Decoherence and entanglement in single molecule magnets

Official URL: http://192.168.1.20/record=b1226352 (Table of Contents)

Single molecule magnets are novel mesoscopic materials exhibiting both classical and quantum properties. Revealing the decoherence and entanglement mechanisms in these systems is crucial for the applications in quantum information technologies. In this thesis, quantum tunneling of magnetization is studied in single molecule magnet dimer [Mn4]2. Motivated by the recent experiments demanding the modification of the current theories, phonon mediated spin bath decoherence model is proposed. In the first part of the thesis, the magnetization of the [Mn4]2 dimer under external magnetic field is investigated. Alternative entangled spin states involved in quantum tunnelings are identified by means of the exact solution of the Schrödinger equation and the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg method. Later, a decoherence model is introduced in which the interaction between the single molecule magnet (central spin) and spin bath is mediated by phonons in a coherent state or thermal distribution. It is observed that the decoherence factor decays in a Gaussian fashion and it becomes independent of the phonon frequencies at short times for coherent states and low temperature thermal distribution. In the former case, if the phonon energies are much larger than spin-phonon coupling or bath spins are fully polarized, decoherence time becomes independent of the initial phonon state. For the thermal state case, phonons play more important role in decoherence with increasing temperature. Possible effects of the temperature on spin bath contribution to decoherence is discussed. Then, the effect of entangled environment on decoherence is analyzed. Entanglement within environment is shown to reduce the decoherence of central spin. Also, the entanglement dynamics of the central bipartite spin system is studied. Classification of the Bell states is examined for common spin bath, and separate spin baths. Last part of the thesis is the analysis of dephasing in entangled qutrits (three level quantum systems) under the classical noise, and quantum decoherence. Density matrix formalism is shown to give equivalent results for both cases. For common and separate baths, robust and fragile Bell-like qutrit states were determined, and Horodecki's bound entangled state is shown to be more robust to decoherence in the latter case.