Yizhi You [Northeastern University]

Title: Steady states of open quantum systems through a holographic lens

Abstract: Steady states in open quantum systems- such as those arising from repeated quantum channels or long-time Lindblad evolution can display subtle structure governed by symmetry and entanglement. In this talk, I will introduce a holographic viewpoint to characterize dynamics of open quantum systems: the steady state of a quantum channel can be understood as the boundary of a higher dimensional quantum state constructed by a sequential circuit. This “channel–circuit” duality allows us to map questions about mixed steady states in open systems to familiar problems involving many-body ground states with boundaries. As a concrete example, strong-to-weak symmetry breaking (SWSSB) in a one-dimensional channel emerges as the boundary phenomenon of a two-dimensional topological order. Information-theoretic quantities, such as conditional mutual information, naturally reflect the underlying bulk topological entanglement entropy.