Papers

Motivated by the recent rapid development of complexity theory applied to quantum mechanical processes we present the complete derivation of Nielsen's complexity of unitaries belonging to the representations of oscillator group. Our approach is based on the observation that the whole problem refers to the structure of the underlying group. The questions concerning the complexity of particular unitaries are solved by lifting the abstract structure to the operator level by considering the relevant unitary representation. For the class of right-invariant metrics obeying natural invariance condition we solve the geodesic equations on oscillator group. The solution is given explicitly in terms of elementary functions. Imposing the boundary conditions yield a transcendental equation and the length of the geodesic is given in terms of the solutions to the latter. Since the unitary irreducible representations of oscillator group are classified this allows us to compute, at least in principle, the complexity of any unitary operator belonging to the representation.

This work investigates the dynamics of closed quantum systems in the Bloch vector representation using methods from rigid body dynamics and the theory of integrable systems. To this end, equations of motion for Bloch components are derived from the von Neumann equation that are mathematically equivalent to equations of motion for a distribution of point masses from classical mechanics. Furthermore, using the Heisenberg equation, another system of Bloch vector equations is derived, which constitutes an Euler-Poinsot system of the type commonly encountered in the theory of torque-free spinning tops. This insight is used to prove the Liouville integrability of the corresponding Hamilton equations of motion and to construct an explicit closed-form solution using the Arnold-Liouville theorem. Within the same framework, stability criteria for quantum dynamics are then derived which correspond to the Energy-Casimir method of classical Newtonian mechanics. Following that, specific solutions to the equations of motion are constructed that encode the complex dynamics of composite quantum systems. Eventually, to show that this formalism provides concrete physical predictions, an analogue of the intermediate axis theorem is derived and the effect of oscillating entanglement is discussed. As a basis for this, special types of solutions to the equations of motion are derived that constitute oscillating entangled states, i.e., dynamical quantum states that change their entanglement structure from maximally entangled to separable and vice versa.

We investigate a phase-controllable mechanism for generating optical torque in a five-level double-tripod (DT) atom-light coupling scheme interacting with four strong coherent control fields as well as two weak optical vortex probe beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM). The spatial phase gradients of the OAM-carrying probes induce a quantized torque that is transferred to the atoms, rotating them and generating a directed atomic flow within an annular geometry. Analytical solutions of the optical Bloch equations under steady-state conditions show that the induced torque and resulting rotational motion exhibit high sensitivity to phase variations. We show that the DT system coherently reconfigures into either coupled {\Lambda} or double-{\Lambda} schemes depending on the relative phases, with each configuration exhibiting distinct quantized torque characteristics. This enables precise phase control of the atomic current flow, with potential applications in quantum control, precision measurement, and quantum information processing.

We investigate quantum entanglement and coherence for four classes of Bell-like fermionic states in the vicinity of the event horizon of a Garfinkle-Horowitz-Strominger (GHS) dilaton black hole. Contrary to the common expectation that maximally entangled states always provide superior quantum resources, our results show that their entanglement can be lower than that of suitably chosen non-maximally entangled states in this curved spacetime background. This reveals that non-maximally entangled states may offer operational advantages for entanglement-based tasks under gravitational effects. In contrast, quantum coherence exhibits monotonic behavior: larger initial coherence leads to systematically enhanced robustness against the dilaton induced degradation. These results indicate that the optimal choice of initial quantum states depends sensitively on the specific quantum resource, either quantum entanglement or quantum coherence, required for quantum information processing near a dilaton black hole.

We discuss a conceptually simple scheme for cooling a one dimensional gas of microwave photons in a superconducting transmission line. By shunting one end of the transmission line by a nonlinear Josephson element, we show how a cooling mechanism can be engineered that transfers photons from high- into low-frequency modes, while preserving their total number. We evaluate the resulting nonequilibrium steady state of the photon gas, which arises from a competition between this engineered cooling process and the natural, number non-conserving thermalization with the surrounding bath. Our analysis predicts that for realistic experimental parameters, this mechanism can be used to prepare photonic gases at sub-millikelvin temperatures, considerably below the typical base temperature of a dilution refrigerator. In addition, the system exhibits a new type of condensation transition that does not occur in the corresponding equilibrium scenario. As an outlook, we discuss potential applications of this cooling approach for quantum simulation schemes with interacting microwave photons.

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) eliminates detector side-channel attacks by relocating all measurements to an untrusted intermediate node. However, its practical implementation critically relies on picosecond-level temporal synchronization between spatially separated users. In this work, we present a physically motivated autonomous synchronization algorithm for fiber-based MDI-QKD networks that does not require auxiliary optical channels or shared clock references. The method exploits round-trip optical pulse propagation and statistical signal detection in the presence of Gaussian noise. We derive analytical expressions for false-alarm probabilities, quantify detection reliability, and demonstrate through numerical modeling that synchronization accuracy better than 10~ps is achievable for channel lengths up to 100~km with realistic optical power levels. The proposed approach improves the scalability and robustness of MDI-QKD architectures and is directly applicable to metropolitan and backbone quantum networks.

We study the discrimination of Boolean memory configurations via a fixed Universal QRAM (U-QRAM) interface. Given query access to a quantum memory storing an unknown Boolean function $f:[N]\to\{0,1\}$, we ask: what can be inferred about the bias class of $f$ (its imbalance from $1/2$, up to complement symmetry) using coherent, addressable queries? We show that for exact-weight bias classes, the induced single-query ensemble state on the address register has a two-eigenspace structure that yields closed-form expressions for the single-copy Helstrom-optimal measurement and success probability. Because complementing $f$ changes the state $|\psi\rangle$ only by a global phase, hypotheses $p$ and $1-p$ are information-theoretically identical in this model; thus the natural discriminand is the phase-bias magnitude $|\mu|$ (equivalently $\mu^2$). This goes beyond the perfect-discrimination case of Deutsch-Jozsa and complements exact-identification settings such as Bernstein-Vazirani.

The efficient transfer of quantum states into a long-lived storage unit such as solid-state spin ensembles is widely recognized as a critical challenge with significant implications for quantum communication, sensing and computing applications. Here, we experimentally investigate the interaction of propagating squeezed microwaves with an electron spin resonance transition in order to evaluate the use of spin ensembles as quantum memories for GHz signals. We generate continuous variable microwave states with a squeezing of up to 5dB below the vacuum level and let this signal interrogate a spin ensemble, which is inductively coupled to a lumped element superconducting microwave resonator with a cooperativity of C=0.3. Analyzing this signal using Wigner tomography, we observe a transfer efficiency of around 61% between the squeezed microwaves and the spin excitation. We successfully model our experimental results with a dedicated steady-state model based on the quantum input-output formalism and provide guidance for design parameters required to enable spin-based quantum memories.

This work investigates single-photon scattering in a one-dimensional coupled-resonator waveguide interacting with a giant atom with a complex on-site energy. Within the generalized projection operator formalism, we derive analytical expressions for the scattering coefficients. We find that the interference effects of a giant atom can decouple the waveguide from the atom under specific conditions, resulting in perfect transmission, distinguishing it from a small atom. Otherwise, a giant atom with loss absorbs the incident wave, whereas a giant atom with gain not only amplifies the incident wave but also leads to scattering divergence at certain energies, corresponding to spectral singularities. We explore the critical scattering dynamics associated with these singularities, and attribute the persistent wave emission to a spectral-singularity state. Furthermore, we show that the system with gain supports at least one time-growing bound state, which dominates the long-time dynamics. Due to the presence of these generalized bound states, the conventional time-independent scattering theory proves inadequate for such a non-Hermitian system in the gain regime. We verify our time-dependent theoretical predictions via numerical simulations of Gaussian wave packet scattering.

Rydberg atom-based RF sensors offer distinct advantages over conventional dipole antennas for electric field detection. This paper presents a system model and performance analysis of a Rydberg atom-based quantum radar, which employs optical readout via lasers and photon detectors instead of circuit-based receivers. We derive the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), compare it with classical radar, and estimate Doppler frequency using an invariant function-based method. Simulations show that the quantum radar achieves higher SNR and lower RMSE in velocity estimation than conventional radar.

We present an exact solution of the quantum kinetic equation of a weakly interacting Fermi gas in the crossover from the degenerate Fermi-liquid regime to the classical Boltzmann gas. We construct families of orthogonal polynomials tailored to each angular momentum channel, enabling a fast and systematically improvable decomposition of the phase-space distribution. This approach yields accurate, non-variational predictions for the shear viscosity, thermal diffusivity, and spin diffusivity to leading order in the scattering length. We demonstrate that the commonly used relaxation-time approximation fails dramatically at low temperature–by up to 25%. Our method provides a numerically efficient framework for benchmarking transport in strongly correlated regimes and for simulating the kinetics of quantum gases beyond hydrodynamics.

Coincidence-count discrimination is a practical and straightforward tool for the characterization of photon-pair processes and heralded single photons. Here, we implement a heralded single photon source based on parametric down-conversion in a periodically poled KTiOPO$_4$ waveguide in the telecom wavelength range involving a low number of optical modes. We extend the toolbox for the loss-tolerant state characterization by combining conventional figures-of-merit in order to access the heralded state's mean photon number and its photon-number parity. Our experiment demonstrates that an accurate determination of these characteristics is possible just through simple photon-correlation measurements. We believe that our results can find usage in the calibrated creation of heralded single photons and in determining the expectation values of observables that are crucial for attributing a single quantum.

We investigate the quantum dynamics generated by quantum quenches (QQs) of the Hamiltonian parameters in many-body systems, focusing on protocols that cross first-order and continuous quantum transitions, both in finite-size systems and in the thermodynamic limit. As a paradigmatic example, we consider the quantum Ising chain in the presence of homogeneous transverse ($g$) and longitudinal ($h$) magnetic fields. This model exhibits a continuous quantum transition (CQT) at $g=g_c$ and $h=0$, and first-order quantum transitions (FOQTs) driven by $h$ along the line $h=0$ ($g<g_c$). In the integrable limit $h=0$, the system can be mapped onto a quadratic fermionic theory; however, any nonvanishing longitudinal field breaks integrability and the spectrum of the resulting Hamiltonian is generally expected to enter a chaotic regime. We analyze QQs in which the longitudinal field is suddenly changed from a negative value $h_i < 0$ to a positive value $h_f>0$. We focus on values of $h_f$ such that the spectrum of the post-QQ Hamiltonian $H(g,h_f)$ lies in the chaotic regime, where thermalization may emerge at asymptotically long times. We study the out-of-equilibrium dynamics for different values of $g$, finding qualitatively distinct behaviors for $g > g_c$ (where the chain is in the disordered phase), for $g = g_c$ (QQ across the CQT), and for $g<g_c$ (QQ across the FOQT line).

Research at the intersection of quantum gravity and quantum information theory has seen significant success in describing the emergence of spacetime and gravity from quantum states whose entanglement entropy approximately obeys an area law. In a different direction, the Kaluza-Klein proposal aims to recover gauge symmetries by means of dimensional reduction of higher-dimensional gravitational theories. Integrating both, gravitational and gauge degrees of freedom in $3+1$ dimensions may be obtained upon dimensional reduction of higher-dimensional emergent gravity. To this end, we show that entangled systems of two and three qubits can be associated with $5+1$ and $9+1$ dimensional spacetimes respectively, which are reduced to $3+1$ dimensions upon singling out a preferred complex direction. In the latter case, this reduction is invariant under a residual $SU(3) \times SU(2) \times U(1) /\mathbb{Z}_6$ symmetry, the Standard Model gauge group. This motivates a picture in which spacetime emerges from the area law-contribution to the entanglement entropy, while gauge and matter degrees of freedom are due to area law-violating terms. We remark on a possible natural origin of the chirality of the weak force in the given construction. Furthermore, we highlight the possibility of using this construction in quantum simulations of Standard Model fields.

Fully connected quantum networks enable simultaneously connecting every user to every other user and are the most versatile and robust networking architecture. However, the scalability of such networks remains great challenge for practical applications. Here we construct a large-scale fully connected quantum network founded on two-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference, where user-to-user security is guaranteed even with untrusted network provider. Using integrated soliton microcomb (SMC) and photonic encoding chips, we realize precise massive parallel frequency generation and locking, high-visibility HOM interferences and measurement-device-independent (MDI) quantum key distribution. The proposed architecture enables a 200-user fully connected quantum network over 200 kilometers with strict information-theoretic security via untrusted network provider. The implemented networking architecture paves the way for realizing large-scale fully connected MDI quantum networks across metropolitan and intercity regions.

Minimum uncertainty states of the conventional Heisenberg uncertainty relation have been extensively studied and are often regarded as the most classical quantum states from the perspective of uncertainty, providing valuable insight into the nature of quantumness and its potential applications. In this work, we investigate the minimum uncertainty states associated with an information-theoretic refinement of the Heisenberg uncertainty relation in general spin systems. Using two different approaches, the matrix formulation and the Wick symbol representation, we derive explicit expressions for the states that saturate the uncertainty bound. We show that spin coherent states indeed achieve minimum uncertainty, consistent with their conventional identification as the classical states of spin systems. Moreover, we also identify additional classes of minimum uncertainty states beyond the coherent family. Finally, we compare the spin-system results with the previously studied bosonic case and elucidate the origin of the differences between the two settings.

We advocate the sparsification of bosonic SYK models as a promising arena for the exploration of quantum advantage. We initiate the study of quantum simulations of the models, both in classical simulators and on quantum devices implemented using superconducting qubits. We point out subtleties in the quantum simulations of highly chaotic systems, which should be addressed in the future search for quantum advantage.

This paper introduces a novel edge-based encoding technique for solving the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) on a quantum computer, reducing the required number of qubits. For implementation in real quantum devices, we applied the subspace reduction encoding to further reduce the dimension of the TSP solution space. We attack the TSP for 4-, 5-, and 6-city instances in both simulators and real quantum computers across different encoding frameworks. Optimal solutions of the 4-city TSP instance are obtained on state-of-the art IQM quantum computer. Our study presents a comparative analysis between edge-based encoding scheme and the node-based encoding methodology in the literature. Our findings indicate that the proposed encoding scheme outperforms conventional methods in terms of statistical measures, quantum resource utilization, and computational efficiency when applied to smaller TSP instances.

We present a novel quantum sensing approach to search for axion-electron interactions around the axion mass of 6 \mueV. In this region, laboratory searches are relatively scarce, and our direct experiment measuring the axion-electron coupling constant reaches the sensitivity of 8 \times 10^{-6} GeV^{-1}. The method, based on an organic molecular maser establishes a proof-of-principle for quantum-enhanced detection, with a corresponding magnetic field sensitivity of 0.85 fT/\sqrt{\rm{Hz}}. The methodology is generic and can be readily extended to other physical systems, further broadening its applicability in quantum sensing and dark matter searches.

Understanding the non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems remains one of the grand challenges of modern physics. In particular, increasing attention has been devoted to the emergence of non-equilibrium universality classes that have no equilibrium counterparts. A prominent example is the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class realized in dissipative Bose-Einstein condensates. In this Letter, motivated by recent experimental advances, we investigate the universal dynamics of dissipative quantum systems with dipole moment conservation. We develop an effective field theory description, supported by a concrete quantum spin model, to capture the resulting universal behaviors. Our analysis unveils a novel strongly interacting non-equilibrium fixed point that governs the equal-time phase fluctuations in systems with either strong or weak dipole symmetries. Moreover, charge transport becomes subdiffusive in the presence of strong dipole symmetry, while it remains diffusive in the weakly symmetric case. Our results reveal the intricate interplay between kinetic constraints and dissipation in quantum many-body systems.

Considering an $N$-level system interacting factorizably with a continuous spectrum, we derive expressions for the bound states and the dynamical evolution within this single-excitation Friedrichs model by using the projection operator formalism. First, we establish explicit criteria to determine the number of bound states, whose existence suppresses the complete spontaneous decay of the system. Second, we derive the open system's decay dynamics, which is naturally described by an energy-independent non-Hermitian Hamiltonian in the Markovian limit. As an example, we apply our framework to a two-level atomic chain side-coupled to a photonic lattice, uncovering a rich variety of decay dynamics and realizing an anti-$\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Hamiltonian in the system's evolution.

Coarse-graining a chaotic bistable oscillator into a binary symbol sequence is a standard reduction, but it often obscures the geometry of the reduced state space and structural constraints of physically meaningful stochastic evolution. We develop a two-state framework that embeds coarse-grained left/right statistics of the driven Duffing oscillator into a $2\times2$ density-matrix representation and models inter-well switching by a two-rate Gorini–Kossakowski–Sudarshan–Lindblad (GKSL) generator. For diagonal states the GKSL dynamics reduces to the classical two-state master equation.The density-matrix language permits an operational “Bloch half-disk” embedding with overlap parameter $c(\varepsilon)$ quantifying partition fuzziness; the GKSL model is fitted to diagonal marginals treating $c(\varepsilon)$ as diagnostic. We derive closed-form solutions, an explicit Kraus representation (generalized amplitude damping with dephasing and rotation), and practical diagnostics for the time-homogeneous first-order Markov assumption (order tests, Chapman–Kolmogorov consistency, run-length statistics, stationarity checks). When higher-order memory appears, we extend the framework via augmented Markov models, constructing CPTP maps through discrete-time Kraus representations; continuous-time GKSL generators may not exist for all empirical transition matrices. We provide a numerical pipeline with templates for validating the framework on Duffing simulations. The density-matrix formalism is an organizational convenience rather than claiming quantum-classical equivalence.

Information retrieval from passive backscatter systems is widely used in digital applications with tight energy budgets, short communication distances, and low data rates. Due to the fundamental limits of classical wireless receivers, the achievable data rate cannot be increased without compromising either energy efficiency or communication range, thereby hindering the broader adoption of this technology. In this work, we present a novel time-resolving quantum receiver combined with a multi-mode probing signal to extract large-alphabet information modulated by a passive reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS). The adaptive nature of the proposed receiver yields significant quantum advantages over classical receivers without relying on complex or fragile quantum resources such as entanglement. Simulation results show that the proposed technique surpasses the classical standard quantum limit (SQL) for modulation sizes up to M = 2^8, meanwhile halving the probing energy or increasing the communication distance by a factor of 1.41.

The realization of scalable quantum networks for distribution of entanglement over long distances hinges on quantum repeaters. To outperform the exponential transmission loss in optical fibers, quantum repeaters must employ multiplexing schemes in the temporal, spectral, or spatial domain. The performance of such a multiplexed scheme is contingent on efficient quantum memories offering both extended storage times and large multimode capacities. Towards this goal, we experimentally demonstrate a memory platform operating at telecom wavelength using an Er$^{3+}$:Y$_{2}$SiO$_{5}$ crystal. We record on-demand storage and recall of weak coherent pulses for up to $1$ ms, exceeding by an order of magnitude that of previously reported demonstrations based on Er$^{3+}$. The memory exhibits an efficiency of 10.36 % at 300 $\mu$s storage time with a signal-to-noise ratio of $10.9$, mainly limited by spontaneous emission noise. We also store two spectral modes representing a frequency-bin encoding and retrieve the state with an overlap of 81.8 %. Furthermore, we demonstrate multimode capacity by simultaneously storing 20 temporal and 3 spectral modes with on-demand and selective recall capabilities, serving as a promising step toward a scalable quantum repeater architecture.

High-quality quantum communications that enable important capabilities, such as distributed quantum computing and sensing, will require quantum repeaters for providing high-quality entanglement. To realize high-rate heralded entanglement for quantum repeaters, Chen et al. [Phys. Rev. Appl. 19, 054209 (2023)] proposed a scheme for heralded-multiplexed generation of quasi-deterministic entangled photon pairs, called zero-added-loss multiplexing (ZALM). Here, we propose a design of ZALM source using time-bin entanglement and spectral shearing. Additionally, we provide an analysis of experimentally relevant spectral-shearing parameters to optimize the spectral multiplexing. Moreover, we experimentally verify the compatibility of time-bin pulses and spectral shearing, as supported by observation of no appreciable phase shift when the same shearing is applied to both time bins. These results expand the benefits of applying a ZALM source to time-bin entanglement use cases. Moreover, more fully demonstrating time-bin and spectral shearing compatibility clears a path towards a broader use of spectral shearing that provides a deterministic frequency shift of high utility.

In this paper, we propose a fractional time extension of the Quan tum Master Equation. We introduce a Caputo-type fractional derivative in time as an extension of the exponential decay of the Lindblad framework through the incorporation of fractional derivatives into the Lindblad framework. We show that the analytical and numerical results of our analytical and numerical models, demonstrate that fractional dynamics produces long-memory coherence decay naturally and provides an interpretable and flexible model of non-Markovianity.

We evaluate the Sample-based Krylov Quantum Diagonalization (SKQD) algorithm on one- and two-dimensional Heisenberg models, including strongly correlated regimes in which the ground state is dense. Using problem-informed initial states and magnetization-sector sweeps, SKQD accurately reproduces ground-state energies and field-dependent magnetization across a range of anisotropies. Benchmarks against DMRG and exact diagonalization show consistent qualitative agreement, with accuracy improving systematically in more anisotropic regimes. We further demonstrate SKQD on quantum hardware by implementing 18- and 30-qubit Heisenberg chains, obtaining magnetization curves that match theoretical expectations. Simulations on small 2D square-lattice systems further demonstrate that the method applies effectively beyond 1D geometries.

We read Karen Crowther's Another 100 Years of Quantum Interpretation? with two practical goals. First, we spell out what she means by interpretation”: an attempt to provide understanding (not just predictions), which may be representationalist or non-representationalist, and which she contrasts with deeper reductive (inter-theoretic) explanation – especially in the quantum-gravity setting. Second, we list twelve points where the paper's physics-facing wording could be sharpened. In our view, several claims are directionally well-motivated but stated more strongly than the underlying physics supports, or they run together distinct notions (e.g.\ degrees of freedom,” singularity,” and different senses of locality”) that need careful separation. We end by suggesting that the philosophical question is genuinely worthwhile, but the physics should be phrased more cautiously so that heuristic motivation is not mistaken for strict implication.

Data re-uploading quantum circuits (DRQC) are a key approach to implementing quantum neural networks and have been shown to outperform classical neural networks in fitting high-frequency functions. However, their practical application is limited by the scalability of current quantum hardware. In this paper, we introduce the mathematical paradigm of DRQC into classical models by proposing a quantum-inspired data re-uploading network (Q-RUN), which retains the Fourier-expressive advantages of quantum models without any quantum hardware. Experimental results demonstrate that Q-RUN delivers superior performance across both data modeling and predictive modeling tasks. Compared to the fully connected layers and the state-of-the-art neural network layers, Q-RUN reduces model parameters while decreasing error by approximately one to three orders of magnitude on certain tasks. Notably, Q-RUN can serve as a drop-in replacement for standard fully connected layers, improving the performance of a wide range of neural architectures. This work illustrates how principles from quantum machine learning can guide the design of more expressive artificial intelligence.

Symmetry-protected ideal flat bands in one-dimensional (1D) Hermitian lattices are populated by compact localized states (CLS) - a special class of localization with wavefunctions confined within a small region. In this work, we discover that the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) can appear in a flat band. Unlike conventional NHSEs for dispersive bands that are protected by nontrivial point-gap topology, the flat band remains a point on the complex-energy plane and is therefore always topologically trivial. We found that, intriguingly, the flat-band skin effect (FBSE) is associated with the non-trivial spectral topology of the dispersive bands enclosing the flat band on the complex-energy plane, so it only emerges within a finite range of non-Hermitian parameters and can counterintuitively disappear at large non-Hermiticity. Moreover, the gaps between the flat and the dispersive bands can close at higher-order exceptional points under both periodic and open boundary conditions. The flat-band wavefunctions are discontinuous in quantum distance across these exceptional points, signifying that the gap-closing is singular. The FBSE was experimentally observed in a non-Hermitian mechanical lattice. Our work reveals flat-band phenomena unique to non-Hermitian systems and highlights new possibilities in quantum geometry and localization control.