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Measuring the scrambling of quantum information

Brian Swingle, Gregory Bentsen, Monika Schleier-Smith, and Patrick Hayden
Phys. Rev. A 94, 040302(R) – Published 25 October 2016
An article within the collection: Physical Review A 50th Anniversary Milestones
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Abstract

We provide a general protocol to measure out-of-time-order correlation functions. These correlation functions are of broad theoretical interest for diagnosing the scrambling of quantum information in interacting quantum systems and have recently received particular attention in the study of chaos and black holes within holographic duality. Measuring them requires an echo-type sequence in which the sign of a many-body Hamiltonian is reversed. We illustrate our protocol by detailing an implementation employing cold atoms and cavity quantum electrodynamics to probe spin models with nonlocal interactions. To verify the feasibility of the scheme with current technology, we analyze the effects of dissipation in a chaotic kicked-top model. Finally, we propose a number of other experimental platforms where similar out-of-time-order correlation functions can be measured.

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  • Received 6 May 2016
  • Revised 11 August 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.94.040302

©2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & AstrophysicsGeneral PhysicsQuantum Information, Science & Technology

Collections

This article appears in the following collection:

Physical Review A 50th Anniversary Milestones

The collection contains papers that have made important contributions to atomic, molecular, and optical physics and quantum information by announcing significant discoveries or by initiating new areas of research.

Authors & Affiliations

Brian Swingle1,2,*, Gregory Bentsen1, Monika Schleier-Smith1, and Patrick Hayden1,2

  • 1Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 2Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stanford, California 94305, USA

  • *bswingle@stanford.edu

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Issue

Vol. 94, Iss. 4 — October 2016

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