Quantum Speed Limit under Brachistochrone Evolution

Abstract: According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle between time and energy fluctuation, a concept of the quantum speed limit (QSL) has been established to determine the minimum evolutionary time between quantum states. Considerable theoretical and experimental efforts are invested in obtaining the QSL time bounds in various scenarios. However, it remains a long-standing goal to derive a meaningful QSL bound for a general quantum problem. Here, we propose a geometrical approach to derive a QSL bound for closed and open quantum systems. By solving a quantum brachistochrone problem in the framework of the Riemannian metric, we show that the QSL between a given initial state to a final state is determined not only by the entire dynamics of the system but also by the individual dynamics of a critical parameter. We exemplify the utility of the new bound in three representative scenarios, demonstrating a pronounced advantage in finding a tight and meaningful QSL bound of a general quantum evolution problem.