Dynamical steady States in driven quantum systems

Phys Rev Lett. 2013 Nov 1;111(18):180602. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.180602. Epub 2013 Oct 30.

Abstract

We derive dynamical equations for a driven, dissipative quantum system in which the environment-induced relaxation rate is comparable to the Rabi frequency, avoiding assumptions on the frequency dependence of the environmental coupling. When the environmental coupling varies significantly on the scale of the Rabi frequency, secular or rotating wave approximations break down. We avoid these approximations, yielding dynamical steady states which account for the interaction between driven quantum dots and their phonon environment. The theory, which is motivated by recent experimental observations, qualitatively and quantitatively describes the transition from asymmetric unsaturated resonances at weak driving to population inversion at strong driving.