Coherence vs. decoherence in (some) problems of condensed matter physics

E. Karlsson

Sushanta Dattagupta

The interplay of coherence and decoherence is a vexing issue in contemporary condensed matter physics, quantum optics and quantum information theory. We present an overview of this important topical subject, in terms of three different paradigms, in which the 'noisy' effect of the environment on small quantum subsystems is analysed.

Walter T. Strunz

Amit Hagar

We present a brief history of decoherence, from its roots in the foundations of classical statistical mechanics, to the current spin bath models in condensed matter physics. We then analyse the philosophical importance of decoherence in three different foundational problems, and find that its role in their solutions is less than that commonly believed. What makes decoherence more philosophically interesting, we argue, are the methodological issues it draws attention to, and the question of the universality of quantum mechanics.

Viv Kendon, Nicholas Chancellor

Quantum annealing leverages the properties of interacting quantum spin systems to solve computational problems, typically optimisation problems. Current hardware now has capabilities that can be used to solve condensed matter physics problems, too. In this topical review, we provide an overview of quantum annealing aimed at condensed matter physicists, to show the mutual benefits of working together to understand and improve how quantum annealers work, and to use them to advance condensed matter physics.

Stephan Zanzinger