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arXiv:2411.19254 · The European Physical Journal C

Maximal steered coherence in accelerating Unruh–DeWitt detectors

Huangshuai Li, Yi-Hao Fan, Shu-Ting Shen, Xiaojing Yan, Xi‐Yun Li, Wei Zhong, Yu‐Bo Sheng, Lan Zhou, Ming‐Ming Du

Published Dec 2, 2024• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Quantum coherence, a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics, plays a crucial role in various quantum information tasks. However, preserving coherence under extreme conditions, such as relativistic acceleration, poses significant challenges. In this paper, we investigate the influence of Unruh temperature and energy levels on the evolution of maximal steered coherence (MSC) for different initial states. Our results reveal that MSC is strongly dependent on Unruh temperature, exhibiting behaviors ranging from monotonic decline to non-monotonic recovery, depending on the initial state parameter $$\Delta _0$$ Δ 0 . Notably, when $$\Delta _0=1$$ Δ 0 = 1 , MSC is generated as Unruh temperature increases. Additionally, we observe that higher energy levels help preserve or enhance MSC in the presence of Unruh effects. These findings offer valuable insights into the intricate relationship between relativistic effects and quantum coherence, with potential applications in developing robust quantum technologies for non-inertial environments.

DOI
10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-13629-1

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Abstract Quantum coherence, a fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics, plays a crucial role in various quantum information tasks. However, preserving coherence under extreme conditions, such as relativistic acceleration, poses significant challenges. In this paper, we investigate the influence of Unruh temperature and energy levels on the evolution of maximal steered coherence (MSC) for different initial states. Our results reveal that MSC is strongly dependent on Unruh temperature, exhibiting behaviors ranging from monotonic decline to non-monotonic recovery, depending on the initial state parameter Δ0\Delta _0Δ0​ Δ 0 . Notably, when Δ0=1\Delta _0=1Δ0​=1 Δ 0 = 1 , MSC is generated as Unruh temperature increases. Additionally, we observe that higher energy levels help preserve or enhance MSC in the presence of Unruh effects. These findings offer valuable insights into the intricate relationship between relativistic effects and quantum coherence, with potential applications in developing robust quantum technologies for non-inertial environments.
Abstract In the past two decades, the exploration of quantumness within Schwarzschild spacetime has garnered significant interest, particularly regarding the Hawking radiation’s impact on quantum correlations and quantum coherence. Building on this foundation, we investigate how Hawking radiation influences maximal steered coherence (MSC)-a crucial measure for gauging the ability to generate coherence through steering. We find that as the Hawking temperature increases, the physically accessible MSC degrade while the unaccessible MSC increase. This observation is attributed to a redistribution of the initial quantum correlations, previously acknowledged by inertial observers, across all bipartite modes. In particular, we find that in limit case that the Hawking temperature tends to infinity, the accessible MSC equals to 1/21/\sqrt{2}1/2​ 1 / 2 of its initial value, and the unaccessible MSC between mode A and B‾\overline{B}B B ¯ also equals to the same value. Our findings illuminate the intricate dynamics of quantum information in the vicinity of black holes, suggesting that Hawking radiation plays a pivotal role in reshaping the landscape of quantum coherence and entanglement in curved spacetime. This study not only advances our theoretical understanding of black hole thermodynamics but also opens new avenues for investigating the interface between quantum mechanics and general relativity.
The goal of quantum metrology is the exploitation of quantum resources, like entanglement or quantum coherence, in the fundamental task of parameter estimation. Here we consider the question of the estimation of the Unruh temperature in the scenario of relativistic quantum metrology. Specifically, we study two distinct cases. First, a single Unruh-DeWitt detector interacting with a scalar quantum field undergoes an uniform acceleration for a finite amount of proper time, and the role of coherence in the estimation process is analyzed. After this, we consider two initially entangled detectors, one of which is inertial while the other one undergoes acceleration. Our results show that the maximum of the Fisher information, thus characterizing the maximum possible precision according to Crammér-Rao bound, occurs only for small accelerations, while it decreases fast when acceleration increases. Moreover, the role of initial coherence ---in the single detector case---, or entanglement ---in the two detectors case---, is to decrease Fisher information. Therefore, under the considered protocol, internal coherence (or entanglement) is not a resource for estimating Unruh temperature. These unexpected results show that a detection of the Unruh effect can be even more challenge than previously thought. Finally, by considering the connection between Unruh effect and Hawking radiation, we discuss how our results can be understood in the context of the estimation of Hawking temperature.
We investigate directional quantum steering harvesting by two uniformly accelerated non-identical Unruh-DeWitt detectors coupled to a massless scalar field in the Minkowski vacuum. We show that the Unruh effect does not simply degrade harvested steering, but can reshape its directionality in a strongly parameter-dependent manner. At low detector energy scales, acceleration predominantly suppresses steering, whereas at higher energy scales, moderate acceleration can enhance steering and even activate an initially absent steering direction. Most strikingly, within a finite acceleration window, the Unruh effect enhances steering in one direction while simultaneously suppressing it in the opposite direction, revealing an intrinsically directional influence of relativistic acceleration. Detector non-identicality provides an additional control mechanism: a moderate energy-gap mismatch can enhance or activate one steering direction while suppressing the reverse one, whereas sufficiently large energy-gap mismatch suppresses the harvested steering. Moreover, the maximal steering asymmetry approximately marks the transition from two-way to one-way steering. Our results establish relativistic acceleration and detector non-identicality as means of controlling the strength and directionality of vacuum-harvested quantum correlations.
We investigate the interplay between quantum thermodynamics, quantum correlations, and quantum coherence within the framework of the Unruh-DeWitt (UdW) detector model. By analyzing both the steady and dynamical states of various quantum resources (including steerability, entanglement, quantum discord, and coherence), we study how these resources evolve under Markovian and non-Markovian environments. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of both the Unruh temperature and the energy levels on three key quantum phenomena: thermodynamic evolution, quantum correlations, and quantum coherence, considering different initial state preparations. The hierarchical structure relating quantum correlations and quantum coherence is determined. We further examine the thermodynamic performance of a quantum heat engine, highlighting the influence of memory effects and classical correlations on heat exchange, work extraction, and efficiency. Our results reveal that non-Markovian dynamics can enhance the preservation of quantum correlations and improve the engine's efficiency compared to purely Markovian regime. These findings provide insights into the role of quantum correlations and quantum coherence in quantum thermodynamic processes and open avenues for optimizing quantum devices operating in relativistic or open-system settings.
Abstract In this paper, we investigate the quantum coherence extraction between two accelerating Unruh–DeWitt detectors, coupling to a scalar field in (3 + 1)-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. We find that quantum coherence as a nonclassical correlation can be generated through the Markovian evolution of the detector system, just like quantum entanglement. However, with growing Unruh temperature, in contrast to monotonously degrading entanglement, we find that quantum coherence exhibits a striking revival phenomenon. For certain detectors’ initial state choices, the coherence measure will reduce to zero at first and then grow to an asymptotic value. We verify such coherence revival by inspecting its metrological advantage on the quantum Fisher information (QFI) enhancement. Since the maximal QFI bounds the accuracy of quantum parameter estimation, we conclude that the extracted coherence can be utilized as a physical resource in quantum metrology.
Quantum steering is a perplexing feature at the heart of quantum mechanics that provides profound implications in understanding the nature of physical reality. On the other hand, the effect of relativistic features on quantum systems is vital in understanding the underlying foundations of physics. In this work, we study the effects of Unruh acceleration on the quantum steering of a two-qubit system. In particular, we consider the so-called quantum steering ellipsoid and the maximally-steered coherence in a non-inertial frame and find closed-form analytic expressions for the role of the Unruh acceleration in these quantities. Analyzing the conditions for the steerability of the system, we develop a geometric description for the effect of Unruh acceleration on the quantum steering of a two-qubit system.