Thermodynamic control of an impurity in a quantum spin chain.

• Grant number: 24/16413-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Marcus Vinicius Segantini Bonança
• Grantee: Guilherme Antônio de Souza
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/15453-0 - Correlated quantum materials, AP.TEM

Abstract

The search for efficient control of physical systems dates back to Carnot's work on heat engines in the XIX century. Nowadays, we seek for efficient control of complex quantum systems as, for instance, the network of magnetic fluxes of quantum computers called quantum annealers. One important criterion to decide about how efficient are the tasks performed by these contemporary machines is the characterization of the energetic cost along the corresponding controls. In principle, the behavior of this quantity highly depends on the protocol performed, the duration of the process and the internal characteristics of the controlled system. In this project, we intend to theoretically analise these aspects that certainly impact the energetic cost in quantum annealers. Additionally, this analysis will be performed considering that these systems can be very well modeled by sets of interacting spins. In particular, we aim to focus on the control of one impurity in these sets. We will use numerical and analytical tools that allow us to know the time-dependent evolution of these many-body quantum systems. The influence of interactions, integrability, energy gaps of the ground state and spatial disorder are some of the aspects that we intend to consider in the behavior of the energetic cost.