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Physics Condensed Matter

cond-mat Watch Condensed Matter

Monday 8 December

Soft Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from q-bio.QM

Understanding the temperature response of biological systems: Part I – Phenomenological descriptions and microscopic models

Simen Jacobs, Julian Voits, Nikita Frolov et al. (+2 more)

Virtually every biological rate depends on temperature, yet the resulting rate-temperature relationships often deviate strongly from simple Arrhenius behavior. In this first part of a two-part review, we survey phenomenological models used to describe biological temperature responses across scales, from enzymatic reactions to organismal performance. We discuss common functional forms, including symmetric and asymmetric thermal performance curves and extensions of the Arrhenius law, and we highlight how these models define operational quantities such as optimal temperatures, thermal breadths, and thermal limits. We also discuss microscopic models for the effect of temperature, which however do not capture cooperative effects. In Part II of this review, we will discuss how system-level temperature response curves emerge from the interaction of many underlying reactions.
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All authors Simen Jacobs, Julian Voits, Nikita Frolov, Ulrich S. Schwarz, Lendert Gelens

Superconductivity

Control of the effective value of the critical current of the RF SQUID by the high-frequency electromagnetic field

V. I. Shnyrkov, V. Yu. Lyakhno, O. A. Kalenyuk et al. (+3 more)

An analysis of the influence of the high-frequency electromagnetic field on the amplitude-frequency and signal characteristics of RF SQUID and experimental verification are carried out. At low parameter , the RF SQUID behavior is well described analytically by the theoretical model. In experiment, basic operation scheme is used in which the interferometer is inductively connected to a resonant tank circuit driven by RF current at a frequency close to the resonance frequency of the tank. It is shown that parameter , which distinguishes between hysteretic and non-hysteretic regimes, can be effectively adjusted to a desired value by applying the high-frequency field of a certain amplitude and frequency much higher than tank resonant frequency. A significant increase in the conversion factor and sensitivity of the RF SQUID during this adjustment is discussed.
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All authors V. I. Shnyrkov, V. Yu. Lyakhno, O. A. Kalenyuk, D. G. Mindich, O. O. Leha, A. P. Shapovalov

Superconductivity

A unified model for underdoped and overdoped cuprate superconductors based on a spinodal transition

Hercules H. Santana and E. V. L. de Mello

Many years of intense research on cuprate superconductors have led to several discoveries, such as the pseudogap and charge density waves (CDW), yet a complete theory is still lacking. By analyzing some experiments and performing calculations, we provide a full interpretation of their properties; from the undoped insulator to the overdoped metallic compounds. The variation of the anomalous Hall coefficient ($R_{\rm H}(T)$) with temperature at half-filling ($n = 1$) and, combinations of undoped ($p = 0$) insulators and metallic films, which, among other things, are indicative of a thermodynamic transition. On the overdoped side, recent experiments near the superconducting-to-metal transition detecting superconducting puddles and a considerable degree of charge disorder, suggest that a similar thermodynamic transition operates at all doping levels. We propose a spinodal or charge-separation transition starting near the pseudogap temperature $T^*(p)$, which among other things generates the CDW domains with a typical double-well Landau free-energy functional. Thus, from the half-filled to the overdoped region, the free energy forms an array of wells with $n = 1$ static holes. With doping, mobile holes tend to occupy these wells with alternating high and low densities, generating the CDW pattern. The confined holes in small regions develop local superconducting amplitudes, giving rise to a mesoscopic granular superconductor. Similar to the XY model, the grains develop correlation effects mediated by Josephson coupling, which is proportional to the local superfluid density. This approach yields a unified theory of cuprate superconductors.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Coherent and compact van der Waals transmon qubits

Jesse Balgley, Jinho Park, Xuanjing Chu et al. (+9 more)

State-of-the-art superconducting qubits rely on a limited set of thin-film materials. Expanding their materials palette can improve performance, extend operating regimes, and introduce new functionalities, but conventional thin-film fabrication hinders systematic exploration of new material combinations. Van der Waals (vdW) materials offer a highly modular crystalline platform that facilitates such exploration while enabling gate-tunability, higher-temperature operation, and compact qubit geometries. Yet it remains unknown whether a fully vdW superconducting qubit can support quantum coherence and what mechanisms dominate loss at both low and elevated temperatures in such a device. Here we demonstrate quantum-coherent merged-element transmons made entirely from vdW Josephson junctions. These first-generation, fully crystalline qubits achieve microsecond lifetimes in an ultra-compact footprint without external shunt capacitors. Energy relaxation measurements, together with microwave characterization of vdW capacitors, point to dielectric loss as the dominant relaxation channel up to hundreds of millikelvin. These results establish vdW materials as a viable platform for compact superconducting quantum devices.
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All authors Jesse Balgley, Jinho Park, Xuanjing Chu, Jiru Liu, Madisen Holbrook, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Archana Kamal, Leonardo Ranzani, Martin V. Gustafsson, James Hone, Kin Chung Fong

Statistical Mechanics

Emergent memory in cell-like active systems

Marc Besse and Raphaël Voituriez

Active systems across scales, ranging from molecular machines to human crowds, are usually modeled as assemblies of self-propelled particles driven by internally generated forces. However, these models often assume memoryless dynamics and no coupling of internal active forces to the environment. Here, guided by the example of living cells, which have recently been shown to display multi-timescale memory effects, we introduce a general theoretical framework that goes beyond this paradigm by incorporating internal state dynamics and environmental sensing into active particle models. We show that when the self-propulsion of an agent depends on internal variables with their own complex dynamics - modulated by local environmental cues - environmental memory spontaneously emerges and gives rise to new classes of behaviours. These include memory-induced responses, adaptable localization in complex landscapes, suppression of motility-induced phase separation, and enhanced jamming transitions. Our results demonstrate how minimal information processing capabilities, intrinsic to non-equilibrium agents with internal states like living cells, can profoundly influence both individual and collective behaviours. This framework bridges cell-scale activity and large-scale intelligent motion in cell assemblies, and opens the way to the quantitative analysis and design of systems ranging from synthetic colloids to biological collectives and robotic swarms.
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Materials Science

Chirality-induced magnetoresistance in hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite semiconductors

Md Azimul Haque, Pius Markus Theiler, Ian A. Leahy et al. (+14 more)

The combination of semiconducting properties and synthetically tunable chirality in chiral metal halide semiconductors (CMHS) offer a compelling platform for room temperature control over electronic spin properties, leveraging effects such as chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) for the development of new opto-spintronic functionalities. We report room-temperature CISS-induced magnetoresistance (CISS-MR) exceeding 100% for spin valves in a configuration consisting of a ferromagnet (FM), tunneling barrier, and CMHS. The high CISS-MR is attributed to interfacial spin-selective tunneling barrier induced by the chirality, which can produce current dissymmetry factors that surpass the limit imposed by the Jullière model governed by the intrinsic spin polarization of the adjacent FM contact. The CISS-MR exhibits a strong dependence on the CMHS composition, revealing a structure-property relationship between CISS and structural chirality. The observed exceptionally large tunneling MR response differentiates from a subtle anisotropic MR arising from the proximity effect at the FM/CMHS interface in the absence of a tunneling barrier. Our study provides insights into charge-to-spin interconversion in chiral semiconductors, offering materials design principles to control and enhance CISS response and utilize it in functional platforms.
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All authors Md Azimul Haque, Pius Markus Theiler, Ian A. Leahy, Steven P. Harvey, Jeiwan Tan, Matthew P Hautzinger, Margherita Taddei, Aeron McConnell, Andrew Greider, Andrew H. Comstock, Yifan Dong, Kirstin Alberi, Yuan Ping, Peter C. Sercel, Joseph M. Luther, Dali Sun, Matthew C. Beard

Disordered Systems and Neural Networks

Effect of superconductivity on non-uniform magnetization in dirty SF junctions

A. V. Levin and P. M. Ostrovsky

We study proximity effect in a tunnel junction between a bulk superconductor and a thin disordered ferromagnetic layer on its surface. Cooper pairs penetrating from the superconductor into the ferromagnet tend to destabilize its uniform magnetic order. The competition of this effect and the intrinsic magnetic stiffness of the ferromagnet leads to a second order phase transition between uniform and non-uniform magnetic states. Using the quasiclassical Usadel equation, we derive the Landau functional for this transition and construct the complete phase diagram of the effect. We identify a special point of "resonance" at which the characteristic energy scale of the proximity effect equals the exchange field of the ferromagnet. At this point, the uniform magnetic state is unstable even in the limit of large stiffness. We further explore the parameter regime far beyond the transition and determine the properties of the resulting strongly non-uniform magnetic state.
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Materials Science

Magnetic properties of the Fe$_5$SiB$_2$-Fe$_5$PB$_2$ system

Daniel Hedlund, Johan Cedervall, Alexander Edström et al. (+6 more)

The magnetic properties of the compound Fe$_5$Si$_{1-x}$P$_{x}$B$_2$ have been studied, with a focus on the Curie temperature $T_\textrm{C}$, saturation magnetization $M_\textrm{S}$, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Field and temperature dependent magnetization measurements were used to determine $T_\textrm{C}\left(x\right)$ and $M_\textrm{S}\left(x\right)$. The saturation magnetization at 10 K (300 K) is found to monotonically decrease from $1.11~\mathrm{MA/m}$ ($1.03~\mathrm{MA/m}$) to $0.97~\mathrm{MA/m}$ ($0.87~\mathrm{MA/m}$), as $x$ increases from zero to one. The Curie temperature is determined to be 810 K and 615 K in Fe$_5$SiB$_2$ and Fe$_5$PB$_2$, respectively. The highest $T_\textrm{C}$ is observed for $x=0.1$, while it decreases monotonically for larger $x$. The Curie temperatures have also been theoretically determined to be 700 K and 660 K for Fe$_5$SiB$_2$ and Fe$_5$PB$_2$, respectively, using a combination of density functional theory and Monte Carlo simulations. The magnitude of the effective magnetocrystalline anisotropy was extracted using the law of approach to saturation, revealing an increase with increasing phosphorus concentration. Low–field magnetization vs. temperature results for $x = 0, 0.1, 0.2$ indicate that there is a transition from easy–axis to easy–plane anisotropy with decreasing temperature.
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All authors Daniel Hedlund, Johan Cedervall, Alexander Edström, Mirosław Werwinski, Sofia Kontos Olle Eriksson, Ján Rusz, Peter Svedlindh, Martin Sahlberg, Klas Gunnarsson

Materials Science · Cross-listed from quant-ph

F2: Offline Reinforcement Learning for Hamiltonian Simulation via Free-Fermionic Subroutine Compilation

Ethan Decker, Christopher Watson, Junyu Zhou et al. (+5 more)

Compiling shallow and accurate quantum circuits for Hamiltonian simulation remains challenging due to hardware constraints and the combinatorial complexity of minimizing gate count and circuit depth. Existing optimization method pipelines rely on hand-engineered classical heuristics, which cannot learn input-dependent structure and therefore miss substantial opportunities for circuit reduction. We introduce F2, an offline reinforcement learning framework that exploits free-fermionic structure to efficiently compile Trotter-based Hamiltonian simulation circuits. F2 provides (i) a reinforcement-learning environment over classically simulatable free-fermionic subroutines, (ii) architectural and objective-level inductive biases that stabilize long-horizon value learning, and (iii) a reversible synthetic-trajectory generation mechanism that consistently yields abundant, guaranteed-successful offline data. Across benchmarks spanning lattice models, protein fragments, and crystalline materials (12-222 qubits), F2 reduces gate count by 47% and depth by 38% on average relative to strong baselines (Qiskit, Cirq/OpenFermion) while maintaining average errors of 10^(-7). These results show that aligning deep reinforcement learning with the algebraic structure of quantum dynamics enables substantial improvements in circuit synthesis, suggesting a promising direction for scalable, learning-based quantum compilation
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All authors Ethan Decker, Christopher Watson, Junyu Zhou, Yuhao Liu, Chenxu Liu, Ang Li, Gushu Li, Samuel Stein

Statistical Mechanics

Free fermionic and parafermionic multispin quantum chains with non-homogeneous interacting ranges

Francisco C. Alcaraz

A large family of multispin interacting one-dimensional quantum spin models with $Z(N)$ symmetry and a free-particle eigenspectra are known in the literature. They are free-fermionic ($N=2$) and free-parafermionic ($N\geq 2$) quantum chains. The essential ingredient that implies the free-particle spectra is the fact that these Hamiltonians are expressed in terms of generators of a $Z(N)$ exchange algebra. In all these known quantum chains the number of spins in all the multispin interactions (range of interactions) is the same and therefore, the models have homogeneous interacting range. In this paper we extend the $Z(N)$ exchange algebra, by introducing new models with a free-particle spectra, where the interaction ranges of the multispin interactions are not uniform anymore and depends on the lattice sites (non-homogeneous interacting range). We obtain the general conditions that the site-dependent ranges of the multispin interactions have to satisfy to ensure a free-particle spectra. Several simple examples are introduced. We study in detail the critical properties in the case where the range of interactions of the even (odd) sites are constant. The dynamical critical exponent is evaluated in several cases.
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Statistical Mechanics

Minimal Models of Entropic Order

Xiaoyang Huang, Zohar Komargodski, Andrew Lucas et al. (+2 more)

Due to entropic effects, it is possible that generic high-energy states of a quantum or classical system are ordered. This leads to spontaneous symmetry breaking at arbitrarily high temperatures. We present minimal models of entropic order that arise from very simple interactions. Our main examples are the Arithmetic Ising Model (AIM) and its quantum analogue, where usual Ising spins are replaced by non-negative integers. Using a large-flavor expansion together with numerical simulations, we find that the high-temperature phase is ordered in the classical and quantum models. We also introduce classical gas models whose interactions drive the system to a crystal at high temperatures.
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All authors Xiaoyang Huang, Zohar Komargodski, Andrew Lucas, Fedor K. Popov, Tin Sulejmanpasic

Statistical Mechanics · Cross-listed from hep-th

Entanglement Through Topological Defects: Reconciling Theory with Numerics

Christian Northe and Paolo Rossi

Present theoretical predictions for the entanglement entropy through topological defects are violated by numerical simulations. In order to resolve this, we introduce a paradigm shift in the preparation of reduced density matrices in the presence of topological defects, and emphasize the role of defect networks with which they can be dressed. We consider the cases of grouplike and duality defects in detail for the Ising model, and find agreement with all numerically found entanglement entropies. Since our construction functions at the level of reduced density matrices, it accounts for topological defects beyond the entanglement entropy to other entanglement measures.
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Statistical Mechanics · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Measurement-and Feedback-Driven Non-Equilibrium Phase Transitions on a Quantum Processor

Zhiyi Wu, Xuandong Sun, Songlei Wang et al. (+8 more)

Mid-circuit measurements and feedback operations conditioned on the measurement outcomes are essential for implementing quantum error-correction on quantum hardware. When integrated in quantum many-body dynamics, they can give rise to novel non-equilibrium phase transitions both at the level of each individual quantum trajectory and the averaged quantum channel. Experimentally resolving both transitions on realistic devices has been challenging due to limitations on the fidelity and the significant latency for performing mid-circuit measurements and feedback operations in real time. Here, we develop a superconducting quantum processor that enables global mid-circuit measurement with an average quantum non-demolition (QND) fidelity of 98.7% and fast conditional feedback with a 200 ns real-time decision latency. Using this platform, we demonstrate the coexistence of an absorbing-state transition in the quantum channel and a measurement-induced entanglement transition at the level of individual quantum trajectories. For the absorbing-state transition, we experimentally extract a set of critical exponents at the transition point, which is in excellent agreement with the directed percolation universality class. Crucially, the two transitions occur at distinct values of the tuning parameter. Our results demonstrate that adaptive quantum circuits provide a powerful platform for exploring non-equilibrium quantum many-body dynamics.
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All authors Zhiyi Wu, Xuandong Sun, Songlei Wang, Jiawei Zhang, Xiaohan Yang, Ji Chu, Jingjing Niu, Youpeng Zhong, Xiao Chen, Zhi-Cheng Yang, Dapeng Yu

Superconductivity · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Coherence-limited digital control of a superconducting qubit using a Josephson pulse generator at 3 K

M. A. Castellanos-Beltran, A. J. Sirois, L. Howe et al. (+4 more)

Compared to traditional semiconductor control electronics (TSCE) located at room temperature, cryogenic single flux quantum (SFQ) electronics can provide qubit measurement and control alternatives that address critical issues related to scalability of cryogenic quantum processors. Single-qubit control and readout have been demonstrated recently using SFQ circuits coupled to superconducting qubits. Experiments where the SFQ electronics are co-located with the qubit have suffered from excess decoherence and loss due to quasiparticle poisoning of the qubit. A previous experiment by our group showed that moving the control electronics to the 3 K stage of the dilution refrigerator avoided this source of decoherence in a high-coherence 3D transmon geometry. In this paper, we also generate the pulses at the 3 K stage but have optimized the qubit design and control lines for scalable 2D transmon devices. We directly compare the qubit lifetime $T_1$, coherence time $T_2^*$ and gate fidelity when the qubit is controlled by the Josephson pulse generator (JPG) circuit versus the TSCE setup. We find agreement to within the daily fluctuations for $T_1$ and $T_2^*$, and agreement to within 10% for randomized benchmarking. We also performed interleaved randomized benchmarking on individual JPG gates demonstrating an average error per gate of $0.46$% showing good agreement with what is expected based on the qubit coherence and higher-state leakage. These results are an order of magnitude improvement in gate fidelity over our previous work and demonstrate that a Josephson microwave source operated at 3 K is a promising component for scalable qubit control.
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All authors M. A. Castellanos-Beltran, A. J. Sirois, L. Howe, D. I. Olaya, J. Biesecker, S. P. Benz, P. F. Hopkins

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Quantum Geometry Driven Crystallization: A Neural-Network Variational Monte Carlo Study

Agnes Valenti, Yaar Vituri, Yubo Yang et al. (+7 more)

Wigner crystals are a paradigmatic form of interaction driven electronic order. A key open question is how Berry curvature and, more generally, quantum geometry reshape crystallization. The discovery of two-dimensional materials with relatively flat bands and pronounced Berry curvature has added fresh urgency to this question. Recent mean-field studies have proposed a topological variant of the Wigner crystal, the anomalous Hall crystal (AHC), with non-zero Chern number. However it remains unclear whether the AHC survives beyond the mean-field approximation. Here, we map out the ground-state phase diagram of the $\lambda$-jellium model - a simple model whose interaction strength and Berry curvature are independently tunable - using state-of-the-art neural-network variational Monte Carlo. The AHC is found to remain stable against quantum fluctuations. Surprisingly, quantum geometric effects are found to dramatically enhance crystallization. Both the AHC and the standard Wigner Crystal are stabilized at densities up to an order of magnitude above the critical density in the absence of quantum geometry, yet still significantly below the threshold predicted by mean-field theory. These striking results highlight the rich interplay between quantum fluctuations, quantum geometry, and crystallization, providing concrete guidance for experiments and enabling future explorations of fractionalized crystals and chiral superconductors.
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All authors Agnes Valenti, Yaar Vituri, Yubo Yang, Daniel E. Parker, Tomohiro Soejima, Junkai Dong, Miguel A. Morales, Ashvin Vishwanath, Erez Berg, Shiwei Zhang

Quantum Gases

Vortex leapfrogging and superfluid dissipation mechanisms in a fluid of light

Myrann Baker-Rasooli, Nathan du Toit, Nicolas Pavloff et al. (+1 more)

We report the experimental observation of vortex leapfrogging in a two-dimensional fluid of light. By imprinting two vortex-antivortex pairs and tracking their real-time evolution through phase-resolved imaging, we observe a dynamics that is accurately described by a point-vortex model with an outward background flow. By precisely controlling the initial vortex separation, we identify configurations in which leapfrogging breaks down and determine the corresponding dissipation mechanisms. The first originates from phase-slip events occurring at large injected velocities. The second arises when the injection of multi-charged vortices leads to the formation of a dispersive shock wave which acts as a continuous source of phase slippage. These mechanisms advance our understanding of vortex dynamics and dissipation in superfluids.
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All authors Myrann Baker-Rasooli, Nathan du Toit, Nicolas Pavloff, Quentin Glorieux

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Is disorder a friend or a foe to melting of Wigner-Mott insulators?

Mohammed Hammam, Cyprian Lewandowski, Vladimir Dobrosavljevic et al. (+1 more)

Wigner crystals are extremely fragile, which is shown to result from very strong geometric frustration germane to long-range Coulomb interactions. Physically, this is manifested by a very small characteristic energy scale for shear density fluctuations, which are gapless excitations in a translationally invariant system. The presence of disorder, however, breaks translational invariance, thus suppressing gapless excitations and pushing them to higher density. We illustrate this general principle by explicit microscopic model calculations, showing that this mechanism very effectively stabilizes disordered Wigner lattices to much higher temperatures and densities than in the clean limit. On the other hand, we argue that in two dimensions disorder significantly “smears" the melting transition, producing spatial coexistence of solid-like and liquid-like regions – just as recently observed in STM experiments. Our results paint a new physical picture for melting of Wigner-Mott solids in two dimensions, corresponding to a Mott-Hubbard model with spatially varying local electronic bandwidth.
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All authors Mohammed Hammam, Cyprian Lewandowski, Vladimir Dobrosavljevic, Sandeep Joy

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Environment-matrix-product operator for boundary-free large-scale quantum many-body simulations

Souta Shimozono and Chisa Hotta

We propose an alternative to the infinite density-matrix renormalization approach for accessing quantum many-body states within a finite-size calculation that faithfully mimics the thermodynamic limit. Our method constructs environment matrix product operators (MPOs) representing the Hamiltonian of semi-infinite regions surrounding the target system. Starting from the finite-size ground-state MPS, we contract its Hamiltonian representation to generate effective environment MPOs, which are then attached to a renewed finite system in a recursive manner. This iterative embedding drives the system toward a bulk-like state with negligible finite-size effects. The scheme requires no assumption of homogeneity and achieves unprecedentedly long real-time dynamics free from boundary reflections.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Monte Carlo simulation of spin-reorientation transition in weak ferrimagnets YFeCrO3

E.V. Vasinovich, V.A. Ulitko and A.S. Moskvin

This work presents the modeling of the magnetic 3d sublattice in mixed orthoferrites-orthochromites YFe1-xCrxO3 using classical Monte Carlo methods. It is shown that, when taking into account the competition of the Dzyaloshinskii vectors in the mixed compositions, magnetic moment compensations are observed, as well as angular magnetic configurations corresponding to the spin reorientation.
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Materials Science

Intralayer antiferromagnetism in two-dimensional van der Waals magnet Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$

Neesha Yadav, Shivani Kumawat, Sandeep et al. (+2 more)

For the van der Waals magnet Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$, although a ferromagnetic ground state has been reported, there are also reports of complex magnetic behavior suggesting coexistence of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism due to the intricate interaction between Fe$^{+3}$ and Fe$^{+2}$ ions in this system. The exact nature of the interactions and the origin of antiferromagnetism are still under debate. Here, we report the observation of signature of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic couplings between different Fe-ions in the anomalous Hall effect measured for devices of mechanically exfoliated Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$ nano-flakes of thicknesses ranging from\,$\sim$\,15-20 layers. The temperature-dependent anomalous Hall effect data reveal two sharp step-like switchings at low temperature ($T\lesssim150\,$K). Our detailed analyses suggest the step-like sharp switchings in anomalous Hall resistance are due to the magnetization reversal behavior of different Fe-ions in individual layers of Fe$_3$GeTe$_2$. The experimental results can be explained by considering an intra-layer antiferromagnetic coupling between Fe$^{+3}$ and Fe$^{+3}$ ions, whereas intra-layer ferromagnetic coupling between Fe$^{+3}$ and Fe$^{+2}$ in the system. Our experimental results and the analyses are supported by the first-principles calculations for energetics and intralayer as well as interlayer exchange coupling constants.
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All authors Neesha Yadav, Shivani Kumawat, Sandeep, Brajesh Kumar Mani, Pintu Das

Materials Science

Performance Benchmarking of Tensor Trains for accelerated Quantum-Inspired Homogenization on TPU, GPU and CPU architectures

Sascha H. Hauck, Matthias Kabel and Nicolas R. Gauger

Recent advances in high-resolution CT-imaging technology are creating a new class of ultra-high resolved microstructural datasets that challenge the limits of traditional homogenization approaches. While state-of-the-art FFT-based homogenization techniques remain effective for moderate datasets, their memory footprint and computational cost grow rapidly with increasing resolution, making them progressively inefficient for industrial-scale problems. To address these challenges, the recently developed Superfast-Fourier Transform (SFFT)-based homogenization algorithm leverages the memory-efficient low-rank representations of Tensor Trains (TTs), which reduce the storage and computational requirements of large-scale homogenization problems. Developed for CPU usage, SFFT-based Homogenization efficiently handles high-resolution datasets, assuming the underlying data is well-behaved. In this work, we investigate the performance of fundamental TT operations on modern hardware accelerators using the JAX framework. A benchmarking study across CPUs, GPUs, and TPUs evaluates execution times and computational efficiency, highlighting the strengths and limitations of TT operations on different architectures and motivating future hybrid approaches. Building on these insights, we adapt the SFFT-based homogenization algorithm for accelerator execution, enabling homogenization at high resolutions ranging from 300 million to 70 billion grid points, which are infeasible for the best available GPU-based FFT reference implementation. While the observed scaling behavior is geometry-dependent, the results demonstrate the potential of accelerator-based quantum-inspired homogenization for high-performance multiscale simulations.
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Disordered Systems and Neural Networks · Cross-listed from nucl-th

Trapped Fermions Through Kolmogorov-Arnold Wavefunctions

Paulo F. Bedaque, Jacob Cigliano, Hersh Kumar et al. (+2 more)

We investigate a variational Monte Carlo framework for trapped one-dimensional mixture of spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ fermions using Kolmogorov-Arnold networks (KANs) to construct universal neural-network wavefunction ansätze. The method can, in principle, achieve arbitrary accuracy, limited only by the Monte Carlo sampling and was checked against exact results at sub-percent precision. For attractive interactions, it captures pairing effects, and in the impurity case it agrees with known results. We present a method of systematic transfer learning in the number of network parameters, allowing for efficient training for a target precision. We vastly increase the efficiency of the method by incorporating the short-distance behavior of the wavefunction into the ansätz without biasing the method.
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All authors Paulo F. Bedaque, Jacob Cigliano, Hersh Kumar, Srijit Paul, Suryansh Rajawat

Statistical Mechanics

A dynamical order parameter for the transition to nonergodic dynamics in the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Andrew Kalish, Pedro Fittipaldi de Castro and Wladimir A. Benalcazar

The discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation (DNLSE) exhibits a transition from ergodic, delocalized dynamics to a weakly nonergodic regime characterized by breather formation; yet, a precise characterization of this transition has remained elusive. By sampling many microcanonically equivalent initial conditions, we identify the asymptotic ensemble variance of the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy as a dynamical order parameter that vanishes in the ergodic phase and becomes finite once ergodicity is broken. The relaxation time governing the ensemble convergence of the KS entropy displays an essential singularity at the transition, yielding a sharp boundary between the two dynamical regimes. This framework provides a trajectory-independent method for detecting ergodicity breaking that is broadly applicable to nonlinear lattice systems with conserved quantities.
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Statistical Mechanics

Universal bounds on entropy production from fluctuating coarse-grained trajectories

Udo Seifert

Entropy production is arguably the most universally applicable measure of non-equilibrium behavior, particularly for systems coupled to a heat bath. This setting encompasses driven soft matter as well as biomolecular, biochemical, and biophysical systems. Despite its central role, direct measurements of entropy production remain challenging - especially in small systems dominated by fluctuations. The main difficulty arises because not all degrees of freedom contributing to entropy production are experimentally accessible. A key question, therefore, is how to infer entropy production from coarse-grained observations, such as time series of experimentally measurable variables. Over the past decade, stochastic thermodynamics has provided several inequalities that yield model-free lower bounds on entropy production from such coarse-grained data. The major approaches rely on observations of coarse-grained states, fluctuating currents or ticks, correlation functions of coarse-grained observables, and waiting-time distributions between so-called Markovian events, which correspond to transitions between mesoscopic states. Here, we systematically review these techniques valid under the sole assumption of a Markovian, i.e., memoryless, dynamics on an underlying, not necessarily observable, network of states or following a possibly high-dimensional Langevin equation. We discuss in detail the large class of non-equilibrium steady states and highlight extensions of these methods to time-dependent and relaxing systems. While our focus is on mean entropy production, we also summarize recent progress in quantifying entropy production along individual coarse-grained trajectories.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Thermal ionization of impurity-bound quasiholes in the fractional quantum Hall effect

Ke Huang, Sankar Das Sarma and Xiao Li

We study the interplay between a Coulomb impurity and quasiholes in a fractional quantum Hall (FQH) state at finite temperatures. While a repulsive impurity can pin a quasihole and stabilize the FQH state, an attractive impurity cannot bind quasiholes. We demonstrate that at finite temperatures, a quasihole can be thermally ionized from a repulsive impurity, resulting in an ionization phase transition. We propose an experimental setup using exciton sensing to detect such a thermal ionization of quasiholes.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Statistical properties of quantum jumps between macroscopic states of light: reading an operational coherence record

Th. K. Mavrogordatos

We propose an experimental apparatus to reveal the quantum coherence manifested in downward quantum jumps of amplitude bistability. The underlying coherent superposition of macroscopic quantum states is translated into the statistical properties of the integrated charge deposited in the detector circuit of a mode-matched heterodyne/homodyne detection scheme. At first, the dynamical evolution of a signal transmitted from an auxiliary cavity is employed to pinpoint a macroscopic switching event in a bistable main cavity subject to direct photodetection. Once the decision is made on the occurrence of a downward switch, the main cavity mode is let to freely decay to the vacuum, monitored to the production of an integrated charge. In the long-time limit, the charge distribution over an identical collection of pure states generated during the jumps converges to the Q function (heterodyne detection) or marginals of the Wigner function (homodyne detection) dictated by the phase of the local oscillator. When fluctuations over the ensemble step in, we connect the statistical properties of several switching events and the ensuing production of current records, to the cavity field correlations associated with the breakdown of photon blockade.
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Quantum Gases · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Real-time collisions of fractional charges in a trapped-ion Jackiw-Rebbi field theory

Alan Kahan, Pablo Viñas, Torsten V. Zache et al. (+1 more)

We propose and analyze a trapped-ion quantum simulator of the Jackiw-Rebbi model, a paradigmatic quantum field theory in (1+1) dimensions where solitonic excitations of a scalar field can bind fermionic zero modes leading to fractionally-charged excitations. In our approach, the scalar field is a coarse-grained description of the planar zigzag ion displacements in the vicinity of a structural phase transition. The internal electronic states of the ions encode spins with interactions mediated by the transverse phonons and in-plane spin-phonon couplings with a zigzag pattern, which together correspond to a Yukawa-coupled Dirac field. Instead of assuming a fixed soliton background, we study the effect of back-reaction and quantum fluctuations on the coupled dynamics of the full fermion-boson system. We start by applying a Born-Oppenheimer approximation to obtain an effective Peierls-Nabarro potential for the topological kink, unveiling how the fermionic back-reaction can lead to localization of the kink. Beyond this limit, a truncated Wigner approximation combined with fermionic Gaussian states captures the quantum spreading and localization of a kink and kink-antikink scattering. Our results reveal how back-reaction and quantum fluctuations modify the stability and real-time evolution of fractionalized fermions, predicting experimentally accessible signatures in current trapped-ion architectures.
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All authors Alan Kahan, Pablo Viñas, Torsten V. Zache, Alejandro Bermudez

Statistical Mechanics

Anomalous coarsening and nonlinear diffusion of kinks in an one-dimensional quasi-classical Holstein model

Ho Jang, Yang Yang and Gia-Wei Chern

We study the phase-ordering dynamics of a quasi-classical Holstein model. At half-filling, the zero-temperature ground state is a commensurate charge-density-wave (CDW) with alternating occupied and empty sites. This quasi-classical formulation enables us to isolate the role of electrons in coarsening dynamics. Following a thermal quench, CDW domains grow through the diffusion and annihilation of kinks – topological defects separating the two symmetry-related CDW orders. While standard diffusive dynamics predicts domain sizes scaling as the square root of time, our large-scale simulations reveal a slower power-law growth with a temperature-dependent exponent. We trace this anomalous behavior to a cooperative kink hopping arising from Fermi-Dirac statistics of electrons and quasi-conservation of electron numbers. The correlated-hopping of kinks in turn gives rise to an effective diffusion coefficient that depends on the kink density. These results uncover a new mechanism for slow coarsening and carry implications for phase-ordering in the full Holstein model and related electron-phonon systems.
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Statistical Mechanics

Strong zero modes in integrable spin-S chains

Fabian H.L. Essler, Paul Fendley and Eric Vernier

We derive exact strong zero mode (ESZM) operators for integrable spin-S chains with open boundary conditions and a boundary field. Their locality properties are generally weaker than in the previously known cases, but they still imply infinite coherence times in the vicinity of the edges. We explain how such integrable chains possess multiple ground states describing a first-order quantum phase transition, and that the odd number of such states for integer S makes the weaker locality properties necessary. We make contact with more traditional approaches by showing how the ESZM for S=1/2 acts on energy eigenstates given by solutions of the Bethe equations.
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Materials Science

Bimorph Lithium Niobate Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

Vakhtang Chulukhadze, Zihuan Liu, Ziqian Yao et al. (+8 more)

Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) are widely utilized in applications that demand mechanical resilience, thermal stability, and compact form factors. Recent efforts have sought to demonstrate that single-crystal lithium niobate (LN) is a promising PMUT material platform, offering high electromechanical coupling (k2) and bidirectional performance. In addition, advances in LN film transfer technology have enabled high quality periodically poled piezoelectric films (P3F), facilitating a bimorph piezoelectric stack without intermediate electrodes. In this work, we showcase a bimorph PMUT incorporating a mechanically robust, 20 $\mu$m thick P3F LN active layer. We establish the motivation for LN PMUTs through a material comparison, followed by extensive membrane geometry optimization and subsequent enhancement of the PMUT's k2. We demonstrate a 775 kHz flexural mode device with a quality factor (Q) of 200 and an extracted k2 of 6.4%, yielding a high transmit efficiency of 65 nm/V with a mechanically robust active layer. We leverage the high performance to demonstrate extreme-temperature resilience, showcasing stable device operation up to 600 $^\circ$C and survival up to 900 $^\circ$C, highlighting LN's potential as a resilient PMUT platform.
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All authors Vakhtang Chulukhadze, Zihuan Liu, Ziqian Yao, Lezli Matto, Tzu-Hsuan Hsu, Nishanth Ravi, Xiaoyu Niu, Michael E. Liao, Mark S. Goorsky, Neal Hall, Ruochen Lu