We analyze the asymptotic dynamics of quantum systems resulting from large numbers of iterations of random unitary operations. Although, in general, these quantum operations cannot be diagonalized it is shown that their resulting asymptotic dynamics is described by a diagonalizable superoperator. We prove that this asymptotic dynamics takes place in a typically low dimensional attractor space which is independent of the probability distribution of the unitary operations applied. This vector space is spanned by all eigenvectors of the unitary operations involved which are associated with eigenvalues of unit modulus. Implications for possible asymptotic dynamics of iterated random unitary operations are presented and exemplified in an example involving random controlled-not operations acting on two qubits.

Coherent evolution governs the behaviour of all quantum systems, but in nature it is often subjected to influence of a classical environment. For analysing quantum transport phenomena quantum walks emerge as suitable model systems. In particular, quantum walks on percolation structures constitute an attractive platform for studying open system dynamics of random media. Here, we present an implementation of quantum walks differing from the previous experiments by achieving dynamical control of the underlying graph structure. We demonstrate the evolution of an optical time-multiplexed quantum walk over six double steps, revealing the intricate interplay between the internal and external degrees of freedom. The observation of clear non-Markovian signatures in the coin space testifies the high coherence of the implementation and the extraordinary degree of control of all system parameters. Our work is the proof-of-principle experiment of a quantum walk on a dynamical percolation graph, paving the way towards complex simulation of quantum transport in random media.

Randomly breaking connections in a graph alters its transport properties, a model used to describe percolation. In the case of quantum walks, dynamic percolation graphs represent a special type of imperfections, where the connections appear and disappear randomly in each step during the time evolution. The resulting open system dynamics is hard to treat numerically in general. We shortly review the literature on this problem. We then present our method to solve the evolution on finite percolation graphs in the long time limit, applying the asymptotic methods concerning random unitary maps. We work out the case of one-dimensional chains in detail and provide a concrete, step-by-step numerical example in order to give more insight into the possible asymptotic behavior. The results about the case of the two-dimensional integer lattice are summarized, focusing on the Grover-type coin operator.

Quantum walks are accepted as a generic model for quantum transport. The character of the transport crucially depends on the properties of the walk like its geometry and the driving coin. We demonstrate that increasing transport distance between source and target or adding redundant branches to the actual graph may surprisingly result in a significant enhancement of transport efficiency. We explain analytically the observed nonclassical effects using the concept of trapped states for several intriguing geometries, including the ladder graph, the Cayley tree, and its modifications.

The paper concerns spontaneous asymptotic phase-locking and synchronization in two-qubit systems undergoing continuous Markovian evolution described by Lindbladian dynamics with normal Lindblad operators. Using analytic methods, all phase-locking-enforcing mechanisms within the given framework are obtained and classified. Detailed structures of their respective attractor spaces are provided and used to explore their properties from various perspectives. Amid phase-locking processes those additionally enforcing identical stationary parts of both qubits are identified, including as a special case the strictest form of synchronization conceivable. A prominent basis is presented which reveals that from a physical point of view two main types of phase-locking mechanisms exist. The ability to preserve information about the initial state is explored and an upper bound on the amplitude of oscillations of the resulting phase-locked dynamics is established. Permutation symmetry of both asymptotic states and phase-locking mechanisms is discussed. Lastly, the possibility of entanglement production playing the role of a phase-locking witness is rebutted by three analytically treatable examples.