The concepts and tools from the theory of non-Hermitian quantum systems are used to investigate the dynamics of a quantum thermal machine. This approach allows us to characterize in full generality the analytical time-dependent dynamics of an autonomous quantum thermal machine, by solving a non-Hermitian Liouvillian for an arbitrary initial state. We show that the thermal machine features a number of exceptional points for experimentally realistic parameters. The signatures of a third-order exceptional point, both in the short and long-time regimes are demonstrated. As these points correspond to regimes of critical decay towards the steady state, in analogy with a critically damped oscillator, our work opens interesting possibilities for the precise control of the dynamics of quantum thermal machines.
The concepts and tools from the theory of non-Hermitian quantum systems are used to investigate the dynamics of a quantum thermal machine. This approach allows us to characterize in full generality the analytical time-dependent dynamics of an autonomous quantum thermal machine, by solving a non-Hermitian Liouvillian for an arbitrary initial state. We show that the thermal machine features a number of exceptional points for experimentally realistic parameters. The signatures of a third-order exceptional point, both in the short and long-time regimes are demonstrated. As these points correspond to regimes of critical decay towards the steady state, in analogy with a critically damped oscillator, our work opens interesting possibilities for the precise control of the dynamics of quantum thermal machines.
Viewing a quantum thermal machine as a non-Hermitian quantum system, we characterize in full generality its analytical time-dependent dynamics by deriving the spectrum of its non-Hermitian Liouvillian for an arbitrary initial state.We show that the thermal machine features a number of Liouvillian exceptional points (EPs) for experimentally realistic parameters, in particular, a third-order exceptional point that leaves signatures both in short-and long-time regimes.Remarkably, we demonstrate that this EP corresponds to a regime of critical decay for the quantum thermal machine towards its steady state, bearing a striking resemblance with a critically damped harmonic oscillator.These results open up exciting possibilities for the precise dynamical control of quantum thermal machines exploiting exceptional points from non-Hermitian physics and are amenable to state-of-the-art solid-state platforms such as semiconducting and superconducting devices.
Exceptional points, where two or more eigenstates of a non-Hermitian system coalesce, are now of interest across many fields of physics, from the perspective of open-system dynamics, sensing, nonreciprocal transport, and topological phase transitions. In this work, we investigate exceptional points in cavity optomechanics, a platform of interest to diverse communities working on gravitational-wave detection, macroscopic quantum mechanics, quantum transduction, etc. Specifically, we clarify the role of quantum jumps in making a clear distinction between Liouvillian and Hamiltonian exceptional points in optomechanical systems. While the Liouvillian exceptional point arises from the unconditional Lindblad dynamics and is independent of the phonon-bath temperature, the Hamiltonian exceptional point emerges from the conditional no-jump evolution and acquires a thermal shift due to an enhanced conditional damping. Employing the thermofield formalism, we derive a unified spectral framework that interpolates between these regimes via an analytical hybrid-Liouvillian description. Remarkably, in the weak-quantum-jump regime, the exceptional point is perturbed only at the second order, highlighting the robustness of the Hamiltonian exceptional point under small hybrid perturbations. Our work reveals a continuous family of hybrid exceptional points, clarifies the operational and physical differences between the conditional and unconditional dissipative dynamics in optomechanical systems, and provides a probe for thermal baths.
Exceptional point (EP) is a spectral singularity in non-Hermitian systems. The passing over the EP leads to a phase transition, which endows the system with unconventional features that find a wide range of applications. However, the need of using the dissipation and amplification limits the possible applications of systems with the EP. In this work, we demonstrate an existence of signature of exceptional point phase transition in Hermitian systems that are free from dissipation and amplification. We consider a composite Hermitian system including both two coupled oscillators and their environment consisting only of several tens of degrees of freedom. We show that the dynamics of such a Hermitian system demonstrate a transition, which occurs at the coupling strength between oscillators corresponding to the EP in the non-Hermitian system. This transition manifests itself even in the non-Markovian regime of the system dynamics in which collapses and revivals of the energy occur. Thus, we demonstrate that the phase transition occurring at the passing over the EP in the non-Hermitian system manifests itself in the Hermitian system at all time. We discuss the experimental scheme to observe the signature of EP phase transition in the non-Markovian regime.
Abstract Exceptional points are the branch-point singularities of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians and have rich consequences in open-system dynamics. While the exceptional points and their critical phenomena are widely studied in the non-Hermitian settings without quantum jumps, they also emerge in open quantum systems depicted by the Lindblad master equations, wherein they are identified as the degeneracies in the Liouvillian eigenspectrum. These Liouvillian exceptional points often have distinct properties compared to their counterparts in non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, leading to fundamental modifications of the steady states or the steady-state-approaching dynamics. Since the Liouvillian exceptional points widely exist in quantum systems such as the atomic vapors, superconducting qubits, and ultracold ions and atoms, they have received increasing amount of attention of late. Here, we present a brief review on an important aspect of the dynamic consequence of Liouvillian exceptional points, namely the chiral state transfer induced by the parametric encircling the Liouvillian exceptional points. Our review focuses on the theoretical description and experimental observation of the phenomena in atomic systems that are experimentally accessible. We also discuss the ongoing effort to unveil the collective dynamic phenomena close to the Liouvillian exceptional points, as a consequence of the many-body effects therein. Formally, these phenomena are the quantum-many-body counterparts to those in classical open systems with nonlinearity, but hold intriguing new potentials for quantum applications.
Exceptional points in non-Hermitian quantum systems give rise to novel genuine quantum phenomena. Recent explorations of exceptional-point-induced quantum phase transitions have extended from discrete-variable to continuous-variable-encoded quantum systems. However, quantum phase transitions driven by Liouvillian exceptional points (LEPs) in continuous-variable platforms remain largely unexplored. Here, we construct and investigate a Liouvillian exceptional structure based on a driven-dissipative Kerr-cat qubit. Through numerical simulations, we reveal a quantum phase transition occurring at the LEP characterized by a sudden change in dynamical behavior from underdamped oscillations to overdamped relaxations as visualized via Wigner functions and Bloch sphere trajectories. Notably the negativity of the Wigner function serves as a direct signature of genuine quantum coherence unattainable in conventional single-qubit non-Hermitian systems. Furthermore, we introduce the phase difference between the off-diagonal elements of the Liouvillian eigenmatrices as a novel parameter to quantify the transition. Our results establish the Kerr-cat qubit as a novel continuous-variable setting for exploring dissipative quantum criticality and intrinsic non-Hermitian physics.
The exceptional point has presented considerably interesting and counterintuitive phenomena associated with nonreciprocity, precision measurement, and topological dynamics. The Liouvillian exceptional point (LEP), involving the interplay of energy loss and decoherence inherently relevant to quantum jumps, has recently drawn much attention due to capability to fully capture quantum system dynamics and naturally facilitate non-Hermitian quantum investigations. It was also predicted that quantum jumps could give rise to third-order LEPs in two-level quantum systems for its high dimensional Liouvillian superoperator, which, however, has never been experimentally confirmed until now. Here we report the first observation of the third-order LEPs emerging from quantum jumps in an ultracold two-level trapped-ion system. Moreover, by combining decay with dephasing processes, we present the first experimental exploration of LEPs involving combinatorial effect of decay and dephasing. In particular, due to non-commutativity between the Lindblad superoperators governing LEPs for decay and dephasing, we witness the movement of LEPs driven by the competition between decay and dephasing occurring in an open quantum system. This unique feature of non-Hermitian quantum systems paves a new avenue for modifying nonreciprocity, enhancing precision measurement, and manipulating topological dynamics by tuning the LEPs.