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Journal of Physics A Mathematical and Theoretical

Entropic quantifier of spin–boson nonclassicality

Yue Zhang, Boxuan Jing, Qiongyi He, Shunlong Luo

Published Sep 30, 2022• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Spin systems interacting with boson environments are ubiquitous in nature. To what extent quantum states in such systems depart from classicality is becoming an increasingly important issue. Here, we study nonclassicality in systems involving the interaction between a spin and a boson mode. We introduce a simple and effective method for quantifying spin–boson nonclassicality in terms of the entropy excess between the classical and the quantum Tsallis entropy. The method can be naturally extended to more general systems. Fundamental properties of the nonclassicality quantifier are revealed, which render it reasonable for spin–boson states. Basic features are illustrated by a variety of typical spin–boson states. As applications, we further investigate spin–boson nonclassicality in the Dicke model, which sheds light on the normal-superradiant phase transition and quantum metrology.

DOI
10.1088/1751-8121/ac96dd

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Abstract Spin systems interacting with boson environments are ubiquitous in nature. To what extent quantum states in such systems depart from classicality is becoming an increasingly important issue. Here, we study nonclassicality in systems involving the interaction between a spin and a boson mode. We introduce a simple and effective method for quantifying spin–boson nonclassicality in terms of the entropy excess between the classical and the quantum Tsallis entropy. The method can be naturally extended to more general systems. Fundamental properties of the nonclassicality quantifier are revealed, which render it reasonable for spin–boson states. Basic features are illustrated by a variety of typical spin–boson states. As applications, we further investigate spin–boson nonclassicality in the Dicke model, which sheds light on the normal-superradiant phase transition and quantum metrology.
We introduce entropic measures to quantify non-classical resource in hybrid spin-boson systems. We discuss the stabiliser Rényi entropy in the framework of phase space quantisation and define an analogous hybrid magic entropy and a mutual magic entropy that capture the distribution of quantum magic across spin and bosonic subsystems. We use these entropic measures to demonstrate two key phenomena: the detection of the superradiant phase transition in the Dicke model and the quantum dynamics of magic in the Jaynes-Cummings model. We develop a Monte Carlo numerical scheme to practically evaluate these entropic measures in interacting many-body systems.
Although variance, as one of the most fundamental and ubiquitous quantities in quantifying uncertainty, has been widely used in both classical and quantum physics, there are still new applications awaiting exploration. In this work, by interchanging the roles of the state variable and the observable variable, i.e., by formally regarding any state as an observable (which is rational because any state is a priori a Hermitian operator ) and considering the average variance of this state (now in the position of an observable ) in all spin coherent states, we introduce a quantifier of spin nonclassicality with respect to a resolution of identity induced by spin coherent states. This quantifier is easy to compute and it admits various operational interpretations, such as the purity deficit, the Tsallis 2-entropy deficit, and the squared norm deficit between the Wigner function and the Husimi function. We reveal several intuitive properties of this quantifier, connect it to the phase-space distribution uncertainty, and illustrate it with some prototypical examples. Various extensions are further indicated.
Abstract Two prominent classification schemes for Bosonic field states are (i) classical versus nonclassical, and (ii) Gaussian versus non-Gaussian. These two paradigms are closely related yet fundamentally different. In particular, classical states may be Gaussian or non-Gaussian, and Gaussian states may be classical or nonclassical. Both non-Gaussianity and nonclassicality are important resources for quantum information processing. It is desirable to study the interplay between non-Gaussianity and nonclassicality, and seek effective methods of detecting them. In this work, we introduce a quantifier for non-Gaussianity by exploiting and optimizing an information-theoretic quantifier for nonclassicality, and exhibit its basic properties. A criterion for simultaneously detecting non-Gaussianity and nonclassicality follows, and its applications are illustrated through several examples. This unveils some intrinsic relations between non-Gaussianity and nonclassicality.
Nonclassicality of light has been studied, both extensively and intensively, in terms of optical coherent states, and various quantifiers for nonclassicality of light have been introduced in recent decades. In contrast, the corresponding quantification issue for atomic spin systems is relatively less studied, though there has been some remarkable progress. In this paper, by virtue of the Wigner-Yanase skew information and working in the framework of atomic coherent states, we introduce a quantifier for nonclassicality of atomic spin states from an information-theoretic perspective and reveal its fundamental properties. This quantifier leads to a simple yet powerful criterion for detecting nonclassicality via convexity of the skew information. This criterion is sufficient, but not necessary. The concept is illustrated through several paradigms. We further elucidate some intrinsic relations between nonclassicality and entanglement and indicate that the nonclassicality quantifier may be transferred to an entanglement quantifier.
Abstract We study the behaviors of spin nonclassicality in critical systems of spin chains, with the spin nonclassicality measured by an informational quantifier based on the Wigner-Yanase skew information. For the XY spin chain with three-spin interaction, we evaluate both the single-spin and the nearest neighbour two-spin nonclassicalities, as well as their first-order derivatives. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these quantities of spin nonclassicality in revealing the critical points for quantum phase transition. The merits of the present approach to detecting quantum phase transition by spin nonclassicality lie in its easy computation, informational content and metrological significance.
Identifying the classical-quantum divide and quantifying nonclassicality (quantumness) are fundamental issues in quantum exploration. By use of the Wigner-Yanase skew information [E. P. Wigner and M. M. Yanase, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 49, 910 (1963)], which is a version of quantum Fisher information with a well-established interpretation as quantum uncertainty, we introduce a simple and effective quantifier for nonclassicality of bosonic field states. This is achieved by simultaneously yet approximately measuring the canonical conjugate quadrature pair (equivalently, measuring the non-Hermitian annihilation operator in a generalized sense) from an information-theoretic perspective. This quantifier, apart from capturing the idea of nonclassicality as quantum uncertainty in a succinct way, is mathematically computable, physically intuitive, and possesses operational significance. We reveal its fundamental properties and illustrate its physical applications in quantifying nonclassicality of light. We compare it with various existent quantifiers for nonclassicality and illustrate its merits. A related quantifier for classicality, which is in some sense dual to nonclassicality, is also introduced. This pair of classicality and nonclassicality provides insight into the classical-quantum interplay.