Quantum Physics
Papers
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Friday 6 March
We characterize the coherence of a triangular exchange-only (EO) spin qubit operated at a leakage-protected idle (LPI) point. The triangular geometry enables independent control of all three pairwise exchange interactions, and the LPI condition occurs when these couplings are turned on simultaneously and tuned to equal strength. In this configuration, the exchange interaction induces an energy gap $E_g = 3J/2$ that suppresses leakage from the computational subspace while leaving the qubit state unaffected. We develop procedures to calibrate the LPI point and measure $E_g$, and use these to characterize the qubit dephasing time over a broad range of gap energies. While operating with large always-on exchange couplings exposes the qubit to charge noise, we find that $\tilde{T}_2^*$ still exceeds that of conventional exchange-only spin qubits for $E_g/h < 60$ MHz. The precise control of simultaneous, all-to-all connected exchange demonstrated here presents a natural path towards improving the performance of EO qubits and also enables novel qubit encodings.
Quantum Physics
Learning to detect optical nonclassicality
Nonclassicality, defined in the quantum optical sense, serves as a resource for photon-based quantum technologies. Therefore, certifying the nonclassicality of a quantum state is crucial for gauging its potential for quantum advantage. However, traditional nonclassicality witnesses that assume perfect knowledge of the witness observables often fail in realistic scenarios with limited statistics and finite-resolution photon detectors. Furthermore, these witnesses do not exploit the fact that certain states are unlikely to be observed in a given experiment. Here, we train a variational model to distinguish classical from nonclassical states using finitely many measurement samples of multimode quantum states that are probed with different photon-number-resolving detection schemes. The learned decision rule is then an indicator of nonclassicality, tailored to a given set of physically relevant states. Our approach is both data-driven and interpretable in the sense that the learned analytical decision rule can be extracted. Training the model on experimental data measured with (i) a superconducting nanowire single-photon detector and (ii) a time-bin multiplexing detection scheme demonstrates the versatility of the approach, paving the way for efficient nonclassicality detection.
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Quantum Physics
The stabilizer ground state and applications to quantum simulation
The stabilizer ground state is defined is the lowest energy stabilizer state with respect to a given Hamiltonian. In many cases it is highly degenerate and does not give a unique stabilizer state. We define the optimal stabilizer ground state as the stabilizer ground state which has the highest fidelity with the true ground state. This is useful in quantum simulation contexts as it allows for a Clifford circuit approximation of a ground state that can be further refined towards the true ground state. We show how the optimal stabilizer ground state may be evaluated. We show applications of this state in the context of measurement-based deterministic imaginary time evolution (MITE), which converges to the ground state with high efficiency. By classically selecting the optimal stabilizer generator group and employing the stabilizer tableaux formalism, the method prepares the corresponding stabilizer ground state with maximal fidelity. The identification and refinement of this generator group are performed using a genetic algorithm tailored to the structure of the target Hamiltonian. The complexity analysis further demonstrates that algorithm's quantum resource cost scales polynomially with system size, highlighting its high efficiency and potential quantum advantage.
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Quantum Physics
Unified and computable approach to optimal strategies for multiparameter estimation
Precise estimation of physical parameters underpins both scientific discovery and technological development. A central goal of quantum metrology and sensing is to exploit quantum resources like entanglement to devise optimal strategies for estimating physical parameters as precisely as possible. While substantial progress has been made in single-parameter quantum metrology, the multiparameter scenario remains significantly more challenging due to the issue of parameter incompatibility. In this work, we present a unified and computable approach for the simultaneous estimation of multiple parameters that attains the ultimate precision permitted by quantum mechanics. The core of our approach is to integrate the quantum tester formalism into the recently proposed tight Cramér-Rao type bound. This formulation enables us to figure out the highest achievable precision via upper and lower bounds that are computable via semidefinite programs. More importantly, within this formulation, diverse quantum resources, including entanglement, coherence, quantum control, and indefinite causal order, are treated on equal footing and systematically optimized for the purpose of achieving the ultimate precision in multiparameter estimation. As a result, our approach is applicable to various metrological strategies both in the presence and absence of noise. To demonstrate its utility, we revisit three-dimensional magnetic-field estimation, uncovering the strengths and limitations of existing analytical results and further establishing a strict hierarchy among different types of strategies.
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Quantum Physics
Observable nonclassicality witnesses for multiplexed detection systems
We address the problem of constructing witnesses for nonclassical light that are applicable in state-of-the-art photon-counting devices. The key ingredient for the criteria we derive are generalized and directly measurable counting statistics and matrices of counting moments. Beyond common criteria, we find classes of witnesses that are based on half-integer powers of click moments and counts. Remarkably, this leads to an exponential increase of the number of nonclassicality criteria one can construct and apply. With this finding, special attention is payed to probing even and odd parity states, requiring such distinct witnesses. Our method is applicable to spatial and time-bin multiplexing in optical systems, where each spatial and temporal mode can be measured with both on-off detectors and detectors with partial internal quasi-photon-number resolution. Generalizations to multimode scenarios are provided, allowing for the direct measurement of nonclassical correlations and coincidence counts between an arbitrary number of modes.
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Quantum Physics
End-to-End QKD Using LEO Satellite Networks
We propose a satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network that enables global-scale, end-to-end secure key exchange without relying on trusted intermediate nodes. The network is formed by a ring constellation of satellites that maintain persistent inter-satellite connectivity and support two configurations: a polar Type-I constellation providing global coverage, and an equatorial Type-II constellation offering continuous, terrestrial-like operation. End-to-end secrecy is achieved through the use of Twin-field Quantum Key Distribution (TF-QKD) and a redundant XOR-based key-forwarding protocol, in which each forwarding step incorporates independently generated QKD keys from ground-satellite and inter-satellite links. As a result, the final secret key is never exposed to any intermediate satellite, eliminating the single-point vulnerabilities inherent in trusted-node networks. Scaling the network offers two benefits: improved security and higher key rates. Increasing the constellation size enhances security by forcing an adversary to compromise a larger number of nodes to break the protocol, while simultaneously improving link availability and key throughput. Using realistic uplink and Inter-Satellite Link (ISL) models, we compute finite-size secret-key lengths based on the Sending-or-not-sending (SNS)-TF-QKD protocol. Our results show that the achievable key rates scale favourably with constellation size, with Type-II constellations reaching operational continuity and generating multi-gigabit secret keys per day, demonstrating a practical route toward secure global quantum communication.
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Quantum Physics
Summing to Uncertainty: On the Necessity of Additivity in Deriving the Born Rule
The emergence of intrinsic probability has long been one of the most important and puzzling problems in quantum mechanics, and the law most directly related to this problem is the Born rule. For a century, there have been many attempts to derive the Born rule as a theorem rather than postulating it. However, existing derivations of the Born rule are each based on different frameworks and have attracted different criticisms. The assumptions from which they start are also highly divergent, and the connections between them have not been sufficiently studied. These possible connections are very likely to be the key to answering questions about the origin of probability in quantum mechanics. This paper focuses on proving the necessity and indispensability of the additivity assumption in the derivation of the Born rule. This supports the view that the Born rule cannot be derived solely from other non-probabilistic quantum or additional postulates. We first prove that additivity cannot be derived from two other commonly used non-probabilistic additional assumptions, non-contextuality and normalization. Then we analyze the crucial role of the additivity assumption in five important existing derivations of the Born rule. These include Gleason's Theorem, Busch's extension of Gleason's Theorem, the Deutsch-Wallace Theorem, Zurek's envariance proof, and the Finkelstein-Hartle Theorem. We show that these derivations either depend heavily on the additivity assumption or lead to obvious loopholes due to the lack of additivity. We also point out some problems arised from the lack of a non-contextuality assumption. Our results provide a novel insight into the important role of additivity assumption in quantum measurement, as well as into the origin of probability in quantum mechanics.
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Quantum Physics
Vertical ion transport in a surface Paul trap: escalator and elevator approaches
Surface ion traps confining and manipulating tens of ion qubits have become the leading platform for quantum processors with high quantum volume. These devices employ the Quantum Charge-Coupled Device (QCCD) architecture, wherein multiple trapping zones are linked by an on-chip transport network that shuttles ion chains, enabling full connectivity through physical ion transport in a plane parallel to the chip surface. The ability to move ions perpendicular to this plane can offer additional advantages, including tuning the laser-ion interaction strength, systematic studies of surface-induced heating mechanisms, and precise alignment with a mode of an external optical cavity. We introduce an "escalator" - a geometrically optimized transition between trapping zones of different confinement heights - and present a comparative analysis of two "elevator" configurations that reposition the RF null dynamically via additional electrode voltages. Both approaches enable nearly a twofold change in the ion confinement height above the chip surface.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.dis-nn
Continuum field theory of matchgate tensor network ensembles
Tensor networks provide discrete representations of quantum many-body systems, yet their precise connection to continuum field theories remains relatively poorly understood. Invoking a notion of typicality, we develop a continuum description for random ensembles of two-dimensional fermionic matchgate tensor networks with spatially fluctuating parameters. As a diagnostic of the resulting universal physics, we analyze disorder-averaged moments of fermionic two-point functions, both in flat geometry and on a hyperbolic disk, where curvature reshapes their long-distance structure. We show that disorder drives universal long-distance behavior governed by a nonlinear sigma-model of symmetry class D with a topological term, placing random matchgate networks in direct correspondence with the thermal quantum Hall problem. The resulting phase structure includes localized phases, quantum Hall criticality, and a robust thermal metal with diffusive correlations and spontaneous replica-symmetry breaking. Weak non-Gaussian deformations reduce the symmetry to discrete permutations, generate a mass for the Goldstone modes, and suppress long-range correlations. In this way, typicality offers a route from ensembles of discrete tensor networks to continuum quantum field theories.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.optics
Long-range mid-infrared energy transfer mediated by hyperbolic phonon polaritons
We provide a framework to theoretically describe long-range energy transfer in single and twisted two-dimensional hyperbolic slabs. We demonstrate that phonon polaritons (PhPs, quantum superpositions of photons and lattice vibrations in polar dielectrics) can mediate and enhance room-temperature energy transfer at ranges far exceeding those of conventional mid-infrared (MIR) platforms, and with extreme directionality. This is because the dipole-dipole interaction potential energy diverges along the asymptotes of the real-space hyperbolic opening angle. Our findings allow us to extend classical and quantum interactions between dipoles, typically strictly confined to the near-field, beyond several free-space MIR wavelengths. We use $\alpha$-MoO$_3$ as a representative material, but this mechanism is not limited to the MIR: it is general to anisotropic media across the whole electromagnetic spectrum.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.stat-mech
Floquet scars and prethermal fragmentation in a driven spin-one chain
We study the periodic dynamics of a spin-one chain driven using a square-pulse protocol with amplitude $Q_0$ and frequency $\omega_D$. The Hamiltonian of the spin chain hosts a thermodynamically large number of $Z_2$-valued conserved quantities $W_{\ell}$ on the links $\ell$. This allows us to study the Floquet dynamics of this chain within a given sector with fixed values of $W_{\ell}$. For the sector with all $W_{\ell}=1$, we find signatures of quantum many-body scar states for $\hbar \omega_D \gg Q_0$; they lead to oscillatory dynamics and fidelity revival for specific initial states. Upon lowering $\omega_D$, we find an ergodic regime exhibiting fast thermalization consistent with the prediction of the (Floquet) eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. In addition, we identify special drive frequencies $\omega_n^{\ast}= Q_0/(2n \hbar)$ (where $n = 1, 2, 3, \cdots$) at which the Floquet Hamiltonian exhibits prethermal strong Hilbert space fragmentation (HSF) with the largest fragment being ergodic; in contrast, a weak HSF is found at $\omega'_n= Q_0/[\hbar(2n+1)]$ (where $n = 0, 1, 2, \cdots$). We also study the sector with $W_{\ell} =\{\cdots 1,1,-1,1,1,-1 \cdots \}$ which shows strong HSF at $\omega_n^{\ast}$ but no fragmentation at $\omega'_n$. Our analysis indicates that the strong HSF in this sector harbors an integrable largest fragment. We provide numerical support for our analytical and perturbative results using exact-diagonalization (ED) studies on finite chains of length $L\le 24$. Our numerical results for entanglement entropy, fidelity, and correlation functions of the driven chain provide definitive signatures of prethermal strong HSF for both sectors.
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Quantum Physics
Quantum chemistry based on classical mechanics inspired by simulated bifurcation
Accurate quantum chemical calculations are critical for understanding molecular properties, yet their computational cost remains a major challenge. Full Configuration Interaction (FCI) provides exact solutions but is prohibitively expensive for large systems. To address this, quantum computers are expected to be useful, but developing practical quantum computers is still ongoing. Here we introduce an efficient Configuration Interaction (CI) computation algorithm based on classical mechanics, which we call Simulated Bifurcation-based CI (SBCI), because we derive this algorithm from a quantum inspired algorithm for combinatorial optimization called Simulated Bifurcation. Applying it to FCI computations of representative molecular systems and comparing the results with those by a standard method, we demonstrate that SBCI can reduce computation costs such as computation times and/or required memory sizes, while keeping high accuracy comparable to the standard method. Thus, SBCI will be promising for accelerating high-precision electronic structure calculations without compromising reliability.
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Quantum Physics
Macroscopic entanglement distribution with atomic ensembles
The distribution of entanglement is a crucial task for quantum communication towards realizing a globe-spanning quantum internet. Recently a protocol for deterministic long-distance distribution of macroscopic entanglement over a network of ensembles of qubits was introduced [Adv. Quantum Technol. 2025, 8, 2400524]. It was shown that this protocol allows for the propagation of macroscopic amounts of entanglement with a protocol complexity that is independent on the ensemble size. However, questions remained on whether the scheme is viable, particularly for a large particle number, which is the case for realistic atomic ensembles. Here we develop improved numerical techniques that allow calculation of realistic ensemble sizes up to 10^6 with a negligible loss of accuracy. We find that moderate dephasing leaves the entanglement largely intact at the magic times, whereas stronger noise monotonically suppresses the entanglement. Our results demonstrate that the protocol retains its functionality towards the macroscopic regime and provides quantitative benchmarks for its robustness under a realistic level of decoherence.
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Quantum Physics
Grand Canonical-like Thermalization of Quantum Many-body Scars
Quantum many-body scar (QMBS) in kinetically constrained quantum systems challenges the conventional eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH). We develop an effective open-system description for constrained dynamics and introduce the definition of quasiparticle number in the system. Based on this, we formulate a revised ETH that accounts for both diagonal and off-diagonal structures of local observables. By introducing the cross coherence purity (CCP), we obtain a unified characterization of off-diagonal matrix elements and show that the relevant density of states (DOS) is determined by the distribution of eigenstates on the energy–quasiparticle-number plane. We numerically verify an inverse relation between the CCP and this generalized DOS. Applied to the quantum many-body scar model, the revised ETH accurately predicts long-time averages and temporal fluctuations of local observables and explains their dependence on initial states. Our framework shows that the anomalous fluctuations and quasi-periodic dynamics of scar states arise naturally from low-DOS regions. These results provide a unified understanding of thermalization and QMBS in kinetically constrained systems.
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Quantum Physics
Variational Quantum Operator Simulation
Implementing time-evolution operators in shallow quantum circuits is important for quantum simulations. The standard method of Trotterization requires a large number of gates to achieve practical accuracy. Variational Quantum Simulation (VQS) is an algorithm that calculates the time evolution of a quantum state and can be executed with shallower circuits than Trotterization. However, the operator obtained by VQS evolves only a fixed initial state and is not the time evolution operator itself. In this paper, we propose Variational Quantum Operator Simulation (VQOS), a method to realize time evolution operators in shallow quantum circuits. This method is based on the variational principle for operators and does not require the implementation of the desired Trotter decomposition of the time evolution operator. We performed numerical simulations of the VQOS algorithm and successfully implemented the time evolution operator for closed systems in a quantum circuit that is up to 5 times shallower than the Trotterization. By providing a more practical way to implement time evolution operators, VQOS increases the applicability of near-term quantum computers.
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Quantum Physics
Characterizing Noise Effects on Multipartite Entanglement via Phase-Space Visualization
This paper investigates the behavior of two fundamental types of multipartite entangled states, namely GHZ(3) and W(3) states under Gaussian-distributed amplitude perturbations and White noise model. The Uhlmann-Jozsa fidelity is taken to be the quantitative measure to show the overall degradation of the quantum states, and is implemented via TQIX : a tool specifically designed for quantum state measurement and related applications. While fidelity analysis captures the progressive decay of quantum states under noise, it offers only limited understanding regarding the state decay and doesn't provide a detailed analysis of how entanglement structures respond to noise models. To reveal the phase-space characteristics and nonclassical signatures of three-qubit entangled states, we employ the spin Wigner function using equal-angle projection. This approach reveals a continuous fading of quantum coherence with increasing noise strength, ultimately providing a clear picture of transition toward classical-like behavior in phase space. This combined qualitative-quantitative framework provides deeper understanding of how different entanglement structures respond to noise, offering practical applications for designing and implementing noise resilient protocols in quantum computing, and quantum information processing.
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Quantum Physics
Significant modifications of Lamb shift at small centripetal accelerations
We investigate the Lamb shift of centripetally accelerated atoms coupled to electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations. Focusing on a very small orbital radius (so that the tangential speed remains nonrelativistic and the proper centripetal acceleration can be extremely small), we show that the resulting level shift is intrinsically anisotropic and depends sensitively on the atomic polarization direction. For atoms polarizable along the rotation axis, the leading noninertial contribution enters only at second order in the orbital radius and can slightly increase the energy-level spacing. For atoms polarizable perpendicular to the rotation axis, the noninertial contribution appears already at zeroth order in the radius and always increases the energy-level spacing. Remarkably, when the angular velocity greatly exceeds the transition frequency, the rotation-induced correction can become comparable in magnitude to the inertial Lamb shift, indicating that circular motion can significantly modify the Lamb shift even in the regime of very small centripetal accelerations.
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Quantum Physics
Classical simulability of quantum circuits followed by sparse classical post-processing
We study the classical simulability of a polynomial-size quantum circuit $C_n$ on $n$ qubits followed by sparse classical post-processing (SCP) on $m$ bits, where $m \leq n \leq {\rm poly}(m)$. The SCP is described by a non-zero Boolean function $f_m$ that is classically computable in polynomial time and is sparse, i.e., has a peaked Fourier spectrum. First, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition on $C_n$ such that, for any SCP $f_m$, $C_n$ followed by $f_m$ is classically simulable. This characterization extends the result of Van den Nest and implies that various quantum circuits followed by SCP are classically simulable. Examples include IQP circuits, Clifford Magic circuits, and the quantum part of Simon's algorithm, even though these circuits alone are hard to simulate classically. Then, we consider the case where $C_n$ has constant depth $d$. While it is unlikely that, for any SCP $f_m$, $C_n$ followed by $f_m$ is classically simulable, we show that it is simulable by a polynomial-time probabilistic algorithm with access to commuting quantum circuits on $n+1$ qubits. Each such circuit consists of at most deg($f_m$) commuting gates and each commuting gate acts on at most $2^d+1$ qubits, where deg($f_m$) is the Fourier degree of $f_m$. This provides a better understanding of the hardness of simulating constant-depth quantum circuits followed by SCP.
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Quantum Physics
Multi-Shot Quantum Sensing for RF Signal Detection with MIMO Rydberg-Atom Receivers
Rydberg-atom quantum receivers (RAQRs) enable electric-field sensing with quantum-noise-limited performance, yet their optical readout provides only magnitude measurements whose fluctuations follow Rician statistics governed by atomic projection noise, optical shot noise, reference-field injection, and short coherence times. These non-Gaussian, phase-blind measurements invalidate classical single-shot RF detectors and necessitate multi-shot quantum sensing strategies. This work develops a physically consistent multi-shot statistical model for RAQRs and derives both the optimal genie-aided likelihood-ratio test (LRT) and a practical phase-averaged LRT that removes dependence on the unknown RF-field phase. Closed-form test statistics and thresholds are obtained for both detectors, and the limits imposed by finite quantum shots-due to atomic dephasing and measurement backaction-are explicitly quantified. A fully non-coherent energy detector is also analysed, with exact detection probability derived using noncentral chi-square models. Monte Carlo results show that only 5-10 quantum shots yield major gains: the phase-averaged LRT closely approaches the genie bound and RAQR detection markedly outperforms classical RF energy detection under comparable received power. The proposed framework provides the first unified statistical basis for multi-shot Rydberg-based weak-field detection and underscores the potential of RAQRs for quantum-enhanced signal detection.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from cond-mat.mes-hall
Triple Antidot Molecules
We report the realization and modeling of a triple-antidot molecule hosting three interacting quantum Hall quasiparticles, with tunnel coupling between antidots tunable via the magnetic field. The measured tunneling conductance spectrum reveals the molecular energy levels arising from the inter-antidot coupling and Coulomb interaction. A tunneling model is established which shows good qualitative agreement with experimental observations. This work lays the foundation for the realization of complex systems of antidots for quantum Hall quasiparticles with non-trivial quantum statistics.
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Quantum Physics
Casimir-Polder potential on an excited atom near an atomic array
We develop a microscopic description of the fluctuation-mediated Casimir-Polder (CP) shifts on a 'test' two-level atom placed near a two-dimensional atomic array of two-level atoms. We derive the resonant and off-resonant CP potentials experienced by the excited test atom using fourth-order perturbation theory, under the assumption that the test atom resonance is far detuned from those of the array atoms. The total potential on the test atom can be described as the sum of the pairwise resonant and off-resonant potentials resulting from its interaction with the individual atoms of the array. We analyze the asymptotic scaling of CP shifts as a function of the test atom-array separation, and its dependence on various system parameters: array spacing and size, and dipole orientation of the array atoms. Our results bridge the description of CP potential across two distinct regimes: (i) from a single-atom limit where we recover the well-known two-atom Van der Waals potential, (ii) to a macroscopic boundary limit, where we demonstrate new asymptotic scaling laws. We demonstrate that these scaling laws can be tuned via the microscopic parameters of the atomic array, establishing atomically-controlled arrays as a versatile platform for tailoring fluctuation-induced QED phenomena.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.atom-ph
Optical pumping of alkali-metal vapor in the quasi-high-pressure regime
Optical pumping is fundamental to high-precision measurement using thermal alkali-metal atoms in vapor cells. In applications such as atomic magnetometry, buffer gases (e.g., $\mathrm{N}_2$ or $\mathrm{He}$) at specific pressures are introduced to quench fluorescence and mitigate wall relaxation. In the high-pressure limit (e.g., the $\mathrm{N}_2$ pressure $p_{\mathrm{N}_2}> 1$~atm), where collisional broadening exceeds hyperfine splittings of the atoms, optical pumping theory provides a clear description of the angular momentum exchange between photons and atomic spins. However, in many magnetic sensing scenarios, the high-pressure approximation becomes inadequate as its pressure conditions are not strictly satisfied. Consequently, an explicit description of optical pumping under realistic pressures is critical for selecting operating points and enhancing system performance. To address this, we develop a unified theoretical framework of optical pumping in the quasi-high-pressure regime, where collisional broadening is comparable to the ground-state hyperfine splitting. We demonstrate that light absorption, spin polarization, and magnetic-resonance linewidth in this regime differ significantly from those predicted by the high-pressure limit and offer favorable operating conditions. Our study extends conventional modeling and offers critical guidance for atomic magnetometry operating under realistic buffer gas pressures.
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Quantum Physics
Heterogeneous entanglement between a trapped ion and a solid-state quantum memory
Hybrid quantum networks offer a promising architecture for scalable quantum information processing and a future quantum internet, as they can combine the complementary strengths of disparate physical platforms. While single-atom systems provide deterministic quantum logic gates, atomic ensembles enable large-capacity quantum storage. However, generating entanglement between such heterogeneous systems has remained an open challenge, primarily due to fundamental spectral mismatches and system complexity. Here, we demonstrate a hybrid quantum network that entangles a single trapped $\mathrm{^{171}Yb^{+}}$ ion and a quantum memory based on $\rm ^{153}Eu^{3+}\colon\!Y_2SiO_5$ crystal over a 75-m separation. Using polarization-maintaining quantum frequency conversion, we map spin-photon entanglement onto a hybrid entanglement between a single spin qubit and a collective excitation of the quantum memory. The resulting entangled state achieves a fidelity of $(89.21 \pm 2.23)\%$ and violates the CHSH-Bell inequality by 6 standard deviations ($S = 2.328 \pm 0.055$), confirming nonlocality between two heterogeneous nodes. This work establishes entanglement between a quantum processing module with a multiplexed quantum memory node, representing a key step toward a scalable, multifunctional quantum internet.
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Quantum Physics
Variational Quantum Algorithm for Constrained Combinatorial Optimization Problems
While variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) have demonstrated considerable success in unconstrained optimization, their application to constrained combinatorial problems face a trade-off. Penalty-based methods, despite their circuit simplicity, suffer from a fundamental limitation: inefficient sampling in vast infeasible regions. This often results in suboptimal solutions that violate constraints and impede convergence to high-quality results. In contrast, ansatz-based approaches enforce solution feasibility by design but require complex, problem-specific circuits that are challenging to implement on current noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices. To overcome these limitations, we introduce an alternative VQA whose core innovation lies in a strategically designed loss function. This function offers a dual advantage. First, it is provably guaranteed that its global minimum corresponds uniquely to the optimal feasible solution, as this is achieved by ensuring universally higher loss values for all infeasible solutions. Second, it furnishes distinct computational pathways for feasible versus infeasible regions, thus creating clear and non competing guidance for the optimizer. As a result of these combined features, the algorithm's overall performance is significantly enhanced. Regarding hardware overhead, our design requires adding only an efficient validation oracle module to the penalty-based circuit, resulting in a circuit complexity significantly lower than that of ansatz-based approaches with their custom mixers. To validate the practical efficiency of our method, we empirically demonstrate its effectiveness by solving minimum vertex cover and maximum independent set problems on random graphs of varying small-scale sizes.
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Quantum Physics
Gaussian dynamics in the double Siegel disk
We show that deterministic multimode Gaussian channels admit a symmetric-space description. Passing from the n-mode Siegel disk to a doubled version of that space lets general Gaussian dynamics act by a linear-fractional (Mobius) transformation on a single matrix parameter. This doubled disk naturally parametrizes Gaussian kernels in the Fock-Bargmann representation, and contains an explicit physical subset corresponding to valid mixed Gaussian states. Starting from the standard X,Y parametrization of a deterministic Gaussian channel, we construct a normalized oscillator-semigroup element whose fractional action reproduces the channel update on that subset; Gaussian unitaries appear as the symplectic, isometric special case. This gives a bridge between covariance-matrix channel theory and the adjacency-matrix or symmetric-space picture, preserves a simple composition law given by matrix multiplication of the acting blocks, and suggests a direct route to graphical update rules beyond pure states.
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Quantum Physics
Robust coherent control in non-Hermitian cavity electromagnonics using counterdiabatic driving
We propose to use counterdiabatic driving (CD) shortcut and the Floquet engineering to realize the robust and fast state transfer in the dissipation cavity magnon-polaritons non-Hermitian (NH) system. For the two-level NH cavity magnon-polaritons Hamiltonian, an accurate and fast population transfer is achieved from the microwave photon to the magnon by two coherent control techniques; counterdiabatic driving shortcut and non-Hermitian shortcuts (NHSs). Additionally, by using the CD technique, the population evolution speed of non-Hermitian systems is faster than that via the NHS technique in the broken-symmetric regime. Furthermore, we compare their performances in the presence of the coupling strength and systematic errors, the CD technique features a broad range of high efficiencies of the transition probability above 99.9%, showing that the CD technique is more robustness against these errors than the NHS technique. It is worth noting that this advantage becomes more significant as the gain rate of system parameters increases. The work provides a basis for achieving the robust coherent control in NH cavity electromagnonics.
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Quantum Physics
Rovibrational energy levels of H$_2$O by quantum computing
We calculate rovibrational energy levels of H$_2$O using a trapped-ion quantum computer. We first derive the qubit form of Watson's Hamiltonian, including the rovibrational coupling terms. In a second step, we employ a variant of the quantum-selected configuration-interaction method to calculate rovibrational energy levels. A truncated form of the qubit Hamiltonian is used to generate correlated rovibrational wave functions on the quantum computer by time evolution, and a basis set is selected by sampling from the measured probability distribution. The rovibrational energy levels are obtained by constructing a Hamiltonian matrix using the selected basis set, and diagonalizing the matrix using a classical computer. We show that an accuracy of a few $hc$ cm$^{-1}$ can be achieved for low-lying rovibrational energy levels.
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Quantum Physics
Learnability, Identifiability, and Monitor Placement in Quantum Network Tomography
Reliable quantum communication requires accurate characterization of the quantum links. This paper studies Quantum Network Tomography (QNT) under limited monitoring resources, where unknown link parameters are inferred from path-based measurements performed at monitor nodes. We introduce a cyclic sequential QNT protocol (CSQP) for arbitrary network topologies and develop a fixed-point learnability framework with an explicit algorithm for estimating link-level Werner parameters. We characterize identifiability through the rank of the path-link incidence matrix and show that the CSQP learnability conditions guarantee full rank and a nonsingular Quantum Fisher Information Matrix (QFIM). Building on this framework, we formulate monitor placement and measurement assignment as an optimization problem whose constraints enforce learnability and identifiability without topology-specific reformulation. Two Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulations are introduced: Unconstrained QFIM-based formulation (QF), which maximizes QFIM-trace, and monitoring-overhead constrained QFIM formulation (QMF), which maximizes QFIM-trace subject to a per-monitor overhead constraint. Both formulations are evaluated on star and tree networks to compare monitor placements and measurement assignments. The results show that QMF distributes monitoring load evenly across all monitors and provides greater potential for parallel monitoring under resource constraints, while QF is more suitable when estimation information is prioritized, particularly in practical networks with non-uniform link noise.
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Thursday 5 March
Quantum Physics
Emergent causal order and time direction: bridging causal models and tensor networks
Can the direction of time and the causal structure of space-time be inferred from operational principles? Causal models and tensor networks offer complementary perspectives: the former encodes cause-effect relations via directed graphs, with intrinsic ordering; the latter describes multipartite systems on undirected graphs, without presupposing directionality. We construct two-way mappings between these two frameworks, linking direction agnostic correlation functions and operational notions of signalling. This clarifies the operational meaning of causal influence in tensor networks and introduces discrete "space-time rotations” of causal models which preserve signalling relations. Applying our framework to holographic tensor networks, we use tools from causal inference, like graph-separation, to analyse emergent causal structures. By permitting cyclic and indefinite causal structures, our results enable transfer of techniques across tensor networks and a range of causality frameworks.
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Quantum Physics · Cross-listed from physics.ins-det
A Non-Foster Superconducting Broadband Matching Network
The nonlinear inductance of the Josephson junction has enabled the development of a wide range of continuous-variable amplifiers and qubit-based devices with unprecedented sensitivity. We present an alternative use of the Josephson junction in the context of broadband impedance matching. The idea poses a potential solution to a longstanding problem in the field of high energy particle physics. The axion, a compelling candidate for the dark matter, converts to a weak electromagnetic signal at an as-yet unknown frequency. As such, the ideal axion detector does not compromise bandwidth for sensitivity, a trade-off intrinsic to all linear, time-invariant and passive circuits. We propose a circuit that uses a Josephson junction in an impedance matching network to overcome these gain-bandwidth constraints and increase the scan rate of axion searches. The Josephson junction can be biased to exhibit negative inductance capable of canceling geometric inductance similar to a capacitor but across a wider frequency range.