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)

Tuesday 20 January

Quantum Physics

Vacuum Torque Without Anisotropy: Switchable Casimir Torque Between Altermagnets

Casimir torque is conventionally associated with explicit breaking of rotational symmetry, arising from material dielectric anisotropy, geometric asymmetry, or externally applied fields that themselves break rotational invariance. Here we demonstrate a fundamentally different mechanism: an axially symmetric magnetic field can generate a Casimir torque by inducing an axially asymmetric Casimir energy - and can even reverse the torque's sign. Focusing on two-dimensional altermagnets, we show that a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the plane - while preserving in-plane rotational symmetry - activates an orientation-dependent vacuum interaction through the combined crystalline symmetry $\mathrm{C_n T}$ inherent to altermagnetic order. The resulting torque emerges continuously and scales quadratically with the magnetic field strength. We further analyze its temperature and distance dependence, revealing scaling behaviors that are qualitatively different from those found in uniaxial bulk materials. Our results identify time-reversal symmetry breaking as a powerful route for engineering both the sign and strength of Casimir torque and establish altermagnets as an exciting platform for exploring phenomena driven by vacuum quantum fluctuations.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Vanishing correlations in stochastic and bistochastic controlled circuits

We study the dynamics of circuits composed of stochastic and bistochastic controlled gates. This type of dynamics arises from quantum circuits with random controlled gates, as well as in stochastic circuits and deterministic classical cellular automata. We prove that stochastic and bistochastic controlled gates lead to two-point spatiotemporal correlation functions that vanish everywhere except when the two operators act on the same site. More generally, for multipoint correlations the two rightmost operators must act on the same site. We argue that autocorrelation, while hard to compute, typically decays exponentially toward a value that is exponentially small in the system size. Our results reveal a broad class of quantum systems that exhibit surprisingly simple correlation structures despite their complex microscopic dynamics.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Towards Device-Independent Quantum Key Distribution with Photonic Devices

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols enable two distant parties to communicate with information-theoretically proven secrecy. However, these protocols are generally vulnerable to potential mismatches between the physical modeling and the implementation of their quantum operations, thereby opening opportunities for side channel attacks. Device-Independent (DI) QKD addresses this problem by reducing the degree of device modeling to a black-box setting. The stronger security obtained in this way comes at the cost of a reduced noise tolerance, rendering experimental demonstrations more challenging: so far, only one experiment based on trapped ions was able to successfully generate a secret key. Photonic platforms have however long been preferred for QKD thanks to their suitability to optical fiber transmission, high repetition rates, readily available hardware, and potential for circuit integration. In this work, we assess the feasibility of DIQKD on a photonic circuit recently identified by machine learning techniques. For this, we introduce an efficient converging hierarchy of semi-definite programs (SDP) to bound the conditional von Neumann entropy and develop a finite-statistics analysis that takes into account full outcome statistics. Our analysis shows that the proposed optical circuit is sufficiently resistant to noise to make an experimental realization realistic.
Read the full abstract

All authors Corentin Lanore, Xavier Valcarce, Jean Etesse, Anthony Martin, Jean-Daniel Bancal

Quantum Physics

Advances in non-Hermitian dynamics of quadratic bosonic systems

Non-Hermitian physics has emerged as a rapidly advancing field of research, revealing a range of novel phenomena and potential applications. Traditional non-Hermitian Hamiltonians are typically simulated by constructing asymmetric couplings or by introducing dissipation and gain to realize non-Hermitian systems. The quadratic bosonic system (QBS) with squeezing interaction is intrinsically Hermitian; however, its dynamical evolution matrix in both real and momentum spaces is non-Hermitian. Based on this, applying a field-operator transformation xp to the dynamical evolution matrix yields quadrature nonreciprocal transmission between the x and p operators. This nonreciprocal characteristic can be utilized in signal amplifiers. On the other hand, within the Bogoliubov-de Gennes framework in momentum space, one can observe non-Hermitian topological phenomena such as point-gap topology and the non-Hermitian skin effect, both induced by spectra with nonzero winding numbers. Additionally, QBS can be employed to realize non-Hermitian Aharonov-Bohm cages and to extend non-Bloch band theory. Previous studies in non-Hermitian physics have largely concentrated on classical systems. The influence of non-Hermitian properties on quantum effects remains a key issue awaiting exploration and has evolved into a research direction at the interface of non-Hermitian and quantum physics.
Read the full abstract

All authors Huawei Zhao, Xinlei Liu, Xinyao Huang, Guofeng Zhang

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-th

Evolution of Vortex Strings after a Thermal Quench in a Holographic Superfluid

The formation of topological defects during continuous phase transitions exhibits nonequilibrium universality. While the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) predicts universal scaling of point-like defect numbers under slow driving, the statistical properties of extended defects remain largely unexplored across both slow and fast protocols. We investigate vortex string formation in a three-dimensional holographic superfluid. For slow quenches, the vortex string number follows KZM scaling, while for rapid quenches, it exhibits complementary universal scaling governed by the final temperature. Beyond the vortex string number, the loop-length distribution reveals a richer structure: individual loops follow the first-return statistics of three-dimensional random walks, $P(\ell) \sim \ell^{-5/2}$. While the total vortex length distribution remains Gaussian, its cumulants obey universal scaling laws with varying power-law exponents, and thus differ markedly from those observed in point-defect systems, indicating distinct statistical features of extended topological defects.
Read the full abstract

All authors Chuan-Yin Xia, András Grabarits, Hua-Bi Zeng, Adolfo del Campo

Quantum Physics

Deep Learning Approaches to Quantum Error Mitigation

We present a systematic investigation of deep learning methods applied to quantum error mitigation of noisy output probability distributions from measured quantum circuits. We compare different architectures, from fully connected neural networks to transformers, and we test different design/training modalities, identifying sequence-to-sequence, attention-based models as the most effective on our datasets. These models consistently produce mitigated distributions that are closer to the ideal outputs when tested on both simulated and real device data obtained from IBM superconducting quantum processing units (QPU) up to five qubits. Across several different circuit depths, our approach outperforms other baseline error mitigation techniques. We perform a series of ablation studies to examine: how different input features (circuit, device properties, noisy output statistics) affect performance; cross-dataset generalization across circuit families; and transfer learning to a different IBM QPU. We observe that generalization performance across similar devices with the same architecture works effectively, without needing to fully retrain models.
Read the full abstract

All authors Leonardo Placidi, Ifan Williams, Enrico Rinaldi, Daniel Mills, Cristina Cîrstoiu, Vanya Eccles, Ross Duncan

Quantum Physics

Group Fourier filtering of quantum resources in quantum phase space

Recently, it has been shown that group Fourier analysis of quantum states, i.e., decomposing them into the irreducible representations (irreps) of a symmetry group, enables new ways to characterize their resourcefulness. Given that quantum phase spaces (QPSs) provide an alternative description of quantum systems, and thus of the group's representation, one may wonder how such harmonic analysis changes. In this work we show that for general compact Lie-group quantum resource theories (QRTs), the entire family of Stratonovich-Weyl quantum phase space representations-characterized by the Cahill-Glauber parameter $s$-has a clear resource-theoretic and signal-processing meaning. Specifically, changing $s$ implements a group Fourier filter that can be continuously tuned to favor low-dimensional irreps where free states have most of their support ($s=-1$), leave the spectrum unchanged ($s=0$), or highlight resourceful, high-dimensional irreps ($s=1$). As such, distinct QPSs constitute veritable group Fourier filters for resources. Moreover, we show that the norms of the QRT's free state Fourier components completely characterize all QPSs. Finally, we uncover an $s$-duality relating the phase space spectra of free states and typical (Haar-random) highly resourceful states through a shift in $s$. Overall, our results provide a new interpretation of QPSs and promote them to a signal-processing framework for diagnosing, filtering, and visualizing quantum resources.
Read the full abstract

All authors Luke Coffman, N. L. Diaz, Martin Larocca, Maria Schuld, M. Cerezo

Quantum Physics

Locality forces equal energy spacing of quantum many-body scar towers

Quantum many-body scars are non-thermal eigenstates embedded in the spectra of otherwise non-integrable Hamiltonians. Paradigmatic examples often appear as quasiparticle towers of states, such as the maximally ferromagnetic spin-1/2 states, also known as Dicke states. A distinguishing feature of quantum many-body scars is that they admit multiple local "parent" Hamiltonians for which they are exact eigenstates. In this work, we show that the locality of such parent Hamiltonians strongly constrains the relative placement of these states within the energy spectrum. In particular, we prove that if the full set of Dicke states are exact eigenstates of an extensive local Hamiltonian, then their energies must necessarily be equally spaced. Our proof builds on recent results concerning parent Hamiltonians of the $W$ state, together with general algebraic structures underlying such quasiparticle towers. We further demonstrate that this equal spacing property extends to local Hamiltonians defined on arbitrary bounded-degree graphs, including regular lattices in any spatial dimension and expander graphs. Hamiltonians with $k$-local interactions and a bounded number of interaction terms per site are also encompassed by our proof. On the same classes of graphs, we additionally establish equal spacing for towers constructed from multi-site quasiparticles on top of product states. For the towers considered here, an immediate corollary of the equal spacing property is that any state initialized entirely within the quantum many-body scar manifold exhibits completely frozen entanglement dynamics under any local Hamiltonian for which those scars are exact eigenstates. Overall, our results reveal a stringent interplay between locality and the structure of quantum many-body scars.
Read the full abstract

All authors Nicholas O'Dea, Lei Gioia, Sanjay Moudgalya, Olexei I. Motrunich

Quantum Physics

Native linear-optical protocol for efficient multivariate trace estimation

The Hong-Ou-Mandel test estimates the overlap between spectral functions characterizing the internal degrees of freedom of two single photons. It can be viewed as a photon-native protocol that implements the well-known quantum SWAP test. Here, we propose a native linear-optical protocol that efficiently estimates multivariate traces of quantum states called Bargmann invariants, which are ubiquitous in quantum mechanics. Our protocol may be understood as a photon-native version of the cycle test in the circuit model, which encompasses many-photon multimode quantum states. We show the protocol is sample-efficient and discuss applications, such as generalized suppression laws, efficient quantum kernel estimation for quantum machine learning, eigenspectrum estimation, and the characterization of multiphoton indistinguishability.
Read the full abstract

All authors Leonardo Novo, Marco Robbio, Ernesto F. Galvão, Nicolas J. Cerf

Quantum Physics

Device-independent quantum memory certification in two-point measurement experiments

Quantum memories are key components of emerging quantum technologies. They are designed to store quantum states and retrieve them on demand without losing features such as superposition and entanglement. Verifying that a memory preserves these features is indispensable for applications such as quantum computation, cryptography and networks, yet no general and assumption-free method has been available. Here, we present a device-independent approach for certifying black-box quantum memories, requiring no trust in any part of the experimental setup. We do so by probing quantum systems at two points in time and then confronting the observed temporal correlations against classical causal models through violations of causal inequalities. We perform a proof-of-principle experiment in a trapped-ion quantum processor, where we certify 35 ms of a qubit memory. Our method establishes temporal correlations and causal modelling as practical and powerful tool for benchmarking key ingredients of quantum technologies, such as quantum gates or implementations of algorithms.
Read the full abstract

All authors Leonardo S. V. Santos, Peter Tirler, Michael Meth, Lukas Gerster, Manuel John, Keshav Pareek, Tim Gollerthan, Martin Ringbauer, Otfried Gühne

Quantum Physics

Localizable Entanglement as an Order Parameter for Measurement-Induced Phase Transitions

We identify localizable entanglement (LE) as an order parameter for measurement-induced phase transitions (MIPT). LE exhibits universal finite-size scaling with critical exponents that match previous MIPT results and gives a nice operational interpretation connecting MIPTs to classical percolation. Remarkably, we find that LE decays exponentially with distance in the area-law phase as opposed to being essentially constant for the volume-law phase thereby, discover an intrinsic length scale $\xi_E$ that diverges at the critical measurement probability $p_c$. While classical percolation transition captures successful transport across a network, MIPT as characterized by LE can be interpreted as quantifying the amount of quantum teleportation between two given nodes in a quantum circuit. Building on this insight, we propose a two-ancilla protocol that provides an experimentally accessible readout of entanglement redistribution across the transition.
Read the full abstract

2601.14185 · 20 Jan · 8 pages, 6 figures. Identifies localizable entanglement as an operational order parameter for measurement-induced phase transitions in monitored quantum circuits. Reveals an emergent entanglement correlation length whose divergence allows extraction of the critical exponent from single-system-size data.A two-ancilla protocol provides an experimentally accessible probe of the transition

Quantum Physics

Sharp Inequalities for Schur-Convex Functionals of Partial Traces over Unitary Orbits

While many bounds have been proved for partial trace inequalities over the last decades for a large variety of quantities, recent problems in quantum information theory demand sharper bounds. In this work, we study optimal bounds for partial trace quantities in terms of the spectrum; equivalently, we determine the best bounds attainable over unitary orbits of matrices. We solve this question for Schur-convex functionals acting on a single partial trace in terms of eigenvalues for self-adjoint matrices and then we extend these results to singular values of general matrices. We subsequently extend the study to Schur-convex functionals that act on several partial traces simultaneously and present sufficient conditions for sharpness. In cases where closed-form maximizers cannot be identified, we present quadratic programs that yield new computable upper bounds for any Schur-convex functional. We additionally present examples demonstrating improvements over previously known bounds. Finally, we conclude with the study of optimal bounds for an $n$-qubit system and its subsystems of dimension $2$.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Information transport and transport-induced entanglement in open fermion chains

Understanding the entanglement dynamics in quantum many-body systems under steady-state transport conditions is an actively pursued challenging topic. Hydrodynamic equations, akin to transport equations for charge or heat, would be of great interest but face severe challenges because of the inherent nonlocality of entanglement and the difficulty of identifying conservation laws. We show that progress is facilitated by using information as key quantity related to - but distinct from - entanglement. Employing the recently developed "information lattice" framework, we formulate general continuity equations governing the flow of spatially and scale-resolved information currents in nonequilibrium open quantum systems. To illustrate our theory, we consider noninteracting fermion chains coupled to dissipative reservoirs, using Lindblad master equations. By relating the information lattice to a noise lattice constructed from particle-number fluctuations, we show that information is experimentally accessible via noise measurements. Similarly, local information currents can be obtained by measuring particle currents, onsite occupations, and covariances of particle numbers and/or particle currents. Using the fermionic negativity to quantify bipartite entanglement, we also study transport-induced entanglement and its relation to information currents. For a clean particle-hole symmetric chain, we find that information currents are shielded from entering the information lattice. Impurities or particle-hole asymmetry break this effect, causing information current flow and entanglement between end segments of the chain. Our work opens the door to systematic investigations of information transport and entanglement generation in driven open quantum systems far from equilibrium.
Read the full abstract

All authors Andrea Nava, Claudia Artiaco, Yuval Gefen, Igor Gornyi, Mikheil Tsitsishvili, Alex Zazunov, Reinhold Egger

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

The $O(n\to\infty)$ Rotor Model and the Quantum Spherical Model on Graphs

We show that the large $n$ limit of the $O(n)$ quantum rotor model defined on a general graph has the same critical behavior as the corresponding quantum spherical model and that the critical exponents depend solely on the spectral dimension $d_s$ of the graph. To this end, we employ a classical to quantum mapping and use known results for the large $n$ limit of the classical $O(n)$ model on graphs. Away from the critical point, we discuss the interplay between the Laplacian and the Adjacency matrix in the whole parameter plane of the quantum Hamiltonian. These results allow us to paint the full picture of the $O(n)$ quantum rotor model on graphs in the large $n$ limit.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Quantum Pontus-Mpemba Effect Enabled by the Liouvillian Skin Effect

We unveil a quantum Pontus-Mpemba effect enabled by the Liouvillian skin effect in a dissipative tight-binding chain with asymmetric incoherent hopping and coherent boundary coupling. The skin effect, induced by non-reciprocal dissipation, localizes relaxation modes near the system boundaries and gives rise to non-orthogonal spectral geometry. While such non-normality is often linked to slow relaxation, we show that it can instead accelerate relaxation through a two-step protocol - realizing a quantum Pontus-Mpemba effect. Specifically, we consider a one-dimensional open chain with coherent hopping $J$, asymmetric incoherent hoppings $J_{\rm R} \neq J_{\rm L}$, and a controllable end-to-end coupling $\epsilon$. For $\epsilon=0$, the system exhibits the Liouvillian skin effect, with left and right eigenmodes localized at opposite edges. We compare two relaxation protocols toward the same stationary state: (i) a direct relaxation with $\epsilon=0$, and (ii) a two-step (Pontus) protocol where a brief coherent evolution transfers the excitation across the lattice before relaxation. Although both share the same asymptotic decay rate, the two-step protocol relaxes significantly faster due to its reduced overlap with the slow boundary-localized Liouvillian mode. The effect disappears when $J_{\rm R}=J_{\rm L}$, i.e., when the skin effect vanishes. Our results reveal a clear connection between boundary-induced non-normality and protocol-dependent relaxation acceleration, suggesting new routes for controlling dissipation and transient dynamics in open quantum systems.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Generalised contextuality of continuous variable quantum theory can be revealed with a single projective measurement

Generalized contextuality is a possible indicator of non-classical behaviour in quantum information theory. In finite-dimensional systems, this is justified by the fact that noncontextual theories can be embedded into some simplex, i.e. into a classical theory. We show that a direct application of the standard definition of generalized contextuality to continuous variable systems does not envelope the statistics of some basic measurements, such as the position observable. In other words, we construct families of fully classical, i.e. commuting, measurements that nevertheless can be used to show contextuality of quantum theory. To overcome the apparent disagreement between the two notions of classicality, that is commutativity and noncontextuality, we propose a modified definition of generalised contextuality for continuous-variable systems. The modified definition is based on a physically-motivated approximation procedure, that uses only finite sets of measurement effects. We prove that in the limiting case this definition corresponds exactly to an extension of noncontextual models that benefits from non-constructive response functions. In the process, we discuss the extension of a known connection between contextuality and no-broadcasting to the continuous-variable scenario, and prove structural results regarding fixed points of infinite-dimensional entanglement breaking channels.
Read the full abstract

All authors Pauli Jokinen, Mirjam Weilenmann, Martin Plávala, Juha-Pekka Pellonpää, Jukka Kiukas, Roope Uola

Quantum Physics

Performance enhancing of hybrid quantum-classical Benders approach for MILP optimization

Mixed-integer linear programming problems are extensively used in industry for a wide range of optimization tasks. However, as they get larger, they present computational challenges for classical solvers within practical time limits. Quantum annealers can, in principle, accelerate the solution of problems formulated as quadratic unconstrained binary optimization instances, but their limited scale currently prevents achieving practical speedups. Quantum-classical algorithms have been proposed to take advantage of both paradigms and to allow current quantum computers to be used in larger problems. In this work, a hardware-agnostic Benders' decomposition algorithm and a series of enhancements with the goal of taking the most advantage of quantum computing are presented. The decomposition consists of a master problem with integer variables, which is reformulated as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problem and solved with a quantum annealer, and a linear subproblem solved by a classical computer. The enhancements consist, among others, of different embedding processes that substantially reduce the pre-processing time of the embedding computation without compromising solution quality, a conservative handling of cut constraints, and a stopping criterion that accounts for the limited size of current quantum computers and their heuristic nature. The proposed algorithm is benchmarked against classical approaches using a D-Wave quantum annealer for a scalable family of transmission network expansion planning problems.
Read the full abstract

All authors Sergio López-Baños, Elisabeth Lobe, Ontje Lünsdorf, Oriol Raventós

Quantum Physics

The rate of purification of quantum trajectories

We investigate the behavior of quantum trajectories conditioned on measurement outcomes. Under a condition related to the absence of so-called dark subspaces, Kümmerer and Maassen had shown that such trajectories almost surely purify in the long run. In this article, we first present a simple alternative proof of this result using Lyapunov methods. We then strengthen the conclusion by proving that purification actually occurs at an exponential rate in expectation, again using a Lyapunov approach. Furthermore, we address the quantum state estimation problem by propagating two trajectories under the same measurement record–one from the true initial state and the other from an arbitrary initial guess–and show that the estimated trajectory converges exponentially fast to the true one, thus quantifying the rate at which information is progressively revealed through the measurement process.
Read the full abstract

All authors Maël Bompais, Nina H. Amini, Juan P. Garrahan, Mădălin Guţă

Quantum Physics

Tripartite quantum correlations obtained by post-selection from twin beams

Spatially-resolved photon counting of a twin beam performed by an iCCD camera allows for versatile tailoring the properties of the beams formed by parts of the original twin beam. Dividing the idler beam of the twin beam into three equally-intense parts and post-selecting by detecting a given number of photocounts in the whole signal beam we arrive at the idler fields exhibiting high degrees of nonclassicality and being endowed with tripartite quantum correlations. Nonclassicality is analyzed with the help of suitable nonclassicality witnesses and their corresponding nonclassicality depths. Suitable parameters are introduced to quantify quantum correlations. These parameters are analyzed as they depend on the field intensity. The experimental photocount histograms are reconstructed by the maximum-likelihood approach and the obtained photon-number distributions are compared with a suitable model in which the original twin beam is approximated by an appropriate multi-mode Gaussian field and undergoes the corresponding beams' transformations.
Read the full abstract

All authors Pavel Pavlicek, Jan Perina Jr., Vaclav Michalek, Radek Machulka, Ondrej Haderka

Quantum Physics

Optimal Construction of Two-Qubit Gates using the Symmetries of B Gate Equivalence Class

Two applications of gates from the B gate equivalence class can generate all two-qubit gates. This local equivalence class is invariant under the mirror (multiplication with the SWAP gate) operation, inverse (Hermitian conjugate) operation, and the combined inverse and mirror operations. The last two symmetries are associated with the ability of a two-qubit gate to generate the two-qubit local gates and the SWAP gate in two applications. No single local equivalence class of two-qubit gates, except the B gate equivalence class, has these two symmetries. Only the planar regions of the Weyl chamber, describing the mirror operation, contain the local equivalence classes with either one of the two symmetries. We show that there exist one-parameter families of local equivalence classes on these planes, with and without the B gate equivalence class, such that each of them can be used to construct a parameterized universal two-qubit quantum circuit that involves only two nonlocal two-qubit gates. We also discuss the implementation of the gates from a few families of local equivalence classes on superconducting quantum computers for optimal generation of all two-qubit gates. We provide upper bounds on the number of two-qubit gates required to generate an arbitrary $n$-qubit gate for two families, each of which is conjectured to generate all two-qubit gates in two applications. We show that there exists a positive correlation between the area of the convex hull of the squared eigenvalues of the nonlocal part of a parameterized two-qubit gate and the fractional volume of the Weyl chamber covered in two applications of the parameterized two-qubit gate for two families of local equivalence classes.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Experimental Evidence-Based Sub-Rayleigh Source Discrimination

We propose a Bayesian evidence-based inference framework based on relative belief ratios and apply it to discriminating between one and two incoherent optical point sources using spatial-mode demultiplexing (SPADE). Unlike the Helstrom measurement, SPADE require no collective detection and its optimal for asymptotically large samples. Our method avoids ad hoc statistical constructs and relies solely on the information contained in the data, with all assumptions entering only through the likelihood model and prior beliefs. Using experimental evidence, we demonstrate the superior resolving performance of SPADE over direct imaging from a new and extensible perspective; one that naturally generalizes to multiple sources and offers a practical robust approach to analyzing quantum-enhanced superresolution.
Read the full abstract

All authors Saurabh U. Shringarpure, Yong Siah Teo, Hyunseok Jeong, Michael Evans, Luis L. Sanchez-Soto, Antonin Grateau, Alexander Boeschoten, Nicolas Treps

Quantum Physics

A Converse Bound via the Nussbaum-Szkoła Mapping for Quantum Hypothesis Testing

Quantum hypothesis testing concerns the discrimination between quantum states. This paper introduces a novel lower bound for asymmetric quantum hypothesis testing that is based on the Nussbaum-Szkoła mapping. The lower bound provides a unified recovery of converse results across all major asymptotic regimes, including large-, moderate-, and small-deviations. Unlike existing bounds, which either rely on technically involved information-spectrum arguments or suffer from fixed prefactors and limited applicability in the non-asymptotic regime, the proposed bound arises from a single expression and enables, in some cases, the direct use of classical results. It is further demonstrated that the proposed bound provides accurate approximations to the optimal quantum error trade-off function at small blocklengths. Numerical comparisons with existing bounds, including those based on fidelity and information spectrum methods, highlight its improved tightness.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Tensor Network Assisted Distributed Variational Quantum Algorithm for Large Scale Combinatorial Optimization Problem

Although quantum computing holds promise for solving Combinatorial Optimization Problems (COPs), the limited qubit capacity of NISQ hardware makes large-scale instances intractable. Conventional methods attempt to bridge this gap through decomposition or compression, yet they frequently fail to capture global correlations of subsystems, leading to solutions of limited quality. We propose the Distributed Variational Quantum Algorithm (DVQA) to overcome these limitations, enabling the solution of 1,000-variable instances on constrained hardware. A key innovation of DVQA is its use of the truncated higher-order singular value decomposition to preserve inter-variable dependencies without relying on complex long-range entanglement, leading to a natural form of noise localization where errors scale with subsystem size rather than total qubit count, thus reconciling scalability with accuracy. Theoretical bounds confirm the algorithm's robustness for p-local Hamiltonians. Empirically, DVQA achieves state-of-the-art performance in simulations and has been experimentally validated on the Wu Kong quantum computer for portfolio optimization. This work provides a scalable, noise-resilient framework that advances the timeline for practical quantum optimization algorithms.
Read the full abstract

All authors Yuhan Huang, Siyuan Jin, Yichi Zhang, Qi Zhao, Jun Qi, Qiming Shao

Quantum Physics

Ultra Compact low cost two mode squeezed light source

Quantum-correlated states of light, such as squeezed states, constitute a fundamental resource for quantum technologies, enabling enhanced performance in quantum metrology, quantum information processing, and quantum communications. The practical deployment of such technologies requires squeezed-light sources that are compact, efficient, low-cost, and robust. Here we report a compact narrowband source of two-mode squeezed light at 795 nm based on four-wave mixing in hot 85Rb atomic vapor. The source is implemented in a small, modular architecture featuring a single fiber-coupled input, an electro-optic phase modulator combined with a single Fabry-Perot etalon for probe generation, and two free-space output modes corresponding to the signal and conjugate fields. Optimized for low pump power, the system achieves up to -8 dB of intensity-difference squeezing at an analysis frequency of 0.8 MHz with a pump power of only 300 mW. The intrinsic narrowband character of the generated quantum states makes this source particularly well suited for atomic-based quantum sensing and quantum networking, including interfaces with atomic quantum memories. Our results establish a versatile and portable platform for low-SWaP squeezed-light generation, paving the way toward deployable quantum-enhanced technologies.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Universal composite phase gates with tunable target phase

We present a systematic method for constructing universal composite phase gates with a continuously tunable target phase. Using a general Cayley–Klein parametrization of the single-pulse propagator, we design gates from an even number of nominal $\pi$ pulses and derive analytic phase families by canceling, order by order in a small deviation parameter, the leading contributions to the undesired off-diagonal element of the composite propagator, independently of the dynamical phase. The resulting sequences provide intrinsic robustness against generic control imperfections and parameter fluctuations and remain valid for arbitrary pulse shapes. Numerical simulations in a standard two-level model confirm high-order error suppression and demonstrate broad, flat high-fidelity plateaus over wide ranges of simultaneous pulse-area and detuning errors, highlighting the efficiency of the proposed universal composite phase gates for resilient phase control in quantum information processing.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Superradiance of entangled photon pairs from a high-density chip-scale Cs vapor cell

Superradiance is one of the most fundamental collective quantum phenomena in light-matter interactions and has been studied extensively since Dicke's seminal work. However, its practical implementation remains challenging because superradiant enhancement requires strict experiment conditions for strong collective coupling among emitters. Can superradiance emerge in a simple platform, such as an atomic vapor cell composed of thermally moving atoms? To address this question, we identify the key signatures of superradiance in a hot atomic ensemble and find a use case of superradiance using an atomic vapor cell. Here, the Photon-Pair SuperRadiance (PPSR) process in an atomic vapor cell provides a novel approach to generating superradiant quantum light from a practical atomic platform. We experimentally demonstrate a superradiant entangled photon-pair generation via PPSR process in a high-density, 1-mm-long chip-scale Cs vapor cell. The hot, dense atomic vapor cell allows the mean interatomic distance in the Doppler-broadened atomic ensemble to be reduced to 0.29 times the idler-photon wavelength, satisfying the condition for cooperative emission. The thin chip-scale geometry enables high atomic densities while mitigating the reabsorption of emitted photons and maintaining moderate optical depth. In this subwavelength regime, we clearly observe the temporal narrowing of the biphoton wavefunction from 0.60 ns to 0.17 ns due to a superradiant decay. This pronounced temporal compression provides strong evidence of collective superradiant emission in the chip-scale Cs vapor cell. Our PPSR source delivers a detected photon-pair rate exceeding 10^6 pairs/s while maintaining a high coincidence-to-accidental ratio of 280.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Low-Resource Quantum Energy Gap Estimation via Randomization

Estimating the energy spectra of quantum many-body systems is a fundamental task in quantum physics, with applications ranging from chemistry to condensed matter. Algorithmic shadow spectroscopy is a recent method that leverages randomized measurements on time-evolved quantum states to extract spectral information. However, implementing accurate time evolution with low-depth circuits remains a key challenge for near-term quantum hardware. In this work, we propose a hybrid quantum-classical protocol that integrates Time Evolution via Probabilistic Angle Interpolation (TE-PAI) into the shadow spectroscopy framework. TE-PAI enables the simulation of time evolution using shallow stochastic circuits while preserving unbiased estimates through quasiprobability sampling. We construct the combined estimator and derive its theoretical properties. Through numerical simulations, we demonstrate that our method accurately resolves energy gaps and exhibits enhanced robustness to gate noise compared to first-order Trotter-based shadow spectroscopy. We further validate the protocol experimentally on up to 20 qubits using IBM quantum hardware. This makes TE-PAI shadow spectroscopy a promising tool for spectral analysis on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices.
Read the full abstract

All authors Hugo Pages, Chusei Kiumi, Yuto Morohoshi, Bálint Koczor, Kosuke Mitarai

Quantum Physics

On spooky action at a distance and conditional probabilities

The aim of this exposé is to make explicit the analogy between the classical notion of non-independent probability distribution and the quantum notion of entangled state. To bring that analogy forth, we consider a classical systems with two dependent random variables and a quantum system with two components. In the classical case, afet observing one of the random variables, the underlying sample space and the probability distribution change. In the quantum case, when and event pertaining to one of the components is observed, the post-measurement state captures, both, the change in the state of the system and implicitly the new probability distribution. The predictions after a measurement in the classical case and in the quantum case, have to be computed with the conditional distribution given the value of the observed variable.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

A phase space approach to the wavefunction spreading and operator growth in the Krylov basis

In the Wigner-Weyl phase space formulation of quantum mechanics, we analyse the problem of the spreading of an initial state or an initial operator under time evolution when described in terms of the Krylov basis. After constructing the phase space functions corresponding to the Krylov basis states generated by a Hamiltonian from a given initial state by using the Weyl transformation, we subsequently use them to cast the Krylov state complexity as an integral over the phase space in terms of the Wigner function of the time-evolved initial state, so that the contribution of the classical Liouville equation and higher-order quantum corrections to the Wigner function time evolution equation towards the Krylov state complexity can be identified. Next, we construct the double phase space functions associated with the Krylov basis for operators by using a suitable generalisation of the Weyl transformation applicable for superoperators, and use them to rewrite the Krylov operator complexity as an integral over the double phase space in terms of a generalisation of the usual Wigner function. These results, in particular, show that the complexity measures based on the expansion of a time-evolved state (or an operator) in the Krylov basis can be thought to belong to a general class of complexity measures constructed from the expansion coefficients of the time-dependent Wigner function in an orthonormal basis in the phase space, and help us to connect these complexity measures with measures of complexity of time evolved state based on harmonic expansion of the time-dependent Wigner function.
Read the full abstract

Quantum Physics

Nonclassical photocounting statistics with a single on-off detector

Any single on-off photocounter, which can only detect the presence or absence of photons without discriminating their number, is not capable of identifying nonclassical nature of light. This limitation arises because any photocounting statistics obtained with such a detector can be easily reproduced with coherent states of a light mode. We show that a simple modification of an on-off detector – introducing controlled attenuation as a tunable setting – enables such detectors to reveal nonclassical properties of radiation fields.
Read the full abstract