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Friday 21 November

Quantum Physics

Improved error correction with leakage reduction units built into qubit measurement in a superconducting quantum processor

Leakage to non-computational states is a source of correlated errors in both time and space that limits the effectiveness of quantum error correction (QEC) with superconducting circuits. We present and experimentally demonstrate a high-fidelity, leakage reduction unit (LRU) operating concurrently with transmon measurement without incurring time overhead. Adapted from double-drive reset of population (DDROP), the protocol utilizes simultaneous drives on the transmon and its readout resonator, leveraging the dispersive shift to create a directional process that returns the transmon to the computational subspace. The LRU achieves a 98.4% leakage removal fraction without compromising the computational-state assignment fidelity (99.2%). We combine LRU-enhanced measurement and neural-network decoding to successfully suppress logical error rates in both memory and stability QEC experiments without any post-selection.
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All authors Yuejie Xin, Sean L. M. van der Meer, Marc Serra-Peralta, Tim H. F. Vroomans, Matvey Finkel, Hendrik M. Veen, Mark W. Beekman, Leonardo DiCarlo

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-lat

Primitive Quantum Gates for an $SU(3)$ Discrete Subgroup: $\Sigma(72\times3)$

We construct a primitive gate set for the digital quantum simulation of a discrete subgroup of $SU(3)$: the 216-element $\Sigma(72\times3)$. The necessary primitives are the inversion gate, the group multiplication gate, the trace gate, and the group Fourier transform, for which we provide qubit decompositions. The resulting fault-tolerant T gate costs for a fiducial calculation of shear viscosity would require about $10^{12}$ T gates which compares favorably to other modern estimates.
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All authors Sebastian Osorio Perez, Edison M. Murairi, Erik J. Gustafson, Henry Lamm

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.str-el

Measuring Anyonic Exchange Phases Using Two-Dimensional Coherent Spectroscopy

Identifying experimental signatures of anyons, which exhibit fractional exchange statistics, remains a central challenge in the study of two-dimensional topologically ordered systems. Previous theoretical work has shown that the threshold behavior in linear response spectroscopy can reveal the fractional exchange statistics between an anyon and its antiparticle. In this work, we extend this framework to nonlinear, two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy. We demonstrate by analyzing time-ordered four-point correlation functions that the threshold behavior of nonlinear response functions encodes the fractional statistics between general pairs of anyons that can combine to any composite topological charge. This feature in particular provides a powerful probe for unambiguously distinguishing non-Abelian anyons, which can form multiple composite charges with distinct nontrivial braid statistics. Our approach is validated using numerical simulations that are consistent with the correct fractional exchange statistics for both the Abelian anyons in the toric code and non-Abelian Ising anyons.
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Quantum Physics

Spin-orbit coupling of optical vector vortices in coherently prepared media

We investigate the propagation of an optical vector vortex weakly interacting with a coherently prepared atomic medium (phaseonium) in a three-level $\Lambda$ configuration. The vector beam consists of vortex pulse pairs with right- and left-circular polarizations, corresponding to opposite spin angular momentum (SAM), and carrying opposite orbital angular momentum (OAM) charges $\pm l$. We show that during the propagation of the vortex pairs, analytically obtained in the linear regime, the medium inherits the topology of the vortex pair, mapping the OAM onto a spatially structured atomic coherence. This mapping produces $2|l|-$fold azimuthal transparency structures that reshape the beam intensity from a ring into a petal-like pattern. The OAM-structured atomic coherence induces a corresponding optical anisotropy within the medium, which feeds back into the propagating vector beam, resulting in optical spin-orbit coupling manifested as SAM exchange, rotation, and evolution of polarization textures. Depending on the initial ground-state population of the phaseonium, the polarization state evolves between left-circular, linear, and right-circular polarizations.
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All authors Dharma P. Permana, Mazena Mackoit Sinkevičienė, Julius Ruseckas, Hamid R. Hamedi

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Entanglement and correlations between local observables in de Sitter spacetime

Studies of quantum field entanglement in de Sitter space based on the von Neumann entropy of local patches have concluded that curvature enhances entanglement between regions and their complements. Similar conclusions about entanglement enhancement have been reached in analyses of Fourier modes in the cosmological patch of de Sitter space. We challenge this interpretation by adopting a fully local approach: examining entanglement between pairs of field modes compactly supported within de Sitter's cosmological patch. Our approach is formulated in terms of the properties of a metric tensor and an associated complex structure induced by the Bunch-Davies vacuum on the classical phase space. We find that increasing curvature increases correlations between local modes but, somewhat counterintuitively, decreases their entanglement. Our methods allow us to characterize how entanglement is spatially distributed, revealing that a cosmological constant, even if tiny, qualitatively alters the vacuum's entanglement structure. We show that our results are compatible with previous entropy-based studies when properly interpreted. Our findings have implications for entanglement between observables generated during cosmic inflation.
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Quantum Physics

Quantum Masked Autoencoders for Vision Learning

Classical autoencoders are widely used to learn features of input data. To improve the feature learning, classical masked autoencoders extend classical autoencoders to learn the features of the original input sample in the presence of masked-out data. While quantum autoencoders exist, there is no design and implementation of quantum masked autoencoders that can leverage the benefits of quantum computing and quantum autoencoders. In this paper, we propose quantum masked autoencoders (QMAEs) that can effectively learn missing features of a data sample within quantum states instead of classical embeddings. We showcase that our QMAE architecture can learn the masked features of an image and can reconstruct the masked input image with improved visual fidelity in MNIST-family images. Experimental evaluation highlights that QMAE can significantly outperform (12.86% on average) in classification accuracy compared to state-of-the-art quantum autoencoders in the presence of masks.
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Quantum Physics

Robust detection of an entanglement transition in the projective transverse field Ising model

We propose a scalable and noise-resilient protocol for the detection of the entanglement transition in a projective version of the transverse field Ising model. Entanglement transitions are experimentally difficult to observe due to the inherent randomness of projective measurements and noise in large-scale experimental settings. Our approach combines error correction algorithms with classical shadow tomography to overcome both problems. This allows for experimentally accessible upper and lower bounds on the entanglement transition without postselection or full state tomography. These bounds remain robust under noise and their sharpness is a measure of the noise rate.
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All authors Felix Roser, Etienne M. Springer, Hans Peter Büchler, Nicolai Lang

Quantum Physics

Optimal Thermalization under Indefinite Causal Order with Identical and Asymmetric Baths

Indefinite causal order (ICO), in which the order of quantum operations is placed in a coherent superposition, has been demonstrated to enhance various information-processing tasks. Here, we investigate its impact on the thermodynamic processes generated by thermalizing quantum channels. We consider a two-level system interacting with two thermal baths under a quantum SWITCH, with the channel order controlled coherently by an ancillary qubit. We derive closed-form expressions for the effective inverse temperature $\beta_f$ of the postselected system state for both identical and distinct bath temperatures, and identify the control-qubit parameters that maximize heating or cooling. Our analysis reveals how the diagonal and coherent components of the control-qubit state contribute separately to the temperature shift, and how their interplay enables departures from the thermal response attainable under protocols with a definite causal order within the thermodynamic setting considered here. Bath asymmetry enhances these effects, while reduced purity of the control qubit state suppresses them. These results provide a systematic framework for assessing SWITCH-based thermalization in the setting of indefinite causal order, and identify control-qubit coherence as a tunable resource.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Parameter Inference from Final-State Entanglement in Higgs Decays

The decay out-states of unstable Standard Model (SM) particles provide a unique, well-defined intrinsic quantum-information probe of the SM parameter space. We use Higgs decays as a test case: after tracing out kinematics, we compute entanglement among final-state spins and colors across all decay channels and impose a near-maximal entanglement-entropy criterion. This criterion yields quantitative indications for fundamental parameters. Within the SM, the entanglement entropy exhibits a global maximum close to the observed Higgs mass and the measured $W$ mass, the latter being equivalent to the $SU(2)_L$ gauge coupling. In a two-parameter kappa framework, applying the same criterion points to an SM-like balance between vector and fermion couplings, constraining the ratio of the sector-wide rescalings. These results suggest that entanglement extremality can serve as a complementary handle on fundamental parameters.
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All authors Jia Liu, Masanori Tanaka, Xiao-Ping Wang, Jing-Jun Zhang, Zifan Zheng

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.optics

Aspects of quantum geometry in photonic time crystals

We develop a geometric description of quantum light in photonic time crystals on the SU(1,1) coherent-state manifold. In a projective picture, the evolution of each mode appears as a Möbius isometry on the Poincaré disk, where topologies of trajectories distinguish stable, unstable, and critical regimes. The geometric phase is related to the hyperbolic area enclosed by cyclic paths in the complex projective Hilbert space. This framework offers an intuitive view of stability and topology in quantum photonic time crystals.
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Quantum Physics

Enhancing Infrared Laser Dissociation of Molecules with the Electromagnetic Vacuum

Controlling bond breaking is a long-standing goal in molecular physics. Infrared nanocavities are currently being developed for reaching exotic coupling regimes of cavity QED with a few molecules, but it is not well understood how chemical reactions would proceed in such systems. To address this, we study infrared laser photodissociation of a single CS$_{2}$ molecule with a stretching mode that strongly interacts with a resonant infrared vacuum, subject to a strong laser field that either resonantly drives the molecule at its fundamental vibration frequency or injects photons at the cavity resonance. We show that the intensities required for photodissociation are significantly lower inside the cavity than in free space, with a strong dependence on the type of driving condition. By directly injecting photons into the cavity, the molecule dissociates with two orders of magnitude less laser energy than by directly driving the vibrational mode. This photodissociation enhancement is a purely quantum mechanical effect that cannot be captured semi-classically. The intracavity ladder climbing dynamics is substantially modified relative to free space due to vacuum-induced admixing a large number of vibrational quantum numbers and the cavity field acting as a surrogate molecular mode that strongly interacts with the dissociative vibrational motion. Our work provides fundamental mechanistic understanding of chemical dynamics that can be used for designing new types of nanophotonics experiments that probe single-molecule chemistry.
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Quantum Physics

Fundamental Limitations of QAOA on Constrained Problems and a Route to Exponential Enhancement

We study the feasibility limitations of generic QAOA for permutation-constrained optimization, where valid configurations occupy an exponentially small fraction of the Boolean hypercube. Using random edge-cost TSP/ATSP ensembles, we establish high-probability bounds showing that optimized generic QAOA retains exponentially small feasible probability over specified parameter domains. At depth one, the bound holds uniformly over all mixer angles and a cost-angle grid that may be exponentially large in n^2. The analysis combines Walsh-Fourier/Krawtchouk estimates, which suppress low- and high-degree contributions, with transition-feature collision bounds controlling objective-dependent interference. Complementary cost-angle averaging, fourth-moment estimates, and light-cone analysis characterize energy-fibre coherence, typical-angle concentration, and constraint-correlation geometry. We compare generic QAOA with a constraint-enhanced kernel (CE-QAOA) initialized in a product one-hot subspace and evolved with a block-local XY mixer. For N = n^2 binary variables, CE-QAOA attains feasible probability at least n!/n^n at every depth, yielding an exp[Omega(n^2)] advantage over optimized generic QAOA at depth one with high probability. For linked cost-angle schedules with independently optimized mixer angles, the generic feasibility obstruction and exponential CE-QAOA separation extend throughout linear-depth windows p <= alpha*n, for fixed alpha > 0. These parameter-uniform bounds also imply exponential raw-sample requirements for adaptive feasible sampling within the prescribed domains.
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2511.17259 · 21 Nov · Substantially revised manuscript. New high-probability feasibility bounds for TSP/ATSP ensembles, including uniform mixer-angle control and a linear-depth extension for linked cost-angle schedules. Added transition-feature analysis, adaptive sampling consequences, and an exponential CE-QAOA separation. Discussion and conclusion rewritten

Quantum Physics

Basic cell for a quantum microwave router

We report the first experimental realization of a scalable basic cell for quantum routing, enabling coherent control and exchange of microwave photons between two spatially separated superconducting waveguides coupled via a single transmon qubit. The cell was characterized at 10 mK with an average input signal of approximately 1 photon at approximately 6 GHz, and with the qubit biased to its optimal point to minimize sensitivity to external magnetic fluctuations. By combining steady-state and time-domain measurements, we reconstructed the key parameters of the system, including qubit relaxation and dephasing, waveguide-qubit couplings, and cross-waveguide photon transfer efficiency. The observed performance is consistent with a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian formalism and demonstrates clear limits set by flux bias, temperature, and photon number, in agreement with flux- and temperature-induced dephasing models. Crucially, the cell operates reliably at the single-photon level, and in the high-photon regime we directly observe photon dressing induced by the qubit. These results establish a versatile platform for studying open quantum system phenomena and pave the way for scalable implementations of quantum routing and network nodes.
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All authors Evgeniya Mutsenik, Aidar Sultanov, Leonie Kaczmarek, Matthias Schmelz, Gregor Oelsner, Ronny Stolz, Evgeni Ilichev

Quantum Physics

Optical entanglement facilitated by a hot mechanical oscillator

Optomechanical generation of entangled optical beams is usually hindered by thermal noise. We present a theoretical study of low frequency entanglement generation between two optical harmonics emitted from a cavity optomechanical system operating in the resolved-sideband regime. The system comprises three nearly equidistant optical modes in a high-finesse cavity, with the central mode coherently driven. This configuration enables radiation-pressure interactions that generate strong quantum correlations between the two sideband modes. Remarkably, these correlations persist even at large numbers of thermal quanta if one properly engineers the optical cooling rate of the mechanical mode. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of robust entanglement under ambient conditions, opening new avenues for hybrid quantum technologies based on mechanical interfaces and continuous-variable quantum information processing.
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Quantum Physics

Intrinsic preservation of plasticity in continual quantum learning

Artificial intelligence in dynamic, real-world environments requires the capacity for continual learning. However, standard deep learning suffers from a fundamental issue: loss of plasticity, in which networks gradually lose their ability to learn from new data. Here we show that quantum learning models naturally overcome this limitation, preserving plasticity over long timescales. We demonstrate this advantage systematically across a broad spectrum of tasks from multiple learning paradigms, including supervised learning and reinforcement learning, and diverse data modalities, from classical high-dimensional images to quantum-native datasets. Although classical models exhibit performance degradation correlated with unbounded weight and gradient growth, quantum neural networks maintain consistent learning capabilities regardless of the data or task. We identify the origin of the advantage as the intrinsic physical constraints of quantum models. Unlike classical networks where unbounded weight growth leads to landscape ruggedness or saturation, the unitary constraints confine the optimization to a compact manifold. Our results suggest that the utility of quantum computing in machine learning extends beyond potential speedups, offering a robust pathway for building adaptive artificial intelligence and lifelong learners.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cs.CC

A Lifting Theorem for Hybrid Classical-Quantum Communication Complexity

We investigates a model of hybrid classical-quantum communication complexity, in which two parties first exchange classical messages and subsequently communicate using quantum messages. We study the trade-off between the classical and quantum communication for composed functions of the form $f\circ G^n$, where $f:\{0,1\}^n\to\{\pm1\}$ and $G$ is an inner product function of $\Theta(\log n)$ bits. To prove the trade-off, we establish a novel lifting theorem for hybrid communication complexity. This theorem unifies two previously separate lifting paradigms: the query-to-communication lifting framework for classical communication complexity and the approximate-degree-to-generalized-discrepancy lifting methods for quantum communication complexity. Our hybrid lifting theorem therefore offers a new framework for proving lower bounds in hybrid classical-quantum communication models. As a corollary, we show that any hybrid protocol communicating $c$ classical bits followed by $q$ qubits to compute $f\circ G^n$ must satisfy $c+q^2=\Omega\big(\max\{\mathrm{deg}(f),\mathrm{bs}(f)\}\cdot\log n\big)$, where $\mathrm{deg}(f)$ is the degree of $f$ and $\mathrm{bs}(f)$ is the block sensitivity of $f$. For read-once formula $f$, this yields an almost tight trade-off: either they have to exchange $\Theta\big(n\cdot\log n\big)$ classical bits or $\widetilde\Theta\big(\sqrt n\cdot\log n\big)$ qubits, showing that classical pre-processing cannot significantly reduce the quantum communication required. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first non-trivial trade-off between classical and quantum communication in hybrid two-way communication complexity.
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Quantum Physics

Faithful real embedding of a three-dimensional complex Kochen-Specker configuration

We describe a phase-adjusted realification procedure that embeds any finite set of rays in C^3 into R^6. By assigning an appropriate phase to each ray before applying the standard coordinate-wise map, we can arrange that two rays are orthogonal in C^3 if and only if their images are orthogonal in R^6, so the construction yields a faithful orthogonal representation of the original complex configuration. As a concrete example, we consider the 165 projectively distinct rays used in a C^3 Kochen-Specker configuration obtained from mutually unbiased bases, list these 165 rays explicitly in C^3, and give for each of them its image in R^6 under the canonical realification map. We also note that, because the original 3-element contexts are no longer maximal in R^6, the embedded configuration admits two-valued states even though its realisation with maximal contexts in C^3 is Kochen-Specker uncolourable.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.ed-ph

Teaching quantum computing to computer science students: Review of a hands-on quantum circuit simulation practical

We present a practical course targeting graduate students with prior knowledge of the basics of quantum computing. The practical aims to deepen students' understanding of fundamental concepts in quantum computing by implementing quantum circuit simulators. Through hands-on experience, students learn about different methods to simulate quantum computing, including state vectors, density matrices, the stabilizer formalism, and matrix product states. By implementing the simulation methods themselves, students develop a more in-depth understanding of fundamental concepts in quantum computing, including superposition, entanglement, and the effects of noise on quantum systems. This hands-on experience prepares students to do research in the field of quantum computing and equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle complex research projects in the field. In this work, we describe our teaching approach and the structure of our practical, and we discuss evaluations and lessons learned.
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All authors Florian Krötz, Xiao-Ting Michelle To, Korbinian Staudacher, Dieter Kranzlmüller

Quantum Physics

Is Bohmian mechanics missing some motion? Why a recent experiment is inconclusive

A recent experiment raises a supposed challenge to Bohmian mechanics, claiming to observe stationary states, which should have zero Bohm velocity, while indirectly measuring a nonzero speed based on how an evanescent wavefunction spreads from one waveguide to another coupled waveguide. There were numerous problems with this experiment and how it was interpreted. First, the experiment is not observing stationary states as claimed, but rather the time-averaged density of wave pulses which reflect off the potential step. Second, the proposed method for measuring a propagation speed is shown to be invalid for true stationary states. Third, the invalid method was misapplied to the time-averaged density, and this is shown to have created the false impression that it yields correct speed values for stationary states. These issues notwithstanding, for a wavefunction $\psi = Re^{iS/\hbar}$, the velocity of interest, $\vec{v}_s = -\frac{\hbar}{m}\frac{\vec{\nabla}R}{R}$, is different from the Bohm velocity $\vec{v}_B=\frac{1}{m}\vec{\nabla}S$, and may be nonzero for stationary states. This quantity has been called the symmetric or osmotic velocity, and while it emerges naturally as an imaginary component of the velocity in the derivation of the Madelung/Bohm description, it is usually disregarded. So, even though we do not think this experiment makes a compelling case for it, if $\vec{v}_s$ is somehow associated with real physical motion, then this motion is indeed absent from Bohmian mechanics, as the authors contend. We discuss a generalized Madelung fluid model where this velocity is given physical meaning, and show how it roughly agrees with the authors' concept of an evanescent De Broglie speed.
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Quantum Physics

Witnesses of Genuine Multipartite Entanglement and Nonlocal Measurement Back-action for Raman-scattering Quantum Systems

Entanglement between remote quantum mechanical systems enables a range of quantum information tasks in communication, computation and distributed sensing. Large numbers of entangled subsystems also require experimentally accessible and practically feasible methods of verifying the genuine, i.e., simultaneous, entanglement of all subsystems. We have derived a class of entanglement witnesses suitable for $W$-states, which are states where a single excitation is coherently distributed across subsystems initially in their ground state or a state with low thermal occupation, e.g., via detection of a Raman-scattered photon. The entanglement is witnessed through violation of an inequality involving number statistics, which can be measured via detection of subsequent Raman-scattered photons. Unlike conventional, partially tomographic, witnesses, our method is experimentally accessible for both multipartite and continuous variable systems. The thermal robustness of the method is quantified by the initial thermal occupations for which violation occurs. As an alternative approach, we have derived an inequality which tests the nonlocal, or quantum coherent, nature of the photon measurement backaction which produces the $W$-state. Violation of this alternative inequality implies the entanglement of the resulting state given the assumption of a separable initial state, under less stringent thermal constraints than the general entanglement witness. Our results are applicable to all Raman-scattering systems which can exhibit sufficient degrees of quantum indistinguishability.
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Quantum Physics

Theoretical Analysis of Photonic Resonances in Spectroscopic Measurements of a Kerr Nonlinear Resonator

The Kerr parametric oscillator (KPO) has recently attracted considerable attention from the perspective of its applications to quantum information processing, and understanding its properties is an important challenge. Spectroscopic measurements serve as an effective means of elucidating detailed information about the system, such as the energy-level structure and the transition matrix elements of the KPO. Conventional spectroscopy requires the drive frequency to match an energy spacing with a nonzero transition matrix element. In recent years, a phenomenon called photonic resonance (PR) has been theoretically predicted in KPO spectroscopy. Specifically, resonance occurs under the condition that the detuning is set to $n/2$ times the Kerr nonlinearity, where $n$ is a natural number. However, under this condition the transition matrix element vanishes, and thus the mechanism by which photonic resonance (PR) arises has remained unclear. In this work, we aim to elucidate the physical origin of PR observed in KPO spectroscopy. We first performed theoretical calculations and experiments of spectroscopic measurements, confirming that PR can indeed be observed and that the theoretical and experimental results are in qualitative agreement. We then carried out an analytical study under the assumption of an ideal noiseless environment. Our analysis revealed that, although the transition matrix element of the external field expressed in the system's energy eigenbasis is zero, higher-order perturbative effects induce Rabi oscillations between the ground and excited states. Furthermore, numerical simulations in a time domain including the effect of decoherence demonstrated that coherent oscillations decay, leading to the appearance of PR.
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All authors Yuki Tanaka, Aiko Yamaguchi, Tomohiro Yamaji, Yuta Shingu, Keisuke Matsumoto, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Yuichiro Matsuzaki

Quantum Physics

Collective early-time spontaneous decay of a strongly driven cold atomic ensemble

In this work we present a numerical and experimental investigation of the collective early-time decay rates of a strongly driven and optically dense cold atomic cloud. We prepare the atomic ensemble by driving the system to its steady state with varying Rabi frequencies $\Omega$ that go from the weak $\Omega \ll \Gamma$ to the strong driving regime $\Omega \gg \Gamma$, where $\Gamma$ is the single-atom decay rate. We investigate the early-time dynamics in the transition between the strong and weak driving regimes using: i) angular-dependent observables such as the light emitted by the cloud, and ii) global observables, i.e., the excited state population. When driving the cloud on-resonance, we find that as a function of the driving frequency, the behavior of the collected light at certain angles transitions from the single-photon subradiant regime to a superradiant regime while the behavior of the excited state population does not show superradiance. The experiment shows good agreement with numerical predictions in the regime of parameters under study.
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All authors Daniel Benedicto Orenes, Naudson Lucas Lopes Matias, Apoorva Apoorva, Antoine Glicenstein, Raphaël Saint-Jalm, Robin Kaiser

Quantum Physics

The Scrooge ensemble in many-body quantum systems

In many physical settings, the statistical properties of quantum states are thought to be described by the Scrooge ensemble, a more structured generalization of the Haar ensemble. In this work, we prove several key results on the properties and complexity of Scrooge-random states in macroscopic quantum systems, and provide a general-purpose calculus for evaluating their moments. A key theme of our results is a separation between universal random fluctuations in non-local properties and exponential concentration of all local properties. Implications for device benchmarking, sampling advantages beyond random circuits, quantum complexity growth, and the physical origin of Scrooge-random states are discussed.
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Quantum Physics

The evolution of quantum battery capacity of GHZ-like states under Markovian channels

Quantum battery has enormous potential for development, and quantum battery capacity is an important indicator of quantum battery. In this work, we mainly study the evolution of quantum battery capacity of GHZ state and GHZ-like states under Markovian channels in the tripartite system. We find that under the depolarizing channel and bit-phase flip channel, the battery capacity shows a brief sudden death of the capacity. And we also find that under the dephasing channel, the battery capacity gradually decreases and tends to a constant, that is, the frozen capacity. We show that the battery capacity monotonically decreases for GHZ state under the amplitude damping channel on the first subsystem. And we study the variation of capacity under the Markovian channels n times on the first subsystem using the GHZ state. We can observe that under the amplitude damping and dephasing channels, the battery capacity decreases and tends to a constant, i.e. frozen capacity, and the larger n, the earlier this phenomenon occurs. We also investigate the evolution of capacity under three independent same type Markovian channels. We have also conducted corresponding research on GHZ-like states.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.str-el

Anyon Quasilocalization in a Quasicrystalline Toric Code

An exactly solvable model of a quantum spin liquid on a quasicrystal, akin to Kitaev's honeycomb model, was introduced in Kim et al., \href{https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.110.214438}{\text{Phys. Rev. B} 110, 214438 (2024)}. It was shown that in contrast to the translationally invariant models, such a spin liquid stabilizes a gapped ground state with a finite irrational flux density. In this work, we analyze the strong bond-anisotropic limit of the model and demonstrate that the aperiodic lattice geometry naturally generates a hierarchy of exponentially separated coupling constants in the resulting toric code Hamiltonian. Furthermore, a perturbative magnetic field leads to anomalous localization properties where an anyonic excitation sequentially delocalizes over subsets of sites forming equipotential contours in the quasicrystal. In addition, certain background flux configurations, together with the underlying geometry, give rise to strictly localized eigenstates that remain decoupled from the rest of the spectrum. Using numerical studies, we uncover the key mechanisms responsible for this unconventional localization behavior. Our study highlights that topologically ordered phases, in the presence of geometrical constraints can lead to highly anomalous localization properties of fractionalized charges.
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Quantum Physics

Dissecting Quantum Reinforcement Learning: A Systematic Evaluation of Key Components

Parameterised quantum circuit (PQC) based Quantum Reinforcement Learning (QRL) has emerged as a promising paradigm at the intersection of quantum computing and reinforcement learning (RL). By design, PQCs create hybrid quantum-classical models, but their practical applicability remains uncertain due to training instabilities, barren plateaus (BPs), and the difficulty of isolating the contribution of individual pipeline components. In this work, we dissect PQC based QRL architectures through a systematic experimental evaluation of three aspects recurrently identified as critical: (i) data embedding strategies, with Data Reuploading (DR) as an advanced approach; (ii) ansatz design, particularly the role of entanglement; and (iii) post-processing blocks after quantum measurement, with a focus on the underexplored Output Reuse (OR) technique. Using a unified PPO-CartPole framework, we perform controlled comparisons between hybrid and classical agents under identical conditions. Our results show that OR, though purely classical, exhibits distinct behaviour in hybrid pipelines, that DR improves trainability and stability, and that stronger entanglement can degrade optimisation, offsetting classical gains. Together, these findings provide controlled empirical evidence of the interplay between quantum and classical contributions, and establish a reproducible framework for systematic benchmarking and component-wise analysis in QRL.
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Quantum Physics

Critical dephasing rates for the observation of collective behavior in a pair of coupled quantum emitters

Efficient atom-photon interfaces require the controlled assembly of quantum emitters, where collective effects such as superradiance and subradiance can emerge. Recent experiments with subwavelength arrays of quantum dots have reported superradiance at room temperature, revealing a delicate competition between collective enhancement of coherent emission and pure dephasing $\gamma^*$, which destroys it. Motivated by these results, we theoretically study $N=2$ coupled quantum emitters and identify threshold values of $\gamma^*$, for four experimentally accessible observables, beyond which collective effects vanish. The thresholds depend sensitively on the chosen observable, highlighting the subtlety of detecting collective behavior. Our work provides a quantitative framework to guide experiments and optimize conditions for observing collective quantum phenomena.
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All authors Sébastien Quistrebert, Elisabeth Gliott, Jean-Sébastien Lauret, Nikos Fayard

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Exceptional line and pseudospectrum in black hole spectroscopy

We investigate the exceptional points (EPs) and their pseudospectra in black hole perturbation theory. By considering a Gaussian bump modification to the Regge-Wheeler potential with variable amplitude, position, and width parameters, $(\varepsilon,d,\sigma_0)$, a continuous line of EPs (exceptional line, EL) in this three-dimensional parameter space is revealed. Notably, the EL exhibits an anisotropic spectral response: parameters migrating along the EL direction leaves the coalesced QNM spectra nearly unchanged, while moving parameters away from the EL induces the characteristic $\epsilon^{1/2}$ scaling, highlighting the directional nature of spectral instability in exceptional structures. We find that the vorticity $\nu=\pm1/2$ and the Berry phase $\gamma=\pi$ for loops encircling the EL, while $\nu=0$ and $\gamma=0$ for those do not encircle the EL. In the neighborhood of an eigenvalue, through matrix perturbation theory, we prove that the $\epsilon$-pseudospectrum contour size scales as $\epsilon^{1/q}$ at an EP , where $q$ is the order of the largest Jordan block of the Hamiltonian-like operator associated with that eigenvalue, contrasting with the linear $\epsilon$ scaling at non-EPs. Numerical implements confirm this observation, demonstrating enhanced spectral instability at EPs for non-Hermitian systems including black holes.
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All authors Li-Ming Cao, Ming-Fei Ji, Liang-Bi Wu, Yu-Sen Zhou

Quantum Physics

Chiral cavity-magnonic system for the unidirectional photon blockade

We propose an scheme for directional single-photon source based on a chiral cavity-magnon system. In this system, the magnon mode in a single-crystal yttrium iron garnet (YIG) sphere is coupled to only one of two rotating microwave modes in the torus-shaped microwave cavity. When two-photon drives are applied to both ports of the waveguide, the chiral cavity-magnon coupling leads to an unconventional photon blockade in one propagation direction, resulting in directional single-photon emission. The emission direction of the single-photon source can be controlled by reversing the biased magnetic field. Furthermore, we further examine the effects of imperfect chiral cavity-magnon coupling and the coupling between the two cavity modes on the photon blockade behavior. The results show that the system retains robustness in the presence of these nonideal factors, and the unidirectional photon blockade effect remains clearly preserved.
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All authors Jiaxin Yang, Yilou Liu, Rui-Shan Zhao, Xiao-Tao Xie

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.quant-gas

Pair scattering from time-modulated impurity in the Bose-Hubbard model

We investigate scattering phenomena in a one-dimensional attractive Bose-Hubbard model with a time-periodically modulated impurity. We analyze both single-particle and pair (doublon) transmission, exploring a range of interaction strengths and drive amplitudes. Our exact numerical results reveal excellent quantitative agreement with analytical predictions in the high-frequency limit. At intermediate and weak attractive interactions, we observe significant pair dissociation and the emergence of dynamically localized single-particle modes. These features are reminiscent of Floquet Bound States in the Continuum (BICs). These findings provide new avenues for engineering controllable quantum transport and localized states in ultracold atom experiments.
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