Dynamical Steady-States in Driven Quantum Systems

TL;DR

This paper develops a new theoretical framework for driven quantum systems interacting with their environment, accurately describing steady-states without relying on common approximations, and aligns well with experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a method that avoids secular and rotating wave approximations, enabling precise modeling of driven quantum dots in complex environments.

Findings

Accurately predicts transition from asymmetric resonances to population inversion.

Shows good agreement with recent experimental data.

Provides a new approach for analyzing driven dissipative quantum systems.

Abstract

We derive dynamical equations for a driven, dissipative quantum system in which the environment- induced relaxation rate is comparable to the Rabi frequency, avoiding assumptions on the frequency dependence of the environmental coupling. When the environmental coupling varies significantly on the scale of the Rabi frequency, secular or rotating wave approximations break down. Our approach avoids these approximations, yielding dynamical, periodic steady-states. This is important for the qualitative and quantitative description of the interaction between driven quantum dots and their phonon environment. The theory agrees well with recent experiments, describing the transition from asymmetric unsaturated resonances at weak driving to population inversion at strong driving.