We investigate the evolution of a central spin coupled to a spin bath without internal dynamics. We compare the cases where the bath couples to one or two components of the spin. It is found that the central spin dynamics is enhanced in the latter case, which may be interpreted as a frustration of dissipation. However, the quantum purity of the spin decays fast in both scenarios. We conclude that symmetric coupling of the bath to two orthogonal components of the spin inhibits dissipation but not decoherence.
The decoherence of mixed electron-nuclear spin qubits is a topic of great current importance, but understanding is still lacking: while important decoherence mechanisms for spin qubits arise from quantum spin bath environments with slow decay of correlations, the only analytical framework for explaining observed sharp variations of decoherence times with magnetic field is based on the suppression of classical noise. Here we obtain a general expression for decoherence times of the central spin system which exposes significant differences between quantum-bath decoherence and decoherence by classical field noise. We perform measurements of decoherence times of bismuth donors in natural silicon using both electron spin resonance (ESR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) transitions, and in both cases find excellent agreement with our theory across a wide parameter range. The universality of our expression is also tested by quantitative comparisons with previous measurements of decoherence around `optimal working points or `clock transitions where decoherence is strongly suppressed. We further validate our results by comparison to cluster expansion simulations.
The interplay of optical driving and hyperfine interaction between an electron confined in a quantum dot and its surrounding nuclear spin environment produces a range of interesting physics such as mode-locking. In this work, we go beyond the ubiquitous spin 1/2 approximation for nuclear spins and present a comprehensive theoretical framework for an optically driven electron spin in a self-assembled quantum dot coupled to a nuclear spin bath of arbitrary spin. Using a dynamical mean-field approach, we compute the nuclear spin polarization distribution with and without the quadrupolar coupling. We find that while hyperfine interactions drive dynamic nuclear polarization and mode-locking, quadrupolar couplings counteract these effects. The tension between these mechanisms is imprinted on the steady-state electron spin evolution, providing a way to measure the importance of quadrupolar interactions in a quantum dot. Our results show that higher-spin effects such as quadrupolar interactions can have a significant impact on the generation of dynamic nuclear polarization and how it influences the electron spin evolution.
We derive fluctuation-dissipation relations for a tunnel junction driven by a high impedance microwave resonator, displaying strong quantum fluctuations. We find that the fluctuation-dissipation relations derived for classical forces hold, provided the effect of the circuits quantum fluctuations is incorporated into a modified non-linear $I(V)$ curve. We also demonstrate that all quantities measured under a coherent time dependent bias can be reconstructed from their dc counterpart with a photo-assisted tunneling relation. We confirm these predictions by implementing the circuit and measuring the dc current through the junction, its high frequency admittance and its current noise at the frequency of the resonator.
In the absence of dissipation a non-rotating magnetic nanoparticle can be stably levitated in a static magnetic field as a consequence of the spin origin of its magnetization. Here, we study the effects of dissipation on the stability of the system, considering the interaction with the background gas and the intrinsic Gilbert damping of magnetization dynamics. We find that dissipation limits the time over which a particle can be stably levitated. At large applied magnetic fields we identify magnetization switching induced by Gilbert damping as the key limiting factor for stable levitation. At low applied magnetic fields and for small particle dimensions magnetization switching is prevented due to the strong coupling of rotation and magnetization dynamics, and the stability is mainly limited by the gas-induced dissipation. In this latter case, high vacuum should be sufficient to extend stable levitation over experimentally relevant timescales. Our results demonstrate the possibility to experimentally observe the phenomenon of quantum spin stabilized magnetic levitation.
Using flow equations, equilibrium and non-equilibrium dynamics of a two-level system are investigated, which couples via non-commuting components to two independent oscillator baths. In equilibrium the two-level energy splitting is protected when the TLS is coupled symmetrically to both bath. A critical asymmetry angle separates the localized from the delocalized phase. On the other hand, real-time decoherence of a non-equilibrium initial state is for a generic initial state faster for a coupling to two baths than for a single bath.