We develop a general theoretical framework of semiclassical phase reduction for analyzing synchronization of quantum limit-cycle oscillators. The dynamics of quantum dissipative systems exhibiting limit-cycle oscillations are reduced to a simple, one-dimensional classical stochastic differential equation approximately describing the phase dynamics of the system under the semiclassical approximation. The density matrix and power spectrum of the original quantum system can be approximately reconstructed from the reduced phase equation. The developed framework enables us to analyze synchronization dynamics of quantum limit-cycle oscillators using the standard methods for classical limit-cycle oscillators in a quantitative way. As an example, we analyze synchronization of a quantum van der Pol oscillator under harmonic driving and squeezing, including the case that the squeezing is strong and the oscillation is asymmetric. The developed framework provides insights into the relation between quantum and classical synchronization and will facilitate systematic analysis and control of quantum nonlinear oscillators.

For reliable and consistent quantum information processing carried out on a quantum network, the network structure must be fully known and a desired initial state must be accurately prepared on it. In this paper, for a class of spin networks with only its single node accessible, we provide two continuous-measurementbased methods to achieve the above requirements; the first identifies the unknown network structure with a high probability, based on a continuous-time Bayesian update of the graph structure and the second is, with the use of an adaptive measurement technique, able to deterministically drive any mixed state to a spin coherent state for network initialization.

The asymptotic phase is a fundamental quantity for the analysis of deterministic limit-cycle oscillators, and generalized definitions of the asymptotic phase for stochastic oscillators have also been proposed. In this article, we show that the asymptotic phase and also amplitude can be defined for classical and semiclassical stochastic oscillators in a natural and unified manner by using the eigenfunctions of the Koopman operator of the system. We show that the proposed definition gives appropriate values of the phase and amplitude for strongly stochastic limit-cycle oscillators, excitable systems undergoing noise-induced oscillations, and also for quantum limit-cycle oscillators in the semiclassical regime.

Optimal entrainment of a quantum nonlinear oscillator to a periodically modulated weak harmonic drive is studied in the semiclassical regime. By using the semiclassical phase reduction theory recently developed for quantum nonlinear oscillators [1], two types of optimization problems, one for the stability and the other for the phase coherence of the entrained state, are considered. The optimal waveforms of the periodic amplitude modulation can be derived by applying the classical optimization methods to the semiclassical phase equation that approximately describes the quantum limit-cycle dynamics. Using a quantum van der Pol oscillator with squeezing and Kerr effects as an example, the performance of optimization is numerically

We propose a definition of the asymptotic phase for quantum nonlinear oscillators from the viewpoint of the Koopman operator theory. The asymptotic phase is a fundamental quantity for the analysis of classical limit-cycle oscillators, but it has not been defined explicitly for quantum nonlinear oscillators. In this study, we define the asymptotic phase for quantum oscillatory systems by using the eigenoperator of the backward Liouville operator associated with the fundamental oscillation frequency. By using the quantum van der Pol oscillator with a Kerr effect as an example, we illustrate that the proposed asymptotic phase appropriately yields isochronous phase values in both semiclassical and strong quantum regimes.