Probing microscopic models for system-bath interactions via parametric driving

Journal article

We show that strong parametric driving of a quantum harmonic oscillator coupled to a thermal bath allows one to distinguish between different microscopic models for the oscillator-bath coupling. We consider a bath with an Ohmic spectral density and a model where the system-bath interaction can be tuned continuously between position and momentum coupling via the coupling angle α. We derive a master equation for the reduced density operator of the oscillator in Born-Markov approximation and investigate its quasisteady state as a function of the driving parameters, the temperature of the bath and the coupling angle α. We find that the driving introduces a strong dependence of the time-averaged variance of position and momentum on these parameters. In particular, we identify parameter regimes that maximize the α dependence and provide an intuitive explanation of our results.

Authors: Dietrich, ASD; Kiffner, M; Jaksch, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Journal: Physical Review A
• Volume: 98
• Issue: 1
• Article number: 012122
• Publication date: 2018-07-18
• Acceptance date: 2018-07-05
• DOI: 10.1103/physreva.98.012122
• EISSN: 2469-9934
• ISSN: 2469-9926
• Language: English