Solving realistic quantum systems coupled to an environment is a challenging task. Here we develop a hierarchical functional derivative (HFD) approach for efficiently solving the non-Markovian quantum trajectories of an open quantum system embedded in a bosonic bath. An explicit expression for arbitrary order HFD equation is derived systematically. Moreover, it is found that for an analytically solvable model, this hierarchical equation naturally terminates at a given order and thus becomes exactly solvable. This HFD approach provides a systematic method to study the non-Markovian quantum dynamics of an open system coupled to a bosonic environment.

In this paper, we characterize the global multipartite nonlocality in one-dimensional infinite-size spin-1/2 chains. For this purpose, we calculate the multipartite nonlocality of $n$-site subchains, and take the large-$n$ limit. As $n$ increases from 2 to 100, we find that the average revenue and the marginal revenue of nonlocality converge gradually, thus they can be used to characterize the global multipartite nonlocality in infinite-size chains. Furthermore, in the vicinity of the quantum phase transition (QPT) points of the transverse-field Ising model and the $\mathit{XXZ}$ model, in the large-$n$ limit, multipartite nonlocality becomes extremely sensitive to external perturbation, that is, arbitrarily small perturbation away from the QPT points would lead to a drastic change in the global nonlocality. This signal of QPTs is easily distinguishable, and can be used to detect QPTs. We also draw a vivid physical picture of multipartite correlations and QPTs by analogy with magnetic domains in ferromagnets.

It remains a challenge for theory to simulate nonperturbative and non-Markovian quantum dissipative dynamics at low temperatures. In this study we suggest a Hermitian non-Markovian stochastic master equation suitable for dissipative dynamics at arbitrary temperatures. The memory effect of the bath is embedded within two real correlated Gaussian noises. This scheme is numerically verified by the hierarchical equation of motion and symmetry preserving for a symmetric two-level system. An exemplary application is carried out for the dynamics over a broad range of temperatures to investigate the temperature dependence of the Rabi frequency shift and the non-Markovianity.

The analysis of a physical problem simplifies considerably when one uses a suitable coordinate system. We apply this approach to the discrete-time quantum walks with coins given by $2j+1$-dimensional Wigner rotation matrices (Wigner walks), a model which was introduced in Miyazaki et al. [Phys. Rev. A 76, 012332 (2007)]. First, we show that from the three parameters of the coin operator only one is physically relevant for the limit density of the Wigner walk. Next, we construct a suitable basis of the coin space in which the limit density of the Wigner walk acquires a much simpler form. This allows us to identify various dynamical regimes which are otherwise hidden in the standard basis description. As an example, we show that it is possible to find an initial state which reduces the number of peaks in the probability distribution from generic $2j+1$ to a single one. Moreover, the models with integer $j$ lead to the trapping effect. The derived formula for the trapping probability reveals that it can be highly asymmetric and it deviates from purely exponential decay. Explicit results are given up to dimension 5.

The simulated annealing algorithm, a method commonly used to calculate properties of condensed-matter systems, is used to calculate entanglement of formation for higher-dimensional mixed states. The method relies on representing a mixed state as a pure state in an enlarged Hilbert space, and on the search for the extension minimizing the convex roof of entanglement of formation. Exact results are found, and predictions for system reservoir dynamics in higher dimensions are confirmed. These findings open the way for new applications of the method in quantum information.

The recently developed formalism of Markovian master equations for quantum open systems with external periodic driving is applied to the theory of dynamical decoupling by periodic control. This new approach provides a more detailed quantitative picture of this phenomenon applicable both to traditional NMR spectroscopy and to recent attempts of decoherence reduction in quantum devices. For popular choices of bath spectral densities and a two-level system, exact formulas for the relaxation rates are available. In the context of NMR imaging, the obtained formulas allow the extraction of a new parameter describing bath relaxation time from the experimental data.

Spin-chain models have been widely studied in terms of quantum information processes, for instance for the faithful transmission of quantum states. Here, we investigate the limitations of mapping this process to an equivalent one through a bosonic chain. In particular, we keep in mind experimental implementations, which the progress in integrated waveguide circuits could make possible in the very near future. We consider the feasibility of exploiting the higher dimensionality of the Hilbert space of the chain elements for the transmission of a larger amount of information, and the effects of unwanted excitations during the process. Finally, we exploit the information-flux method to provide bounds to the transfer fidelity.

We consider networks featuring preparation, transformation, and measurement devices, in which devices exchange communication via mediating physical systems. We investigate the problem of testing the dimension of the mediating systems in the device-independent scenario, that is, based on observable data alone. A general framework for tackling this problem is presented, considering both classical and quantum systems. These methods can then also be used to certify the nonclassicality of the mediating systems, given an upper bound on their dimension. Several case studies are reported, which illustrate the relevance of the framework. These examples also show that, for fixed dimension, quantum systems largely outperform classical ones. Moreover, the use of a transformation device considerably improves noise tolerance when compared to simple prepare-and-measure networks. These results suggest that the classical simulation of quantum systems becomes costly in terms of dimension, even for simple networks.

We present extreme ultraviolet and visible spectra of promethiumlike tungsten and gold obtained with an electron beam ion trap. Although the contributions from a few charge states are involved in the spectra, the charge state of the ion assigned to the observed lines is definitely identified by the time-of-flight (TOF) analysis of the ions performed at the same time with the spectroscopic measurements. Experimental results are compared with collisional-radiative model calculations as well as previous experimental and theoretical studies. Some ambiguous identifications in the previous observations have been clarified owing to the definite identification by the TOF analysis.

A counterintuitive scheme to produce ultracold hydrogen via fragmentation of laser cooled diatomic hydrides is presented where the final atomic H temperature is inversely proportional to the mass of the molecular parent. In addition, the critical density for formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) at a fixed temperature is reduced by a factor $(m_H/m_{MH}{)}^{3/2}$ over directly cooled hydrogen atoms. The narrow Feshbach resonances between a ${}^{1}S_0$ atom and hydrogen are well suited to a tiny center of mass energy release necessary during fragmentation. With the support of ab initio quantum chemistry, it is demonstrated that BaH is an ideal diatomic precursor that can be laser cooled to a Doppler temperature of $\sim 26\mu \mathrm{K}$ with just two rovibronic transitions, the simplest molecular cooling scheme identified to date. Preparation of a hydrogen atom gas below the critical BEC temperature $T_c$ is feasible with present cooling technology, with optical pulse control of the condensation process.

We present a linear-scaling approach based on semidefinite programs (SDPs) to compute the density matrix for effective one-electron theories. Traditional methods constrain the density matrix to represent a Slater determinant and hence rely on parameterization or purification. We eliminate the need for such a constraint by performing an energy minimization over all the convex combinations of density matrices representing Slater determinants. By not relying on purification, the SDP approach not only eliminates accumulation error present in some methods but also reduces the amount of truncation error. Sparsity in the Hamiltonian can be exploited to make the SDP approach scale linearly with system size. Crossovers in computational time with a cubically scaling algorithm are demonstrated for one-dimensional hydrogen chains ranging from ${\text{H}}_{50}$ to ${\text{H}}_{1500}$.

Stopping powers of antiprotons in H, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe targets are calculated using a semiclassical time-dependent convergent close-coupling method. The helium target is treated using both frozen-core and multiconfiguration approximations. The electron-electron correlation of the target is fully accounted for in both cases. Double ionization and ionization with excitation channels are taken into account using an independent-event model. The Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe atom wave functions are described in a model of six $p$-shell electrons above a frozen Hartree-Fock core with only one-electron excitations from the outer $p$ shell allowed. Results obtained for helium in the multiconfiguration treatment are in better agreement with experimental measurements than other theories.

We explore the magnetic Feshbach spectra of ultracold ground-state Li+Er systems. Our calculations predict many tunable resonances at fields below 1000 G that could be stably tuned in ultracold experiments. We show that Li+Er spectra are much less congested than those of systems involving heavier highly magnetic atoms and exhibit nonchaotic properties. These features would facilitate identifying and addressing individual resonances. We derive a simple model for the mass-scaling shifting of low-field resonances that may simplify designing experiments with different Er bosonic isotopes. Our work establishes Li+Er as very promising systems for quantum simulation, precision measurements and the formation of polar paramagnetic molecules.

Optical Feshbach resonances (OFRs) have generated significant experimental interest in recent years. These resonances are promising for many-body physics experiments, yet the practical application of OFRs has been limited. The theory of OFRs has been based on an approximate model that fails in important detuning regimes, and the incomplete theoretical understanding of this effect has hindered OFR experiments. We present the most complete theoretical treatment of OFRs to date, demonstrating important characteristics that must be considered in OFR experiments and comparing OFRs to the well-studied case of magnetic Feshbach resonances. We also present a comprehensive treatment of the approximate OFR model, including a study of the range of validity for this model. Finally, we derive experimentally useful expressions that can be applied to real experimental data to extract important information about the resonance structure of colliding atoms.

We perform a systematic analysis of quantum interference in nonsequential double ionization focusing on the recollision excitation with subsequent ionization (RESI) mechanism, employing the strong-field approximation (SFA). We find that interference has a major influence on the shape, localization, and symmetry of the correlated electron momentum distributions. In particular, the fourfold symmetry with regard to the parallel momentum components observed in previous SFA studies is broken. Two types of interference are observed and thoroughly analyzed, namely that caused by electron indistinguishability and intracycle events, and that stemming from different excitation channels. We find that interference is most prominent around the diagonal and antidiagonal in the parallel-momentum plane and provide fully analytical expressions for most interference patterns encountered. We also show that this interference can be controlled by an appropriate choice of phase and excited-state geometry. This leads a to myriad of shapes for the RESI distributions including correlated, anticorrelated, and ring shaped.

We investigate the ground-state properties of Bose-Bose mixtures with Rashba-type spin-orbit (SO) coupling in a square lattice. The system displays rich physics from the deep Mott insulator (MI) all the way to the superfluid (SF) regime. In the deep MI regime, exotic spin-ordered phases arise due to the effective Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya type of superexchange interactions. By employing the nonperturbative bosonic dynamical mean-field theory (BDMFT), we numerically study and establish the stability of these magnetic phases against increasing hopping amplitude. We show that as hopping is increased across the MI to SF transition, exotic superfluid phases with magnetic textures emerge. In particular, we identify an exotic spin-spiral magnetic texture with spatial period 3 in the superfluid close to the MI-SF transition.

The relationship between natural orbitals, one-body coherences, and two-body correlations is explored for bosonic many-body systems of definite parity with two occupied single-particle states. We show that the strength of local two-body correlations at the parity-symmetry center characterizes the number-state distribution and controls the structure of nonlocal two-body correlations. A recipe for the experimental reconstruction of the natural-orbital densities and quantum depletion is derived. These insights into the structure of the many-body wave function are applied to the predicted quantum-fluctuation-induced decay of dark solitons.

We study an extended Bose-Hubbard model with next-nearest-neighbor (NNN) hopping in a shaken optical lattice. We show how mean-field phase diagram evolves with the change of NNN hopping amplitude $t_2$, which can be easily tuned via shaking amplitude. As $t_2$ increases, a $Z_2$-symmetry-breaking superfluid $\left(Z_2\mathrm{SF}\right)$ phase emerges at the bottom of the Mott lobs. The tricritical points between normal superfluid, $Z_2\mathrm{SF}$, and Mott insulator (MI) phases are identified. We further demonstrate the tricritical point can be tuned to the tip of the Mott lobe, in which case a new critical behavior has been predicted. Within random-phase approximation, excitation spectra in the three phases are obtained, which indicate how the phase transitions occur.

We theoretically analyze linear and nonlinear coherent propagation of linearly polarized, plane-wave, resonant single-cycle terahertz pulses through spatially extended rigid-rotor molecular media. Our model incorporates mixed state medium preparation, nonperturbative nonlinearities, saturation, coherence, memory effects, and propagation, but ignores the effects of damping. Explicit solutions are reported in the linear propagation regime. These solutions are the multilevel superposition of linear, single-cycle $0\pi$ pulses, and appear as temporal beats in the time domain. For media initially in thermal equilibrium, the pulse and molecular beats are dispersive and broaden temporally with increased propagation distance. In the simplified limit of equal rotational line strength (an idealized situation), the emitted impulses are exact temporal copies of the input pulse. An efficient, scalable computational method for solving the reduced multilevel Maxwell-Bloch equations for molecular media is reported. This method is based on a standard differential method for the propagation equation together with an operator splitting method for the Bloch equations. It invokes neither the slowly varying envelope (SVEA) or rotating wave approximations (RWA), and incorporates a large number of possible energy eigenstates (we solve for 7744 levels). Case studies of nonlinear single-cycle pulse propagation are then provided by means of computer solutions. In the nonlinear regime, we observe strong molecular orientations and suppression of the pulse and orientational revivals predicted by linear theory. For sufficiently strong pulses, coherent bleaching effects lead to increased transmission of the driving pulse, which also bears signs of self-modulation and carrier-shock formation.

Radiation torques exerted by focused Laguerre-Gaussian beams on a microsphere are investigated with the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory. It is shown that the spin and orbital torques, in particular, those exerted by circularly polarized beams, can be far larger than the net torque in magnitude, which suggests that they are not merely related to the turning effect on the sphere. It is found that they also include the contribution from the conversion between the spin and the orbital angular momentum induced by light scattering. Separations of the spin and orbital torques into mechanical and conversion components are presented. The dependences of these torque components on the beam's and sphere's parameters are also discussed.