Record Details
Redundant information in a spin system beyond pure decoherence
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Redundant information in a spin system beyond pure decoherence |
| Names |
Svesko, Andrew M.
(creator) Zwolak, Michael (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2014-05-29 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2014 |
| Abstract | Quantum physics in the Copenhagen interpretation places an unsatisfying divide between the quantum and classical worlds. Decoherence -- the destruction of superposition states of the system -- helps us understand how the quantum transitions to the classical. Quantum Darwinism builds on decoherence to understand how information about the system is deposited in the environment. This gives a framework to describe the emergence of objective, classical reality from the fundamentally unpredictable quantum domain. Considering a model of a qubit interacting with a symmetric spin environment, we study how information about the system is transferred into the environment when the system has intrinsic dynamics. That is, we examine a model beyond "pure decoherence". We develop a computational technique to compute the mutual information between the system and a fragment of the environment as a function of the strength of the system's Hamiltonian. The intrinsic dynamics of the system influences the proliferation of information. However, there is always a redundant transfer of information for a weak system Hamiltonian. Only when the system evolves so rapidly that the environment can not effectively monitor its state does redundancy vanish. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Quantum Foundations |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/49975 |
