近日，中国科学院精密测量科学技术创新研究院的冯芒及其研究小组与湖南师范大学的景辉等人合作并取得一项新进展。经过不懈努力，他们揭示具有光学受控离子的手性量子加热和冷却过程。相关研究成果已于2024年6月26日在国际知名学术期刊《光：科学与应用》上发表。

该研究团队表明，当量子系统在其Liouvillian EPs (LEPs)附近进行动态环绕时，这也适用于量子系统，其中包括量子跳跃和相关噪声的影响-这是以前工作中不存在的重要量子特征。研究人员利用保罗捕获的超冷离子，通过在LEP附近动态环绕一个闭环，证明了第一个手性量子加热和制冷。研究人员发现循环方向与量子热机(量子制冷机)的手性和热释放(吸收)有关。

该实验表明，绝热击穿和Landau–Zener–Stückelberg过程在动态环绕过程中起重要作用，从而导致手性热力学循环。这一实验观察有助于进一步理解非厄米系统的手性和拓扑特征，并为探索手性和量子热力学之间的关系铺平了道路。

据悉，量子热机和制冷机是开放的量子系统，其动态可以用非厄米形式很好地理解。非厄米性的一个显著特征是奇异点(EPs)的存在，这在封闭量子系统中是不存在的。在经典系统中已经证明，无论环路中是否包含奇异点，势阱附近的动态环绕都会导致手性模式转换。

附：英文原文

Title: Chiral quantum heating and cooling with an optically controlled ion

Author: Jin-Tao Bu, Jian-Qi Zhang, Ge-Yi Ding, Jia-Chong Li, Jia-Wei Zhang, Bin Wang, Wen-Qiang Ding, Wen-Fei Yuan, Liang Chen, Qi Zhong, Ali Keçeba?, ?ahin K. Özdemir, Fei Zhou, Hui Jing & Mang Feng

Issue&Volume: 2024-06-26

Abstract: Quantum heat engines and refrigerators are open quantum systems, whose dynamics can be well understood using a non-Hermitian formalism. A prominent feature of non-Hermiticity is the existence of exceptional points (EPs), which has no counterpart in closed quantum systems. It has been shown in classical systems that dynamical encirclement in the vicinity of an EP, whether the loop includes the EP or not, could lead to chiral mode conversion. Here, we show that this is valid also for quantum systems when dynamical encircling is performed in the vicinity of their Liouvillian EPs (LEPs), which include the effects of quantum jumps and associated noise—an important quantum feature not present in previous works. We demonstrate, using a Paul-trapped ultracold ion, the first chiral quantum heating and refrigeration by dynamically encircling a closed loop in the vicinity of an LEP. We witness the cycling direction to be associated with the chirality and heat release (absorption) of the quantum heat engine (quantum refrigerator). Our experiments have revealed that not only the adiabaticity breakdown but also the Landau–Zener–Stückelberg process play an essential role during dynamic encircling, resulting in chiral thermodynamic cycles. Our observations contribute to further understanding of chiral and topological features in non-Hermitian systems and pave a way to exploring the relation between chirality and quantum thermodynamics.

DOI: 10.1038/s41377-024-01483-5

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41377-024-01483-5#citeas