Squeezed reservoirs provide a powerful means of engineering nonclassical noise and controlling irreversible dynamics in open quantum systems. Here we develop a comprehensive analysis of two coupled harmonic oscillators driven by independent squeezed baths, focusing on the emergence of coherence-driven entropy flow and the structure of exceptional points (EPs) in the corresponding Lindblad dynamics. Working entirely within the Gaussian formalism, we derive closed-form evolution equations for the covariance matrix and show that squeezing induces entropy generation only at *second order* in the anomalous correlations, a nonlinear mechanism absent in thermal environments. This entropy flow is accompanied by a rich non-Hermitian structure: by scanning the squeezing parameters we uncover a characteristic "exceptional-point fan" in the (M1, M2) plane, which separates a narrow PT-unbroken region of oscillatory dynamics from broad PT-broken sectors in which one normal mode becomes purely overdamped. This geometric organization of EPs reveals that PT symmetry survives only when the two reservoirs squeeze opposite quadratures, and is generically broken for in-phase squeezing. Our analysis establishes squeezed reservoirs as a natural setting where information-bearing noise drives irreversible behavior through coherent pathways, and lays the groundwork for experimentally accessible probes of entropy flow and critical mode behavior in more complex open systems.
Squeezed reservoirs provide a powerful means of engineering nonclassical noise and controlling irreversible dynamics in open quantum systems. Here we develop a comprehensive analysis of two coupled harmonic oscillators driven by independent squeezed baths, focusing on the emergence of coherence-driven entropy flow and the structure of exceptional points (EPs) in the corresponding Lindblad dynamics. Working entirely within the Gaussian formalism, we derive closed-form evolution equations for the covariance matrix and show that squeezing induces entropy generation only at second order in the anomalous correlations, a nonlinear mechanism absent in thermal environments. This entropy flow is accompanied by a rich non-Hermitian structure: by scanning the squeezing parameters we uncover a characteristic "exceptional-point fan" in the (M1, M2) plane, which separates a narrow PT-unbroken region of oscillatory dynamics from broad PT-broken sectors in which one normal mode becomes purely overdamped. This geometric organization of EPs reveals that PT symmetry survives only when the two reservoirs squeeze opposite quadratures, and is generically broken for in-phase squeezing. Our analysis establishes squeezed reservoirs as a natural setting where information-bearing noise drives irreversible behavior through coherent pathways, and lays the groundwork for experimentally accessible probes of entropy flow and critical mode behavior in more complex open systems.
We present a concise review and perspective on noise-induced synchronization and coherence protection in open quantum systems, with emphasis on recent work involving coupled spins, oscillators, and anyons. When local environments exhibit internal correlations, the structure of the noise determines which collective modes become decoherence-protected. This leads to steady-state entanglement, phase locking, and exceptional points (EPs) in the Liouvillian spectrum, signaling a collapse of the mode basis and the emergence of non-dissipative stabilized dynamics. Using a Lindblad framework, we show that symmetry in the noise correlations acts as a control parameter, protecting symmetric or antisymmetric modes depending on the sign of the correlation. In the pure-dephasing limit, coherence decay mirrors the Anderson-Kubo model, where the effective fluctuation strength scales as σ2(1±ξ), and the dynamical regime (Gaussian vs. Lorentzian) is set by the ratio σ/γ. Thus, the environment not only drives decoherence but can also selectively suppress it through symmetry filtering. We also revisit historical and conceptual origins of this idea, beginning with Huygens synchronized pendulum clocks and culminating in modern non-Hermitian dynamics. Correlated noise-though classically stochastic-can organize quantum dynamics and protect coherence without direct control over the system. These insights offer a unifying view of synchronization in classical and quantum regimes, with implications for quantum sensing, engineered decoherence, and long-lived coherence in complex environments such as biological light-harvesting complexes or avian magnetoreception.
Non-Hermitian systems with parity-time (PT) symmetry give rise to exceptional points (EPs) with exceptional properties that arise due to the coalescence of eigenvectors. Such systems have been extensively explored in the classical domain, where second- or higher-order EPs have been proposed or realized. In contrast, quantum information studies of PT-symmetric systems have been confined to systems with a two-dimensional Hilbert space. Here, by using a single-photon interferometry setup, we simulate the quantum dynamics of a four-dimensional PT-symmetric system across a fourth-order exceptional point. By tracking the coherent, nonunitary evolution of the density matrix of the system in PT-symmetry unbroken and broken regions, we observe the entropy dynamics for both the entire system, and the gain and loss subsystems. Our setup is scalable to the higher-dimensional PT-symmetric systems, and our results point towards the rich dynamics and critical properties.
Interesting new correlation and unidirectional properties of two bosonic modes under the influence of environment appear when the modes are mutually coupled through the simultaneously applied linear mode-hopping and nonlinear squeezing interactions. Under such double coupling, it is found that while the Hamiltonian of the system is clearly Hermitian the dynamics of the quadrature components of the field operators can be attributed to non-Hermicity of the system. It is manifested in an asymmetric coupling between the quadrature components which then leads to a variety of remarkable features. In particular, we identify how the emerging exceptional point controls the conversion of thermal states of the modes into single-mode classically or quantum squeezed states. Furthermore, for reservoirs being in squeezed states, we find that the two-photon correlations present in these reservoirs are responsible for unidirectional flow of populations and correlations among the modes and the flow can be controlled by appropriate tuning of the mutual orientation of the squeezed noise ellipses. In the course of analyzing these effects we find that the flow of the population creates the first-order coherence between the modes which, on the other hand rules out an enhancement of the two photon correlations responsible for entanglement between the modes. These results suggest new alternatives for the creation of single mode squeezed fields and the potential applications for controlled unidirectional transfer of population and correlations in bosonic chains.
The primary pathway to the investigation of exceptional points (EPs) in open quantum systems has been the use of Markovian master equations. However, recently it has been realised that they can arise in settings that show non-Markovian behaviour. The main approach in this direction has been the use of pseudomodes, which allow the influence of a structured environment to be replaced by new damped auxiliary modes. In this work, we use a Heisenberg-equation approach which relies on the reaction-coordinate formalism to obtain exact analytical dynamics. First, we show how our method considerably simplifies the analysis compared to the use of master equations. Second, we utilise it to discuss non-Markovian revivals in systems with second and higher-order EPs, showing that the notion that EPs demarcate the onset of revivals is not generally true. We then utilise our results to discuss the dynamical effects of higher-order non-Markovian EPs, deriving bounds on the number of revivals and investigating enhanced asymptotic relaxation near higher-order EPs. Finally, we investigate non-Markovian EPs with engineered reservoirs and show how they can be utilised to control the rate of irreversible information loss.
We present a concise review and perspective on noise-induced synchronisation and coherence protection in open quantum systems, with emphasis on recent work involving coupled spins, oscillators, and anyons. When local environments exhibit internal correlations, the structure of the noise determines which collective modes become decoherence-protected. This leads to steady-state entanglement, phase locking, and exceptional points (EPs) in the Liouvillian spectrum, signalling a collapse of the mode basis and the emergence of non-dissipative stabilised dynamics. Using a Lindblad framework, we show that symmetry in the noise correlations acts as a control parameter–protecting symmetric or antisymmetric modes depending on the sign of the correlation. In the pure-dephasing limit, coherence decay mirrors the Anderson–Kubo model, where the effective fluctuation strength scales as σ2(1±ξ), and the dynamical regime (Gaussian vs. Lorentzian) is set by the ratio σ/γ. Thus, the environment not only drives decoherence but can also selectively suppress it through symmetry filtering. We also revisit historical and conceptual origins of this idea, beginning with Huygens' synchronised pendulum clocks and culminating in modern non-Hermitian dynamics. Correlated noise–though classically stochastic–can organise quantum dynamics and protect coherence without direct control over the system. These insights offer a unifying view of synchronisation in classical and quantum regimes, with implications for quantum sensing, engineered decoherence, and long-lived coherence in complex environments such as biological light-harvesting complexes or avian magnetoreception.
Exceptional points (EPs) are non-Hermitian degeneracies at which two or more eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenvectors coalesce. In open quantum systems, exceptional points can arise in the Lindbladian governing the dissipative dynamics. Their signatures have so far been mainly identified in finite-time observables, such as transient currents, while steady-state average currents generally provide no direct evidence of the underlying exceptional-point structure. In this work, we demonstrate that signatures of Lindbladian EPs can nevertheless be accessed in the steady-state regime through current noise. We derive general expressions for current correlation functions within a Lindblad master-equation framework and show, in particular, how exceptional points affect their behaviour as a function of the time delay. We illustrate these results with the paradigmatic example of two interacting qubits coupled to two reservoirs, where the steady-state noise clearly distinguishes overdamped, underdamped, and critical regimes. Our results establish current correlation functions as a steady-state probe of Lindbladian EPs in open quantum systems.