paper

Hidden time-reversal symmetry, quantum detailed balance and exact solutions of driven-dissipative quantum systems

arXiv:2011.02148 · doi:10.1103/PRXQuantum.2.020336

Abstract

Driven-dissipative quantum systems generically do not satisfy simple notions of detailed balance based on the time symmetry of correlation functions. We show that such systems can nonetheless exhibit a hidden time-reversal symmetry which most directly manifests itself in a doubled version of the original system prepared in an appropriate entangled thermofield double state. This hidden time-reversal symmetry has a direct operational utility: it provides a general method for finding exact solutions of non-trivial steady states. Special cases of this approach include the coherent quantum absorber and complex- function methods from quantum optics. We also show that hidden TRS has observable consequences even in single-system experiments, and can be broken by the non-trivial combination of nonlinearity, thermal fluctuations, and driving. To illustrate our ideas, we analyze concrete examples of driven qubits and nonlinear cavities. These systems exhibit hidden time-reversal symmetry but not conventional detailed balance.

20 pages main text + 10 pages of appendices, 9 figures

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