Nonequilibrium phases and quantum correlations in synthetic transport models

TL;DR

This paper explores quantum transport models using quantum cellular automata, demonstrating how quantum effects and correlations emerge and persist in stationary states, with implications for quantum device realization.

Contribution

It introduces minimal models of quantum transport within quantum cellular automata and analyzes how quantum correlations develop and sustain in these systems.

Findings

Bipartite entanglement dominates transient evolution.

Stationary states can retain quantum correlations beyond entanglement.

Quantum effects emerge from coherent dynamical contributions.

Abstract

Quantum devices featuring mid-circuit measurement and reset capabilities, such as quantum computers and dual-species Rydberg quantum simulators, enable the realization of quantum cellular automata. These systems evolve in discrete time following local updates implemented by unitary gates, and allow for the realization of both closed and synthetic open dynamics. Here, we focus on quantum cellular automata that implement minimal models of classical and quantum transport. To illustrate our ideas, we focus on a discrete-time totally asymmetric simple exclusion process and investigate how coherent dynamical contributions allow for the emergence of quantum effects and correlations. We find that bipartite entanglement dominates the transient evolution, while stationary states can retain quantum correlations beyond entanglement. Our results suggest viable routes for realizing transport models on quantum devices and characterizing collective quantum correlations in strongly driven systems.