Groundbreaking Discovery Defies Conventional Wisdom in Spectroscopy

The spectroscopy world has been turned upside down with a groundbreaking discovery that defies conventional wisdom. Researchers have observed power narrowing in a class of Lorentzian pulse shapes on the IBM Quantum processor, a phenomenon where the post-pulse transition line width decreases as the amplitude of the driving pulse increases. This is a complete reversal of the power-broadening paradigm, which typically occurs when the intensity of continuous wave radiation exceeds the saturation value. The implications are far-reaching, opening up new possibilities for high-resolution spectroscopy and challenging our understanding of fundamental physical phenomena.

The article explores a phenomenon that challenges conventional wisdom in spectroscopy, where the amplitude of the driving field increases beyond saturation intensity, leading to power broadening. This is a well-known and thoroughly examined phenomenon in spectroscopy, typically occurring in continuous wave driving when the intensity of the radiation field increases beyond the saturation intensity of the transition.

In pulsed-field excitation, linear power broadening occurs for a pulse of rectangular temporal shape. However, pulses with smooth shapes are known to exhibit much less power broadening, such as logarithmic power broadening for Gaussian pulse shapes or no broadening at all for hyperbolic-secant pulses.

The article presents a study that demonstrates power narrowing on the IBM Quantum processor ibmq manila. The researchers show that a class of Lorentzian pulse shapes can exhibit power narrowing, where the post-pulse transition line width decreases as the amplitude of the driving pulse increases. This is in contrast to the conventional wisdom of power broadening.

Power broadening is one of the basic paradigms in spectroscopy. When the intensity of the continuous wave radiation field driving a two-state quantum transition increases beyond its saturation value, the excitation line width increases in proportion to the field amplitude. This effect, which is detrimental to high-resolution spectroscopy, supplements other unwanted broadening mechanisms such as natural broadening, Doppler broadening, and collisional broadening.

In pulsed-field excitation, power broadening depends on the shape of the excitation pulse and the measurement method. For example, if the signal is collected during the excitation or after it (post-pulse), the post-pulse excitation line profile depends very strongly on the pulse shape.

The article presents a study that demonstrates power narrowing for a class of Lorentzian pulse shapes on the IBM Quantum processor ibmq manila. The researchers show that the post-pulse transition line width decreases as the amplitude of the driving pulse increases, in contrast to the conventional wisdom of power broadening.

This new paradigm has significant implications for high-resolution spectroscopy and quantum computing. By understanding how power narrowing can occur, researchers can develop new strategies for improving the resolution of spectroscopic measurements and enhancing the performance of quantum computers.

The article highlights the importance of truncating the pulse wings in achieving power narrowing. The truncation introduces a small power-broadened term that prevents power narrowing from reaching extreme values. In the absence of other power broadening mechanisms, Lorentzian pulses truncated at sufficiently small values can achieve as narrow line profiles as desired.

The study’s findings have significant implications for quantum computing. By understanding how power narrowing can occur, researchers can develop new strategies for improving the performance of quantum computers and enhancing their ability to perform complex calculations.

In conclusion, the article presents a groundbreaking study that challenges conventional wisdom in spectroscopy by demonstrating power narrowing on the IBM Quantum processor ibmq manila. The findings have significant implications for high-resolution spectroscopy and quantum computing, and highlight the importance of understanding the intricacies of pulse shapes and truncation in achieving power narrowing.

Publication details: “Defying Conventional Wisdom in Spectroscopy: Power Narrowing on IBM Quantum”
Publication Date: 2024-01-11
Authors: Ivo S. Mihov and Nikolay V. Vitanov
Source: Physical Review Letters
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.132.020802

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As the Official Quantum Dog (or hound) by role is to dig out the latest nuggets of quantum goodness. There is so much happening right now in the field of technology, whether AI or the march of robots. But Quantum occupies a special space. Quite literally a special space. A Hilbert space infact, haha! Here I try to provide some of the news that might be considered breaking news in the Quantum Computing space.

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