Photonic realization of nonlocal memory effects and non-Markovian quantum probes

TL;DR

This paper experimentally demonstrates that a photonic open quantum system can utilize environmental correlations to exhibit nonlocal memory effects, revealing complex non-Markovian dynamics with implications for quantum control and entanglement protection.

Contribution

It introduces a method to exploit environmental correlations for nonlocal memory effects in photonic systems, advancing understanding of non-Markovian quantum dynamics.

Findings

Bipartite open system shows local Markovian and global non-Markovian behavior.

Environmental correlations induce nonlocal memory effects.

New methods to protect and quantify entanglement in photonic environments.

Abstract

The study of open quantum systems is important for fundamental issues of quantum physics as well as for technological applications such as quantum information processing. Recent developments in this field have increased our basic understanding on how non-Markovian effects influence the dynamics of an open quantum system, paving the way to exploit memory effects for various quantum control tasks. Most often, the environment of an open system is thought to act as a sink for the system information. However, here we demonstrate experimentally that a photonic open system can exploit the information initially held by its environment. Correlations in the environmental degrees of freedom induce nonlocal memory effects where the bipartite open system displays, counterintuitively, local Markovian and global non-Markovian character. Our results also provide novel methods to protect and distribute entanglement, and to experimentally quantify correlations in photonic environments.