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Quantum decay in non-Hermitian subsystems induced by artificial environments

Mahmoud A. Selim, Max Ehrhardt, Yuqiang Ding, Armando Pérez-Leija, Qi Zhong, Georgios G. Pyrialakos, Matthias Heinrich, Alexander Szameit, Demetrios N. Christodoulides, Mercedeh Khajavikhan

Published Jan 1, 2024• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We propose a systematic methodology for realizing quantum parity-time symmetric subsystems in a fully Hermitian photonic environment. We show that these artificial systems behave in a similar manner to their non-Hermitian counterparts.
DOI
10.1364/cleo_fs.2024.fth3d.5

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Engineering quantum bath networks through non-Hermitian subsystem Hamiltonians has recently emerged as a promising strategy for qubit cooling, state stabilization, and fault-tolerant quantum computation. However, scaling these systems while maintaining precise control over their complex interconnections, especially in the optical domain, poses significant challenges in both theoretical modeling and physical implementation. In this work, drawing on principles from quantum and mathematical physics, we introduce a systematic framework for constructing non-Hermitian subsystems within entirely Hermitian photonic platforms. In particular, controlled exponential decay without actual absorption loss is realized in finite 1-D waveguide chains through discrete-to-continuum coupling and Lanczos transformations. Using this new methodology, we implement parity-time symmetric quantum systems and experimentally demonstrate that these artificial bath environments accurately replicate the dynamics of non-Hermitian arrangements in both single- and multi-photon excitation regimes. Since the non-Hermitian subsystem response deterministically arises from an artificially built Hermitian bath, the quantum evolution can be monitored via post-selection in this fully conservative configuration. This approach bridges the gap between theoretical models and experimental realizations, thus paving the way for exploiting quantum bath engineering in advanced information processing and emerging quantum technologies.
The concept of parity-time (PT) symmetry originates from the framework of quantum mechanics, where if the Hamiltonian operator satisfies the commutation relation with the parity and time operators, it shows real energy spectrum. Recently, PT symmetry was introduced into various systems, such as optics, electronic circuits, acoustics, and other classical fields to further study the dynamical behaviors of the Hamiltonian and the energies. To focus on the dynamical evolution of the quantum state, here we experimentally studied the dynamical evolution of a two-level quantum system under the PT symmetric Hamiltonian using single-photon system. By enlarging the system using ancillary qubit and encoding the subsystem under the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian with post-selection, the evolution of the state can be characterized with a high fidelity. Owing to the effectively operation of the dilation method, our work provides a route for further exploiting the exotic properties of PT symmetric Hamiltonian for quantum simulation and quantum information processing.
We investigate the dephasing dynamics of a qubit as an effective mechanism for estimating the temperature of its surrounding environment for different symmetries. Our approach is fundamentally quantum, leveraging the qubit’s susceptibility to decoherence without necessitating thermal equilibrium with the system under study. We also examine how symmetry properties affect the accuracy of information retrieval and the robustness of quantum information storage in such systems, highlighting their potential advantages in mitigating decoherence effects. The optimization of quantum Fisher information is performed with respect to both the interaction duration and the environmental temperature, focusing on Ohmic-like spectral density environments. Furthermore, we explicitly identify the optimal qubit measurement that attains the quantum Cramér–Rao bound for precision. Our findings reveal that optimal estimation arises from a complex interplay between the qubit’s dephasing dynamics and the Ohmic characteristics of the environment, with a particular focus on non-Hermitian systems that exhibit enhanced resilience to decoherence. We examine the decoherence dynamics of a two-level spin system governed by an anti-parity-time-symmetric Hamiltonian. The obtained results are systematically compared with those corresponding to both PT-symmetric and conventional Hermitian qubit models. To this end, we first employ a time-dependent Dyson transformation to derive the exact analytical evolution of a generic non-Hermitian qubit interacting with an external environment. The formalism is then applied to the particular case of an anti-PT-symmetric qubit. Our analysis reveals that the coherence of the non-Hermitian-symmetric qubit is preserved over significantly longer times, as evidenced by the slower decay of its decoherence function relative to its Hermitian counterparts. Furthermore, the generation of entanglement entropy is found to proceed at a reduced rate, indicating a more gradual buildup of system–environment correlations. In addition, the anti-PT-symmetric configuration exhibits substantially enhanced quantum Fisher information together with a smaller variance than those observed in the corresponding PT-symmetric and Hermitian systems. These findings highlight the remarkable robustness of anti-PT-symmetric qubits against environmental decoherence and suggest that they constitute a promising platform for the implementation of quantum information processing and quantum computing protocols.
Recently, impressive progress has been made in the study of non-Hermitian systems with parity-time symmetry, such as observations of topological properties of physical systems and criticality at exceptional points. A crucial aspect of parity-time symmetric nonunitary dynamics is the information flow between the system and the environment. In this paper, we use the physical quantity, distinguishability between quantum states, to uniformly quantify the information flow between low-dimensional and high-dimensional parity-time symmetric non-Hermitian systems and environments. The numerical results show that the oscillation of quantum state distinguishability and complete information retrieval and can be obtained in the parity-time-unbroken phase. However, the information decays exponentially in the parity-time-broken phase. The exceptional point marks the criticality between reversibility and irreversibility of information flow, and the distinguishability between quantum states exhibits the behavior of power-law decay. Understanding these unique phenomena in nonunitary quantum dynamics provides an important perspective for the study of open quantum systems and contributes to their application in quantum information.