Non-Markovianity in quantum networks

Abstract

While the investigation of classical complex networks has proved to be fundamental to countless areas of both natural and social sciences ranging from sociology to physics, the study of their quantum mechanical counterpart has only started to emerge very recently. Complex quantum networks are promising candidates for describing and understanding multidisciplinary problems, such as quantum transport in biological systems. It has been demonstrated that phenomenon of synchronization among different oscillatory modes of complex networks can be observed in the quantum regime when the nodes are in interaction with an external reservoir. On the other hand, the existence of a general connection between non-Markovianity, in terms of information backflow from the reservoir to the system, and the specific features of the reservoir is a very important basic question which does not yet have a complete answer. It is very desirable to explore this connection focussing in particular on complex quantum systems characterized by highly structured environments. In this project, we will investigate this question in the framework of quantum networks, focussing on the connection between the topology of quantum networks (seen as quantum environments), the form of the spectral distribution of the reservoir, and the behaviour of information flow. Moreover, we will also study the potential ability of the indicators of non Markovian behavior to reveal the phenomenon of synchronization in complex quantum networks. (AU)