Peer Revenue Equity in science

Papers

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

Physics Quantum Physics

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

Sunday 28 December

Quantum Physics

Stabilizer Entropy of Subspaces

We consider the costs and benefits of embedding the states of one quantum system within those of another. Such embeddings are ubiquitous, e.g., in error correcting codes and in symmetry-constrained systems. In particular we investigate the impact of embeddings in terms of the resource theory of nonstabilizerness (also known as magic) quantified via the stabilizer entropy (SE). We analytically and numerically study the stabilizer entropy gap or magic gap: the average gap between the SE of a quantum state realized within a subspace of a larger system and the SE of the quantum state considered on its own. We find that while the stabilizer entropy gap is typically positive, requiring the injection of magic, both zero and negative magic gaps are achievable. This suggests that certain choices of embedding subspace provide strong resource advantages over others. We provide formulas for the average nonstabilizerness of a subspace given its corresponding projector and sufficient conditions for realizing zero or negative gaps: in particular, certain classes of stabilizer codes provide paradigmatic examples of the latter. Through numerical optimization, we find subspaces which achieve both minimal and maximal average SE for a variety of dimensions, and compute the magic gap for specific error-correcting codes and symmetry-induced subspaces. Our results suggest that a judicious choice of embedding can lead to greater efficiency in both classical and quantum simulations.
Read the full abstract

All authors Simone Cepollaro, Gianluca Cuffaro, Matthew B. Weiss, Stefano Cusumano, Alioscia Hamma, Seth Lloyd

Quantum Physics

Symmetry-Preserving Variational Quantum Simulation of the Heisenberg Spin Chain on Noisy Quantum Hardware

Variational quantum algorithms are among the most promising approaches for simulating interacting quantum many-body systems on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices. However, the practical success of variational quantum eigensolvers (VQE) critically depends on the structure of the chosen variational ansatz. In this work, we investigate the ground-state properties of the one-dimensional antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin-1/2 chain using both generic hardware-efficient ansatz and physics-informed, symmetry-preserving variational circuits. We benchmark variational results against exact diagonalization and noiseless simulations, and subsequently validate the approach on real IQM Garnet quantum hardware. Our results demonstrate that incorporating physical symmetries into the circuit design leads to significantly improved energy estimates, enhanced robustness against hardware noise, and clearer convergence behavior when compared to hardware-efficient ansatz under identical resource constraints. These findings highlight the importance of problem specific ansatz construction for reliable quantum simulations in the NISQ era.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Graph restricted tensors: building blocks for holographic networks

We analyze few-body quantum states with particular correlation properties imposed by the requirement of maximal bipartite entanglement for selected partitions of the system into two complementary parts. A novel framework to treat this problem by encoding these constraints in a graph is advocated; the resulting objects are called “graph-restricted tensors”. This framework encompasses several examples previously treated in the literature, such as 1-uniform multipartite states, quantum states related to dual unitary operators and absolutely maximally entangled states (AME) corresponding to 2-unitary matrices. Original examples of presented graph-restricted tensors are motivated by tensor network models for the holographic principle. In concrete cases we find exact analytic solutions, demonstrating thereby that there exists a vast landscape of non-stabilizer tensors useful for the lattice models of holography.
Read the full abstract

All authors Rafaĺ Bistroń, Márton Mestyán, Balázs Pozsgay, Karol Życzkowski

Quantum Physics

Fast chiral resolution with optimal control

In this work, we formulate the problem of achieving in minimum-time perfect chiral resolution with bounded control fields, as an optimal control problem on two non-interacting spins-$1/2$. We assume the same control bound for the two Raman fields (pump and Stokes) and a different bound for the field connecting directly the two lower-energy states. Using control theory, we show that the optimal fields can only take the boundary values or be zero, the latter corresponding to singular control. Subsequently, using numerical optimal control and intuitive arguments, we identify some three-stage symmetric optimal pulse-sequences, for relatively larger values of the ratio between the two control bounds, and analytically calculate the corresponding pulse timings as functions of this ratio. For smaller values of the bounds ratio, numerical optimal control indicates that the optimal pulse-sequence loses its symmetry and the number of stages increases in general. In all cases, the analytical or numerical optimal protocol achieves a faster perfect chiral resolution than other pulsed protocols, mainly because of the simultaneous action of the control fields. The present work is expected to be useful in the wide spectrum of applications across the natural sciences where enantiomer separation is a crucial task.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-th

Generalised Entanglement Entropies from Unit-Invariant Singular Value Decomposition

We introduce generalisations of von Neumann entanglement entropy that are invariant with respect to certain scale transformations. These constructions are based on the Unit-Invariant Singular Value Decomposition (UISVD) in its left-, right-, and bi-invariant incarnations, which are variations of the standard Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) that remain invariant under the corresponding class of diagonal transformations. These measures are naturally defined for non-Hermitian or rectangular operators and remain useful when the input and output spaces possess different dimensions or metric weights. We apply the UISVD entropy and discuss its advantages in the physically interesting framework of Biorthogonal Quantum Mechanics, whose important aspect is indeed the behaviour under scale transformations. Further, we illustrate features of UISVD-based entropies in other well-known setups, from simple quantum mechanical bipartite states to random matrices relevant to quantum chaos and holography, and in the context of Chern-Simons theory. In all cases, the UISVD yields stable, physically meaningful entropic spectra that are invariant under rescalings and normalisations.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Comment on "There is No Quantum World" by Jeffrey Bub

In a recent preprint [1] Jeffrey Bub presents a discussion of neo-Bohrian interpretations of quantum mechanics, and also of von Neumann's work on infinite tensor products [2]. He rightfully writes that this work provides a theoretical framework that deflates the measurement problem and justifies Bohr's insistence on the primacy of classical concepts. But then he rejects these ideas, on the basis that the infinity limit is "never reached for any real system composed of a finite number of elementary systems". In this note we present opposite views on two major points: first, admitting mathematical infinities in a physical theory is not a problem, if properly done; second, the critics of [3,4,5] comes with a major misunderstanding of these papers: they don't ask about "the significance of the transition from classical to quantum mechanics", but they start from a physical ontology where classical and quantum physics need each other from the beginning. This is because they postulate that a microscopic physical object (or degree of freedom) always appears as a quantum system, within a classical context. Here we argue why this (neo-Bohrian) position makes sense.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Revisiting finite Abelian hidden subgroup problem and its distributed exact quantum algorithm

We revisit the finite Abelian hidden subgroup problem (AHSP) from a mathematical perspective and make the following contributions. First, by employing amplitude amplification, we present an exact quantum algorithm for the finite AHSP, our algorithm is more concise than the previous exact algorithm and applies to any finite Abelian group. Second, utilizing the Chinese Remainder Theorem, we propose a distributed exact quantum algorithm for finite AHSP, which requires fewer qudits, lower quantum query complexity, and no quantum communication. We further show that our distributed approach can be extended to certain classes of non-Abelian groups. Finally, we develop a parallel exact classical algorithm for finite AHSP with reduced query complexity; even without parallel execution, the total number of queries across all nodes does not exceed that of the original centralized algorithm under mild conditions.
Read the full abstract

All authors Ziyuan Dong, Xiang Fan, Tengxun Zhong, Daowen Qiu

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.stat-mech

Effective Kinetic Monte Carlo for a Quantum Epidemic Process

Inspired by previous works on epidemic-like processes in open quantum systems, we derive an elementary quantum epidemic model that is simple enough to be studied via Quantum Jump Monte Carlo simulations at reasonably large system sizes. We show how some weak symmetries of the Lindblad equation allow us to map the dynamics onto a classical Kinetic Monte Carlo; this simplified, effective dynamics can be described via local stochastic jumps coupled with a local deterministic component. Simulations are then used to reconstruct a phase diagram which displays stationary features completely equivalent to those of completely classical epidemic processes, but richer dynamics with multiple, recurrent waves of infection.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Random matrix prediction of average entanglement entropy in non-Abelian symmetry sectors

We study the average bipartite entanglement entropy of Haar-random pure states in quantum many-body systems with global $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ symmetry, constrained to fixed total spin $J$ and magnetization $J_z = 0$. Focusing on spin-$\tfrac12$ lattices and subsystem fractions $f < \frac{1}{2}$, we derive a asymptotic expression for the average entanglement entropy up to constant order in the system volume $V$. In addition to the expected leading volume law term, we prove the existence of a $\frac{1}{2}\log V$ finite-size correction resulting from the scaling of the Clebsch-Gordon coefficients and compute explicitly the $O(1)$ contribution reflecting angular-momentum coupling within magnetization blocks. Our analysis uses features of random matrix ensembles and provides a fully analytical treatment for arbitrary spin densities, thereby extending Page type results to non-Abelian sectors and clarifying how $\mathrm{SU}(2)$ symmetry shapes average entanglement.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Multiverse: A Simulator for Evaluating Entanglement Routing in Quantum Networks

We present MQNS, a discrete-event simulator for rapid evaluation of entanglement routing under dynamic, heterogeneous configurations. MQNS supports runtime-configurable purification, swapping, memory management, and routing, within a unified qubit lifecycle and integrated link-architecture models. A modular, minimal design keeps MQNS architecture-agnostic, enabling fair, reproducible comparisons across paradigms and facilitating future emulation.
Read the full abstract

All authors Amar Abane, Junxiao Shi, Van Sy Mai, Abderrahim Amlou, Abdella Battou

Quantum Physics

Gauge Symmetry in Quantum Simulation — Redundancy Is All You Need —

Quantum simulation of non-Abelian gauge theories requires careful handling of gauge redundancy. We present universal principles for treating gauge symmetry that apply to any quantum simulation approach. Our main result is that enforcing gauge-singlet constraints is conceptually and practically unnecessary for extracting physical observables. Physical states need not be represented by gauge singlets; singlet and non-singlet representations are both valid, with distinct practical trade-offs that we elucidate using analogies to BRST quantization, and the non-singlet approach is likely more efficient toward the continuum limit. As in classical electrodynamics and the path-integral formulation, gauge redundancy simplifies things. We demonstrate these principles within a complete quantum simulation framework based on the orbifold lattice, which enables explicit and efficient circuit constructions relevant to real-world QCD. We show how non-singlet approaches yield gauge-invariant observables through wave packets and string excitations, and that this approach is universal and efficient. For the limited situations where a singlet representation is genuinely required, we introduce a Haar-averaging projection implemented via linear combinations of unitaries and analyze its cost and truncation errors; its post-selection cost makes it a fallback rather than the default. We also introduce a penalty term in the Hamiltonian that eliminates non-singlet states from the low-energy spectrum. Working in temporal gauge, we map lattice Yang-Mills dynamics to Pauli-string Hamiltonians suitable for Trotterization. Classical simulations of small systems validate convergence criteria, quantify truncation and Trotter errors, and yield concrete resource estimates and scalable circuit recipes for SU$(N)$ gauge theories.
Read the full abstract

All authors Masanori Hanada, Shunji Matsuura, Andreas Schafer, Jinzhao Sun

Quantum Physics

Controlling Nonadiabatic Transitions Through Engineered Ultrafast Laser Fields at Conical Intersections

In this paper, we investigate coherent control of nonadiabatic dynamics at a conical intersection (CI) using engineered ultrafast laser pulses. Within a model vibronic system, we tailor pulse chirp and temporal profile and compute the resulting wave-packet population and coherence dynamics using projections along the reaction coordinate. This approach allows us to resolve the detailed evolution of wave-packets as they traverse the degeneracy region with strong nonadiabatic coupling. By systematically varying pulse parameters, we demonstrate that both chirp and pulse duration modulate vibrational coherence and alter branching between competing pathways, leading to controlled changes in quantum yield. Our results elucidate the dynamical mechanisms underlying pulse-shaped control near conical intersections and establish a general framework for manipulating ultrafast nonadiabatic processes.
Read the full abstract

All authors Xuanchao Zhang, Yang-Cheng Ye, Panpan Zhang, Xiangmei Duan, R.J.Dwayne Miller, Fulu Zheng, Ajay Jha, Hong-Guang Duan

Quantum Physics

Quantum advantage unlocked: Charging quantum batteries with K-regular graph stabilizers

Regular graphs find broad applications ranging from quantum communication to quantum computation. Motivated by this, we investigate the design of a quantum battery based on a K-regular graph, where K denotes the number of edges incident on each vertex. We show that a 0-regular graph battery exhibits extractable work that scales linearly with the system-size when charged using a K-regular graph. This linear scaling is shown to persist even when the charging is implemented via a collective K-regular charger with power-law decaying interactions. Interestingly, we prove that both the maximum average power and instantaneous power scale super-linearly in the thermodynamic limit when the connectivity of the charging graph is of the order of the system size, thereby exhibiting it quantum advantage. Furthermore, by introducing the notion of the fraction of extractable work when only subsystems are accessible, we identify this fraction to be independent of system-size if the battery is prepared in the down-polarized product state. This independence breaks down when the battery is oriented along the x- and y-directions of the Bloch sphere.
Read the full abstract

All authors Debkanta Ghosh, Tanoy Kanti Konar, Gianluca Francica, Amit Kumar Pal, Aditi Sen De

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

Energy transport in the Schrödinger plate

In this paper, we introduce "the Schrödinger plate." This is an infinite two-dimensional linear micro-polar elastic medium, with out-of-plane degrees of freedom, lying on a linear elastic foundation of a special kind. Any free motion of the plate can be corresponded to a solution of the two-dimensional Schrödinger equation for a single particle in the external potential field $V$. The specific dependence of the potential $V$ on the position is taken into account in the properties of the plate elastic foundation. The governing equations of the plate are derived as equations of the two-dimensional constraint Cosserat continuum using the direct approach. The plate dynamics can be described by the classical Germain-Lagrange equation for a plate, but the strain energy is different from the one used in the classical Kirchhoff-Love plate theory. Namely, the Schrödinger plate cannot be imagined as a thin elastic body composed of an isotropic linear material. The main property of the Schrödinger plate is as follows: the mechanical energy propagates in the plate exactly in the same way as the probability density propagates according to the corresponding Schrödinger equation.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Error Resilience of Fracton Codes and Near Saturation of Code-Capacity Threshold in Three Dimensions

Fracton codes have been intensively studied as novel topological states of matter, yet their fault-tolerant properties remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the optimal thresholds of self-dual fracton codes, in particular the checkerboard code, against stochastic Pauli noise. By utilizing a statistical-mechanical mapping combined with large-scale parallel tempering Monte Carlo simulations, we calculate the optimal code capacity of the checkerboard code to be $p_{th} \simeq 0.107(3)$. This value is the highest among known three-dimensional codes and nearly saturates the theoretical limit for topological codes. Our results further validate the generalized entropy relation for two mutually dual models, $H(p_{th}) + H(\tilde{p}_{th}) \approx 1$, and extend its applicability beyond standard topological codes. This verification indicates the Haah's code also possesses a code capacity near the theoretical limit $p_{th} \approx 0.11$. These findings highlight fracton codes as highly resilient quantum memory and demonstrate the utility of duality techniques in analyzing intricate quantum error-correcting codes.
Read the full abstract

All authors Giovanni Canossa, Lode Pollet, Miguel A. Martin-Delgado, Hao Song, Ke Liu

Quantum Physics

Agency under indefinite causality: operational eternalism in higher-order quantum theory

After two decades of research on indefinite causality, a conceptual lesson emerges: the tension between operational quantum theory and dynamical spacetime physics requires observers, or agents, to be defined within the theory itself. Agents arise from admissible groupings of input and output data in a global Hilbert space, and redefining these groupings may eliminate non-causality. Agency is perspectival: from Alice's perspective, Bob may fail to qualify as an observer, and vice versa. We interpret these results through an operational eternalism, a stance analogous to the block-universe view but applied to information rather than geometry. Observers are thus well-defined in the global eternalist picture, but they are not universal across local perspectives.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Any DOF All at Once: Single Photon State Tomography in a Single Measurement Setup

Photonic quantum technologies utilize various degrees of freedom (DOFs) of light, such as polarization, frequency, and spatial modes, to encode quantum information. In the effort of further improving channel capacity of quantum communication, and for increasing the complexity of available quantum operations, high-dimensional and hyperentangled states are now gaining interest. However, efficiently measuring these high dimensional states is challenging due to the large number of measurements required for reconstructing the full density matrix via quantum state tomography (QST), and the fact that each measurement requires some modification in the experimental setup. Here, we propose a framework for reconstructing the density matrix of a single-photon hyperentangled across multiple DOFs using a single intensity-measurement obtainable from traditional cameras, and discuss extensions for multiphoton hyperentangled states. Our method hinges on the spatial DOF of the photon and uses it to encode the quantum information from the other DOFs. We numerically demonstrate this method for single-photon OAM-spin and OAM-frequency entangled states using an ideal coupler and a multimode fiber, to perform the information mixing and transfer the encoding to spatial information, where it is detected using a simple camera. This technique simplifies the experimental setup and reduces acquisition time compared to traditional QST-based methods. Moreover, it allows the recovery of DOFs that conventional cameras cannot detect, such as polarization, thus eliminating the need for projection measurements.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

A Counterexample to the Optimality Conjecture in Convex Quantum Channel Optimization

This paper presents a counterexample to the optimality conjecture for the trace distance based optimal state transformation problem proposed by Coutts et al. [Quantum 5, 448 (2021)]. The conjecture posits that for the trace distance based optimal state transformation problem, applying the sign function to the error matrix uniquely determines a dual certificate for every optimal solution. By constructing a counterexample in 2-dimensional Hilbert spaces, we disprove this conjecture.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Benchmarking Lie-Algebraic Pretraining and Non-Variational QWOA for the MaxCut Problem

The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) is a leading candidate for achieving quantum advantage in combinatorial optimization on Near-Term Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices. However, random initialization of the variational parameters typically leads to vanishing gradients, rendering standard variational optimization ineffective. This paper provides a comparative performance analysis of two distinct strategies designed to improve trainability: Lie algebraic pretraining framework that uses Lie-algebraic classical simulation to find near-optimal initializations, and non-variational QWOA (NV-QWOA) that targets a restrict parameter subspace covered by 3 hyperparameters. We benchmark both methods on the unweighted Maxcut problem using a circuit depth of $p = 256$ across 200 Erdős-Rényi and 200 3-regular graphs, each with 16 vertices. Both approaches significantly improve upon the standard randomly initialized QWOA. NV-QWOA attains a mean approximation ratio of 98.9% in just 60 iterations, while the Lie-algebraic pretrained QWOA improves to 77.71% after 500 iterations. That optimization proceeds more quickly for NV-QWOA is not surprising given its significantly smaller parameter space, however, that an algorithm with so few tunable parameters reliably finds near-optimal solutions is remarkable. These findings suggest that the structured parameterization of NV-QWOA offers a more robust training approach than pretraining on lower-dimensional auxiliary problems. Future work is needed to confirm scaling to larger problem sizes and to asses generalization to other problem classes.
Read the full abstract

All authors Matthaus Zering, Jolyon Joyce, Tal Gurfinkel, Jingbo Wang

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Bell nonlocality and entanglement in $\chi_{cJ}$ decays into baryon pair

We present a systematic analysis of Bell nonlocality and entanglement in $\chi_{cJ}$($J=0,1,2$) decays into baryon pair($B\bar{B}$), with particular emphasis on their production via the process $e^+e^- \to \psi(2S) \to \gamma \chi_{cJ}$ at BESIII. From the baryon-antibaryon spin density matrix, we construct measurable Bell observables and concurrence, revealing a striking hierarchy of quantum correlations: $\chi_{c0}$ decays exhibit maximal violation and entanglement; $\chi_{c1}$ decays violate Bell inequalities for $\theta_1 \in (0, \pi)$ with angle-modulated strength; we find that the $B\bar{B}$ pair in $\chi_{c2}$ decays is in a separable state, and no indication of Bell inequality violation is observed. We provide complete analytical results for $J=0,1$ and quantitative, uncertainty-aware estimations for $J=2$ based on experimental inputs from BESIII. These results establish the $\chi_{cJ}$ system produced via this radiative transition as a novel and promising platform for testing quantum entanglement and Bell nonlocality in high-energy collisions.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Simulating Fully Gauge-Fixed SU(2) Hamiltonian Dynamics on Digital Quantum Computers

Quantum simulations of many-body systems offer novel methods for probing the dynamics of the Standard Model and its constituent gauge theories. Extracting low-energy predictions from such simulations rely on formulating systematically-improvable representations of lattice gauge theory Hamiltonians that are efficient at all values of the gauge coupling. One such candidate representation for SU(2) is the fully gauge-fixed Hamiltonian defined in the mixed basis. This work focuses on the quantum simulation of the smallest non-trivial system: two plaquettes with open boundary conditions. A mapping of the continuous gauge field degrees of freedom to qubit-based representations is developed. It is found that as few as three qubits per plaquette is sufficient to reach per-mille level precision on predictions for observables. Two distinct algorithms for implementing time evolution in the mixed basis are developed and analyzed in terms of quantum resource estimates. One algorithm has favorable scaling in circuit depth for large numbers of qubits, while the other is more practical when qubit count is limited. The latter algorithm is used in the measurement of a real-time observable on IBM's Heron superconducting quantum processor, ibm_fez. The quantum results match classical predictions at the percent-level. This work lays out a path forward for two- and three-dimensional simulations of larger systems, as well as demonstrating the viability of mixed-basis formulations for studying the properties of SU(2) gauge theories at all values of the gauge coupling.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

An asymmetric and fast Rydberg gate protocol for entanglement outside of the blockade regime

We analyze a new Rydberg gate design based on the original $\pi-2\pi-\pi$ protocol [Jaksch, et. al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2208 (2000)] that is modified to enable high fidelity operation without requiring a strong Rydberg interaction. The gate retains the $\pi-2\pi-\pi$ structure with an additional detuning added to the $2\pi$ pulse on the target qubit. The protocol reaches within a factor of 2.39 (1.68) of the fundamental fidelity limit set by Rydberg lifetime for equal (asymmetric) Rabi frequencies on the control and target qubits. We generalize the gate protocol to arbitrary controlled phases. We design optimal target-qubit phase waveforms to generalize the gate across a range of interaction strengths and we find that, within this family of gates, the constant-phase protocol is time-optimal for a fixed laser Rabi frequency and tunable interaction strength. Quantum control techniques are used to design gates that are robust against variations in Rydberg Rabi frequency or interaction strength.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

A method for robust spin relaxometry in the presence of imperfect state preparation

Spin relaxometry based on quantum spin systems has developed as a valuable tool in medical and condensed matter systems, offering the advantage of operating without the need for external DC or RF fields. Spin relaxometry with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers has been applied to paramagnetic sensing using both single crystal diamond and nanodiamond materials. However, these methods often suffer from artifacts and systematic uncertainties, particularly due to imperfect spin state preparation, leading to artificially fast T$_1$ relaxation times. Current analysis techniques fail to adequately account for these issues, limiting the precision of parameter estimation. In this work, we introduce a minimal fitting procedure that enables more robust parameter estimation in the presence of imperfect spin polarization. Our model improves upon existing approaches by offering more accurate fits and provides a framework for efficiently parallelizing single-spin dynamics studies.
Read the full abstract

All authors Ella P. Walsh, Sepehr Ahmadi, Alexander J. Healey, David A. Simpson, Liam T. Hall

Saturday 27 December

Quantum Physics

Landauer cost in a continuous vacuum/no-vacuum measurement

We study the thermodynamic cost of maintaining a continuous binary record of a vacuum or no-vacuum measurement. Modeling the monitoring as a time-binned click or no-click process with finite bandwidth, we treat the outcomes as a classical register that is reset after each bin. Landauer's principle then yields an operational lower bound on the dissipated heat rate set by the Shannon entropy rate of the measurement record. We discuss the role of coarse-graining, extend the analysis to many monitored modes, including correlations and compressibility, and provide parameter estimates for circuit-QED photon monitoring, with a speculative horizon-based bookkeeping illustration.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Variational quantum algorithm for solving Helmholtz problems with high order finite elements

Discretizing Helmholtz problems via finite elements yields linear systems whose efficient solution remains a major challenge for classical computation. In this paper, we investigate how variational quantum algorithms could address this challenge. We first show that, for regular meshes, a block encoding of the operators $A$ and $A^\dagger A$ arising from the high-order finite element discretisation of Helmholtz problems can be designed, resulting in a quantum circuit of depth $\mathcal{O}(p^3\mathrm{poly}\log(Np))$ with $N$ the number of elements and $p$ the order of the finite elements. Then we apply our algorithm to a one-dimensional Helmholtz problem with Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions for various wavenumbers.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-th

Affine Symmetry and the Group-Theoretic Basis of the Unruh Effect

A massless scalar field in two spacetime dimensions splits into two independent sectors of left and right-moving modes on the light cone. At the quantum level, these two sectors carry a representation of the group of affine transformations of the real line, with translations corresponding to transformations generated by light-cone momenta and dilations given by light-cone Rindler momenta formed by a linear combination of generators of boosts and dilations. One-particle states for inertial observers are eigenvectors of translation generators belonging to irreducible representations of the affine group. Rindler one-particle states are related to eigenfunctions of the generator of dilations. We show that simple manipulations connecting these two representations involving the Mellin transform can be used to derive the thermal spectrum of Rindler particles observed by an accelerated observer. Beyond providing a representation-theoretic basis for vacuum thermal effects, our results suggest that analogous phenomena may arise in any quantum system admitting realizations of translation and dilation eigenstates.
Read the full abstract

All authors Michele Arzano, Alessandra D'Alise, Simone del Rosso, Domenico Frattulillo

Quantum Physics

Measuring out-of-time-order correlators on a quantum computer based on an irreversibility-susceptibility method

The out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) is a powerful tool for probing quantum information scrambling, a fundamental process by which local information spreads irreversibly throughout a quantum many-body system. Experimentally measuring the OTOC, however, is notoriously challenging due to the need for time-reversed evolution. Here, we present an experimental evaluation of the OTOC on a quantum computer, using three distinct protocols to address this challenge: the rewinding time method (RTM), the weak-measurement method (WMM), and the irreversibility-susceptibility method (ISM). Our experiments investigate the quantum dynamics of an XXZ spin-1/2 chain prepared in a thermal Gibbs state. As a key contribution, we provide the first experimental demonstration of the ISM, using the trapped-ion quantum computer, reimei. We also conduct a detailed comparative analysis of all three methods, revealing method-dependent behaviors in the measured OTOC. This work not only validates these protocols as practical tools for exploring quantum chaos on near-term hardware but also offers crucial insights into their respective advantages and limitations, providing a practical framework for future experimental investigations.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Nonadiabatic Self-Healing of Trotter Errors in Digitized Counterdiabatic Dynamics

Trotter errors in digitized quantum dynamics arise from approximating time-ordered evolution under noncommuting Hamiltonian terms with a product formula. In the adiabatic regime, such errors are known to exhibit long-time self-healing [Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 060602 (2023)], where discretization effects are effectively suppressed. Here we show that self-healing persists at finite evolution times once nonadiabatic errors induced by finite-speed ramps are compensated. Using counterdiabatic driving to cancel diabatic transitions and isolate discretization effects, we study both noninteracting and interacting spin models and characterize the finite-time scaling with the Trotter steps and the total evolution time. In the instantaneous eigenbasis of the driven Hamiltonian, the leading digital error maps to an effective harmonic perturbation whose dominant Fourier component yields an analytic upper bound on the finite-time Trotter error and reveals the phase-cancellation mechanism underlying self-healing. Our results establish finite-time self-healing as a generic feature of digitized counterdiabatic protocols, clarify its mechanism beyond the long-time adiabatic limit, and provide practical guidance for high-fidelity state preparation on gate-based quantum processors.
Read the full abstract

All authors Mara Vizzuso, Gianluca Passarelli, Giovanni Cantele, Procolo Lucignano, Xi Chen, Koushik Paul

Quantum Physics

1d-qt-ideal-solver: 1D Idealized Quantum Tunneling Solver with Absorbing Boundaries

We present 1d-qt-ideal-solver, an open-source Python library for simulating one-dimensional quantum tunneling dynamics under idealized coherent conditions. The solver implements the split-operator method with second-order Trotter-Suzuki factorization, utilizing FFT-based spectral differentiation for the kinetic operator and complex absorbing potentials to eliminate boundary reflections. Numba just-in-time compilation achieves performance comparable to compiled languages while maintaining code accessibility. We validate the implementation through two canonical test cases: rectangular barriers modeling field emission through oxide layers and Gaussian barriers approximating scanning tunneling microscopy interactions. Both simulations achieve exceptional numerical fidelity with machine-precision energy conservation over femtosecond-scale propagation. Comparative analysis employing information-theoretic measures and nonparametric hypothesis tests reveals that rectangular barriers exhibit moderately higher transmission coefficients than Gaussian barriers in the over-barrier regime, though Jensen-Shannon divergence analysis indicates modest practical differences between geometries. Phase space analysis confirms complete decoherence when averaged over spatial-temporal domains. The library name reflects its scope: idealized signifies deliberate exclusion of dissipation, environmental coupling, and many-body interactions, limiting applicability to qualitative insights and pedagogical purposes rather than quantitative experimental predictions. Distributed under the MIT License, the library provides a deployable tool for teaching quantum mechanics and preliminary exploration of tunneling dynamics.
Read the full abstract

All authors Sandy Hardian Susanto Herho, Sito Fossy Biosa, Siti Nurzannah Kaban, Rusmawan Suwarman, Iwan Pramesti Anwar, Nurjanna Joko Trilaksono, Dasapta Erwin Irawan

Quantum Physics

Asymmetry effects in homodyne and heterodyne measurements: Positive operator-valued measures and asymptotic security of Gaussian-continuous-variable quantum key distribution

We use the Gaussian approximation describing photocount statistics for both the homodyne and the double homodyne (heterodyne) measurements to study asymmetry effects arising from imbalance of the beam splitters and variations in quantum efficiencies of the photodetectors. After computing the $Q$ symbols of the positive operator-valued measures (POVMs) of noisy measurements that take into account the asymmetry effects, the operator representations for the POVMs are obtained in the form that assumes applying the additive noise quantum channel to the POVMs of noiseless (ideal) measurements. For double homodyne detection, it was found that the noiseless measurements should generally be expressed in terms of the projectors onto squeezed-states and the corresponding squeezed-state operator representation of POVM along with the measurement noise channel depend on the squeezing parameter that lies in the interval dictated by the condition for the excess noise covariance matrix to be positive semi-definite. The analytical results are used to perform analysis of the asymptotic security of the Gaussian-modulated continuous variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocol in the untrusted-noise scenario where the measurement noise is assumed to be accessible to an adversary. The inherent non-uniqueness of the operator representation for the double-homodyne POVM manifests itself in the squeezing dependent Holevo information that needs to be additionally optimized. For both types of the measurements, the mutual information, the Holevo information and the asymptotic secret fraction are sensitive to asymmetry effects leading to degraded performance of the protocol.
Read the full abstract