Scrambling in the Charging of Quantum Batteries

TL;DR

This paper explores how quantum scrambling affects the charging efficiency of quantum batteries, using the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model, and finds that scrambling does not always speed up charging despite its chaotic nature.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of quantum scrambling's impact on quantum battery charging using a maximally-chaotic model.

Findings

Quantum scrambling does not necessarily accelerate charging.

Analysis of out-of-time-order correlators reveals complex dynamics.

Scrambling's role in charging efficiency is nuanced and context-dependent.

Abstract

Exponentially fast scrambling of an initial state characterizes quantum chaotic systems. Given the importance of quickly populating higher energy levels from low-energy states in quantum battery charging protocols, this work investigates the role of quantum scrambling in quantum batteries and its effect on optimal power and charging times by means of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model, a maximally-chaotic black hole physics model that has been recently proposed as a quantum battery. We adopt a bare representation with normalized bandwidths to suppress system energy dependence. To our knowledge, this is the first in-depth exploration of quantum scrambling in the context of quantum batteries. By analyzing the dynamics of out-of-time-order correlators, our findings indicate that quantum scrambling does not necessarily lead to faster charging, despite its potential for accelerating the process.