Open Quantum Systems 2023/2024

Problem Sheet 8
(Deadline for Moodle Submission: 20:00 on Tuesday, December 19, 2023)

All exercises on this PS are to be solved analytically, i.e., using pen and paper!

Exercise 21 (Lindblad dynamics of a two-level system [45p]). We consider a two-level system coupled
to a thermal environment at temperature T . The unitary system evolution is described by the system
Hamiltonian H = (ω/2)σz with σz = |e⟩ ⟨e| − |g⟩ ⟨g|, where |g⟩ and |e⟩ denote the ground and
excited states, respectively, with an energy-level splitting of ω. We assume that the influence of the
environment on system dynamics is described by a master equation of Lindblad form,

d
ρ(t) = −i[H, ρ(t)]
dt    
1 1
+ (N + 1)γ σ− ρ(t)σ+ − {σ+ σ− , ρ(t)} + N γ σ+ ρ(t)σ− − {σ− σ+ , ρ(t)} , (1)
2 2
| {z }
=:D[ρ(t)]

where σ+ = |e⟩⟨g|, σ− = |g⟩⟨e| = σ+ † , γ quantifies the system-environment coupling strength and

N = eω/(kB1 T ) −1 is the mean number of the excitations in the environment mode with angular frequency
ω at temperature T (i.e., the expectation value in Bose–Einstein statistics).

(a) [15p] Compute the system dynamics at zero temperature (T = 0 =⇒ N = 0) for an initial
state ρ(0) = |e⟩⟨e|. Show that
P the population of the excited state ⟨e|ρ(t)|e⟩ exponentially decays,
while the total population k=g,e ⟨k| ρ(t) |k⟩—i.e., Tr{ρ(t)}—is conserved.
(b) [15p] Compute the system dynamics at finite temperatures kB T ∈ {0.1ω, ω, 10ω} for the initial
state ρ(0) = |e⟩⟨e|. Compare the results to the steady state ρs , defined as the state satisfying
d
dt ρs = 0, and discuss the effect of non-zero temperature.

(c) [15p] Compute the dynamics of the coherence ⟨g|ρ(t)|e⟩ for an initial state
1
ρ(0) = (|g⟩ + |e⟩) (⟨g| + ⟨e|) .
2
Check how the frequency and damping rate of the coherence ⟨g|ρ(t)|e⟩ depend on the system
level splitting ω, the environmental coupling strength γ and the temperature T .
Exercise 22 (Lindblad dynamics with external driving field [55p]). We now modify the problem
given in Exercise 21 by adding a static external field that drives the transition between |g⟩ and |e⟩.
Let the system dynamics in the system’s interaction picture be governed by the Lindblad equation
d Ω
ρ(t) = i [σ+ + σ− , ρ(t)] + D[ρ(t)]
dt 2
where Ω denotes the (angular) Rabi frequency quantifying the coupling strength between system and
external field.

(a) [15p] Using the Bloch representation of the system density matrix,
1
ρ(t) = (1 + ⃗σ · ρ
⃗(t)) with σ1 = |g⟩⟨e| + |e⟩⟨g| , σ2 = i(|g⟩⟨e| − |e⟩⟨g|), σ3 = |e⟩⟨e| − |g⟩⟨g|
2
denoting the standard Pauli matrices, derive the expression for the time evolution of the Bloch
vector ρ
⃗(t) (hint: optical Bloch equation).

1
 (b) [20p] Derive the steady state solution of the optical Bloch equation.
(c) [20p] Derive the time-dependent solution of the optical Bloch equation for the initial state
ρ(0) = |e⟩ ⟨e|.

(Bonus) [10p] When considered as a Lindblad equation derived from a global system-bath Hamiltonian,
the dissipator D given in this exercise is actually microscopically inconsistent with the system
Hamiltonian. Why?
Exercise 23 (Bonus: Lindblad dynamics of a QHO [25p]). Consider a quantum harmonic oscillator
(QHO) coupled to an environment at T = 0. The dynamics of the oscillator is governed by a Lindblad
equation in the form
 
d   1 †
ρ(t) = −iω a† a, ρ(t) + Γ aρ(t)a† − a a, ρ(t) , (2)
dt 2

where ω is the angular frequency of the oscillator and Γ > 0 is the damping rate of the oscillator due
to the environment.

(Bonus) [15p] Compute the system dynamics for the case that the oscillator is initially in a coherent
state |α(0)⟩. Consider a trial solution ρ(t) = |α(t)⟩⟨α(t)| for some α(t).
(Bonus) [10p] Compute the system dynamics resulting from a cat state at t = 0, i.e., where ρ(t = 0) =
|ψ⟩⟨ψ| with
1

|ψ⟩ = q |α(0)⟩ + eiϕ |−α(0)⟩ ,
2(1 + e−2|α(0)| cos ϕ)
2

where ϕ ∈ [0, 2π]. Consider using trial functions of the form ef (t) |α(t)⟩⟨β(t)| to solve the
coherence (α ̸= β) and population (α = β) dynamics separately.