Universal Acceleration of Quantum Relaxation by Reset-Induced Mpemba Effect (2212.11170v2)

Abstract: Slow relaxation processes spanning widely separated timescales pose fundamental challenges for probing steady-state properties and engineering functional quantum systems, such as quantum heat engines and quantum computing devices. We introduce a universal quantum reset protocol that enables exponential acceleration of relaxation in general Markovian open quantum systems. The protocol induces a quantum Mpemba effect, wherein systems initialized farther from equilibrium can relax faster than those closer to it, and crucially, this acceleration persists even when the slowest decaying Lindbladian modes form complex-conjugate pairs. Unlike previous approaches, which typically target a single mode, our protocol eliminates multiple relaxation modes simultaneously. This framework provides a versatile and experimentally feasible tool for controlling quantum relaxation timescales, with broad implications for quantum thermodynamics, computation, and state preparation.