Dynamical behavior of quantum correlations between two qubits coupled to an external environment

We investigate the dynamics of quantum correlations of a two-qubit system coupled to an external environment. We have considered both cases: a spin environment and a bosonic environment. In all cases, we have chosen the Bell-diagonal state as the initial state and computed the evolution of quantum correlations in terms of entanglement, quantum discord and trace distance geometric quantum discord. Special attention is paid to the singular quantum phenomena, such as entanglement sudden death, sudden transition and double sudden transitions from classical to quantum decoherence, which all depend on the initial state and the parameters related to the system and the environment. We find the trace distance geometric quantum discord has a good robustness in resisting the spin and bosonic environmental noise.     

Geometric quantum discord under noisy environment

In this work, we mainly analyze the dynamics of geometric quantum discord under a common dissipating environment. Our results indicate that geometric quantum discord is generated when the initial state is a product state. The geometric quantum discord increases from zero to a stable value with the increasing time, and the variations of stable values depend on the system size. For different initial product states, geometric quantum discord has some different behaviors in contrast with entanglement. For initial maximally entangled state, it is shown that geometric quantum discord decays with the increasing dissipated time. It is found that for EPR state, entanglement is more robust than geometric quantum discord, which is a sharp contrast to the existing result that quantum discord is more robust than entanglement in noisy environments. However, for GHZ state and W state, geometric quantum discord is more stable than entanglement. By the comparison of quantum discord and entanglement, we find that a common dissipating environment brings complicated effects on quantum correlation, which may deepen our understanding of physical impacts of decohering environment on quantum correlation. In the end, we analyze the effects of collective dephasing noise and rotating noise to a class of two-qubit X states, and we find that quantum correlation is not altered by the collective noises.     

Decoherent dynamics of quantum correlations in qubit–qutrit systems

We study the dynamics of quantum correlations of qubit–qutrit systems under various decoherent channels. It is shown that the multi-local and local decoherent channels bring different influences for the dynamics of quantum correlations measured by negativity, quantum discord and geometric discord, which depend on the initial state parameters and the properties of the decoherent channels. We put emphasis on the phenomena such as entanglement sudden death, sudden transition between classical and quantum decoherence and stable quantum discord and geometric discord.     

Analytical expression of quantum discord for rank-2 two-qubit states

Quantum correlations characterized by quantum entanglement and quantum discord play important roles in many quantum information processing. We study the relations among the entanglement of formation, concurrence, tangle, linear entropy-based classical correlation and von Neumann entropy-based classical correlation . We present analytical formulae of linear entropy-based classical correlation for arbitrary \(d\otimes 2\) quantum states and von Neumann entropy-based classical correlation for arbitrary \(2\otimes 2\) rank-2 quantum states. From the von Neumann entropy-based classical correlation, we derive an explicit formula of quantum discord for arbitrary rank-2 two-qubit quantum states.     

Generation and protection of steady-state quantum correlations due to quantum channels with memory

We have proposed a scheme of the generation and preservation of two-qubit steady-state quantum correlations through quantum channels where successive uses of the channels are correlated. Different types of noisy channels with memory, such as amplitude damping, phase damping, and depolarizing channels, have been taken into account. Some analytical or numerical results are presented. The effect of channels with memory on dynamics of quantum correlations has been discussed in detail. The results show that steady-state entanglement between two initial qubits whose initial states are prepared in a specific family states without entanglement subject to amplitude damping channel with memory can be generated. The entanglement creation is related to the memory coefficient of channel \(\mu \). The stronger the memory coefficient of channel \( \mu \) is, the more the entanglement creation is, and the earlier the separable state becomes the entangled state. Besides, we compare the dynamics of entanglement with that of quantum discord when a two-qubit system is initially prepared in an entangled state. We show that entanglement dynamics suddenly disappears, while quantum discord dynamics displays only in the asymptotic limit. Furthermore, two-qubit quantum correlations can be preserved at a long time in the limit of \(\mu \rightarrow 1\).     

Evolution of quantum correlations in the open quantum systems consisting of two coupled oscillators

The open quantum systems consisting of coupled and uncoupled asymmetric oscillators are considered with an initial quantum-dot trapped-ion coherent state. The quantum correlations between spatial modes of this trapped ion are examined to find their dependence on the temperature, asymmetric parameter, dissipation coefficient and the magnetic field. It is observed that the discord of the initial state is an increasing function of the asymmetric parameter and the magnetic field. Moreover, in the case of two uncoupled modes, entanglement and discord are decreasing functions of temperature and the dissipation coefficient. However, as the temperature and dissipation coefficient increase, the discord fades out faster. In the case of two coupled modes, as the temperature and dissipation coefficient increase, the sudden death of the entanglement and fade out of the discord happen sooner; moreover, as the magnetic field increases, the entanglement sudden death and the discord fade out time occur sooner. Also, with the increase in the asymmetric parameter, the entanglement sudden death is postponed. In addition, in the asymmetric system, appreciable discord can be created in the temperature range 0–10 K, while appreciable entanglement can be created in the temperature range 0–5 mK. Finally, it is observed that non-monotonic evolution of quantum correlations is due to coupling of modes.     

Systems with stationary distribution of quantum correlations: open spin-1/2 chains with XY interaction

Although quantum correlations in a quantum system are characterized by the evolving quantities (which are entanglement and discord usually), we reveal such basis (i.e. the set of virtual particles) for the representation of the density matrix that the entanglement and/or discord between any two virtual particles in such representation are stationary. In particular, dealing with the nearest neighbor approximation, this system of virtual particles is represented by the $\beta $ -fermions of the Jordan–Wigner transformation. Such systems are important in quantum information devices because the evolution of quantum entanglement/discord leads to the problems of realization of quantum operations. The advantage of stationary entanglement/discord is that they are completely defined by the initial density matrix and by the Hamiltonian governing the quantum dynamics in the system under consideration. Moreover, using the special initial condition together with the special system’s geometry, we construct large cluster of virtual particles with the same pairwise entanglement/discord. In other words, the measure of quantum correlations is stationary in this system and correlations are uniformly “distributed” among all virtual particles. As examples, we use both homogeneous and non-homogeneous spin-1/2 open chains with XY-interaction although other types of interactions might be also of interest.     

Enhancing and protecting quantum correlations of a two-qubit entangled system via non-Hermitian operation

We investigate the dynamics of geometric measure of quantum discord and negativity as a measure of quantum entanglement for the system under the local non-Hermitian operation. Numerical calculations demonstrate that quantum discord and entanglement as two kinds of typical measures of quantum correlations can exceed respective initial value, and their evolution behaviors appear to violate conventional properties which formulates quantum discord and quantum entanglement are invariants under local operations. Our results show that non-Hermitian operation achieves distinctive effects on enhancement and protection of quantum correlations, which is mostly aroused by the non-Hermiticity and the non-unitarity of the non-Hermitian operation.     

Quantum correlation and quantum phase transition in the one-dimensional extended Ising model

Quantum phase transitions can be understood in terms of Landau’s symmetry-breaking theory. Following the discovery of the quantum Hall effect, a new kind of quantum phase can be classified according to topological rather than local order parameters. Both phases coexist for a class of exactly solvable quantum Ising models, for which the ground state energy density corresponds to a loop in a two-dimensional auxiliary space. Motivated by this we study quantum correlations, measured by entanglement and quantum discord, and critical behavior seen in the one-dimensional extended Ising model with short-range interaction. We show that the quantum discord exhibits distinctive behaviors when the system experiences different topological quantum phases denoted by different topological numbers. Quantum discords capability to detect a topological quantum phase transition is more reliable than that of entanglement at both zero and finite temperatures. In addition, by analyzing the divergent behaviors of quantum discord at the critical points, we find that the quantum phase transitions driven by different parameters of the model can also display distinctive critical behaviors, which provides a scheme to detect the topological quantum phase transition in practice.     

Geometric measure of quantum discord for a two-parameter class of states in a qubit–qutrit system under various dissipative channels

Quantum discord, as a measure of all quantum correlations, has been proposed as the key resource in certain quantum communication tasks and quantum computational models without containing much entanglement. Daki? et al. (Phys Rev Lett 105:190502, 2010) introduced a geometric measure of quantum discord (GMQD) and derived an explicit formula for any two-qubit state. Luo and Fu (Phys Rev A 82:034302, 2010) introduced another form of GMQD and derived an explicit formula for arbitrary state in a bipartite quantum system. However, the explicit analytical expression for any bipartite system was not given. In this work, we give out the explicit analytical expressions of the GMQD for a two-parameter class of states in a qubit–qutrit system and study its dynamics for the states under various dissipative channels in the first time. Our results show that all these dynamic evolutions do not lead to a sudden vanishing of GMQD. Quantum correlations vanish at an asymptotic time for local or multi-local dephasing, phase-flip, and depolarizing noise channels. However, it does not disappear even though t → ∞ for local trit-flip and local trit-phase-flip channels. Our results maybe provide some important information for the application of GMQD in hybrid qubit–qutrit systems in quantum information.     

Thermal quantum discord and classical correlations in a two-qubit Ising model under a site-dependent magnetic field

We investigate the thermal quantum discord and classical correlations in a two-qubit Ising model interacting with a site-dependent external magnetic field. Systematic study of all correlations is performed for various values of the system??s temperature, and the magnetic field magnitude and direction on each site. Our results reveal interesting findings as regrowth regions of the classical and quantum correlations. Moreover unexpected bahavior as for example increase of the quantum correlations with the increase of the anisotropy of the applied magnetic fields for specific values of the external parameters is reported. By comparing our quantum discord data with the entanglement of formation, we have concluded that the major source of quantum correlations is the entanglement. Overall, we have found that the independent control of each spin site by external fields is a very practical and robust way of achieving significant quantum discord useful in quantum computation and information proccesses.     

Bipartite non-classical correlations for a lossy two connected qubit–cavity systems: trace distance discord and Bell’s non-locality

In this paper, some non-classical correlations are investigated for bipartite partitions of two qubits trapped in two spatially separated cavities connected by an optical fiber. The results show that the trace distance discord and Bell’s non-locality introduce other quantum correlations beyond the entanglement. Moreover, the correlation functions of the trace distance discord and the Bell’s non-locality are very sensitive to the initial correlations, the coupling strengths, and the dissipation rates of the cavities. The fluctuations of the correlation functions between their initial values and gained (loss) values appear due to the unitary evolution of the system. These fluctuations depend on the chosen initial correlations between the two subsystems. The maximal violations of Bell’s inequality occur when the logarithmic negativity and the trace distance discord reach certain values. It is shown that the robustness of the non-classical correlations, against the dissipation rates of the cavities, depends on the bipartite partitions reduced density matrices of the system, and is also greatly enhanced by choosing appropriate coupling strengths.     

Measurement-based quantum correlation in mixed-state quantum metrology

Entanglement is crucial for realizing quantum advantages in metrology. However, entanglement has been outcast by discord in order to capture the worst-case sensitivity in quantum metrology to estimate an unknown parameter. In contrast to traditional measures—namely entanglement and discord—there exist noncommutativity-based quantum correlation measures induced by local von Neumann measurements. Such correlations are more comprehensive than entanglement and discord in quantum information processing. In this paper, we investigate the metrological resourcefulness of measurement-based quantum correlations (MbQCs). We provide a lower bound on the minimum precision of the estimation in terms of the MbQC. We show that the MbQC is more resourceful in quantum metrology than entanglement and super quantum discord. For any non-product state, the MbQC gives a metrological insight into the sensitivity of a mixed state toward perturbation caused by a local von Neumann measurement.     

Quantum correlation via quantum coherence

Quantum correlation includes quantum entanglement and quantum discord. Both entanglement and discord have a common necessary condition—quantum coherence or quantum superposition. In this paper, we attempt to give an alternative understanding of how quantum correlation is related to quantum coherence. We divide the coherence of a quantum state into several classes and find the complete coincidence between geometric (symmetric and asymmetric) quantum discords and some particular classes of quantum coherence. We propose a revised measure for total coherence and find that this measure can lead to a symmetric version of geometric quantum correlation, which is analytic for two qubits. In particular, this measure can also arrive at a monogamy equality on the distribution of quantum coherence. Finally, we also quantify a remaining type of quantum coherence and find that for two qubits, it is directly connected with quantum nonlocality.     

Dynamics of tripartite quantum correlations and decoherence in flux qubit systems under local and non-local static noise

We investigate the dynamics of entanglement, decoherence and quantum discord in a system of three non-interacting superconducting flux qubits (fqubits) initially prepared in a Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) state and subject to static noise in different, bipartite and common environments, since it is recognized that different noise configurations generally lead to completely different dynamical behavior of physical systems. The noise is modeled by randomizing the single fqubit transition amplitude. Decoherence and quantum correlations dynamics are strongly affected by the purity of the initial state, type of system–environment interaction and the system–environment coupling strength. Specifically, quantum correlations can persist when the fqubits are commonly coupled to a noise source, and reaches a saturation value respective to the purity of the initial state. As the number of decoherence channels increases (bipartite and different environments), decoherence becomes stronger against quantum correlations that decay faster, exhibiting sudden death and revival phenomena. The residual entanglement can be successfully detected by means of suitable entanglement witness, and we derive a necessary condition for entanglement detection related to the tunable and non-degenerated energy levels of fqubits. In accordance with the current literature, our results further suggest the efficiency of fqubits over ordinary ones, as far as the preservation of quantum correlations needed for quantum processing purposes is concerned.     

Computable measure of total quantum correlations of multipartite systems

Quantum discord as a measure of the quantum correlations cannot be easily computed for most of density operators. In this paper, we present a measure of the total quantum correlations that is operationally simple and can be computed effectively for an arbitrary mixed state of a multipartite system. The measure is based on the coherence vector of the party whose quantumness is investigated as well as the correlation matrix of this part with the remainder of the system. Being able to detect the quantumness of multipartite systems, such as detecting the quantum critical points in spin chains, alongside with the computability characteristic of the measure, makes it a useful indicator to be exploited in the cases which are out of the scope of the other known measures.     

Tripartite and bipartite quantum correlations in the XXZ spin chain with three-site interaction

Tripartite and bipartite quantum correlations in the three-qubit XXZ Heisenberg spin chain with two types of three-site interactions and an external magnetic field are investigated. We show that the increase in XZY ? YZX interaction can enhance the robustness of both tripartite and bipartite correlations, whereas the increase in XZX \(+\) YZY interaction could improve the robustness of tripartite quantum correlations, but diminish the robustness of bipartite quantum correlations. Tripartite measurement-induced disturbance is the most robust against temperature, and bipartite entanglement is the most fragile. Tripartite entanglement is even more robust than bipartite quantum discord when XZX \(+\) YZY or XZY ? YZX interaction is relatively large. The cooperative effect of XZX \(+\) YZY and XZY ? YZX interaction could induce bipartite entanglement even at high temperature. The cooperative effect of XZX \(+\) YZY and XZY ? YZX interaction is the most optimal to improve the robustness of all quantum correlations when the magnetic field is negative. When the magnetic field is positive, the effective of XZY ? YZX interaction alone is more ideal to preserve different quantum correlations.     

Experimental estimation of discord in an antiferromagnetic Heisenberg compound $$\hbox {Cu}(\hbox {NO}_{3})_{2}\cdot 2.5\,\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O}$$

Temperature-dependent static magnetic susceptibility and heat capacity data were employed to quantify quantum discord in copper nitrate \((\hbox {CN, Cu}(\hbox {NO}_{3})_{2}\cdot 2.5\, \hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O})\) which is a spin 1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg system. With the help of existing theoretical formulations, quantum discord, mutual information, and purely classical correlation were estimated as a function of temperature using the experimental data. The experimentally quantified correlations estimated from susceptibility and heat capacity data are consistent with each other, and they exhibit a good match with theoretical predictions. Violation of Bell’s inequality was also checked using the static magnetic susceptibility as well as heat capacity data. Quantum discord estimated from magnetic susceptibility as well as heat capacity data is found to be present in the thermal states of the system even when the system is in a separable state.     

Different dynamics of classical and quantum correlations under decoherence

The dynamics of classical and quantum correlations under nondissipative and dissipative decoherences are analytically and numerically investigated with both one-side measures and two-side measures. Specifically, two qubits under local amplitude damping decoherence and depolarizing decoherence channels are considered. We show that, under the action of amplitude damping decoherence, both the entanglement and correlations of the different types of initial states with same initial values, suffer different types of dynamics. Moreover, the transfers of the entanglement and correlations between the system and the environment for different types of initial states are also shown to be different. While for the action of depolarizing decoherence, there does not exist sudden change in the decay rates of both the classical and quantum correlations, which is different from some other nondissipative channels. Furthermore, the quantum dissonance can be found to keep unchanged under the action of depolarizing decoherence. Such different dynamic behaviors of different noisy quantum decoherence channels reveal distinct transmission performance of classical and quantum information.