Open systems of coupled qubits are ubiquitous in quantum physics. Finding a suitable master equation to describe their dynamics is therefore a crucial task that must be addressed with utmost attention. In the recent past, many efforts have been made toward the possibility of employing local master equations, which compute the interaction with the environment neglecting the direct coupling between the qubits, and for this reason may be easier to solve. Here, we provide a detailed derivation of the Markovian master equation for two coupled qubits interacting with common and separate baths, considering pure dephasing as well as dissipation. Then, we explore the differences between the local and global master equation, showing that they intrinsically depend on the way we apply the secular approximation. Our results prove that the global approach with partial secular approximation always provides the most accurate choice for the master equation when Born–Markov approximations hold, even for small inter-system coupling constants. Using different master equations we compute the stationary heat current between two separate baths, the entanglement dynamics generated by a common bath, and the emergence of spontaneous synchronization, showing the importance of the accurate choice of approach.

Synchronization is one of the paradigmatic phenomena in the study of complex systems. It has been explored theoretically and experimentally mostly to understand natural phenomena, but also in view of technological applications. Although several mechanisms and conditions for synchronous behavior in spatially extended systems and networks have been identified, the emergence of this phenomenon has been largely unexplored in quantum systems until very recently. Here we discuss synchronization in quantum networks of different harmonic oscillators relaxing towards a stationary state, being essential the form of dissipation. By local tuning of one of the oscillators, we establish the conditions for synchronous dynamics, in the whole network or in a motif. Beyond the classical regime we show that synchronization between (even unlinked) nodes witnesses the presence of quantum correlations and entanglement. Furthermore, synchronization and entanglement can be induced between two different oscillators if properly linked to a random network.

Closed quantum systems exhibit different dynamical regimes, like many-body localization or thermalization, which determine the mechanisms of spread and processing of information. Here we address the impact of these dynamical phases in quantum reservoir computing, an unconventional computing paradigm recently extended into the quantum regime that exploits dynamical systems to solve nonlinear and temporal tasks. We establish that the thermal phase is naturally adapted to the requirements of quantum reservoir computing and report an increased performance at the thermalization transition for the studied tasks. Uncovering the underlying physical mechanisms behind optimal information processing capabilities of spin networks is essential for future experimental implementations and provides a new perspective on dynamical phases.

We consider the phenomenon of mutual synchronization in a fundamental quantum system of two detuned quantum harmonic oscillators dissipating into the environment. We identify the conditions leading to this spontaneous phenomenon, showing that the ability of the system to synchronize is related to the existence of disparate decay rates and is accompanied by robust quantum discord and mutual information between the oscillators, preventing the leak of information from the system.

We introduce the multipartite collision model, defined in terms of elementary interactions between subsystems and ancillas, and show that it can simulate the Markovian dynamics of any multipartite open quantum system. We develop a method to estimate an analytical error bound for any repeated interactions model, and we use it to prove that the error of our scheme displays an optimal scaling. Finally, we provide a simple decomposition of the multipartite collision model into elementary quantum gates, and show that it is efficiently simulable on a quantum computer according to the dissipative quantum Church-Turing theorem, i.e., it requires a polynomial number of resources.

We discuss the emergence of spontaneous synchronization for an open spin-pair system interacting only via a common environment. Under suitable conditions, and even in the presence of detuning between the natural precession frequencies of the two spins, they are shown to reach a long-lasting transient behavior where they oscillate in phase. We explore the connection between the emergence of such a behavior and the establishment of robust quantum correlations between the two spins, analyzing differences between dissipative and dephasing effects. In particular, in the regime in which synchronization occurs, quantum correlations are more robust for shorter synchronization times and this is related to a separation between system decay rates.