Robust Negativity in the Quantum-to-Classical Transition of Kerr Dynamics

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Raza, Mohsin, DeBrota, John B., Shlosberg, Ariel, Lordi, Noah, Deutsch, Ivan H.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Raza, Mohsin
DeBrota, John B.
Shlosberg, Ariel
Lordi, Noah
Deutsch, Ivan H.
author_facet Raza, Mohsin
DeBrota, John B.
Shlosberg, Ariel
Lordi, Noah
Deutsch, Ivan H.
contents We quantify the quantum-to-classical transition of the single-mode Kerr nonlinear dynamics in the presence of loss. We establish three time scales that govern the dynamics, each with distinct characteristics. For times short compared to the Ehrenfest time, the evolution is classical, characterized by Gaussian dynamics. For sufficiently long times, as we increase the initial photon number, unitary Kerr evolution would generate macroscopic superpositions of coherent states (so-called kitten states), but this is severely restricted in the presence of small photon loss so that expectation values of observables coincide with their classical values. The intermediate time scale, however, shows resilient quantum behavior in the macroscopic limit. We show that in the mean-field non-Gaussian regime, the Kerr Hamiltonian (with small photon loss) generates a significant amount of Wigner-negativity, and classical flow is recovered only if the loss rate grows with system size. Our results broaden the usual understanding of quantum-to-classical transitions and demonstrate the potential for creating robust nonclassical resources for continuous-variable quantum information processing in the presence of loss.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_05223
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Robust Negativity in the Quantum-to-Classical Transition of Kerr Dynamics
Raza, Mohsin
DeBrota, John B.
Shlosberg, Ariel
Lordi, Noah
Deutsch, Ivan H.
Quantum Physics
We quantify the quantum-to-classical transition of the single-mode Kerr nonlinear dynamics in the presence of loss. We establish three time scales that govern the dynamics, each with distinct characteristics. For times short compared to the Ehrenfest time, the evolution is classical, characterized by Gaussian dynamics. For sufficiently long times, as we increase the initial photon number, unitary Kerr evolution would generate macroscopic superpositions of coherent states (so-called kitten states), but this is severely restricted in the presence of small photon loss so that expectation values of observables coincide with their classical values. The intermediate time scale, however, shows resilient quantum behavior in the macroscopic limit. We show that in the mean-field non-Gaussian regime, the Kerr Hamiltonian (with small photon loss) generates a significant amount of Wigner-negativity, and classical flow is recovered only if the loss rate grows with system size. Our results broaden the usual understanding of quantum-to-classical transitions and demonstrate the potential for creating robust nonclassical resources for continuous-variable quantum information processing in the presence of loss.
title Robust Negativity in the Quantum-to-Classical Transition of Kerr Dynamics
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.05223