Recent progress in the experimental implementations of controlled quantum systems and especially of tunable dissipation for them provides an ideal starting point for precision studies of open quantum systems and their models. However, typically the standard weak-coupling approximations are very accurate in describing the dynamics of the simplest and most easily experimentally approachable system, the qubit, since it is challenging to engineer dissipation that is strong relative to the qubit frequency while preserving a high level of control. In this paper, we propose to overcome such challenges by studying a driven qubit, for which the weak-coupling approaches may fail at dissipation rates comparable to the Rabi frequency of the drive which is typically much lower than the qubit frequency. Consequently, we observe such failure of the temporally local Lindblad master equation, the induced dynamics of which are compared with a numerically exact method. To this end, we propose a metric that may be used in experiments to verify our predictions. In addition, we study the well-known Mollow triplet and observe its meltdown owing to dissipation in an experimentally feasible parameter regime. Thus we expect our results to inspire future experimental research on open quantum systems and expand the understanding on this intriguing field of physics.
Recent progress in the experimental implementations of controlled quantum systems and especially of tunable dissipation for them provides an ideal starting point for precision studies of open quantum systems and their models. However, typically the standard weak-coupling approximations are very accurate in describing the dynamics of the simplest and most easily experimentally approachable system, the qubit, since it is challenging to engineer dissipation that is strong relative to the qubit frequency while preserving a high level of control. In this paper, we propose to overcome such challenges by studying a driven qubit, for which the weak-coupling approaches may fail at dissipation rates comparable to the Rabi frequency of the drive which is typically much lower than the qubit frequency. Consequently, we observe such failure of the temporally local Lindblad master equation, the induced dynamics of which are compared with a numerically exact method. To this end, we propose a metric that may be used in experiments to verify our predictions. In addition, we study the well-known Mollow triplet and observe its meltdown owing to dissipation in an experimentally feasible parameter regime. Thus we expect our results to inspire future experimental research on open quantum systems and expand the understanding on this intriguing field of physics.
Abstract The standard weak-coupling approximations associated to open quantum systems have been extensively used in the description of a two-level quantum system, qubit, subjected to relatively weak dissipation compared with the qubit frequency. However, recent progress in the experimental implementations of controlled quantum systems with increased levels of on-demand engineered dissipation has motivated precision studies in parameter regimes that question the validity of the approximations, especially in the presence of time-dependent drive fields. In this paper, we address the precision of weak-coupling approximations by studying a driven qubit through the numerically exact and non-perturbative method known as the stochastic Liouville–von Neumann equation with dissipation. By considering weak drive fields and a cold Ohmic environment with a high cutoff frequency, we use the Markovian Lindblad master equation as a point of comparison for the SLED method and study the influence of the bath-induced energy shift on the qubit dynamics. We also propose a metric that may be used in experiments to map the regime of validity of the Lindblad equation in predicting the steady state of the driven qubit. In addition, we study signatures of the well-known Mollow triplet and observe its meltdown owing to dissipation in an experimentally feasible parameter regime of circuit electrodynamics. Besides shedding light on the practical limitations of the Lindblad equation, we expect our results to inspire future experimental research on engineered open quantum systems, the accurate modeling of which may benefit from non-perturbative methods.
The dynamics of open quantum systems is commonly described by quantum master equations derived under the assumption of weak system-bath coupling and a separation of timescales between system and bath. When the system is additionally subjected to a periodic driving, the validity of the resulting Floquet master equations is further restricted to regimes of weak or high-frequency driving. Here, we benchmark a set of commonly used Floquet master equations for a model of two locally driven spins coupled to a shared Ohmic reservoir at finite temperature. We systematically probe the accuracy of the equations as a function of the driving parameters, thus identifying limits of their applicability. Dynamical maps predicted by each master equation are compared against numerically exact non-Markovian simulations, tracking the full relaxation dynamics. We find that the accuracy of each master equation closely reflects the assumptions underlying its derivation. For the Floquet-Lindblad equation, errors can be strongly amplified near resonances where the secular approximation breaks down, while approaches that avoid the secular approximation perform better and exhibit a more systematic dependence of the error on driving frequency and amplitude.
Fast and reliable manipulation with qubits is fundamental for any quantum technology. The implementation of these manipulations in physical systems is the focus of studies involving optimal control theory. Realistic physical devices are open quantum systems. So far, studies in optimal control theory have primarily utilized the Redfield/Lindblad quantum master equation to simulate the dynamics of such systems. However, this Markov description is not always sufficient. Here, we present a study of qubit control utilizing the nonequilibrium Green's function method. We compare the traditional master equation with more general Green's function results and demonstrate that even in the parameter regime suitable for the application of the Redfield/Lindblad approach, the two methods yield drastically different results when addressing evolution involving mixed states. In particular, we find that, in addition to predicting different optimal driving profiles, a more accurate description of system evolution enables the system to reach the desired final state much more quickly. We argue that the primary reason for this is the significance of the non-Markov description of driven system dynamics due to the effect of time-dependent driving on dissipation.
The model of a two-level system (TLS) coupled to a harmonic oscillator has found a widespread application in physics and chemistry. In this thesis we focus on the field of circuit quantum electrodynamics where the TLS stands for a quantum bit (qubit), which is the basic building unit of a potential quantum computer, and the oscillator represents a transmission-line resonator, which can be used, e.g., to store information contained on the qubit or for communication between several qubits. Furthermore, the oscillator can model a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) determining the state of the qubit. In first experimental realizations the coupling between the qubit and the oscillator was small compared to characteristic frequencies of the two devices. In such a situation the Jaynes-Cummings model provides a realistic and completely analytical description of the energy spectrum and the dynamics of the setup. However, it relies on a rotating-wave approximation (RWA) which neglects counter-rotating terms in the full qubit-oscillator Hamiltonian. These counter-rotating terms become important under increase of the coupling strength, as it has been achieved in recent experiments. We present two analytical approaches to take these additional contributions into account: The first one treats the qubit-oscillator Hamiltonian perturbatively in the coupling strength and predicts a frequency shift in its energy spectrum, the Bloch-Siegert shift. The second one considers the qubit's tunneling splitting as small parameter and thus treats the problem to all orders in the coupling allowing to enter the ultrastrong coupling regime, where the coupling strength becomes comparable to the qubit's and/or oscillator's frequency. For both cases we give a thorough analysis of the qubit's dynamics. In order to perform operations the qubit is usually probed by an external driving force. We model this situation by coupling the TLS to a classical oscillator and examine the resulting time dependent Hamiltonian using a combination of Floquet theory and Van Vleck perturbation theory. Thus, we provide an analysis of the qubit's energy spectrum and dynamics which is nonperturbative in the driving amplitude. We investigate effects like coherent destruction of tunneling and driving-inducing tunneling oscillations. By coupling the driven TLS to a quantized oscillator we give for the first time an analytical treatment of the qubit-oscillator system being simultaneously exposed to both ultrastrong coupling and extreme driving. We observe interesting phenomena in the dynamics like the suppression of specific frequencies under a variation of the coupling strength. To mimic environmental influences on the qubit we apply the Caldeira-Leggett master equation approach to the driven TLS and to the qubit-oscillator system and provide for both cases analytical expressions for the relaxation and dephasing rates.
The urgent need for reliable simulation tools to match the extreme accuracy needed to control tailored quantum devices highlights the importance of understanding open quantum systems and their modeling. To this end, we compare here the commonly used Redfield and Lindblad master equations against numerically exact results in the case of one and two resonant qubits transversely coupled at a single point to a Drude-cut ohmic bath. All the relevant parameters are varied over a broad range, which allows us to give detailed predictions about the validity and physically meaningful applicability of the weak-coupling approaches. We characterize the accuracy of the approximate approaches by comparing the maximum difference of their system evolution superoperators with numerically exact results. After optimizing the parameters of the approximate models to minimize the difference, we also explore if and to what extent the weak-coupling equations can be applied at least as phenomenological models. Optimization may lead to an accurate reproduction of experimental data, but yet our results are important to estimate the reliability of the extracted parameter values such as the bath temperature. Our findings set general guidelines for the range of validity of the usual Born-Markov master equations and indicate that they fail to accurately describe the physics in a surprisingly broad range of parameters, in particular, at low temperatures. Since quantum-technological devices operate there, their accurate modeling calls for a careful choice of methods.
This work presents a systematic numerical study of the dissipative Jaynes-Cummings model, consisting of a two-level system (qubit) coupled to a truncated harmonic oscillator, both subject to Markovian dissipation. The model is standard in quantum optics and open quantum systems. The master equation is solved using the Lindblad formalism with BDF integration. The study focuses on two standard observables: the qubit excited-state population P_exc(t) and the qubit Bloch vector length |r(t)|. A three-dimensional parameter scan is performed over the coupling g, the qubit dephasing rate gamma_phi, and the oscillator relaxation rate gamma_a, giving 216 cells in total. The parameters used are omega_0 = 6 Hz, omega_1 = 40 Hz, giving a detuning delta = 34 Hz, and thermal occupation n_th = 0.05. MAIN FINDINGS: The single-exponential description of the excited-state population is valid only at intermediate coupling (g approximately 4 to 8 Hz). Outside this region, the dynamics exhibits a multi-timescale structure. The decay time T is non-monotonic in g, with a minimum at g approximately 7 Hz. The location of the minimum depends only weakly on gamma_a, following a power law with exponent 0.127. At strong coupling (g greater than 15 Hz), a two-exponential model is strongly preferred by the Akaike Information Criterion in 43 out of 45 cells. The two timescales are separated by a factor of approximately 150. The fast timescale T_1 is best approximated by the Purcell formula (median ratio of numerical to theoretical value 0.68). The Fermi golden rule overestimates the decay rate by a factor of approximately 4.5. Neither the dressed-state correction nor the Bloch-Redfield calculation improves on the Purcell formula. The Bloch vector length does not follow any simple functional form (single exponential, stretched exponential, power law, or double exponential). All models have mean R-squared in the range 0.31 to 0.36. Its time derivative is, however, almost perfectly correlated with that of the population (mean correlation 0.91). The results are converged with respect to the Fock-space truncation at N_0 = 12, with identical observables for N_0 between 12 and 20. SCOPE: This is a purely numerical study of a well-defined quantum-optical model. It contains no empirical data, no claims about biological or cognitive systems, and no speculative ontology. The model, the numerical method, and the observables are standard. The results include several negative findings (the failure of perturbative formulas, the lack of a simple functional form for the Bloch vector) which are reported honestly and which identify the regime where non-perturbative methods are required. The purpose of this release is to provide reproducible numerical data and a benchmark for future analytical work on the dissipative Jaynes-Cummings model in the strong-coupling regime. CONTENTS: The LaTeX technical note (approximately 20 pages), the Python scripts for the numerical simulations, and the CSV files with the fit results, regime classification, and theoretical comparison. REFERENCES: E. T. Jaynes and F. W. Cummings, Proc. IEEE 51, 89 (1963).G. Lindblad, Commun. Math. Phys. 48, 119 (1976).H.-P. Breuer and F. Petruccione, The Theory of Open Quantum Systems, Oxford University Press (2002).C. W. Gardiner and P. Zoller, Quantum Noise, 3rd ed., Springer (2004).E. M. Purcell, Phys. Rev. 69, 681 (1946).C. Cohen-Tannoudji, J. Dupont-Roc, and G. Grynberg, Atom-Photon Interactions, Wiley (1992).W. P. Schleich, Quantum Optics in Phase Space, Wiley-VCH (2001).