Measuring out-of-time-ordered correlation functions without reversing time evolution

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2003.03980
• Publication Date: 2020-01-01
• Authors: Philip Daniel Blo...; Serwan Asaad; Vincent Mourik; Mark A. I. Johnson; Andrea Morello; Klaus Mølmer
• Keywords: Scrambling; Time evolution; Thermalisation

Out-of-time-ordered correlation functions (OTOCs) play a crucial role in the study of thermalization, entanglement, and quantum chaos, as they quantify scrambling information due to complex interactions. As consequence their out-of-time-ordered nature, OTOCs are difficult measure experimentally. Here we propose an OTOC measurement protocol that does not rely on reversal time evolution is easy implement range experimental settings. The accounts for both pure mixed initial states, applicable systems interact with environmental degrees freedom. We demonstrate application our by characterization periodically-driven spin exhibits chaos.