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The influence of equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments on the macroscopic realism through Leggett-Garg inequality

Kun Zhang, Wei Wu, Jin Wang

Published Jan 25, 2020• 1 citation
OpenAlex

Abstract

We study macroscopic realism through the Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGI) in two interacting qubit system. The two qubits are coupled either with two Bosonic (thermal and photonic) baths or Fermionic (electronic) baths. We study both how the equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments influence the LGI. One way to characterize the nonequilibrium condition is by the different temperatures (for the Bosonic baths) or the different chemical potentials (for the Fermionic baths). We also study the heat or particle current and the entropy production rate generated by the nonequilibrium environments. Analytical forms of the LGI and the maximal values of LGI based on the quantum master equation beyond secular approximation are derived. The LGI function and its maximal value have separated contributions, the part describing the coherent evolution and the part describing the coupling between the system and environments. The environment coupling part can be from equilibrium environment or nonequilibrium environment. The nonequilibrium dynamics is quantified by the Bloch-Redfield equation which is beyond Lindblad form. We found that the nonequilibriumness quantified by the temperature difference or chemical potential difference can lead to the LGI violation or the increase of the maximal value of LGI, restoring the quantum nature from certain equilibrium cases where LGI is preserved which gives rise to classical realism. The corresponding nonequilibrium thermodynamic cost is quantified by the nonzero entropy production rate. The LGI violation enhancement increases with the increase of the entropy production rate under certain nonequilibrium conditions. Our finding of nonequilibrium promoted LGI violation suggests a new strategy for the design of quantum information processing and quantum computational devices to maintain the quantum nature and quantum correlations for long.

Related papers

Influence of equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments on macroscopic realism through the Leggett-Garg inequalities

Kun Zhang, Wei Wu, Jin Wang

We study the macroscopic realism (macrorealism) through the two- and three-time Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGIs) in a two-interacting-qubits system. The two qubits are coupled either with two bosonic (thermal or photonic) baths or fermionic (electronic) baths. We study both how the equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments influence the LGIs. One way to characterize the nonequilibrium condition is by the temperature difference (for the bosonic bath) or the chemical potential difference (for the fermionic bath). We also study the heat or particle current and the entropy production rate generated by the nonequilibrium environments. Analytical forms of LGIs and the maximal value of LGIs based on the quantum master equation beyond the secular approximation are derived. The LGI functions and the corresponding maximal value have separated contributions, the part describing the coherent evolution and the part describing the coupling between the system and environments. The environment-coupling part can be from the equilibrium environment or the nonequilibrium environment. The nonequilibrium dynamics is quantified by the Bloch-Redfield equation which is beyond the Lindblad form. We found that the nonequilibriumness quantified by the temperature difference or the chemical potential difference can lead to the LGIs' violations or the increase of the maximal value of LGIs, restoring the quantum nature from certain equilibrium cases where LGIs are preserved. The corresponding nonequilibrium thermodynamic cost is quantified by the nonzero entropy production rate. The violation enhancement increases with the increase of the entropy production rate under certain nonequilibrium conditions. Therefore, the LGIs' violation enhancement can be realized by the thermodynamic nonequilibrium cost. Our results shed light on the nature of the macrorealism and the relationship between the nonequilibriumness and the quantum temporal correlation. Our finding of the nonequilibrium promoted LGIs' violations suggests a new strategy for the design of quantum information processing and quantum computational devices to maintain the quantum nature and quantum correlations for long.

arXiv:2001.09358•Physical Review A•May 22, 2020•12 citations

Steady-state entanglement and coherence of two coupled qubits in equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments

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We analytically and numerically investigate the steady-state entanglement and coherence of two coupled qubits, each interacting with a local boson or fermion reservoir, based on the Bloch-Redfield master equation beyond the secular approximation. We find that there is nonvanishing steady-state coherence in the nonequilibrium scenario, which grows monotonically with the nonequilibrium condition quantified by the temperature difference or chemical potential difference of the two baths. The steady-state entanglement, in general, is a nonmonotonic function of the nonequilibrium condition as well as the bath parameters in the equilibrium setting. We also discover that weak interqubit coupling and high base temperature or chemical potential of the baths can strongly suppress the steady-state entanglement and coherence, regardless of the strength of the nonequilibrium condition. On the other hand, the energy detuning of the two qubits, when used in a compensatory way with the nonequilibrium condition, can lead to significant enhancement of the steady-state entanglement in some parameter regimes. In addition, the qubits typically have a stronger steady-state entanglement when coupled to fermion baths exchanging particles with the system than boson baths exchanging energy with the system, under similar conditions. We also identify a close connection between the energy current flowing through the system and the steady-state coherence. Preliminary investigations suggest that these results are insensitive to the form of the reservoir spectral densities in the Markovian regime. Feasible experimental realization of measuring the steady-state entanglement and coherence is discussed for the coupled qubit system in nonequilibrium environments. Our findings offer some general guidelines for optimizing the steady-state entanglement and coherence in the coupled qubit system and may find potential applications in quantum information technology.

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Enhanced violation of a Leggett-Garg inequality under nonequilibrium thermal conditions

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We investigate both analytically and numerically violations of a Leggett-Garg inequality (LGI) for a composite quantum system in contact with two separate reservoirs at different temperatures. Remarkably we find that LGI violations can be enhanced when a heat current is established at low temperatures in a steady-state regime. Based on a Kraus operator decomposition of the nonunitary evolution for a system formed by two interacting spins or quantum bits, we provide analytical support for power-law relations between dissipation strength and mean temperature in the borderlines separating parameter regions where nonequilibrium conditions affect differently the maximal LGI violation. Furthermore, a correspondence between spatial and temporal correlation inequalities is shown to persist even in such nonequilibrium thermal settings.

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Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGI) test the correlations of a single system measured at different times. Violation of LGI implies either the absence of a realistic description of the system or the impossibility of measuring the system without disturbing it. We investigate the violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality for a two level system under decoherence in a non-Markovian dephasing environment. We discuss the non-Markovian dynamics of the violation of LGI at zero temperature and also at finite temperature for different structured environments. An enhanced quantum coherence is shown through the violation of Leggett-Garg inequality in the strong non-Markovian regime of the environment.

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Probing nonclassicality under dissipation

Md. Manirul Ali, Po‐Wen Chen

Abstract We investigate the nonclassicality of an open quantum system using Leggett–Garg inequalities (LGI) which test the correlations of a single system measured at different times. Violation of LGI implies nonclassical behavior of the open system. We investigate the violation of the Leggett–Garg inequality for a two level system (qubit) spontaneously decaying under a general non-Markovian dissipative environment. A robust nonclassical behavior is shown through the violation of LGI in the non-Markovian regime of the environment. Our results are exact as we have evaluated the two-time correlation functions exactly without using quantum regression theorem. We probe quantum signatures of the open system through the exact dynamics of Leggett–Garg inequalities for a wide range of system-environment parameters beyond Born–Markov regime.

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Leggett-Garg inequality for qubits coupled to thermal environment

Marcin Łobejko, J. Łuczka, Jerzy Dajka

We study violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality for the correlator ${K}_{3}$ in two cases: (i) for a qubit weakly coupled to a thermal decohering (dissipative and/or dephasing) environment and (ii) for a pair of qubits with only one of them coupled to the environment. In the case of a single qubit, we identify conditions depending both on initial state preparation and a measurement protocol when violation of the ${K}_{3}$ inequality becomes dependent only on dephasing and independent of dissipation and temperature. In the case of two qubits, we have found the temperature-independent regime as well as the regime where all three components of the decoherence can control violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality.

Physical Review A•Apr 13, 2015•19 citations
We study macroscopic realism through the Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGI) in two interacting qubit system. The two qubits are coupled either with two Bosonic (thermal and photonic) baths or Fermionic (electronic) baths. We study both how the equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments influence the LGI. One way to characterize the nonequilibrium condition is by the different temperatures (for the Bosonic baths) or the different chemical potentials (for the Fermionic baths). We also study the heat or particle current and the entropy production rate generated by the nonequilibrium environments. Analytical forms of the LGI and the maximal values of LGI based on the quantum master equation beyond secular approximation are derived. The LGI function and its maximal value have separated contributions, the part describing the coherent evolution and the part describing the coupling between the system and environments. The environment coupling part can be from equilibrium environment or nonequilibrium environment. The nonequilibrium dynamics is quantified by the Bloch-Redfield equation which is beyond Lindblad form. We found that the nonequilibriumness quantified by the temperature difference or chemical potential difference can lead to the LGI violation or the increase of the maximal value of LGI, restoring the quantum nature from certain equilibrium cases where LGI is preserved which gives rise to classical realism. The corresponding nonequilibrium thermodynamic cost is quantified by the nonzero entropy production rate. The LGI violation enhancement increases with the increase of the entropy production rate under certain nonequilibrium conditions. Our finding of nonequilibrium promoted LGI violation suggests a new strategy for the design of quantum information processing and quantum computational devices to maintain the quantum nature and quantum correlations for long.
We study the macroscopic realism (macrorealism) through the two- and three-time Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGIs) in a two-interacting-qubits system. The two qubits are coupled either with two bosonic (thermal or photonic) baths or fermionic (electronic) baths. We study both how the equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments influence the LGIs. One way to characterize the nonequilibrium condition is by the temperature difference (for the bosonic bath) or the chemical potential difference (for the fermionic bath). We also study the heat or particle current and the entropy production rate generated by the nonequilibrium environments. Analytical forms of LGIs and the maximal value of LGIs based on the quantum master equation beyond the secular approximation are derived. The LGI functions and the corresponding maximal value have separated contributions, the part describing the coherent evolution and the part describing the coupling between the system and environments. The environment-coupling part can be from the equilibrium environment or the nonequilibrium environment. The nonequilibrium dynamics is quantified by the Bloch-Redfield equation which is beyond the Lindblad form. We found that the nonequilibriumness quantified by the temperature difference or the chemical potential difference can lead to the LGIs' violations or the increase of the maximal value of LGIs, restoring the quantum nature from certain equilibrium cases where LGIs are preserved. The corresponding nonequilibrium thermodynamic cost is quantified by the nonzero entropy production rate. The violation enhancement increases with the increase of the entropy production rate under certain nonequilibrium conditions. Therefore, the LGIs' violation enhancement can be realized by the thermodynamic nonequilibrium cost. Our results shed light on the nature of the macrorealism and the relationship between the nonequilibriumness and the quantum temporal correlation. Our finding of the nonequilibrium promoted LGIs' violations suggests a new strategy for the design of quantum information processing and quantum computational devices to maintain the quantum nature and quantum correlations for long.
We analytically and numerically investigate the steady-state entanglement and coherence of two coupled qubits, each interacting with a local boson or fermion reservoir, based on the Bloch-Redfield master equation beyond the secular approximation. We find that there is nonvanishing steady-state coherence in the nonequilibrium scenario, which grows monotonically with the nonequilibrium condition quantified by the temperature difference or chemical potential difference of the two baths. The steady-state entanglement, in general, is a nonmonotonic function of the nonequilibrium condition as well as the bath parameters in the equilibrium setting. We also discover that weak interqubit coupling and high base temperature or chemical potential of the baths can strongly suppress the steady-state entanglement and coherence, regardless of the strength of the nonequilibrium condition. On the other hand, the energy detuning of the two qubits, when used in a compensatory way with the nonequilibrium condition, can lead to significant enhancement of the steady-state entanglement in some parameter regimes. In addition, the qubits typically have a stronger steady-state entanglement when coupled to fermion baths exchanging particles with the system than boson baths exchanging energy with the system, under similar conditions. We also identify a close connection between the energy current flowing through the system and the steady-state coherence. Preliminary investigations suggest that these results are insensitive to the form of the reservoir spectral densities in the Markovian regime. Feasible experimental realization of measuring the steady-state entanglement and coherence is discussed for the coupled qubit system in nonequilibrium environments. Our findings offer some general guidelines for optimizing the steady-state entanglement and coherence in the coupled qubit system and may find potential applications in quantum information technology.
We investigate both analytically and numerically violations of a Leggett-Garg inequality (LGI) for a composite quantum system in contact with two separate reservoirs at different temperatures. Remarkably we find that LGI violations can be enhanced when a heat current is established at low temperatures in a steady-state regime. Based on a Kraus operator decomposition of the nonunitary evolution for a system formed by two interacting spins or quantum bits, we provide analytical support for power-law relations between dissipation strength and mean temperature in the borderlines separating parameter regions where nonequilibrium conditions affect differently the maximal LGI violation. Furthermore, a correspondence between spatial and temporal correlation inequalities is shown to persist even in such nonequilibrium thermal settings.
Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGI) test the correlations of a single system measured at different times. Violation of LGI implies either the absence of a realistic description of the system or the impossibility of measuring the system without disturbing it. We investigate the violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality for a two level system under decoherence in a non-Markovian dephasing environment. We discuss the non-Markovian dynamics of the violation of LGI at zero temperature and also at finite temperature for different structured environments. An enhanced quantum coherence is shown through the violation of Leggett-Garg inequality in the strong non-Markovian regime of the environment.
Abstract We investigate the nonclassicality of an open quantum system using Leggett–Garg inequalities (LGI) which test the correlations of a single system measured at different times. Violation of LGI implies nonclassical behavior of the open system. We investigate the violation of the Leggett–Garg inequality for a two level system (qubit) spontaneously decaying under a general non-Markovian dissipative environment. A robust nonclassical behavior is shown through the violation of LGI in the non-Markovian regime of the environment. Our results are exact as we have evaluated the two-time correlation functions exactly without using quantum regression theorem. We probe quantum signatures of the open system through the exact dynamics of Leggett–Garg inequalities for a wide range of system-environment parameters beyond Born–Markov regime.
We study violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality for the correlator K3{K}_{3}K3​ in two cases: (i) for a qubit weakly coupled to a thermal decohering (dissipative and/or dephasing) environment and (ii) for a pair of qubits with only one of them coupled to the environment. In the case of a single qubit, we identify conditions depending both on initial state preparation and a measurement protocol when violation of the K3{K}_{3}K3​ inequality becomes dependent only on dephasing and independent of dissipation and temperature. In the case of two qubits, we have found the temperature-independent regime as well as the regime where all three components of the decoherence can control violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality.