Dephasing-assisted transport in a tight-binding chain with a linear potential

An environment interacting with a quantum system can enhance transport through the suppression of quantum effects responsible for localization. In this paper, we study the interplay between bulk dephasing and a linear potential in a boundary-driven tight-binding chain. A linear potential induces Wan...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Samuel L. Jacob, Laetitia P. Bettmann, Artur M. Lacerda, Krissia Zawadzki, Stephen R. Clark, John Goold, Juan José Mendoza-Arenas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-10-01
Series:Frontiers in Physics
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2024.1474018/full
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Summary:An environment interacting with a quantum system can enhance transport through the suppression of quantum effects responsible for localization. In this paper, we study the interplay between bulk dephasing and a linear potential in a boundary-driven tight-binding chain. A linear potential induces Wannier-Stark localization in the absence of noise, while dephasing induces diffusive transport in the absence of a tilt. We derive an approximate expression for the steady-state current as a function of both dephasing and tilt which closely matches the exact solution for a wide range of parameters. From it, we find that the maximum current occurs for a dephasing rate equal to the period of Bloch oscillations in the Wannier-Stark localized system. We also find that the current displays a maximum as a function of the system size, provided that the total potential tilt across the chain remains constant. Our results can be verified in current experimental platforms and represents a step forward in analytical studies of environment-assisted transport.
ISSN:2296-424X