Dynamic process and Uhlmann process: Incompatibility and dynamic phase of mixed quantum states

Abstract

While a pure quantum state may accumulate both the Berry phase and dynamic phase as it undergoes a cyclic path in the parameter space, the situation is more complicated when mixed quantum states are considered. From the Ulhmann bundle, a mixed quantum state can accumulate the Ulhmann phase if the parallel-transport condition is satisfied. However, we show that the Ulhmann process is in general not compatible with the evolution equation of the density matrix governed by the Hamiltonian. Thus, a mixed quantum state usually accumulates a dynamic phase during its time evolution. We present the expression of the dynamic phase for mixed quantum states. In examples of quasi-static one-dimensional two-band models and simple harmonic oscillator, the dynamic phase can take multiple discrete values at infinitely high temperature due to the resonant points. However, the behavior differs if the energy spectrum is continuous without a band gap. Moreover, there is no natural analog of the dynamic phase in classical systems.