INVESTIGADORES
CORMICK Maria Cecilia
artículos
Título:
Quantum quenches of ion Coulomb crystals across structural instabilities. II. Thermal effects
Autor/es:
JENS BALTRUSCH; CECILIA CORMICK; GIOVANNA MORIGI
Revista:
PHYSICAL REVIEW A - ATOMIC, MOLECULAR AND OPTICAL PHYSICS
Editorial:
AMER PHYSICAL SOC
Referencias:
Lugar: New York; Año: 2013 vol. 87 p. 1 - 13
ISSN:
1050-2947
Resumen:
We theoretically analyze the efficiency of a protocol for creating
mesoscopic superpositions of ion chains, described in Baltrusch et al. [ Phys. Rev. A 84 063821 (2011)],
as a function of the temperature of the crystal. The protocol makes use
of state-dependent forces, so that a coherent superposition of the
electronic states of one ion evolves into an entangled state between the
chain's internal and external degrees of freedom. Ion Coulomb crystals
are well isolated from the external environment and should therefore
experience a coherent, unitary evolution, which follows the quench and
generates structural Schrödinger-cat-like states. The temperature of the
chain, however, introduces a statistical uncertainty in the final
state. We characterize the quantum state of the crystal by means of the
visibility of Ramsey interferometry performed on one ion of the chain
and determine its decay as a function of the crystal's initial
temperature. This analysis allows one to determine the conditions on the
chain's initial state in order to efficiently perform the protocol.