Magnetic graphs for cavity quantum electrodynamics

Abstract

Strengthening light-matter coupling has become a central challenge in cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), enabling ultrafast gate operations, qubit protection, and deterministic nonlinear optics. As the coupling increases, even the simplest configuration, a two-level atom interacting with a quantized field, requires careful treatment, as exemplified by the gauge-invariant quantum Rabi model (QRM). Here we propose a magnetic graph model for single-atom cavity QED, which enables the interpretation of quantum dynamics across the ultrastrong coupling regime through graph connectivity. We demonstrate that the generalized QRM maps onto a complex bipartite graph of identical sites under Floquet boundary conditions. This framework captures the crossover from weak to deep-strong coupling via a single metric: the cost of disconnecting a nonmagnetic subgraph. We examine the mechanism underlying this connectivity transition, establishing phase frustration induced by subgraph topology as the primary driver. Scalable to many-body systems, this approach bridges graph theory and cavity QED, revealing highly complex-graph dynamics even in the simplest setting.