A key result on the emergence of thermodynamic irreversibility from the rules of quantum mechanics has been published by one of QTeQ’s members within the framework provided by the TherMiQ project.
A collaboration involving CBPF (Rio de Janeiro), UFABC (Santo Andre’), Universtaet Erlangen, and QTeQ’s member Mauro has addressed the break-down of time reversibility emerging from the quenched dynamics of a liquid-state NMR sample subjected to an external driving. The work has been published in PRL as
T. B. Batalhao, et al, Irreversibility and the arrow of time in a quenched quantum system, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 190601 (2015)
and chosen as an ‘Editors’ Suggestion’ in PRL, featured in afantastic Physics Viewpoint by Alexia Auffeves, and picked up by a set of news outlet (PhysicsWorld, Phys.Org, CNPq’s portal among others)
this is only one of the latest results of project TherMiQ, whih QteQ coordinates as part of a pan-European consortium funded by the EU FP7
Our Ruari has recently published his first paper in the highly prestigious pages of Phys. Rev. Lett.!
Together with Salvatore Lorenzo, Francesco Ciccarello, and Massimo Palma from University of Palermo, Ruari has worked with Mauro on the link between information and thermodynamics as implied by the Landauer principle. By constructing a collision-based model for the description of an open quantum dynamics, the team has demonstrated the implications of non-Markovianity for general processes of logical irreversibility.
Details on the work can be found at
S. Lorenzo, R. McCloskey, F. Ciccarello, M. Paternostro, and G. M. Palma, Landauer’s Principle in Multipartite Open Quantum System, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 120403 (2015)
Well done to Ruari!!
New paper on Phys Rev A by QTeQ members Andrew, Alessandro and Mauro! The work assesses the degree of macroscopic quantumness achievable through quantum optomechanical settings in both the single-photon and multi-photon coupling regime. The analysis has been performed in collaboration with long-term friend and collaborator Prof. Huynseok “Jacob” Jeong and his brilliant PhD student Hyukjoon Kwon (both at Seoul National University), and makes use of a tool for quantifying the macroscopic character of a quantum superposition brought forward by Hyunseok and Chang-Woo Lee (now at the Korea Institute of Advanced Studies). The details of the study can be found at
A. Carlisle, H. Kwon, H. Jeong, A. Ferraro, and M. Paternostro, On the limitations of a measurement-assisted optomechanical route to quantum macroscopicity of superposition states, Phys. Rev. A 92, 022123 (2015).
After an intense, enjoyable, and productive year spent at QTeQ, Oussama Houhou is now on his way back to the University of Constantine (Algeria) and his family. Twelve months passed too quickly for sure but QTeQ will welcome him back to his ‘northern irish home’ whenever possible! Ádh mór ort, Oussama and see you soon!
QTeQ hits the pages of Phys. Rev. A with a new paper on large deviation theory! Simon and Lorenzo, in collaboration with Gabriele, Mauro, and honorary QTeQ member Andre’, published a research paper proposing a new phase-space based method to assess the thermodynamics of the trajectories followed by a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to N baths. The method, which allows the exact analytical derivation of the large deviation function for the oscillator, is a key step forward in the analytical study of the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of continuous variable systems. Further applications to come up soon!!
Details on the work can be found at
S. Pigeon, L. Fusco, A. Xuereb, G. De Chiara, and M. Paternostro, Thermodynamics of trajectories of a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to N baths, Phys. Rev. A 92, 013844 (2015).
An in-house paper from QTeQ on quantum correlations in spin chains has been published in Phys. Rev. B. The work authored by Matthew, Steve, Mariona and Gabriele, deals with discord and its global version in spin-1 systems. The authors show that discord is able to detect a Gaussian phase transition, believed to be of third order and normally quite hard to access. In the case of thermal states, they found that discord for distant spins can be enhanced by increasing the temperature, something quite unusual in the context of quantum correlations and entanglement.
Nonclassicality and criticality in symmetry-protected magnetic phases,
Matthew J. M. Power, Steve Campbell, Maria Moreno-Cardoner, and Gabriele De Chiara
Phys. Rev. B 91, 214411 (2015)
Three QTeQ papers have been included in the focus issue on Quantum Thermodynamics published by New Journal of Physics.
The first one, in collaboration with Prof. Augusto Roncaglia and Prof. Juan Pablo Paz from University of Buenos Aires, proposes an experimental setup to measure the full probability distribution of work in a system of atomic ensemble.
The second one, in collaboration with Nikolai Kiesel from University of Vienna, investigates the quantum thermodynamics of optomechanical systems with special emphasis on the work distribution.
The last one, in collaboration with Prof. Anna Sanpera’s group from Barcelona, finds the limit of the accuracy of temperature estimation in ultracold lattice gases proposing an experimental setup to get close to the bound.
Measuring work and heat in ultracold quantum gases,
Gabriele De Chiara, Augusto J Roncaglia and Juan Pablo Paz,
2015 New J. Phys. 17 035004
Out-of-equilibrium thermodynamics of quantum optomechanical systems,
M Brunelli, A Xuereb, A Ferraro, G De Chiara, N Kiesel and M Paternostro,
2015 New J. Phys. 17 035016
Thermometry precision in strongly correlated ultracold lattice gases,
M Mehboudi, M Moreno-Cardoner, G De Chiara and A Sanpera,
2015 New J. Phys. 17 055020
On June 1, 2015, Ben passed his viva for his PhD. The two supervisors, Gabriele and Mauro, are particularly proud of the work Ben has done on different fronts: optomechanics, ultracold atoms and entanglement in spin systems. Ben has now moved to the University of Vienna to work as a PostDoc with Dr Beatrix Hiesmayr on entanglement. We wish Ben all the best for his future career!
Great news: QTeQ hits the pages of Phys. Rev. Lett. with a new paper on the design of shortcuts to adiabaticity in quantum many-body systems. Steve as the leading star, Gabriele and Mauro, in collaboration with Massimo Palma (Palermo) and Rosario Fazio (SNS Pisa) have found a new, symmetry-based method to design shortcuts to adiabaticity in a ‘difficult’ many-body system such as the notorious Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model. The study, which is an all-TherMiQ collaboration, suggests that the long-range nature of the shortcuts, which is a typical feature when quantum many-body systems brought through a quantum critical point are concerned, is an inherent aspect of such control method, and not a byproduct of the transition.
Details of the work can be found at
Steve Campbell, Gabriele De Chiara, Mauro Paternostro, G. Massimo Palma, and Rosario Fazio, Shortcut to Adiabaticity in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick Model, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 177206 (2015)
Check out also the fantastic press-coverage appeared on Phys.Org written by Lisa Zyga and our Steve.
QTeQ welcomes Rosaria Lena, an undergraduate student from the group led by Prof G. M. Palma. Rosaria will be studying in Belfast towards the completion of her Laurea thesis, working on a project on cold-atom physics and thermodynamics under the supervision of Gabriele.