Driven-Dissipative Rydberg Blockade in Optical Lattices.

While dissipative Rydberg gases exhibit unique possibilities to tune dissipation and interaction properties, very little is known about the quantum many-body physics of such long-range interacting open quantum systems. We theoretically analyze the steady state of a van der Waals interacting Rydberg gas in an optical lattice based on a variational treatment that also includes long-range correlations necessary to describe the physics of the Rydberg blockade, i.e., the inhibition of neighboring Rydberg excitations by strong interactions. In contrast to the ground state phase diagram, we find that the steady state undergoes a single first order phase transition from a blockaded Rydberg gas to a facilitation phase where the blockade is lifted. The first order line terminates in a critical point when including sufficiently strong dephasing, enabling a highly promising route to study dissipative criticality in these systems. In some regimes, we also find good quantitative agreement of the phase boundaries with previously employed short-range models, however, with the actual steady states exhibiting strikingly different behavior.

Driven-Dissipative Criticality within the Discrete Truncated Wigner Approximation.

We present an approach to the numerical simulation of open quantum many-body systems based on the semiclassical framework of the discrete truncated Wigner approximation. We establish a quantum jump formalism to integrate the quantum master equation describing the dynamics of the system, which we find to be exact in both the noninteracting limit and the limit where the system is described by classical rate equations. We apply our method to simulation of the paradigmatic dissipative Ising model, where we are able to capture the critical fluctuations of the system beyond the level of mean-field theory.

Initialization of quantum simulators by sympathetic cooling.

Simulating computationally intractable many-body problems on a quantum simulator holds great potential to deliver insights into physical, chemical, and biological systems. While the implementation of Hamiltonian dynamics within a quantum simulator has already been demonstrated in many experiments, the problem of initialization of quantum simulators to a suitable quantum state has hitherto remained mostly unsolved. Here, we show that already a single dissipatively driven auxiliary particle can efficiently prepare the quantum simulator in a low-energy state of largely arbitrary Hamiltonians. We demonstrate the scalability of our approach and show that it is robust against unwanted sources of decoherence. While our initialization protocol is largely independent of the physical realization of the simulation device, we provide an implementation example for a trapped ion quantum simulator.

Quantum Many-Body Dynamics of Driven-Dissipative Rydberg Polaritons.

We study the propagation of strongly interacting Rydberg polaritons through an atomic medium in a one-dimensional optical lattice. We derive an effective single-band Hubbard model to describe the dynamics of the dark-state polaritons under realistic assumptions. Within this model, we analyze the driven-dissipative transport of polaritons through the system by considering a coherent drive on one side and by including the spontaneous emission of the metastable Rydberg state. Using a variational approach to solve the many-body problem, we find strong antibunching of the outgoing photons despite the losses from the Rydberg state decay.

Critical Behavior of the Quantum Contact Process in One Dimension.

The contact process is a paradigmatic classical stochastic system displaying critical behavior even in one dimension. It features a nonequilibrium phase transition into an absorbing state that has been widely investigated and shown to belong to the directed percolation universality class. When the same process is considered in a quantum setting, much less is known. So far, mainly semiclassical studies have been conducted and the nature of the transition in low dimensions is still a matter of debate. Also, from a numerical point of view, from which the system may look fairly simple-especially in one dimension-results are lacking. In particular, the presence of the absorbing state poses a substantial challenge, which appears to affect the reliability of algorithms targeting directly the steady state. Here we perform real-time numerical simulations of the open dynamics of the quantum contact process and shed light on the existence and on the nature of an absorbing state phase transition in one dimension. We find evidence for the transition being continuous and provide first estimates for the critical exponents. Beyond the conceptual interest, the simplicity of the quantum contact process makes it an ideal benchmark problem for scrutinizing numerical methods for open quantum nonequilibrium systems.

High-Density Quantum Sensing with Dissipative First Order Transitions.

The sensing of external fields using quantum systems is a prime example of an emergent quantum technology. Generically, the sensitivity of a quantum sensor consisting of N independent particles is proportional to sqrt[N]. However, interactions invariably occurring at high densities lead to a breakdown of the assumption of independence between the particles, posing a severe challenge for quantum sensors operating at the nanoscale. Here, we show that interactions in quantum sensors can be transformed from a nuisance into an advantage when strong interactions trigger a dissipative phase transition in an open quantum system. We demonstrate this behavior by analyzing dissipative quantum sensors based upon nitrogen-vacancy defect centers in diamond. Using both a variational method and a numerical simulation of the master equation describing the open quantum many-body system, we establish the existence of a dissipative first order transition that can be used for quantum sensing. We investigate the properties of this phase transition for two- and three-dimensional setups, demonstrating that the transition can be observed using current experimental technology. Finally, we show that quantum sensors based on dissipative phase transitions are particularly robust against imperfections such as disorder or decoherence, with the sensitivity of the sensor not being limited by the T_{2} coherence time of the device. Our results can readily be applied to other applications in quantum sensing and quantum metrology where interactions are currently a limiting factor.

A simple tensor network algorithm for two-dimensional steady states.

Understanding dissipation in 2D quantum many-body systems is an open challenge which has proven remarkably difficult. Here we show how numerical simulations for this problem are possible by means of a tensor network algorithm that approximates steady states of 2D quantum lattice dissipative systems in the thermodynamic limit. Our method is based on the intuition that strong dissipation kills quantum entanglement before it gets too large to handle. We test its validity by simulating a dissipative quantum Ising model, relevant for dissipative systems of interacting Rydberg atoms, and benchmark our simulations with a variational algorithm based on product and correlated states. Our results support the existence of a first order transition in this model, with no bistable region. We also simulate a dissipative spin 1/2 XYZ model, showing that there is no re-entrance of the ferromagnetic phase. Our method enables the computation of steady states in 2D quantum lattice systems.

Multicritical behavior in dissipative Ising models.

We analyze theoretically the many-body dynamics of a dissipative Ising model in a transverse field using a variational approach. We find that the steady-state phase diagram is substantially modified compared to its equilibrium counterpart, including the appearance of a multicritical point belonging to a different universality class. Building on our variational analysis, we establish a field-theoretical treatment corresponding to a dissipative variant of a Ginzburg-Landau theory, which allows us to compute the upper critical dimension of the system. Finally, we present a possible experimental realization of the dissipative Ising model using ultracold Rydberg gases.

Variational principle for steady states of dissipative quantum many-body systems.

We present a novel generic framework to approximate the nonequilibrium steady states of dissipative quantum many-body systems. It is based on the variational minimization of a suitable norm of the quantum master equation describing the dynamics. We show how to apply this approach to different classes of variational quantum states and demonstrate its successful application to a dissipative extension of the Ising model, which is of importance to ongoing experiments on ultracold Rydberg atoms, as well as to a driven-dissipative variant of the Bose-Hubbard model. Finally, we identify several advantages of the variational approach over previously employed mean-field-like methods.

Dissipative binding of atoms by non-conservative forces.

The formation of molecules and supramolecular structures results from bonding by conservative forces acting among electrons and nuclei and giving rise to equilibrium configurations defined by minima of the interaction potential. Here we show that bonding can also occur by the non-conservative forces responsible for interaction-induced coherent population trapping. The bound state arises in a dissipative process and manifests itself as a stationary state at a preordained interatomic distance. Remarkably, such a dissipative bonding is present even when the interactions among the atoms are purely repulsive. The dissipative bound states can be created and studied spectroscopically in present-day experiments with ultracold atoms or molecules and can potentially serve for cooling strongly interacting quantum gases.

Collectively enhanced interactions in solid-state spin qubits.

We propose and analyze a technique to collectively enhance interactions between solid-state quantum registers composed from random networks of spin qubits. In such systems, disordered dipolar interactions generically result in localization. Here, we demonstrate the emergence of a single collective delocalized eigenmode as one turns on a transverse magnetic field. The interaction strength between this symmetric collective mode and a remote spin qubit is enhanced by the square root of the number of spins participating in the delocalized mode. Mediated by such collective enhancement, long-range quantum logic between remote spin registers can occur at distances consistent with optical addressing. A specific implementation utilizing nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond is discussed and the effects of decoherence are considered.

Nonadiabatic preparation of spin crystals with ultracold polar molecules.

We study the growth dynamics of ordered structures of strongly interacting polar molecules in optical lattices. Using a dipole blockade of microwave excitations, we map the system onto an interacting spin-1/2 model possessing ground states with crystalline order, and describe a way to prepare these states by nonadiabatically driving the transitions between molecular rotational levels. The proposed technique bypasses the need to cross a phase transition and allows for the creation of ordered domains of considerably larger size compared to approaches relying on adiabatic preparation.

Long-range quantum gates using dipolar crystals.

We propose the use of dipolar spin chains to enable long-range quantum logic between distant qubits. In our approach, an effective interaction between remote qubits is achieved by adiabatically following the ground state of the dipolar chain across the paramagnet to crystal phase transition. We demonstrate that the proposed quantum gate is particularly robust against disorder and derive scaling relations, showing that high-fidelity qubit coupling is possible in the presence of realistic imperfections. Possible experimental implementations in systems ranging from ultracold Rydberg atoms to arrays of nitrogen vacancy defect centers in diamond are discussed.

Artificial atoms can do more than atoms: deterministic single photon subtraction from arbitrary light fields.

We study the interplay of photons interacting with an artificial atom in the presence of a controlled dephasing. Such artificial atoms consisting of several independent scatterers can exhibit remarkable properties superior to single atoms with a prominent example being a superatom based on Rydberg blockade. We demonstrate that the induced dephasing allows for the controlled absorption of a single photon from an arbitrary incoming probe field. This unique tool in photon-matter interaction opens a way for building novel quantum devices, and several potential applications such as a single photon transistor, high fidelity n-photon counters, or the creation of nonclassical states of light by photon subtraction are presented.

Collective many-body interaction in Rydberg dressed atoms.

We present a method to control the shape and character of the interaction potential between cold atomic gases by weakly dressing the atomic ground state with a Rydberg level. For increasing particle densities, a crossover takes place from a two-particle interaction into a collective many-body interaction, where the dipole-dipole or van der Waals blockade phenomenon between the Rydberg levels plays a dominant role. We study the influence of these collective interaction potentials on a Bose-Einstein condensate and present the optimal parameters for its experimental detection.

Two-stage melting in systems of strongly interacting Rydberg atoms.

We analyze the ground state properties of a one-dimensional cold atomic system in a lattice, where Rydberg excitations are created by an external laser drive. In the classical limit, the ground state is characterized by a complete devil's staircase for the commensurate solid structures of Rydberg excitations. Using perturbation theory and a mapping onto an effective low-energy Hamiltonian, we find a transition of these commensurate solids into a floating solid with algebraic correlations. For stronger quantum fluctuations the floating solid eventually melts within a second quantum phase transition and the ground state becomes paramagnetic.

Quantum critical behavior in strongly interacting Rydberg gases.

We study the appearance of correlated many-body phenomena in an ensemble of atoms driven resonantly into a strongly interacting Rydberg state. The ground state of the Hamiltonian describing the driven system exhibits a second order quantum phase transition. We derive the critical theory for the quantum phase transition and show that it describes the properties of the driven Rydberg system in the saturated regime. We find that the suppression of Rydberg excitations known as blockade phenomena exhibits an algebraic scaling law with a universal exponent.

Transport in anisotropic model systems analyzed by a correlated projection superoperator technique.

By using a correlated projection operator, the time-convolutionless (TCL) method to derive a quantum master equation can be utilized to investigate the transport behavior of quantum systems as well. Here, we analyze a three-dimensional anisotropic quantum model system according to this technique. The system consists of Heisenberg coupled two-level systems in one direction and weak random interactions in all other ones. Depending on the partition chosen, we obtain ballistic behavior along the chains and normal transport in the perpendicular direction. These results are perfectly confirmed by the numerical solution of the full time-dependent Schrödinger equation.