Peer Revenue Past citations are no guarantee of future returns

Papers

Fresh from arXiv, typeset properly. Highlighted words trade on the market.

Physics Quantum Physics

quant-ph Watch Quantum Physics (sign in to use)

Thursday 4 December

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

Robust, fast, and efficient formation of stable tetratomic molecules from ultracold atoms via generalized stimulated Raman exact passage

The study of the conversion of ultracold atoms into molecules has long remained a hot topic in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. However, most prior research has focused on diatomic molecules, with relatively scarce exploration of polyatomic molecules. Here we propose a two-step strategy for the formation of stable ultracold tetratomic molecules. We first suggest a generalized nonlinear stimulated Raman exact passage (STIREP) technique for the coherent conversion of ultracold atoms to tetratomic molecules, which is subsequently followed by a chainwise-STIREP technique to transfer the resulting molecules into a sufficiently stable ground state. Through systematic numerical analysis, we demonstrate that the proposed two-step strategy holds great potential for the robust, fast, and efficient formation of stable ultracold tetratomic molecules.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Watt-level coherent microwave emission from dissipation engineered solid-state quantum batteries

Recently proposed metastability-induced quantum batteries have shown particular promise for coherent microwave generation. However, achieving high-power coherent microwave generation in quantum batteries remains fundamentally challenging due to quantum correlations, aging, and self-discharging processes. For the cavity-quantum-electrodynamics (CQED)-based quantum batteries, a further trade-off arises between strong spin-photon coupling for energy storage and sufficient output coupling for power delivery. To overcome these constraints, we introduce dissipation engineering as a dynamic control strategy that temporally separates energy storage and release. By suppressing emission during charging and rapidly enhancing the output coupling during discharging, we realize nanosecond microwave bursts with watt-level peak power. By optimizing three dissipation schemes, we improve work extraction efficiency of the quantum battery by over two orders of magnitude and achieve high power compression factors outperforming the state-of-the-art techniques, establishing dissipation engineering as a pathway toward room-temperature, high-power coherent microwave sources.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yuanjin Wang, Hao Wu, Mark Oxborrow, Qing Zhao

Quantum Physics

Fermionic neural Gibbs states

We introduce fermionic neural Gibbs states (fNGS), a variational framework for modeling finite-temperature properties of strongly interacting fermions. fNGS starts from a reference mean-field thermofield-double state and uses neural-network transformations together with imaginary-time evolution to systematically build strong correlations. Applied to the doped Fermi-Hubbard model, a minimal lattice model capturing essential features of strong electronic correlations, fNGS accurately reproduces thermal energies over a broad range of temperatures, interaction strengths, even at large dopings, for system sizes beyond the reach of exact methods. These results demonstrate a scalable route to studying finite-temperature properties of strongly correlated fermionic systems beyond one dimension with neural-network representations of quantum states.
Read the full abstract

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

Collective cluster nucleation dynamics in quantum magnets

Strongly interacting many-body systems exhibit collective properties that emerge from complex correlations among microscopic degrees of freedom. These cooperative phenomena govern the non-equilibrium response of quantum systems, with relevance ranging from condensed matter physics to quantum field theories describing fundamental aspects of our universe. Understanding such emergent dynamics from first principles remains one of the central challenges in quantum many-body physics. Here we report on the observation of collective cluster nucleation dynamics following quenches in 2D ferromagnetic quantum Ising systems implemented in an atomic Rydberg array. Our experiments reveal two distinct regimes: In the confined regime, we observe an energy-dependent cluster size, revealing large collective clusters exceeding ten spins. In contrast, the deconfined regime is characterized by kinetically constrained, avalanche-like nucleation dynamics involving the entire system. Our findings establish a new frontier for quantum simulations with Rydberg arrays, enabling controlled exploration of non-equilibrium phenomena previously out of reach. Beyond advancing experimental capabilities, they provide fundamental insights into highly correlated processes with implications that reach from quantum magnetism and glassy dynamics to cosmological models of the early universe.
Read the full abstract

All authors Philip Osterholz, Fabio Bensch, Shuanghong Tang, Silpa Baburaj Sheela, Björn Sbierski, Igor Lesanovsky, Christian Groß

Quantum Physics

Probing chiral topological states with permutation defects

The hallmark of two-dimensional chiral topological phases is the existence of anomalous gapless modes at the spatial boundary. Yet, the manifestation of this edge anomaly within the bulk ground-state wavefunction itself remains only partially understood. In this work, we introduce a family of multipartite entanglement measures that probe chirality directly from the bulk wavefunction. Our construction involves applying different permutations between replicas of the ground state wavefunction in neighboring spatial regions, creating "permutation defects" at the boundaries between these regions. We provide general arguments for the robustness of these measures and develop a field-theoretical framework to compute them systematically. While the standard topological field theory prescription misses the chiral contribution, our method correctly identifies it as the chiral conformal field theory partition function on high-genus Riemann surfaces. This feature is a consequence of the bulk-edge correspondence, which dictates that any regularization of the theory at the permutation defects must introduce gapless boundary modes. We numerically verify our results with both free-fermion and strongly-interacting chiral topological states and find excellent agreement. Our results enable the extraction of the chiral central charge and the Hall conductance using a finite number of wavefunction replicas, making these quantities accessible to Monte-Carlo numerical techniques and noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yarden Sheffer, Ruihua Fan, Ady Stern, Erez Berg, Shinsei Ryu

Quantum Physics

Probing False Vacuum Decay and Bubble Nucleation in a Rydberg Atom Array

In quantum field theory (QFT), the "vacuum" is not just empty space but the lowest-energy state of a quantum field. If the energy landscape has multiple local minima, the local ground states are the false vacuum (FV) which can tunnel towards the global ground state (true vacuum, TV). This process exhibits signature akin to classical supercooled gas transitions and many-body tunneling in discrete quantum systems. Here, we study the FV decay and bubble nucleation in a Rydberg atom ring. The $1/r^6$ van-der-Waals interactions and individual-site addressability allow us to explore physics beyond the standard Ising model. We observe that the FV decay rate decreases exponentially with the inverse of the symmetry-breaking field, directly mirroring QFT predictions. Moreover, we demonstrate that even minor deviations from the ideal metastable state can cause a stark departure from this universal scaling law. Extending beyond short-time decay dynamics, we also examine resonant bubble nucleation, a feature distinctive to systems with discrete energy spectra. Our findings and methods open avenues for future studies of many-body tunneling in higher dimensions or more complex geometries.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yu-Xin Chao, Peiyun Ge, Zhen-Xing Hua, Chen Jia, Xiao Wang, Xinhui Liang, Zongpei Yue, Rong Lu, Meng Khoon Tey, Xiao Wang, Li You

Quantum Physics

Ground state energy and phase transitions of Long-range XXZ using VQE

The variational quantum eigen solver (VQE), has been widely used to find the ground state energy of different Hamiltonians with no analytical solutions and are classically difficult to compute. In our work, we have used VQE to identify the phase transition boundary for an infinite order phase transition. We use long-range XXZ (LRXXZ) chain for our study. In order to probe infinite order phase transition, we propose to utilise the ground state energy obtained from VQE. The idea rests on the argument that VQE requires an ansatz circuit; therefore, the accuracy of the VQE will rely on this ansatz circuit. We have designed this circuit such that the estimated ground state energy is sensitive to the phase it is evaluated in. It is achieved by applying the constraint that the net spin remains constant throughout the optimisation process. Consequently, the ansatz works in a certain phase where it gives relatively small random error, as it should, when compared to the error in ground state energy calculations of the other phases, where the ansatz fails. By identifying these changes in the behaviour of the error in ground state energy using VQE, we were able to determine the phase boundaries. Using exact diagonalisation, we also compare the behaviour of the energy gradient and energy gap across both the phase transition boundaries for this model. Further, by increasing the depth of the optimisation circuit, we also accurately evaluate the ground energy of the LRXXZ chain for the value of coupling constant, J equal to -1
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Phase noise characterisation of a 2-km Hollow-Core Nested Antiresonant Nodeless Fibre for Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution

The performance of quantum key distribution (QKD) is heavily dependent on the physical properties of the channel over which it is executed. Propagation losses and perturbations in the encoded photons' degrees of freedom, such as polarisation or phase, limit both the QKD range and key rate. The maintenance of phase coherence over optical fibres has lately received considerable attention as it enables QKD over long distances, e.g., through phase-based protocols like Twin-Field (TF) QKD. While optical single mode fibres (SMFs) are the current standard type of fibre, recent hollow core fibres (HCFs) could become a superior alternative in the future. Whereas the co-existence of quantum and classical signals in HCF has already been demonstrated, the phase noise resilience required for phase-based QKD protocols is yet to be established. This work explores the behaviour of HCF with respect to phase noise for the purpose of TF-QKD-like protocols. To achieve this, two experiments are performed. The first, is a set of concurrent measurements on 2 km of HCF and SMF in a double asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. The second, uses a TF-QKD interferometer consisting of HCF and SMF channels. These initial results indicate that HCF is suitable for use in TF-QKD and other phase-based QKD protocols.
Read the full abstract

All authors Mariella Minder, Sophie Albosh, Obada Alia, Radan Slavik, Rupesh Kumar, Francesco Poletti, George Kanellos, Marco Lucamarini

Quantum Physics

Supramolecular approach-based intermolecular interaction energy calculations using quantum phase estimation algorithm

Accurate computation of non-covalent, intermolecular interaction energies is important to understand various chemical phenomena, and quantum computers are anticipated to accelerate it. Although the state-of-the-art quantum computers are still noisy and intermediate-scale ones, development of theoretical frameworks those are expected to work on a fault-tolerant quantum computer is an urgent issue. In this work, we explore resource-efficient implementation of the quantum phase estimation-based complete active space configuration interaction (QPE-CASCI) calculations, with the aid of the second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2)-based active space selection with Boys localized orbitals. We performed numerical simulations of QPE for the supramolecular approach-based intermolecular interaction energy calculations of the hydrogen-bonded water dimer, using 6 system and 6 ancilla qubits. With the aid of algorithmic error mitigation, the QPE-CASCI simulations achieved interaction energy predictions with an error of 0.02 kcal mol$^{-1}$ relative to the CASCI result, demonstrating the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methodology. Preliminary results on quantum circuit compression for QPE are also presented to reduce the number of two-qubit gates and depth.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yuhei Tachi, Akihiko Arakawa, Taisei Osawa, Masayoshi Terabe, Kenji Sugisaki

Quantum Physics

A Qudit-native Framework for Discrete Time Crystals

We introduce a qudit-native framework for engineering rich and robust discrete time crystals (DTCs) by leveraging their internal multilevel structure. Unlike in qubit systems, qudit-based DTCs exhibit distinct dynamical mechanisms that arise only in multilevel systems, as supported by a dressed normal-form analysis in the heating-suppression regime. These mechanisms are manifested in representative systems: we show that subspace-selective embedded kicks stabilize higher-order subharmonic responses and suppress thermalization, as demonstrated in spin-1 chains; in spin-3/2 systems, extending embedded kicks to more levels enables different level partitions and reveals that DTC robustness is dictated by the symmetry of the partition; and in spin-2 platforms, we realize concurrent 2T and 3T DTCs under a unified drive. These findings establish a systematic, hardware-efficient methodology for designing stable and multifunctional Floquet phases of matter on modern qudit-based quantum processors.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Efficient Identification the Inequivalence of Mutually Unbiased Bases via Finite Operators

The structural characterization of high-dimensional mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) by classifying MUBs subsets remains a major open problem. The existing methods not only fail to conclude on the exact classification, but also are severely limited by computational resources and suffer from the numerical precision problem. Here we introduce an operational approach to identify the inequivalence of MUBs subsets, which has less time complexity and entirely avoids the computational precision issues. For arbitrary MUBs subsets of $k$ elements in any prime dimension, this method yields a universal analytical upper bound for the amount of MUBs equivalence classes. By applying this method through simple iterations, we further obtain tighter classification upper bounds for any prime dimension $d\leq 37$. Crucially, the comparison of these upper bounds with existing lower bounds successfully determines the exact classification for all MUBs subsets in any dimension $d \leq 17$. We further extend this method to the case that the dimension is a power of prime number. This general and scalable framework for the classification of MUBs subsets sheds new light on related applications.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.atom-ph

Continuously tunable single-photon level nonlinearity with Rydberg state wave-function engineering

Extending optical nonlinearity into the extremely weak light regime is at the heart of quantum optics, since it enables the efficient generation of photonic entanglement and implementation of photonic quantum logic gate. Here, we demonstrate the capability for continuously tunable single-photon level nonlinearity, enabled by precise control of Rydberg interaction over two orders of magnitude, through the use of microwave-assisted wave-function engineering. To characterize this nonlinearity, light storage and retrieval protocol utilizing Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency is employed, and the quantum statistics of the retrieved photons are analyzed. As a first application, we demonstrate our protocol can speed up the preparation of single photons in low-lying Rydberg states by a factor of up to ~ 40. Our work holds the potential to accelerate quantum operations and to improve the circuit depth and connectivity in Rydberg systems, representing a crucial step towards scalable quantum information processing with Rydberg atoms.
Read the full abstract

All authors Biao Xu, Gen-Sheng Ye, Yue Chang, Tao Shi, Lin Li

Quantum Physics

Optimal Scaling Quantum Interior Point Method for Linear Optimization

The emergence of huge-scale, data-intensive linear optimization (LO) problems in applications such as machine learning has driven the need for more computationally efficient interior point methods (IPMs). While conventional IPMs are polynomial-time algorithms with rapid convergence, their per-iteration cost can be prohibitively high for dense large-scale LO problems. Quantum linear system solvers have shown potential in accelerating the solution of linear systems arising in IPMs. In this work, we introduce a novel almost-exact quantum IPM, where the Newton system is constructed and solved on a quantum computer, while solution updates occur on a classical machine. Additionally, all matrix-vector products are performed on the quantum hardware. This hybrid quantum-classical framework achieves an optimal worst-case scaling of $\mathcal{O}(n^2)$ for fully dense LO problems. To ensure high precision, despite the limited accuracy of quantum operations, we incorporate iterative refinement techniques both within and outside the proposed IPM iterations. The proposed algorithm has a quantum complexity of $\mathcal{O}(n^{1.5} \kappa_A \log(\frac{1}{\epsilon}))$ queries to QRAM and $\mathcal{O}(n^2 \log(\frac{1}{\epsilon}))$ classical arithmetic operations. Our method outperforms the worst-case complexity of prior classical and quantum IPMs, offering a significant improvement in scalability and computational efficiency.
Read the full abstract

All authors Mohammadhossein Mohammadisiahroudi, Zeguan Wu, Pouya Sampourmahani, Jun-Kai You, Tamás Terlaky

Quantum Physics

QReach: A Reachability Analysis Tool for Quantum Markov Chains

We present QReach, the first reachability analysis tool for quantum Markov chains based on decision diagrams CFLOBDD (presented at CAV 2023). QReach provides a novel framework for finding reachable subspaces, as well as a series of model-checking subprocedures like image computation. Experiments indicate its practicality in verification of quantum circuits and algorithms. QReach is expected to play a central role in future quantum model checkers.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Universal quantum control over non-Hermitian continuous-variable systems

Current studies about the continuous-variable systems in non-Hermitian quantum mechanics heavily revolved around the singularities in the eigenspectrum by mimicking their discrete-variable counterparts. Discussions over the nonunitary features in time evolution are growing and yet limited in scalability and controllability. We develop here a general theory to control an arbitrary number of bosonic modes under time-dependent non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Far beyond the subspace of few excitations, our control theory operates in the Heisenberg picture and exploits the gauge potential underlying the instantaneous frames rather than the eigenspectrum. In particular, instantaneous frames are defined by time-dependent ancillary operators as linear combinations of the laboratory-frame operators, while the gauge potential arises from the unitary transformation between the time-dependent and stationary ancillary frames. We find that upper triangularization condition of the non-Hermitian Hamiltonian's coefficient matrix in the stationary ancillary frame yields two nonadiabatic passages in both bra and ket spaces and also the exact solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. At the end of these passages, probability conservation of wave function is automatically restored without brute-force normalization. Our theory is exemplified by perfect and nonreciprocal state transfers in a cavity magnonic system under non-Hermitian Hamiltonian rigorously derived from the Lindblad master equation with all quantum-jump terms retained. Under certain conditions, perfect state transfer holds for arbitrary initial states and is irrelevant to both parity-time symmetry of coefficient matrix and exceptional points of eigenspectrum. The nonreciprocal transfer is consistent with coherent perfect absorption, providing a first-principles route to coherent control of non-Hermitian continuous-variable systems.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Less is more: subspace reduction for counterdiabatic driving of Rydberg atom arrays

This study explores the use of subspace methods in combination with counterdiabatic driving in a Rydberg atom system to solve the Maximum Independent Set (MIS) problem. Although exact counterdiabatic driving offers excellent performance, it comes at an unscalable computational cost. In this work, we demonstrate that counterdiabatic driving can be significantly improved by restricting the analysis to a relevant subspace of the system. We first show that both direct diagonalization and the Krylov method for obtaining the counterdiabatic matrix can be accelerated through the use of subspace techniques, while still maintaining strong performance. We then demonstrate that the cost function used in the standard Krylov method can be further optimized by employing a subspace-based cost function. These findings open up new possibilities for applying counterdiabatic driving in a practical and efficient manner to a variety of quantum systems.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from math-ph

Rotation angles of a rotating disc as the holonomy of the Hopf fibration

We address the fundamental question of how rotation angles arise in classical rigid body motion from a geometric viewpoint. As a fundamental kinematical setting, we consider a rotating-disc model. We show that the rotation angle accumulated in a cyclic motion can be naturally decomposed into a dynamical phase and a geometric phase, and that the latter is obtained from the $U(1)$ holonomy of the Hopf fibration equipped with its canonical connection through a natural weight-two representation of the fiber group. By introducing a Gauss map based on a normal vector fixed at the center of the rotating disc, the physical periodic motion is mapped to a closed curve on the two-sphere $S^2$, whose horizontal lift in the Hopf bundle $S^3 \to S^2$ determines the geometric phase through the weight-two representation. This framework provides a conceptually clear interpretation of rotation angles as geometric phases and clarifies the geometric origin of their decomposition.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from math-ph

Edge Hamiltonian for Free Fermion Quantum Hall Models

We investigate a proposal of Kitaev for a microscopic construction of a Hamiltonian intended to describe the edge dynamics of a quantum Hall system. We show that the construction works in the setting of translation-invariant free-fermion Hamiltonians. In this case, the resulting edge Hamiltonian exhibits only edge modes, and these modes have the correct chirality.
Read the full abstract

All authors Simon Du, Martin Fraas, Abi Gopal, Nathan Singh

Quantum Physics

Combined Quantum and Post-Quantum Security Performance Under Finite Keys

Recent advances in quantum-secure communication have highlighted the value of hybrid schemes that combine Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). Yet most existing hybrid designs omit realistic finite-key effects on QKD key rates and do not specify how to maintain security when both QKD and PQC primitives leak information through side-channels. These gaps limit the applicability of hybrid systems in practical, deployed networks. In this work, we advance a recently proposed hybrid QKD-PQC system by integrating tight finite-key security to the QKD primitive and improving the design for better scalability. This hybrid system employs an information-theoretically secure instruction sequence that determines the configurations of different primitives and thus ensures message confidentiality even when both the QKD and the PQC primitives are compromised. The novelty in our work lies in the implementation of the tightest finite-key security to date for the BBM92 protocol and the design improvements in the primitives of the hybrid system that ensure the processing time scales linearly with the size of secret instructions.
Read the full abstract

All authors Aman Gupta, Ravi Singh Adhikari, Anju Rani, Xiaoyu Ai, Robert Malaney

Quantum Physics

Adversarial Limits of Quantum Certification: When Eve Defeats Detection

Security of quantum key distribution (QKD) relies on certifying that observed correlations arise from genuine quantum entanglement rather than eavesdropper manipulation. Theoretical security proofs assume idealized conditions, practical certification must contend with adaptive adversaries who optimize their attack strategies against detection systems. Established fundamental adversarial limits for quantum certification using Eve GAN, a generative adversarial network trained to produce classical correlations indistinguishable from quantum. Our central finding: when Eve interpolates her classical correlations with quantum data at mixing parameter, all tested detection methods achieve ROC AUC = 0.50, equivalent to random guessing. This means an eavesdropper needs only 5% classical admixture to completely evade detection. Critically, we discover that same distribution calibration a common practice in prior certification studies inflates detection performance by 44 percentage points compared to proper cross distribution evaluation, revealing a systematic flaw that may have led to overestimated security claims. Analysis of Popescu Rohrlich (PR Box) regime identifies a sharp phase transition at CHSH S = 2.05: below this value, no statistical method distinguishes classical from quantum correlations; above it, detection probability increases monotonically. Hardware validation on IBM Quantum demonstrates that Eve-GAN achieves CHSH = 2.736, remarkably exceeding real quantum hardware performance (CHSH = 2.691), illustrating that classical adversaries can outperform noisy quantum systems on standard certification metrics. These results have immediate implications for QKD security: adversaries maintaining 95% quantum fidelity evade all tested detection methods. We provide corrected methodology using cross-distribution calibration and recommend mandatory adversarial testing for quantum security claims.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mes-hall

In-plane anomalous features in the 3D quantum Hall regime

Studies of the 3D quantum Hall effect (QHE) have primarily emphasized transport features that mimic the well-established 2D QHE. In this work, we show that qualitatively new features arise when an in-plane magnetic field is applied to a 3D Weyl semimetal in the quantum Hall regime. An unexpected Hall quantum oscillation, distinct from the Weyl-orbit oscillation, coexists with the QHE, along with an unquantized two-terminal magnetoresistance. Moreover, unconventional antichiral transmission enables a peculiar disorder-robust negative longitudinal resistance. Quantization tunable by the lead configuration is further found in this transport geometry. A unique type of nonlocal quantum backscattering channels underlies these phenomena. Our work demonstrates a breakdown of the topological characterization of transport even with 3D Chern numbers and reveals hidden 3D QHE transport properties. It opens a new class of transport measurements and phenomena.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

The operator layer cake theorem is equivalent to Frenkel's integral formula

The operator layer cake theorem provides an integral representation for the directional derivative of the operator logarithm in terms of a family of projections [arXiv:2507.06232]. Recently, the related work [arXiv:2507.07065] showed that the theorem gives an alternative proof to Frenkel's integral formula for Umegaki's relative entropy [Quantum, 7:1102 (2023)]. In this short note, we find a converse implication, demonstrating that the operator layer cake theorem is equivalent to Frenkel's integral formula.
Read the full abstract

All authors Hao-Chung Cheng, Gilad Gour, Ludovico Lami, Po-Chieh Liu

Wednesday 3 December

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from eess.IV

Semantic Temporal Single-photon LiDAR

Temporal single-photon (TSP-) LiDAR presents a promising solution for imaging-free target recognition over long distances with reduced size, cost, and power consumption. However, existing TSP-LiDAR approaches are ineffective in handling open-set scenarios where unknown targets emerge, and they suffer significant performance degradation under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and short acquisition times (fewer photons). Here, inspired by semantic communication, we propose a semantic TSP-LiDAR based on a self-updating semantic knowledge base (SKB), in which the target recognition processing of TSP-LiDAR is formulated as a semantic communication. The results, both simulation and experiment, demonstrate that our approach surpasses conventional methods, particularly under challenging conditions of low SNR and limited acquisition time. More importantly, our self-updating SKB mechanism can dynamically update the semantic features of newly encountered targets in the SKB, enabling continuous adaptation without the need for extensive retraining of the neural network. In fact, a recognition accuracy of 89% is achieved on nine types of unknown targets in real-world experiments, compared to 66% without the updating mechanism. These findings highlight the potential of our framework for adaptive and robust target recognition in complex and dynamic environments.
Read the full abstract

All authors Fang Li, Tonglin Mu, Shuling Li, Junran Guo, Keyuan Li, Jianing Li, Ziyang Luo, Xiaodong Fan, Ye Chen, Yunfeng Liu, Hong Cai, Lip Ket Chin, Jinbei Zhang, Shihai Sun

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.optics

Universal Quantum Interconnects via Phase-Coherent Four-Wave Mixing

Quantum transduction, which enables the coherent conversion of quantum information between disparate physical platforms, is a cornerstone for realizing scalable and interoperable quantum networks. Among various approaches, parametric frequency mixing processes such as four-wave mixing (FWM) offer a promising pathway toward efficient and low-noise transduction. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of coherent quantum state transfer by indirectly verifying high-fidelity wavefunction's phase mapping (>99%) from the input field to the generated output field wave. Using a gas-filled hollow-core capillary fiber, we systematically investigate spectral phase evolution across a broad range, including infrared (IR) to ultraviolet (UV) transitions, as well as conversions from telecom-band (1550 nm) to visible (516 nm) and deep-UV (308 nm) wavelengths. Our results reveal that strong phase coherence can be maintained throughout these diverse conversion regimes. Because quantum properties such as coherence and entanglement are intrinsically encoded in both the amplitude and phase of a photonic wavefunction, preserving spectral phase is essential for faithful quantum information transfer. We further show that efficient and phase-preserving transduction can be achieved by tuning system parameters, offering valuable insights into nonlinear coupling dynamics. These findings establish a promising foundation for advancing FWM-based quantum transduction schemes and open new avenues for integrating heterogeneous quantum systems across wide spectral domains within future quantum communication networks.
Read the full abstract

All authors Hao Zhang, Yang Xu, Linshan Sun, Wei Cui, Robert W. Boyd, Sergio Carbajo

Quantum Physics

Experimental Sensitivity Enhancement of a Quantum Rydberg Atom-Based RF Receiver with a Metamaterial GRIN Lens

We experimentally demonstrate enhanced sensitivity of an atom-based Rydberg radio frequency (RF) receiver integrated with a gradient refractive index (GRIN) Luneburg-type metamaterial lens. By analyzing the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect in Cesium vapor, we compare receiver performance with and without the GRIN lens under a 2.2~GHz and a 3.6~GHz far-field excitation. Our measurements reveal a significant amplification of the EIT window when the lens is introduced, consistent with the theoretical prediction that the local E-field enhancement at the vapor cell reduces the minimum detectable electric field and improves the microwave electric field measurement sensitivity of the Rydberg atom-based RF receiver over an ultrawide bandwidth of the lens. This experimental validation demonstrates the potential of metamaterial-enhanced quantum RF sensing for a wide range of applications, such as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing, quantum radar, and wireless communication.
Read the full abstract

All authors Anton Tishchenko, Demos Serghiou, Ashwin Thelappilly Joy, Paul Marsh, Paul Martin, Tim Brown, Gabriele Gradoni, Mohsen Khalily, Rahim Tafazolli

Quantum Physics

Limits of Perturbation Theory for Multimode Light Propagation in Dispersive Optical Cavities

Temporal modes of quantum light pulses is a promising resource for modern quantum technologies, driving advancements in quantum computing, communication, and metrology. Precise control and manipulation of these modes remain critical challenges, particularly in systems where nonlinear multimode dynamics interact with dispersion effects. In this work, we focus on the role of group velocity dispersion (GVD) within optical cavities - a phenomenon traditionally viewed as detrimental but increasingly recognized as a versatile tool for quantum light manipulation. We present a perturbation-theory-based approach to analyze GVD effects in a synchronously pumped dispersive cavity. By comparing perturbative solutions to rigorous steady-state results, we establish the validity region of the perturbative approach and assess its limitations in multimode systems. Our study identifies key parameters governing the breakdown of perturbation theory, such as mode order, dispersion strength, and cavity decay rates.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Unspeakable Coherence Concentration

Unspeakable coherence is a key feature separating quantum and classical physics. Modelled as asymmetry with respect to a continuous transformation generated by a physically relevant observable, such as the Hamiltonian or angular moment, unspeakable coherence has been shown to be the relevant notion of coherence for achieving quantum advantage in the tasks of metrology, reference frame alignment and work extraction, among others. A question of both practical and foundational value is: Given some copies of a state with low coherence, can we prepare a more coherent state via coherence non-increasing operations? Here, we study this question in the minimal limiting case: Given two uncorrelated copies of a coherent state, can one, via globally coherence non-increasing unitaries, increase the coherence in a subsystem? We fully solve this problem for qubits, identifying the optimal unitaries and revealing the existence of bound coherence. This is then used to create a completely constructive multi-qubit coherence enhancement protocol, where only effective-qubit unitaries are used. Unexpectedly, in this protocol, we show that there exists states for which the ratio of the input-output coherence can be amplified unboundedly. Extending beyond qubits, we derive two fundamental upper bounds on the amount of local coherence that can be increased and prove a no-go theorem showing that certain global correlations cannot be converted to local coherence.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from math-ph

An elementary approach to Wehrl-type entropy bounds in quantitative form

We consider the problem of the stability (with sharp exponent) of the Lieb–Solovej inequality for symmetric $SU(N)$ coherent states, which was obtained only recently by the authors. Here, we propose an elementary proof of this result, based on reformulating the Wehrl-type entropy as a function defined on the unit sphere in $\mathbb{C}^d$, for some suitable $d$, and on some explicit (and somewhat surprising) computations.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Maestro: Intelligent Execution for Quantum Circuit Simulation

Quantum circuit simulation remains essential for developing and validating quantum algorithms, especially as current quantum hardware is limited in scale and quality. However, the growing diversity of simulation methods and software tools creates a high barrier to selecting the most suitable backend for a given circuit. We introduce Maestro, a unified interface for quantum circuit simulation that integrates multiple simulation paradigms - state vector, MPS, tensor network, stabilizer, GPU-accelerated, and p-block methods - under a single API. Maestro includes a predictive runtime model that automatically selects the optimal simulator based on circuit structure and available hardware, and applies backend-specific optimizations such as multiprocessing, GPU execution, and improved sampling. Benchmarks across heterogeneous workloads demonstrate that Maestro outperforms individual simulators in both single-circuit and large batched settings, particularly in high-performance computing environments. Maestro provides a scalable, extensible platform for quantum algorithm research, hybrid quantum-classical workflows, and emerging distributed quantum computing architectures.
Read the full abstract

All authors Oriol Bertomeu, Hamzah Ghayas, Adrian Roman, Stephen DiAdamo