Effective quantum dynamics induced by a driven two-level-system bath

Abstract

We derive a Born-Markov master equation describing the dissipation induced by a bath of lossy but coherently driven two-level systems (TLS) coupled to a bosonic system via Jaynes-Cummings interaction. We analytically derive all the master equation rates. We characterize these rates for the particular case of a single-mode system coupled to identical TLS. We study the steady state of the system and its exotic properties stemming from the non-thermal stationary state of the driven TLS bath. These properties include dissipative amplification, bath-induced linear instability, and both coherent and dissipative squeezing. The master equation is valid for arbitrarily strong TLS driving, and it can be generalized to include multi-level systems or other system-bath interaction terms, among others. Our work provides a tool to study and characterize TLS-induced decoherence, a key limiting factor in quantum technological devices based on, for instance, superconducting circuits, magnonic systems, or quantum acoustics.