Analytic Solutions of Non-Markovian Master Equations for Superfluorescence

Ildar R. Gabitov, Vladimir Evgen'evich Zakharov, А. В. Михайлов

Zihan Xia, Juan Garcia-Nila, Daniel A. Lidar

Quantum master equations are commonly used to model the dynamics of open quantum systems, but their accuracy is rarely compared with the analytical solution of exactly solvable models. In this work, we perform such a comparison for the damped Jaynes-Cummings model of a qubit in a leaky cavity, for which an analytical solution is available in the one-excitation subspace. We consider the non-Markovian time-convolutionless master equation up to the second (Redfield) and fourth orders as well as three types of Markovian master equations: the coarse-grained, cumulant, and standard rotating-wave approximation (RWA) Lindblad equations. We compare the exact solution to these master equations for three different spectral densities: impulse, Ohmic, and triangular. We demonstrate that the coarse-grained master equation outperforms the standard RWA-based Lindblad master equation for weak coupling or high qubit frequency (relative to the spectral density high-frequency cutoff ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{c}$), where the Markovian approximation is valid. In the presence of non-Markovian effects characterized by oscillatory, nondecaying behavior, the time-convolutionless approximation closely matches the exact solution for short evolution times (in units of ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{c}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$) even outside the regime of validity of the Markovian approximations. For long evolution times, all master equations perform poorly, as quantified in terms of the trace-norm distance from the exact solution. The fourth-order time-convolutionless master equation achieves the top performance in all cases. Our results highlight the need for reliable approximation methods to describe open-system quantum dynamics beyond the short-time limit.

Martin F. H. Schuurmans, D. Polder

R. Bonifacio, L. A. Lugiato

In this paper we discuss the quantum features of cooperative radiation processes in a two-level system taking into account non-Markovian effects. If the initial condition is spatially uniform, the many-mode atom-field master equation which has been derived and semiclassically discussed in a previous paper, reduces to the well-known single-mode model laser master equation. Hence, using a suitable projection operator, we derive a generalized non-Markovian master equation which turns out to be correct already in the first Born approximation. This master equation incorporates the effects both of stimulated emission and absorption and of spontaneous emission. When stimulated processes can be neglected, it reduces to a previously known Markovian superradiance master equation, whereas in general it describes non-Markovian oscillations of the radiated intensity. Finally we derive a linear system of equations for the probability of occupation of the Dicke states which generalizes a previously discussed system, taking into account the contribution of stimulated processes.

Fritz Haake, Mikhail I. Kolobov, Heinz Steudel

Bang-Fu Ding, Xiao-Yun Wang, Yan-Fang Tang +2 more

We present a non-Markovian master equation for a qubit interacting with a general reservoir, which is derived according to the Nakajima—Zwanzig and the time convolutionless projection operator technique. The non-Markovian solutions and Markovian solution of dynamical decay of a qubit are compared. The results indicate the validity of non-Markovian approach in different coupling regimes and also show that the Markovian master equation may not precisely describe the dynamics of an open quantum system in some situation. The non-Markovian solutions may be effective for many qubits independently interacting with the heated reservoirs.