Quantum Hysteresis in Coupled Light-Matter Systems

TL;DR

This paper explores the non-equilibrium quantum dynamics of the Dicke model during cyclic ramping across a quantum phase transition, revealing diverse behaviors from adiabatic to dispersive regimes with implications for quantum technologies.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of quantum hysteresis phenomena in light-matter systems during dynamic cycles, highlighting the crossover between different dynamical regimes.

Findings

Crossover from adiabatic to dispersive regimes with decreasing cycle time.

Large light-matter entanglement generated in the dispersive regime.

Reversible quantum information exchange in the near adiabatic limit.

Abstract

We investigate the non-equilibrium quantum dynamics of a canonical light-matter system, namely the Dicke model, when the light-matter interaction is ramped up and down through a cycle across the quantum phase transition. Our calculations reveal a rich set of dynamical behaviors determined by the cycle times, ranging from the slow, near adiabatic regime through to the fast, sudden quench regime. As the cycle time decreases, we uncover a crossover from an oscillatory exchange of quantum information between light and matter that approaches a reversible adiabatic process, to a dispersive regime that generates large values of light-matter entanglement. The phenomena uncovered in this work have implications in quantum control, quantum interferometry, as well as in quantum information theory.