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Title: Arrow of time and its reversal on the IBM quantum computer

Abstract

Uncovering the origin of the “arrow of time” remains a fundamental scientific challenge. Within the framework of statistical physics, this problem was inextricably associated with the second Law of thermodynamics, which declares that entropy growth proceeds from the system’s entanglement with the environment. this poses a question of whether it is possible to develop protocols for circumventing the irreversibility of time and if so to practically implement these protocols. Here we show that, while in nature the complex conjugation needed for time reversal may appear exponentially improbable, one can design a quantum algorithm that includes complex conjugation and thus reverses a given quantum state. Using this algorithm on an IBM quantum computer enables us to experimentally demonstrate a backward time dynamics for an electron scattered on a two-level impurity.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3]; ORCiD logo [2]
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  1. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russia)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  3. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russia); ETH Zürich (Switzerland)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF); Russian Federation
OSTI Identifier:
1501597
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING

Citation Formats

Lesovik, G. B., Sadovskyy, I. A., Suslov, M. V., Lebedev, A. V., and Vinokur, V. M. Arrow of time and its reversal on the IBM quantum computer. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40765-6.
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Lesovik, G. B., Sadovskyy, I. A., Suslov, M. V., Lebedev, A. V., & Vinokur, V. M. Arrow of time and its reversal on the IBM quantum computer. United States. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40765-6.
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Lesovik, G. B., Sadovskyy, I. A., Suslov, M. V., Lebedev, A. V., and Vinokur, V. M. Wed . "Arrow of time and its reversal on the IBM quantum computer". United States. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40765-6. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1501597.
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@article{osti_1501597,
title = {Arrow of time and its reversal on the IBM quantum computer},
author = {Lesovik, G. B. and Sadovskyy, I. A. and Suslov, M. V. and Lebedev, A. V. and Vinokur, V. M.},
abstractNote = {Uncovering the origin of the “arrow of time” remains a fundamental scientific challenge. Within the framework of statistical physics, this problem was inextricably associated with the second Law of thermodynamics, which declares that entropy growth proceeds from the system’s entanglement with the environment. this poses a question of whether it is possible to develop protocols for circumventing the irreversibility of time and if so to practically implement these protocols. Here we show that, while in nature the complex conjugation needed for time reversal may appear exponentially improbable, one can design a quantum algorithm that includes complex conjugation and thus reverses a given quantum state. Using this algorithm on an IBM quantum computer enables us to experimentally demonstrate a backward time dynamics for an electron scattered on a two-level impurity.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-019-40765-6},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {2019},
month = {3}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
DOI:  10.1038/s41598-019-40765-6
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Cited by: 3 works
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Time reversal procedure for a Gaussian wave-packet $Ψ$($x$, 0) $∝$ exp(−$x$2/2σ2), σ = 1(a. u. ). The wavepacket spreads $Ψ$($x$, 0) → $Ψ$($x, τ$) according to a quadratic Hamiltonian $\hat{p}$2 /2$m$ during the time interval $τ$ = 3$mσ$2/$h$. At the moment $τ$ the system is exposed to themore » fast step-wise electromagnetic potential fluctuation v(x) (second panel). The fluctuation approximately (with the precision corresponding to the density of partitioning points) conjugates the phase of the wave-function: $Φ$($x, τ$−0) → $ϕ$($x, τ$+0) = $ϕ$($x, τ$−0) + $ev$($x, τ$)$\delta$$τ$/$h$ (third panel). The prepared time-reversed state $\tilde{Ψ}$ ($x, τ$ ) then freely evolves during the same time interval $τ$ and arrives to the squeezed state $\tilde{Ψ}$($x, 2τ$) (fourth panel). The resulting state $\tilde{Ψ}$($x, 2τ$ ) has 86% overlap with the initial state $Ψ$($x$, 0) shown as an empty envelope curve in the fourth panel.« less
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