Noise-induced Quantum Mpemba effect

Abstract

The quantum Mpemba effect (QMPE), an intriguing anomalous relaxation phenomenon, has recently attracted significant attention. However, how various types of noise, which are ubiquitous in real systems, may affect the QMPE remains unknown. Here, we address this gap by constructing a general dynamical framework for d level open quantum systems under random telegraph noise. By investigating the dynamics of an extended system and then projecting back, we find that noise can induce additional modes and strongly influence the relaxation dynamics of the original system. Specially, in the limit of long correlation time of noise, these modes cause anomalous slowdown for certain initial states, thereby inducing or eliminating QMPE, illustrated by a three-level example system. Interestingly, this mechanism leads to a counter intuitive effect:the decoherence rate may be slowed down by noise.