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Thursday 5 February

Quantum Physics

Adaptive controllable architecture of analog Ising machine

As a quantum-inspired, non-traditional analog solver architecture, the analog Ising machine (AIM) has emerged as a distinctive computational paradigm to address the rapidly growing demand for computational power. However, the mathematical understanding of its principles, as well as the optimization of its solution speed and accuracy, remain unclear. In this work, we for the first time systematically discuss multiple implementations of AIM and establish a unified mathematical formulation. On this basis, by treating the binarization constraint of AIM (such as injection locking) as a Lagrange multiplier in optimization theory and combining it with a Lyapunov analysis from dynamical systems theory, an analytical framework for evaluating solution speed and accuracy is constructed, and further demonstrate that conventional AIMs possess a theoretical performance upper bound. Subsequently, by elevating the binarization constraint to a control variable, we propose the controllable analog Ising machine (CAIM), which integrates control Lyapunov functions and momentum-based optimization algorithms to realize adaptive sampling-feedback control, thereby surpassing the performance limits of conventional AIMs. In a proof-of-concept CAIM demonstration implemented using an FPGA-controlled LC-oscillator Ising machine, CAIM achieves a twofold speedup and a 7% improvement in accuracy over AIM on a 50-node all-to-all weighted MaxCut problem, validating both the effectiveness and interpretability of the proposed theoretical framework.
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All authors Langyu Li, Ruoyu Wu, Yong Wang, Guofeng Zhang, Jinhu Lü, Qing Gao, Yu Pan

Quantum Physics

Simulation of boson sampling with optical feedback

This work presents a theoretical model of boson sampling with optical feedback, in which a subset of the interferometer's output modes is looped back into the input modes. If the bosons are injected periodically into the input modes of the interferometer and optical feedback lines' length match the period of injection, it allows for interference between bosons injected at the consequent time iterations. We propose several methods methods for computing the output photon distributions in both output spacial and temporal modes, including not only standard spatiotemporal mode-unfolding technique, but also the Kraus-operator formalism, and a correlation-tensor-based approach. The two latter approaches help us to reveal that for random interferometers this system evolves to a unique stationary state over time. Because of the existence of the stationary state, we introduce new computational problem Stationary Distribution Boson Sampling which appears to be harder than conventional boson sampling problem and contains it as a special case when there are no optical feedback lines.
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Quantum Physics

Reducing the Complexity of Matrix Multiplication by Quantum Computing

Matrix multiplication is a fundamental operation in compute-intensive tasks and a key component of modern quantum acceleration frameworks. Here we present a quantum matrix multiplication algorithm based on quantum kernels (QKMM), achieving an elementary gate complexity of \(O(N^2\log_2N)\), with amplitude encoding overhead explicitly included and without assuming a QRAM oracle. This scaling is asymptotically lower than that of the best-known classical matrix multiplication algorithm \(O(N^{2.371339})\). Building upon QKMM, we establish a family of quantum linear algebra operators, including Quantum Vector Inner Product (V${\scriptstyle 2}$V), Quantum Vector-Matrix Multiplication (V${\scriptstyle 2}$M), QKMM (M${\scriptstyle 2}$M), Quantum One-to-Many Matrix Multiplication(O${\scriptstyle 2}$M) and Quantum Sequential Matrix Multiplication (SMM), providing a unified framework from vector operations to parallel and sequential matrix transformations. Through noiseless simulations, realistic noise modelling and experiments on a superconducting quantum processor, we systematically characterize the numerical accuracy, resource requirements and hardware execution limits of this operator framework. Furthermore, we integrate SMM into deep neural-network inference, enabling intermediate features to propagate coherently across layers without repeated measurement and re-encoding. These results establish a pathway from quantum circuit-level algorithm design to end-to-end coherent computation, providing a quantum computing framework for matrix-centric compute-intensive applications.
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All authors Jiaqi Yao, Tianjian Huang, Tonghe Zhang, Ding Liu

Quantum Physics

Arithmetic Reconciliation for CVQKD: Challenges and Feasibility

Continuous variable quantum key distribution allows two legitimate parties to share a common secret key and encompasses reconciliation protocols. A relatively new reconciliation protocol, Arithmetic Reconciliation, presents low complexity and has increasing reconciliation efficiency with lower SNRs. In this paper, we obtain reconciliation efficiencies for this protocol in realistic scenarios, by means of estimation of mutual information, and we also present rates for sequence match of secret keys by Alice and Bob. Results show that this technique is feasible and promising to continuous variable quantum key distribution applications.
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All authors Rávilla R. S. Leite, Juliana M. de Assis, Micael A. Dias, Francisco M. de Assis

Quantum Physics

Single shot distinguishability of noisy quantum channels

Among the intriguing features of quantum theory, the problem of distinguishing quantum channels is of fundamental interest. In this paper, we focus on the single-shot discrimination of two noisy quantum channels using two distinct classes of probes: single-system (product) probes and entangled probes. Our aim is to identify optimal probing state for specific discrimination tasks and to analyze the necessity and role of entanglement in enhancing channel distinguishability. We show that maximally entangled probes are optimal for discriminating two qubit depolarizing channels, with any nonzero entanglement providing an advantage over single-system probes. In contrast, for dephasing channels in arbitrary dimensions, we prove that single-system probe can be optimal and that entanglement offers no improvement, even when the dephasing unitary is generalized. For qubit amplitude-damping channels, we identify distinct noise-dependent regimes in which either single-system probe outperforms maximally entangled probes and vice-versa. Moreover, we demonstrate that non-maximally entangled probes can act as the optimum probe if the noise parameters restricted to certain values in this task. We also present examples of noisy unitary channels for which discrimination is possible using non-maximally entangled probe, while both single-systems and maximally entangled probes fail. We introduce another class of noisy unitary channels for which perfect discrimination is achievable with a single system, while maximally entangled probes are insufficient. Finally, we show that two erasure channels can be optimally discriminated using any pure single-system probe, with no advantage gained from entanglement.
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Quantum Physics

Bell and EPR experiments with signalling data

The no-signalling principle is a fundamental assumption in Bell-inequality and quantum-steering experiments. Nonetheless, experimental imperfections can lead to apparent violations beyond those expected from finite-sample statistics. Here, we propose extensions of local hidden variable and local hidden state theories that allow for bounded, operationally quantifiable, amounts of signalling. We show how non-classicality tests can be developed for these models, both through exact methods based on the full set of observed statistics and through corrections to the standard Bell and steering inequalities. We demonstrate the applicability of these methods via two scenarios that feature apparent signalling: an IBM quantum processor and post-selected data from inefficient detectors.
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All authors Lucas Maquedano, Sophie Egelhaaf, Amro Abou-Hachem, Jef Pauwels, Armin Tavakoli, Ana C. S. Costa, Roope Uola

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.optics

Spatiotemporal Topological Phase Transition in non-Hermitian Photonic System

While energy band topology in spatial photonic crystals (PCs) and momentum-band topology in temporal crystals have each served as powerful probes of topological phases in their respective domains, their unification in a static platform remains unexplored. In this Letter, we bridge this gap by introducing a waveguide assisted non-Hermitian SSH model, in which controlled tuning of loss and coupling drives PT-symmetry breaking and enables a continuous transition between energy- and momentum-gap regimes. This allows us to construct a complete spatiotemporal topological phase diagram in a unified parameter space. By mapping this phase diagram onto a spatially graded PC, we experimentally observe multiple Bloch momentum-band gaps and a continuous spatiotemporal topological transition via translating across the static sample, enabling real-time control over the evolution pathway of the band topology. Our work creates a versatile, bias-free platform for exploring synthetic spacetime physics and opens new avenues for controlling light via non-Hermitian band engineering.
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All authors Zimeng Zeng, Zhuoyang Li, Jiayao Liu, Zelong He, Zhaona Wang

Quantum Physics

Quantum-Enhanced Deterministic Inference of $k$-Independent Set Instances on Neutral Atom Arrays

Noisy quantum annealing experiments on Rydberg atom arrays produce measurement outcomes that deviate from ideal distributions, complicating performance evaluation. To enable a data-driven benchmarking methodology for quantum devices that accounts for both solution quality and the classical computational cost of inference from noisy measurements, we introduce deterministic error mitigation (DEM), a shot-level inference procedure informed by experimentally characterized noise. We demonstrate this approach using the decision version of the $k$-independent set problem. Within a Hamming-shell framework, the DEM candidate volume is governed by the binary entropy of the bit-flip error rate, yielding an entropy-controlled classical postprocessing cost. Using experimental measurement data, DEM reduces postprocessing overhead relative to classical inference baselines. Numerical simulations and experimental results from neutral atom devices validate the predicted scaling with system size and error rate. These scalings indicate that one hour of classical computation on an Intel i9 processor corresponds to neutral atom experiments with up to $N=250-450$ atoms at effective error rates, enabling a direct, cost-based comparison between noisy quantum experiments and classical algorithms.
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Quantum Physics

Matchgate synthesis via Clifford matchgates and $T$ gates

Matchgate unitaries are ubiquitous in quantum computation due to their relation to non-interacting fermions and because they can be used to benchmark quantum computers. Implementing such unitaries on fault-tolerant devices requires first compiling them into a discrete universal gate set, typically Clifford$+T$. Here, we propose a different approach for their synthesis: compile matchgate unitaries using only matchgate gates. To this end, we first show that the matchgate-Clifford group (the intersection of the matchgate and Clifford groups) plus the $\overline{T}$ gate (a $T$ unitary up to a phase) is universal for the matchgate group. Our approach leverages the connection between $n$-qubit matchgate circuits and the standard representation of $\mathbb{SO}(2n)$, which reduces the compilation from $2^n\times 2^n$ unitaries to $2n\times2n$ ones, thus reducing exponentially the size of the target matrix. Moreover, we rigorously show that this scheme is efficient, as an approximation error $\varepsilon_{\mathbb{SO}(2n)}$ incurred in this smaller-dimensional representation translates at most into an $O(n \,\varepsilon_{\mathbb{SO}(2n)})$ error in the exponentially large unitary. In addition, we study the exact version of the matchgate synthesis problem, and we prove that all matchgate unitaries $U$ such that $U\otimes U^*$ has entries in the ring $\mathbb{Z}\big[1/\sqrt 2,i\big]$ can be exactly synthesized by a finite sequence of gates from the matchgate-Clifford$+\overline{T}$ set, without ancillas. We then use this insight to map optimal exact matchgate synthesis to Boolean satisfiability, and compile the circuits that diagonalize the free-fermionic $XX$ Hamiltonian on $n=4,\,8$ qubits.
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All authors Berta Casas, Paolo Braccia, Élie Gouzien, M. Cerezo, Diego García-Martín

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from math.OC

Hybrid Quantum-Classical Optimization for Multi-Objective Supply Chain Logistics

A multi-objective logistics optimization problem from a real-world supply chain is formulated as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization Problem (QUBO) that minimizes cost, emissions, and delivery time, while maintaining target distributions of supplier workshare. The model incorporates realistic constraints, including part dependencies, double sourcing, and multimodal transport. Two hybrid quantum-classical solvers are proposed: a structure-aware informed tree search (IQTS) and a modular bilevel framework (HBS), combining quantum subroutines with classical heuristics. Experimental results on IonQ's Aria-1 hardware demonstrate a methodology to map real-world logistics problems onto emerging combinatorial optimization-specialized hardware, yielding high-quality, Pareto-optimal solutions.
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All authors Raoul Heese, Timothée Leleu, Sam Reifenstein, Christian Nietner, Yoshihisa Yamamoto

Quantum Physics

High-order dynamical decoupling in the weak-coupling regime

We introduce a high-order dynamical decoupling (DD) scheme for arbitrary bounded system-bath interactions in the weak-coupling regime. Given any decoupling group $\mathcal G$ that averages the interaction to zero, our construction {guarantees the existence of pulse sequences with at most $(|\mathcal G|-1)K$ pulses}, while canceling all error terms linear in the system-bath coupling strength up to order $K$ in the total evolution time. As a corollary, for an $n$-qubit system with $k$-local system-bath interactions, we obtain an $\mathcal{O}(n^{k-1}K)$-pulse sequence, a significant improvement over existing schemes with $\mathcal{O}(\exp(n))$ pulses (for $k=\mathcal{O}(1)$). The construction is obtained via a mapping to the continuous necklace-splitting problem, which asks how to cut a multi-colored interval into pieces that give each party the same share of every color. We provide explicit pulse sequences for suppressing general single-qubit decoherence, prove that the pulse count is asymptotically optimal, and verify the predicted error scaling in numerical simulations. For the same number of pulses, we observe that our sequences outperform the state-of-the-art Quadratic DD in the weak-coupling regime. We also construct explicit high-order sequences for suppressing representative 2-local noise models. Finally, the same construction extends to suppress slow, time-dependent classical noise and to filter-function design.
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Quantum Physics

Entanglement-enhanced quantum metrology via alternating in-phase and quadrature modulation

Quantum metrology harnesses quantum entanglement to improve measurement precision beyond standard quantum limit. Although nonlinear interaction is essential for generating entanglement, during signal accumulation, it becomes detrimental and therefore must be suppressed. To address this challenge, we propose an alternating in-phase and quadrature modulation (AIQM) scheme, designed to operate under a fixed nonlinear interaction. During signal accumulation, our time-interleaved approach sequentially applies the in-phase and quadrature driving fields, thereby eliminating the effects of nonlinear interaction on signal accumulation. Our AIQM scheme achieves better metrological performance than conventional schemes, particularly under strong nonlinear interaction and prolonged signal accumulation, with pronounced robustness against parameter variations. By selectively eliminating and utilizing nonlinear interactions via AIQM, our work enables high-precision and high-accuracy entanglement-enhanced sensing without the need for active control of the nonlinear interaction.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-th

More on OTOCs and Chaos in Quantum Mechanics – Magnetic Fields

We revisit thermal out-of-time-order correlators (OTOCs) in single-particle quantum systems, focusing on magnetic billiards. Using the stadium billiard as a testbed, we compute the thermal OTOC $C_T(t) = -\langle [x(t), p]^2 \rangle_\beta$ and extract Lyapunov-like exponents $\lambda_L$ that quantify early-time growth. We map out $\lambda_L(T, B)$, revealing a crossover from quantum chaos to magnetic rigidity. In parallel, we compute an alternative OTOC built from guiding-center operators, which exhibits qualitatively distinct dynamics and no exponential growth. Our results offer a controlled framework for probing scrambling, temperature dependence, and the interplay of geometry and magnetic fields in quantum systems.
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Quantum Physics

Gradient Analysis of Barren Plateau in Parameterized Quantum Circuits with multi-qubit gates

The emergence of the Barren Plateau phenomenon poses a significant challenge to quantum machine learning. While most Barren Plateau analyses focus on single-qubit rotation gates, the gradient behavior of Parameterized Quantum Circuits built from multi-qubit gates remains largely unexplored. In this work, we present a general theoretical framework for analyzing the gradient properties of Parameterized Quantum Circuits with multi-qubit gates. Our method generalizes the direct computation framework, bypassing the Haar random assumption on parameters and enabling the calculation of the gradient expectation and variance. We apply this framework to single-layer and deep-layer circuits, deriving analytical results that quantify how gradient variance is co-determined by the size of the multi-qubit gate and the number of qubits, layers, and effective parameters. Numerical simulations validate our findings. Our study provides a refined framework for analyzing and optimizing Parameterized Quantum Circuits with complex multi-qubit gates.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.optics

Quantum Dots as Solid-State Sources of Entangled Photon Pairs

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a premier solid-state platform for the deterministic generation of nonclassical light, offering a compelling pathway toward scalable quantum photonic systems. While single-photon emission from QDs has reached a high level of maturity, the realization of high-fidelity entangled photon-pair sources remains an active and rapidly evolving frontier. In this review, we survey the recent progress in QD-based entangled photon sources, highlighting the conceptual evolution from the established biexciton-exciton cascade to the emerging paradigm of spontaneous two-photon emission. We further examine how advances in nanophotonic architectures and coherent control strategies are redefining fundamental performance limits, enabling concurrent improvements in source brightness, coherence, and entanglement fidelity. Finally, we discuss the key physical and technological challenges that must be addressed to bridge the gap between laboratory demonstrations and large-scale deployment. We conclude by outlining the future opportunities for integrating QD-based entangled photon sources into practical quantum communication, computation, and sensing platforms.
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All authors Xingling Pan, Zhiming Chen, Yingtao Ding, Weibo Gao, Fei Ding, Zhaogang Dong

Quantum Physics

Quantum scattering in helically twisted geometries: Coulomb-like interaction and Aharonov-Bohm effect

We investigate the scattering of a charged quantum particle in a helically twisted background that induces an effective Coulomb-like interaction, in the presence of an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) flux. Starting from the nonrelativistic Schrödinger equation in the twisted metric, we derive the radial equation and show that, after including the AB potential, it can be mapped onto the same Kummer-type differential equation that governs the planar $2D$ Coulomb $+$ AB problem, with a geometry-induced Coulomb strength and the azimuthal quantum number shifted as $m\to m-\lambda$. We construct the exact scattering solutions, obtain closed expressions for the partial-wave $S$ matrix and phase shifts, and derive the corresponding scattering amplitude, differential cross section, and total cross section. We also show that the pole structure of the $S$ matrix is consistent with the bound-state quantization previously obtained for the helically twisted Coulomb-like problem.
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Quantum Physics

Quantum-Inspired Algorithm for Classical Spin Hamiltonians Based on Matrix Product Operators

We propose a tensor-network (TN) approach for solving classical optimization problems that is inspired by spectral filtering and sampling on quantum states. We first shift and scale an Ising Hamiltonian of the cost function so that all eigenvalues become non-negative and the ground states correspond to the the largest eigenvalues, which are then amplified by power iteration. We represent the transformed Hamiltonian as a matrix product operator (MPO) and form an immense power of this object via truncated MPO-MPO contractions, embedding the resulting operator into a matrix product state for sampling in the computational basis. In contrast to the density-matrix renormalization group, our approach provides a straightforward route to systematic improvement by increasing the bond dimension and is better at avoiding local minima. We also study the performance of this power method in the context of a higher-order Ising Hamiltonian on a heavy-hexagonal lattice, making a comparison with simulated annealing. These results highlight the potential of quantum-inspired algorithms for solving optimization problems and provide a baseline for assessing and developing quantum algorithms.
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All authors Ryo Watanabe, Joseph Tindall, Shohei Miyakoshi, Hiroshi Ueda

Quantum Physics

Robust Negativity in the Quantum-to-Classical Transition of Kerr Dynamics

We quantify the quantum-to-classical transition of the single-mode Kerr nonlinear dynamics in the presence of loss. We establish three time scales that govern the dynamics, each with distinct characteristics. For times short compared to the Ehrenfest time, the evolution is classical, characterized by Gaussian dynamics. For sufficiently long times, as we increase the initial photon number, unitary Kerr evolution would generate macroscopic superpositions of coherent states (so-called kitten states), but this is severely restricted in the presence of small photon loss so that expectation values of observables coincide with their classical values. The intermediate time scale, however, shows resilient quantum behavior in the macroscopic limit. We show that in the mean-field non-Gaussian regime, the Kerr Hamiltonian (with small photon loss) generates a significant amount of Wigner-negativity, and classical flow is recovered only if the loss rate grows with system size. Our results broaden the usual understanding of quantum-to-classical transitions and demonstrate the potential for creating robust nonclassical resources for continuous-variable quantum information processing in the presence of loss.
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All authors Mohsin Raza, John B. DeBrota, Ariel Shlosberg, Noah Lordi, Ivan H. Deutsch

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from hep-ph

Quantum Fisher Information Revealing Parameter Sensitivity in Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiments

Determination of the leptonic CP-violating phase $\delta_{\rm CP}$, the atmospheric mixing angle $\theta_{23}$, and the mass-squared difference $\Delta m_{31}^2$ constitutes a primary objective of current and next-generation long-baseline neutrino experiments. We employ Quantum Fisher Information (QFI) to quantify the maximum information that the neutrino quantum state contains about these oscillation parameters, treating the neutrino as an evolving pure quantum state. Computing the QFI as a function of the baseline-to-energy ratio $L/E$ for benchmark parameter sets from NuFit-6.0, we find distinct sensitivity hierarchies and $L/E$-dependent structures. Specifically, $\delta_{\rm CP}$ and $\theta_{23}$ exhibit bimodal QFI profiles with peaks around $L/E \sim 500$ and $1500~\mathrm{km/GeV}$, reaching $F_Q(\delta_{\rm CP}) \sim 0.15$ and $F_Q(\theta_{23}) \sim 15$, respectively. In contrast, $F_Q(\Delta m_{31}^2)$ increases rapidly with $L/E$ over the range considered, reaching values of order $10^7$. This hierarchy indicates that, within the considered single-parameter framework, the neutrino state carries substantially greater intrinsic quantum sensitivity to $\Delta m_{31}^2$ than to $\theta_{23}$ or $\delta_{\rm CP}$. We further compare the QFI with the classical Fisher information (CFI) obtained from flavor-transition probabilities, showing how much of the available information can be extracted through this specific measurement. For a fixed DUNE baseline, matter effects substantially enhance the QFI for $\delta_{\rm CP}$ in the few-GeV region, while producing only minor modifications for $\theta_{23}$ and $\Delta m_{31}^2$. These results show that the information available for estimating the three oscillation parameters differs significantly, and that the flavor-probability measurement does not always extract all the information available in the quantum state.
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Quantum Physics

Practical continuous-variable quantum key distribution using dynamic digital signal processing: security proof and experimental demonstration

Digital signal processing technology has paved the way for the realization of high-speed continuous-variable quantum key distribution systems. However, existing security proofs are limited to static digital signal processing algorithms, while practical systems rely on dynamic multiple-input multiple-output algorithms to compensate for time-varying channel impairments. Our analysis reveals that the conventional dynamic algorithm, due to its non-unitary nature, systematically underestimates the excess noise, which in turn leads to security issues and the generation of insecure keys. To close this gap, we propose a secure algorithm model, mapping the dynamic algorithm to an equivalent physical optical model whose security can be rigorously assessed. Simulations illustrate the algorithm's non-unitary property and provide a quantitative analysis of the excess noise underestimation caused by the conventional algorithm. We further experimentally validate the necessity of the proposed modeling for dynamic digital signal processing, achieving a secret key rate of 14.4 Mbps based on estimated excess noise of 0.07 shot noise unit; whereas the conventional algorithm would have dangerously overestimated the key rate to 28.2 Mbps with noise of 0.008 shot noise unit. This work provides the essential security framework for dynamic digital signal processing, overcoming a critical impediment for the development of high-performance continuous-variable quantum key distribution systems.
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All authors Lu Fan, Zhengyu Li, Sheng Liu, Xuesong Xu, Tianyu Zhang, Jiale Mi, Dong Wang, Dechao Zhang, Han Li, Song Yu, Yichen Zhang

Quantum Physics

Broadband Population Transfer Based on Suture Adiabatic Pulses

High-fidelity coherent population transfer plays a vital role in the realization of quantum memories. However, population transfer with high performance across a broad frequency range is still challenging due to the finite Rabi coupling strength limited by laser powers. Here we propose a novel population-transfer scheme by suturing adiabatic control pulses with each pulse covering certain frequency interval, which are connected in a way that neighboring adiabatic pulses have opposite chirping directions. Taking the widely utilized hyperbolic-square-hyperbolic pulse as an example, we demonstrate that rapid and robust population transfer can be achieved. The transfer bandwidth scales linearly with the number of suture pulses while maintaining high fidelity, even at the suture points where adiabaticity breaks down. Crucially, these pulses can be realized by a single laser by means of temporal multiplexing. For a given bandwidth, this strategy substantially reduces the operational time which is necessary for on demand read-out and suppressing decoherence effects. Our scheme enables a dramatic increase in multimode storage capacity and paves the way for realizing practical quantum networks.
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All authors Jiaming Li, Xi-Wang Luo, Guang-Can Guo, Zheng-Wei Zhou

Quantum Physics

Quantum Sequential Circuits

This work introduces and characterizes quantum sequential circuits (QSCs) as a hardware-oriented paradigm for quantum computing, built upon a novel foundational element termed the quantum transistor. Unlike conventional qubit-based architectures, QSCs employ symmetry-protected topological junctions where quantum gates are encoded as Choi states via channel-state duality and activated through bulk measurements, utilizing ebits to realize the functional analog of feedback loops in classical sequential circuits. This framework establishes a universal model for quantum computation that inherently incorporates memory and temporal sequencing, complementing existing combinational quantum circuit model. Our work advances the conceptual bridge towards a quantum von Neumann architecture, underscoring the potential of hybrid and modular design principles for the development of large-scale, integrated quantum information processors.
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Quantum Physics

QASMTrans: An End-to-End QASM Compilation Framework with Pulse Generation for Near-Term Quantum Devices

QASMTrans is a lightweight, high-performance, C++-based quantum compiler that bridges abstract quantum algorithms to device-level control and is designed for just-in-time (JIT) deployment on QPU testbeds with tightly integrated FPGAs or CPUs. We focus on achieving fast transpilation times on circuits of interest, we find more than 100x faster compilation than Qiskit in some circuits with similar circuit quality, enabling transpilation of large, high-depth circuits in seconds. Unlike existing tools, QASMTrans offers end-to-end device-pulse compilation and direct quantum control integration with QICK, closing the gap between logical circuits and hardware control enabling closed-loop optimization. QASMTrans supports latency-aware Application-tailored Gate Sets (AGS) at the pulse level, identifying high-impact gate sequences on the circuit critical path and synthesizing optimized pulse schedules using pre-defined robust circuit ansatz. Validated through integrated QuTiP pulse-level simulation, this is found to significantly reduce execution latency and can improve final-state fidelity by up to 12% in some tested circuits. QASMTrans further implements device-aware, noise-adaptive transpilation that uses device calibration data for circuit placement on high-quality qubits and can focus on the circuit critical path to reduce transpilation-pass time while maintaining comparable fidelity. Additionally, it introduces circuit space sharing via calibration-aware device partitioning, enabling concurrent execution of multiple circuits or shots on a single QPU. Moreover, QASMTrans is entirely self-contained and has no external library dependencies, making it easy for practical deployment. By combining fast compilation, pulse-level control, and noise-aware optimization, QASMTrans enables real-time adaptive algorithms such as ADAPT-VQE and ADAPT-QAOA.
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All authors Aaron Hoyt, Meng Wang, Fei Hua, Chunshu Wu, Chenxu Liu, Muqing Zheng, Samuel Stein, Drew Rebar, Yufei Ding, Travis S. Humble, Ang Li

Wednesday 4 February

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

In models of spontaneous wave-function collapse, why only fermions collapse, not bosons?

Objective collapse models are often implemented so that collapse acts only on the fermionic (matter) sector, while bosonic fields do not undergo fundamental collapse. In generalized trace dynamics (GTD), spontaneous localization is expected to arise when the trace Hamiltonian has a significant anti-self-adjoint component. In this note we show, starting from the STM-atom (spacetime-matter atom) trace Lagrangian written in terms of two inequivalent matrix velocities $\dot Q_1$ and $\dot Q_2$, that the purely bosonic subsector admits a self-adjoint Hamiltonian, whereas the fermionic sector carries an intrinsic anti-self-adjoint contribution. The key structural input is that making the trace Lagrangian bosonic requires insertion of two unequal odd-grade Grassmann elements $\beta_1\neq \beta_2$. Assuming natural adjoint properties for these elements, we compute the trace Hamiltonian explicitly via trace-derivative canonical momenta (with bosonic and fermionic variations treated separately) and isolate the resulting anti-self-adjoint term. This provides a first-principles mechanism, within GTD, for why only fermionic degrees of freedom act as collapse channels.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.pop-ph

Infinite multiverses and where to find them?

Have you ever watched superhero movies like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? Or played games where your choices create different outcomes? What if we told you that in the real world, something even crazier might be happening all the time, right under our noses? Imagine shrinking down to the size of an atom. What you'd see wouldn't be like our everyday world at all! This is the realm of quantum physics, where the rules we know do not apply, where things exist everywhere and nowhere at once. The moment you observe something, it starts behaving differently. In this article, we will explore two of the many possible explanations for such phenomena, namely the Copenhagen interpretation and the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics. We will also try to answer the question of whether there are many copies of you roaming around in different universes, and why you haven't met one.
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All authors Anubhav Kumar Srivastava, Pavel P. Popov, Guillem Müller-Rigat, Maciej Lewenstein

2602.07053 · 4 Feb · This article is part of a special MSCA edition of Frontiers for Young Minds, a science journal designed especially for children and edited by kids aged 8-15. The goal of the article is to explain challenging quantum ideas in a fun, engaging, and easy-to-understand way for a young audience

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from gr-qc

Escape of quantum information across an analogue black hole horizon

The complete evaporation of black holes, as a natural endpoint of Hawking radiation, gives rise to the black hole information paradox, which fundamentally challenges the principles of unitarity and information conservation in quantum mechanics. Although the AdS/CFT correspondence indicates that information is preserved during black hole evaporation, the precise mechanism by which it is recovered from the Hawking radiation remains an open question. To explore a potential resolution, we investigate information transfer in a spin-chain model featuring an effective horizon realized via position-dependent couplings within an XY spin chain. We derive and demonstrate Page curve-like behavior, and analyze the transmission of quantum resources, such as entanglement and coherence, across the effective horizon. Our results show that quantum resources initially localized within an interior subsystem can be transferred to the exterior via particle radiation through the horizon. This study provides a novel perspective from quantum simulation on how information may escape from black holes, thereby contributing to the further understanding of the black hole information paradox.
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All authors Zhilong Liu, Wentao Liu, Zehua Tian, Jieci Wang

Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.ins-det

Millimeter-scale rigid diamond probe for high sensitivity endoscopic-magnetometry applications

Magnetometry based on diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers has been extensively studied for applications requiring diverse capabilities, spanning from nanometer spatial resolution to subpicotesla sensitivity. Among various applications, diamond magnetometers can demonstrate high sensitivity magnetic sensing within millimeter-scale size for endoscopic applications. However, the trade-off between sensitivity and spatial resolution of diamond magnetometry makes it difficult to achieve such a probe. In this study, we present a millimeter-scale rigid diamond magnetometer probe with enhanced sensitivity via optimizing the optical design. By coupling the frustum diamond with the miniaturized compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) lens, we enhance the fluorescence collection efficiency by 37% within 4 mm diameter, and the achieved sensitivity is 200 pT/Hz1/2 based on the sample with the resonance linewidth of ~8 MHz. With this verified structure, endoscopes with mm-size probe and picotesla sensitivity can be projected for surgical and industrial applications in the future.
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All authors Jihongbo Shen, Heng Yuan, Hongyu Tao, Zekun Niu, Haoming Xu, Chentao Zhang, Chen Su, Zhuo Wang, Chen Zhang

Quantum Physics

Quantum computational imaging and sensing

We present a new framework for imaging and sensing based on utilizing a quantum computer to coherently process quantum information in an electromagnetic field. We describe the framework, its potential to provide improvements in imaging and sensing performance and present an example application, the design of coherent receivers for optical communication. Finally, we go over the improvements in quantum technologies required to fully realize quantum computational imaging and sensing.
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Quantum Physics

Photon entanglement-enhanced multidimensional spectroscopy of exciton correlations in photosynthetic aggregates

Nonlinear spectroscopic techniques using entangled photon pairs can provide an opportunity to exploit non-classical correlations encoded in two-photon wavefunctions to manipulate two-exciton wavefunctions. We propose an entangled photon pair-enhanced multidimensional spectroscopic technique that is sensitive to exciton-exciton interactions and correlations at the femtosecond timescale. Simulations for a dissipative system, namely, the photosynthetic aggregate reveal the superior ability of entangled photon pairs, compared to both transform-limited and frequency-chirped laser pulses, to manipulate excited-state absorption pathways. The corresponding spectral features in the two-dimensional spectrogram are interpreted in terms of one- and two-exciton resonances. The signal scales linearly with the incoming intensity of the photon sources. We show that classifying these resonances using entangled photon source in the perturbative limit allow for probing exciton correlations at the natural energy scale. These insights can be used to explore multi-exciton dynamics in molecular systems using multiphoton entanglement.
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Quantum Physics

Near-frustration-free electronic structure Hamiltonian representations and lower bound certificates

Hamiltonian representations based on the sum-of-squares (SOS) hierarchy provide rigorous lower bounds on ground-state energies and facilitate the design of efficient classical and quantum simulation algorithms. This work presents a unified framework connecting SOS decompositions with variational two-particle reduced density matrix (v2RDM) theory. We demonstrate that the “weighted” SOS ansatz naturally recovers the dual of the v2RDM program, enabling the strict enforcement of symmetry constraints such as particle number and spin. We provide explicit SOS constructions for the Hubbard model and electronic structure Hamiltonians, ranging from spin-free approximations to full rank-2 expansions. We also highlight theoretical connections to block-invariant symmetry shifts. Numerical benchmarks on molecular systems and Iron-Sulfur clusters validate these near frustration-free representations, demonstrating their utility in improving spectral gap amplification and reducing block encoding costs in quantum algorithms.
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