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Sensing decoherence by using edge states

Andrey R. Kolovsky

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Phys. Rev. A 113, 042411 – Published 2 April, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/bznq-n86l

Abstract

In the absence of decoherence and disorder the current of noninteracting fermionic particles across a finite lattice connecting two reservoirs (leads) with different chemical potentials is known to be ballistic. It is also known that decoherence suppresses this ballistic current. However, if decoherence is weak, the change in the current can be undetectable. In this work we show that the effect of a weak decoherence can be amplified by orders of magnitude if the lattice has edge states. This allows us to use a lattice with edge states as a sensor for measuring the decoherence rate.

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Phys. Rev. A 113, 042411– Published 2 April, 2026
  • Received 1 December 2025
  • Accepted 19 March 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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