R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminars |
Events on Thursday, February 14th, 2019
- Quantum realizations of non-Hermitian (PT-symmetric) systems
- Time: 10:00 am
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Prof. Yogesh Joglekar, Indianapolis
- Abstract: Open systems with gain or losses, or both, described by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, have been a subject of intense research recently. In classical optical systems, the effect of exceptional-point degeneracies on their dynamics has been observed through remarkable phenomena such as the parity-time (PT) symmetry breaking transition, asymmetric mode switching, and optimal energy transfer. After a brief history of the field of PT-symmetry, started by Carl Bender and co-workers, I will discuss quantum realizations of such systems with single photons, ultracold atoms, and superconducting transmon circuits. Results include observation of PT transitions at vanishingly small non-Hermiticity in the Floquet domain, information flow in a PT-symmetric system, and a quantum signature of the exceptional point in the qubit relaxation state. I will argue that non-Hermiticity provides a new dimension for exploring quantum systems. * Work in collaboration with Dr. Anthony Laing (University of Bristol), Prof. Le Luo (Sun Yat-Sen University), and Prof. Kater Murch (Washington U.).
- Host: Saffman