Title: Stochastic Models of Quantum Decoherence

Doctoral Candidate: Sam Kennerly

Abstract: Suppose a single qubit is repeatedly prepared and evolved under imperfectly-controlled conditions. A "drunk model" represents uncontrolled interactions on each experimental trial as random or stochastic terms in the qubit’s Hamiltonian operator. Time evolution of states is generated by a stochastic differential equation whose sample paths evolve according to the Schrödinger equation. For models with Gaussian white noise which is independent of the qubit’s state, the expectation value of the solution obeys a master equation which is identical to the high-temperature limit of the Bloch equation. Drunk models predict that experimental data can appear consistent with decoherence even if qubit states evolve by unitary transformations. Examples are shown in which reversible evolution appears to cause irreversible information loss. This paradox is resolved by distinguishing between the true state of a system and the estimated state inferred from an experimental dataset.

Advisor: Robert Gilmore