Singularities in quantum spectra - ground state and excited-state quantum phase transitions - are often connected with singularities in the classical limit of the system and have influence on other properties, such as quantum entanglement, as well. In the first part of the thesis we study quantum phase transitions within the U(2)-based Lipkin model. The relation between quasistationary points of the classical potential and the respective singularities in the spectrum is shown. In the second part, a system of two-level atoms interacting with electromagnetic field in an optical cavity is studied within two simplified models (non-integrable Dicke model and its integrable approximation known as Jaynes-Cummings model). The behaviour of quantum entanglement in these models is shown with a focus on the vicinity of the singular points. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
Singularities in quantum spectra - ground state and excited-state quantum phase transitions - are often connected with singularities in the classical limit of the system and have influence on other properties, such as quantum entanglement, as well. In the first part of the thesis we study quantum phase transitions within the U(2)-based Lipkin model. The relation between quasistationary points of the classical potential and the respective singularities in the spectrum is shown. In the second part, a system of two-level atoms interacting with electromagnetic field in an optical cavity is studied within two simplified models (non-integrable Dicke model and its integrable approximation known as Jaynes-Cummings model). The behaviour of quantum entanglement in these models is shown with a focus on the vicinity of the singular points. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
In the thesis we investigate and classify critical phenomena in the extended Dicke model (EDM) which describes the interaction between two-level atoms and a single-mode bosonic field (schematic model for cavity quantum electrodynamics). The model belongs to the class of so-called finite models, which keep the number of degrees of freedom f constant independently on the size of the system N . The important property of these systems is that the thermodynamic limit N → ∞ coincides with the classical limit ħ → 0. This allows us to study various quantum critical phenomena, in particular the ground-state quantum phase transitions (QPTs) and the excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs), by means of semiclassical methods. Using the semiclassical approach we identify and classify the QPTs and ESQPTs in various settings of the EDM and make a link to thermal phase transitions. We study the entanglement properties of both the ground state and the excited states as a function of the atom-field interaction strength. In the integrable version of the EDM we make a link between the ESQPT and monodromy, and discuss its effect on classical dynamics. The fate of monodromy under a non-integrable perturbation is observed. The dynamical consequences of the ESQPTs are examined using quantum quenches. The influence of the...
The critical value of the atom-field coupling strength in the Dicke model, for a finite number of atoms interacting with photons in a cavity, is determined by means of semiclassical (via coherent states and symmetry-adapted states) and exact solutions. These procedures allow in turn for the determination of the phase transitions in the model, and coincide in the thermodynamic limit. For the three cases mentioned above, a universal parametric curve is obtained for the expectation values of the first quadrature of the electromagnetic field, as a function of the atomic relative population, valid for all values of the atom-field coupling parameter, and valid for the ground-and first-excited states.
The biased Dicke model describes a system of biased two-level atoms coupled to a bosonic field, and is expected to produce new phenomena that are not present in the original Dicke model. In this paper, we study the critical properties of the biased Dicke model in the classical oscillator limits. For the finite-biased case in this limit, We present analytical results demonstrating that the excitation energy does not vanish for arbitrary coupling. This indicates that the second order phase transition is avoided in the biased Dicke model, which contrasts to the original Dicke model. We also analyze the squeezing and the entanglement in the ground state, and find that a finite bias will strongly modify their behaviors in the vicinity of the critical coupling point.
The quantum phase transition of the Dicke model has been observed recently in a system formed by motional excitations of a laser-driven Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to an optical cavity [Baumann et al., Nature (London) 464, 1301 (2010)]. The cavity-based system is intrinsically open: photons leak out of the cavity where they are detected. Even at zero temperature, the continuous weak measurement of the photon number leads to an irreversible dynamics toward a steady state. In the framework of a generalized Bogoliubov theory, we show that the steady state exhibits a dynamical quantum phase transition. We find that the critical point and the mean field are only slightly modified with respect to the phase transition in the ground state. However, the critical exponents of the singular quantum correlations are significantly different in the two cases. There is also a drastic modification of the atom-field entanglement, since the divergence of the logarithmic negativity of the ground state at the critical point is suppressed and a finite entanglement is found in the steady state.
Quantum optics is the field of physics that studies the interaction between light and matter under a fully quantum mechanical treatment. In recent decades, relentless advances in the technologies used for trapping, cooling, and controlling atoms and molecules have allowed us to finally start exploring experimentally the physics displayed by different cornerstone models of quantum optics originally proposed in the second half of the 20th century. In this thesis, we propose multiple extensions to those fundamental models, expanding the already interesting physics displayed by them into new and exciting directions. More specficially, we study these generalized models in the context of quantum phase transitions both in and out of equilibrium and show how new phases of matter can be unlocked in these extended models. In Chapters 1 and 2 we briefly introduce the reader to the realms of quantum phase transitions and quantum optics. Once the fundamental aspects of both of these fields are covered, we present the superradiant phase transition displayed in the Dicke and Rabi models in Chapter 3. This phase transition will be the central topic we will be orbiting around in the subsequent chapters. In Chapter 4 we propose a generalization of the quantum Rabi model, where N cavities, instead of one, are connected to each other through photon hopping. In this system, named the quantum Rabi ring, interesting chiral superradiant phases can develop as a function of the hopping phase and the geometry of the ring. In particular, we find that geometrical frustration plays a key role in determining the stable phases in equilibrium. Moreover, frustration manifests itself in the quantum Rabi ring through unconventional non-symmetric critical exponents, a phenomenon reported before, but hardly observed in condensed matter materials. Finally, in Chapter 5, we introduce a different extension to the Dicke model where instead of two-level atoms, three-level atoms are considered. In this system, which we have named the tricritical Dicke model, the superradiant phase transition can occur through first-order, second-order, and third-order critical points. We study the critical properties of the system in and out of equilibrium and find that in the open-system description, the tricritical points are still present but are now accompanied by regions of bistability where the final fate depends highly on the initial conditions. These regions of bistability represent potentially interesting environments to investigate dynamical features and steady-state preparation schemes. The critical phenomena displayed by the extended models proposed here, such as multicriticality, geometrically frustrated quantum phases, and chiral phases breaking time-reversal symmetry, are all features that have been observed, although not abundantly, or proposed in condensed matter physics. However, the unmatched tunability and control of atomic and molecular experimental platforms, where the models presented in this thesis are proposed to be realized, causes these extended models to become promising candidates for investigating these features in parameter regimes and conditions never explored before.
Entanglement is a principle concept in quantum information science and is central to an understanding of complex behaviour in strongly interacting, quantum many-body systems. This thesis applies the quantitative theory of entanglement to analyse composite quantum systems. We attempt to provide a simplified approach to quantum phase transitions in the context of dynamical bifurcations.We consider the entanglement in the ground state of quantum systems with well-defined semiclassical analogues. In particular, we are interested in semiclassical models that exhibit bifurcations of stationary points. We introduce previously unknown connections between the entanglement in the ground state of such quantum models and the bifurcations in the corresponding semiclassical limit. In the case of many body systems, the change in ground state entanglement at dynamical instabilities is related to the phenomenon of quantum phase transitions.By investigating the ground state entanglement in a number of representative quantum systems, a connection between dynamical bifurcations and quantum phase transitions facilitated by the entanglement is demonstrated. The interrelationships between the three phenomena have the potential to facilitate a more general understanding of quantum phase transitions.