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Physical Review A

Simulations of nonlinear quantum damping using the positivePrepresentation

Andrew M. Smith II, Crispin W. Gardiner

Published Apr 1, 1989• 75 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present here an extensive study of the technique of numerical simulations, applied to the solution of a system of equations obtained by the positive P representation. The model we introduce to aid in these investigations has the distinct advantage of an immediate physical interpretation. In these simulations we experience the divergent trajectory or ``spike,'' noted by other authors; however, due to the simplicity of our equations, we are able to categorize and explain these spikes. Finally, we report a disturbing anomaly in some of the simulation results which indicates a possible problem with the use of the positive P representation.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.39.3511

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This paper considers the ``positive-P'' description of nonlinear optical damping where one-photon and two-photon loss mechanisms are allowed. An exact solution of the corresponding stochastic differential equations is presented that graphically shows the breakdown of the positive-P representation found in earlier numerical-simulation work. The problem of ``spiking'' in simulations of nonlinear optical processes is then addressed, using the nonlinear damping process as an example. It is pointed out that although ``spiking'' can be exascerbated at high levels of quantum noise by numerical inaccuracy, the tendency to spike is in fact an analytic property of the stochastic variables.

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arXiv:cond-mat/9807349•Physical Review A•Dec 1, 1998•433 citations
We present here an extensive study of the technique of numerical simulations, applied to the solution of a system of equations obtained by the positive P representation. The model we introduce to aid in these investigations has the distinct advantage of an immediate physical interpretation. In these simulations we experience the divergent trajectory or ``spike,'' noted by other authors; however, due to the simplicity of our equations, we are able to categorize and explain these spikes. Finally, we report a disturbing anomaly in some of the simulation results which indicates a possible problem with the use of the positive P representation.
This paper considers the ``positive-P'' description of nonlinear optical damping where one-photon and two-photon loss mechanisms are allowed. An exact solution of the corresponding stochastic differential equations is presented that graphically shows the breakdown of the positive-P representation found in earlier numerical-simulation work. The problem of ``spiking'' in simulations of nonlinear optical processes is then addressed, using the nonlinear damping process as an example. It is pointed out that although ``spiking'' can be exascerbated at high levels of quantum noise by numerical inaccuracy, the tendency to spike is in fact an analytic property of the stochastic variables.
The positive P representation is a very successful tool in quantum optics. However, the usual assumption of negligible boundary terms in the time-evolution equations is not always valid. We explore the range of validity of the time-evolution equations both analytically and by numerical investigation of a number of specific examples. We present practical ways of verifying the validity of the use of the positive P representation and find that the standard time-evolution equation can become invalid when nonlinear terms (at unit photon number) are large relative to the damping rate. This is very much larger than is normally the case in nonlinear optics, except possibly near resonances. We are able to show that when the positive P representation is invalid, the boundary terms, normally neglected in an integration by parts, become non-negligible. When numerical simulations are carried out using the positive P representation, specific checks given in this paper should be carried out to verify the compactness of the distribution. In conclusion, we find that (apart from special cases) this technique of quantum time evolution is typically asymptotically valid in the limit of small nonlinearity, rather than exact.
The problem of the formulation and simulation of quantized optical systems using the positive-P representation is considered. We show that feasible computational strategies are determined mainly by the eigenstructure of the system of stochastic differential equations that correspond to the positive-P Fokker-Planck equation. We demonstrate analytically that the stability and accuracy of numerical solutions are generally much improved by adopting time-centered implicit schemes. These findings are then related to the specific problem of second-harmonic generation. It is shown that the eigenstructure of the stochastic system possesses interrelationships that can lead to severe difficulties in numerical simulations. In particular we show how the problem of ``spiking'' encountered at high levels of quantum noise can be related to the numerical ``stiffness'' of the problem. We also demonstrate the advantages of time-centered implicit methods by highlighting the distortions that can occur in the Euler-type simulation of limit cycle solutions. Of physical interest is the fact that the phase-space morphology of the quantized second-harmonic generator admits families of limit cycles. This is in marked contrast to the purely classical picture in which, for a given parameter set, there exists only a single limit cycle. Finally we demonstrate by direct analytic solution that, under the conditions of adiabatic elimination, the positive-P representation for the second-harmonic generator with zero driving field fails, in the sense that it produces nonphysical results. This failure is in all respects analogous to the breakdown encountered in the problem of nonlinear optical damping.
Nonclassical states of the electromagnetic field are states for which the Glauber-Sudarshan P function does not exist as a positive-definite nonsingular probability density. A classical stochastic description for systems that produce nonclassical states can be recovered, however, using the positive P representation. But difficulties can arise in numerical simulations of nonlinear stochastic models derived using this representation.1 This paper addresses the unresolved question of whether the difficulties are purely numerical or fundamental to the representation. Recently we used the positive P representation to provide an appealing picture of the nonclassical states produced by a degenerate parametric oscillator.2 The resolution of difficulties in that problem by a reflecting boundary condition seemed rather model dependent. We analyze the quantized anharmonic oscillator in the positive P representation. Correct operator averages are derived from the stochastic model analytically. However, an explicit construction of the positive P function shows that there are inherent difficulties for numerical simulations. Unconstrained diffusion in phase space occurs, and for long times the important trajectories for recovering correct moments are those that diffuse far from the origin. Even if numerical instability can be avoided, an enormous number of trajectories would be required to cover phase space sufficiently to obtain accurate averages.
We introduce the study of dynamical quantum noise in Bose-Einstein condensates through numerical simulation of stochastic partial differential equations obtained using phase-space representations. We derive evolution equations for a single trapped condensate in both the positive-PPP and Wigner representations and perform simulations to compare the predictions of the two methods. The positive-PPP approach is found to be highly susceptible to the stability problems that have been observed in other strongly nonlinear, weakly damped systems. Using the Wigner representation, we examine the evolution of several quantities of interest using from a variety of choices of initial state for the condensate and compare results to those for single-mode models.