Quantum i.i.d. Steady States in Open Many-Body Systems

TL;DR

This paper characterizes conditions under which open quantum many-body systems reach stable, uncorrelated steady states, providing a framework for exactly solvable models and a no-go theorem for entanglement in such states.

Contribution

It establishes a general criterion for quantum i.i.d. steady states in open systems and identifies a class of models with exactly solvable steady states.

Findings

Identifies a set of operators commuting with quantum i.i.d. states.

Shows quantum i.i.d. states form an invariant subset of dynamics.

Proves a no-go theorem for entanglement in broad steady states.

Abstract

Understanding how a quantum many-body state is maintained stably as a nonequilibrium steady state is of fundamental and practical importance for exploration and exploitation of open quantum systems. We establish a general equivalent condition for an open quantum many-body system governed by the Gorini-Kossakowski-Sudarshan-Lindblad dynamics under local drive and/or dissipation to have a quantum independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) steady state. We present a sufficient condition for a system to have a quantum i.i.d. steady state by identifying a set of operators that commute with arbitrary quantum i.i.d. states. In particular, a set of quantum i.i.d. states is found to be an invariant subset of time evolution superoperators for systems that satisfy the sufficient condition. These findings not only identify a class of models with exactly solvable steady states but also lead to a no-go theorem that precludes quantum entanglement and spatial correlations in a broad class of quantum many-body steady states in a dissipative environment.