Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review A

Control of a qubit under Markovian and non-Markovian noise

Guilherme Jurkevicz Delben, Marcus W. Beims, M. G. E. da Luz

Published Jul 31, 2023• 6 citations
Publisher

Abstract

An essential action in quantum information processing is the manipulation (control) of a single qubit, ideally a closed two-level system. However, in realistic applications, quantum processes are often under the influence of the external environment, e.g., presenting some degree of dissipation and decoherence. In this paper we address the emerging difficulties in the (tracking) quantum control of a two-level system under the influence of both Markovian and non-Markovian noise. We employ a same framework to treat both situations, a Lindblad-type equation, but considering that for the former (latter) case, the decay rate $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ is time independent (dependent). We discuss the conditions leading to a breakdown of the quantum control and eventual ways to overcome the problem, like employing a fast control scheme or controlling the off-diagonal terms of the system density matrix. Surprisingly, for Markovian noise such breakdown time decreases with $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ not as an exponential but as a power law. This indicates that the quantum control should be possible for a coupling between the system and the environment stronger than previously expected. Moreover, we find that for non-Markovian noise, the breakdown time is longer when there is backflow, i.e., $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}(t)$ can be negative. The present theoretical results point to certain favorable scenarios to operate qubits even in a noisy medium.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.108.012620

Related papers

Control of population and entanglement of two qubits under the action of different types of dissipative noise

Guilherme Jurkevicz Delben, A. L. O. dos Santos, M. G. E. da Luz

We investigate the quantum control of two qubits interacting with a Markovian environment and evolving as an $X$ state. The control is implemented via a simple applied field, whose profile is determined by means of the piecewise time-independent quantum control method. The goal is to make either the population or the system concurrence to follow a specified tracking control trajectory. By considering the system under the influence of three kinds of noise---phase damping, amplitude damping, or a combination of both---we unveil the conditions (like energy balance) under which the quantum control is properly achieved and fidelity (monitored through the trace distance) is kept satisfactorily high, even if the qubits interact differently with the dissipative medium. We further find that the effects of phase damping, a type of noise which notoriously destroys coherence and entanglement, can be mitigated if during the control the system is also exposed to amplitude damping. Of potential interest for the usage of entanglement as resource for quantum information, our results indicate that distinct entanglement measures and coherence can be maintained relatively high (even at long times) as a consequence of the tracking quantum control process.

Physical Review A•Aug 19, 2022•1 citation

Harnessing non-Markovian quantum memory by environmental coupling

Zhong‐Xiao Man, Yun‐Jie Xia, Rosario Lo Franco

Controlling the non-Markovian dynamics of open quantum systems is essential in quantum information technology since it plays a crucial role in preserving quantum memory. Albeit in many realistic scenarios the quantum system can simultaneously interact with composite environments, this condition remains little understood, particularly regarding the effect of the coupling between environmental parts. We analyze the non-Markovian behavior of a qubit interacting at the same time with two coupled single-mode cavities which in turn dissipate into memoryless or memory-keeping reservoirs. We show that increasing the control parameter, that is the two-mode coupling, allows for triggering and enhancing a non-Markovian dynamics for the qubit starting from a Markovian one in the absence of coupling. Surprisingly, if the qubit dynamics is non-Markovian for the zero control parameter, increasing the latter enables multiple transitions from non-Markovian to Markovian regimes. These results hold independently on the nature of the reservoirs. This work highlights that suitably engineering the coupling between parts of a compound environment can efficiently harness the quantum memory, stored in a qubit, based on non-Markovianity.

arXiv:1506.08293•Physical Review A•Jul 13, 2015•93 citations

Controle da não Markovianidade em sistemas quânticas abertos

Rafael Bruno Barbosa Lima

Open quantum systems have been aim of several theoretical and experimental studies over the last years.In particular, research related to non-Markovianity and how it influences the dynamics of the system has become relatively important, because this way we can have the return the initial quantum characteristics present in the system.In this thesis two related works were developed about the influence of non-Markovianity in open quantum systems.In the first, it was used a one qubit system in contact with a bosonic reservoir and also under the influence of a classic stochastic pumping, thus generating an effective coupling of the system with the stochastic noise and the thermal reservoir.Thus, it was investigated how the dynamics of the qubit is modified through the production of non-Markovianity in the system due to the effective coupling and also how the mean system energy, with and without pumping, behaves in both Markovian and non-Markovian regime.Additionally, an analysis of non-Markovianity production was performed using exponential, Gaussian and power law stochastic noises.Applying the Andersson, Cresser, Hall and Li (ACHL) measure, it was possible to make a comparison of how much non-Markovianity was produced for each stochastic noise.In the second work, a study was performed on how it is possible to generate the transition between Markovian to non-Markovian regimes through the control of the spin-lattice relaxation time of an ancillary qubit, which acts as an environment.The decoherence of the system was simulated through the formulation of quantum channels.In addition, it was discussed how the relaxation mechanism is modified by the action of an external magnetic field.Finally, an experimental demonstration of the model is presented and the experimental data were compared with the theoretically simulated ones.

•Apr 3, 2020•0 citations

Temporally correlated quantum noise in driven quantum systems with applications to quantum gate operations

Balázs Gulácsi, Guido Burkard

The ubiquitous effects of the environment on quantum-mechanical systems generally cause temporally correlated fluctuations. This particularly holds for systems of interest for quantum computation where such effects lead to correlated errors. The Markovian approximation neglects these correlations and thus fails to accurately describe open-system dynamics where these correlations become relevant. In driven open systems, yet another approximation is persistently used, often unknowingly, in which one describes the decay effects independently from the time-dependent controlling fields acting on the system, thereby ignoring further temporally correlated effects. To overcome these shortcomings, we develop a quantum master equation for driven systems weakly coupled to quantum environments that avoids the aforementioned field-independent approximation, as well as the Markovian approximation. Our method makes it possible to track all occurring decay channels and their time-dependent generalized rates which we illustrate in the example of a generally driven two-level system. We also demonstrate that correlated and field-dependent dissipative effects can lead to an increase in the performance of single-qubit gate operations.

arXiv:2410.18748•Physical Review Research•Apr 21, 2025•9 citations

Tracking control of two qubit entanglement using piecewise time-independent method

Guilherme Jurkevicz Delben, Marcus W. Beims

Abstract The tracking control of quantum correlations between two coupled qubits is analyzed, where only one of the qubits is coupled to a Markovian environment. Such a system is a generalized model that can be used, for example, to study the problem of a nuclear spin coupled to the electron spin exposed to the environment. Using an external control field, we increase the time for which the system remains coherent and entangled. The control field is an external potential applied to the system, which contains two adjustable parameters, the intensity and the phase of the field. Furthermore, we present quantum control protocols with different targets. First, for population control of both qubits, second for the coherence control of both two-level systems, and finally for the control of entanglement. Due to analytical for X states the target function can directly be identified with the entanglement. Furthermore, we have shown that when smaller dissipation rates are considered, the control method generates larger stable entanglement between the qubits.

Physica Scripta•Dec 4, 2020•6 citations

Driving-induced amplification of non-Markovianity in open quantum systems evolution

Pablo M. Poggi, Fernando C. Lombardo, Diego A. Wisniacki

Non-Markovian effects arising in open quantum system evolution have been a subject of increasing interest over the past decade. One of the most appealing features of non-Markovianity (NM) is that it captures scenarios where loss of information and coherence are reversible, and thus a temporary backflow of information from the environment to the system is possible. In this work we study the interplay between the degree of non-Markovianity and the action of time-dependent control fields in an open two-level quantum system. We find that periodical modulation of a field acting solely on the system can greatly enhance the degree of non-Markovianity with respect to the undriven case. We show that this effect is present only when the coupling between system and environment is weak. Remarkably, the enhancement disappears at strong coupling, which is usually the regime where non-Markovian effects are expected to be more pronounced.

•Apr 1, 2017•25 citations
An essential action in quantum information processing is the manipulation (control) of a single qubit, ideally a closed two-level system. However, in realistic applications, quantum processes are often under the influence of the external environment, e.g., presenting some degree of dissipation and decoherence. In this paper we address the emerging difficulties in the (tracking) quantum control of a two-level system under the influence of both Markovian and non-Markovian noise. We employ a same framework to treat both situations, a Lindblad-type equation, but considering that for the former (latter) case, the decay rate \ensuremathΓ\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}\ensuremathΓ is time independent (dependent). We discuss the conditions leading to a breakdown of the quantum control and eventual ways to overcome the problem, like employing a fast control scheme or controlling the off-diagonal terms of the system density matrix. Surprisingly, for Markovian noise such breakdown time decreases with \ensuremathΓ\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}\ensuremathΓ not as an exponential but as a power law. This indicates that the quantum control should be possible for a coupling between the system and the environment stronger than previously expected. Moreover, we find that for non-Markovian noise, the breakdown time is longer when there is backflow, i.e., \ensuremathΓ(t)\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}(t)\ensuremathΓ(t) can be negative. The present theoretical results point to certain favorable scenarios to operate qubits even in a noisy medium.
We investigate the quantum control of two qubits interacting with a Markovian environment and evolving as an XXX state. The control is implemented via a simple applied field, whose profile is determined by means of the piecewise time-independent quantum control method. The goal is to make either the population or the system concurrence to follow a specified tracking control trajectory. By considering the system under the influence of three kinds of noise---phase damping, amplitude damping, or a combination of both---we unveil the conditions (like energy balance) under which the quantum control is properly achieved and fidelity (monitored through the trace distance) is kept satisfactorily high, even if the qubits interact differently with the dissipative medium. We further find that the effects of phase damping, a type of noise which notoriously destroys coherence and entanglement, can be mitigated if during the control the system is also exposed to amplitude damping. Of potential interest for the usage of entanglement as resource for quantum information, our results indicate that distinct entanglement measures and coherence can be maintained relatively high (even at long times) as a consequence of the tracking quantum control process.
Controlling the non-Markovian dynamics of open quantum systems is essential in quantum information technology since it plays a crucial role in preserving quantum memory. Albeit in many realistic scenarios the quantum system can simultaneously interact with composite environments, this condition remains little understood, particularly regarding the effect of the coupling between environmental parts. We analyze the non-Markovian behavior of a qubit interacting at the same time with two coupled single-mode cavities which in turn dissipate into memoryless or memory-keeping reservoirs. We show that increasing the control parameter, that is the two-mode coupling, allows for triggering and enhancing a non-Markovian dynamics for the qubit starting from a Markovian one in the absence of coupling. Surprisingly, if the qubit dynamics is non-Markovian for the zero control parameter, increasing the latter enables multiple transitions from non-Markovian to Markovian regimes. These results hold independently on the nature of the reservoirs. This work highlights that suitably engineering the coupling between parts of a compound environment can efficiently harness the quantum memory, stored in a qubit, based on non-Markovianity.
Open quantum systems have been aim of several theoretical and experimental studies over the last years.In particular, research related to non-Markovianity and how it influences the dynamics of the system has become relatively important, because this way we can have the return the initial quantum characteristics present in the system.In this thesis two related works were developed about the influence of non-Markovianity in open quantum systems.In the first, it was used a one qubit system in contact with a bosonic reservoir and also under the influence of a classic stochastic pumping, thus generating an effective coupling of the system with the stochastic noise and the thermal reservoir.Thus, it was investigated how the dynamics of the qubit is modified through the production of non-Markovianity in the system due to the effective coupling and also how the mean system energy, with and without pumping, behaves in both Markovian and non-Markovian regime.Additionally, an analysis of non-Markovianity production was performed using exponential, Gaussian and power law stochastic noises.Applying the Andersson, Cresser, Hall and Li (ACHL) measure, it was possible to make a comparison of how much non-Markovianity was produced for each stochastic noise.In the second work, a study was performed on how it is possible to generate the transition between Markovian to non-Markovian regimes through the control of the spin-lattice relaxation time of an ancillary qubit, which acts as an environment.The decoherence of the system was simulated through the formulation of quantum channels.In addition, it was discussed how the relaxation mechanism is modified by the action of an external magnetic field.Finally, an experimental demonstration of the model is presented and the experimental data were compared with the theoretically simulated ones.
The ubiquitous effects of the environment on quantum-mechanical systems generally cause temporally correlated fluctuations. This particularly holds for systems of interest for quantum computation where such effects lead to correlated errors. The Markovian approximation neglects these correlations and thus fails to accurately describe open-system dynamics where these correlations become relevant. In driven open systems, yet another approximation is persistently used, often unknowingly, in which one describes the decay effects independently from the time-dependent controlling fields acting on the system, thereby ignoring further temporally correlated effects. To overcome these shortcomings, we develop a quantum master equation for driven systems weakly coupled to quantum environments that avoids the aforementioned field-independent approximation, as well as the Markovian approximation. Our method makes it possible to track all occurring decay channels and their time-dependent generalized rates which we illustrate in the example of a generally driven two-level system. We also demonstrate that correlated and field-dependent dissipative effects can lead to an increase in the performance of single-qubit gate operations.
Abstract The tracking control of quantum correlations between two coupled qubits is analyzed, where only one of the qubits is coupled to a Markovian environment. Such a system is a generalized model that can be used, for example, to study the problem of a nuclear spin coupled to the electron spin exposed to the environment. Using an external control field, we increase the time for which the system remains coherent and entangled. The control field is an external potential applied to the system, which contains two adjustable parameters, the intensity and the phase of the field. Furthermore, we present quantum control protocols with different targets. First, for population control of both qubits, second for the coherence control of both two-level systems, and finally for the control of entanglement. Due to analytical for X states the target function can directly be identified with the entanglement. Furthermore, we have shown that when smaller dissipation rates are considered, the control method generates larger stable entanglement between the qubits.
Non-Markovian effects arising in open quantum system evolution have been a subject of increasing interest over the past decade. One of the most appealing features of non-Markovianity (NM) is that it captures scenarios where loss of information and coherence are reversible, and thus a temporary backflow of information from the environment to the system is possible. In this work we study the interplay between the degree of non-Markovianity and the action of time-dependent control fields in an open two-level quantum system. We find that periodical modulation of a field acting solely on the system can greatly enhance the degree of non-Markovianity with respect to the undriven case. We show that this effect is present only when the coupling between system and environment is weak. Remarkably, the enhancement disappears at strong coupling, which is usually the regime where non-Markovian effects are expected to be more pronounced.