Enhanced violation of a Leggett-Garg inequality under nonequilibrium thermal conditions

Abstract

We investigate both analytically and numerically violations of a Leggett-Garg inequality (LGI) for a composite quantum system in contact with two separate reservoirs at different temperatures. Remarkably we find that LGI violations can be enhanced when a heat current is established at low temperatures in a steady-state regime. Based on a Kraus operator decomposition of the non-unitary evolution for a system formed by two interacting spins or quantum bits, we provide analytical support for power law relations between dissipation strength and mean temperature in the borderlines separating parameter regions where non-equilibrium conditions affect differently the maximal LGI violation. Furthermore, a correspondence between spatial and temporal correlation inequalities is shown to persist even in such nonequilibrium thermal settings.

12 pages, 4 figures. Extended version as published in PRA

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• Non-equilibrium quantum systems: Divergence between global and local descriptions
• Influence of equilibrium and nonequilibrium environments on macroscopic realism through the Leggett-Garg inequalities
• Enhancing violations of Leggett-Garg inequalities in nonequilibrium correlated many-body systems by interactions and decoherence
• Entangled microwaves as a resource for entangling spatially separate solid-state qubits: superconducting qubits, NV centers and magnetic molecules
• Tests of macrorealism in meson oscillation physics
• Leggett-Garg inequalities for multitime processes
• Asymmetric steerability of quantum equilibrium and nonequilibrium steady states through entanglement detection
• Quantum Energy Teleportation under Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Environments
• Imprints of LGI violation in Mesons