochastic differential equations for the corresponding phase space distribution. This approach is most effective in the limit of very large spin quantum numbers, where exact numerical simulations and other approximation methods are no longer applicable. We benchmark this numerical technique for known superradiant decay and spin-squeezing processes and illustrate its application for the simulation of non-equilibrium phase transitions in dissipative spin lattice models.