Search

Distributing entanglement over long distances remains a challenge due to its fragility when exposed to environmental effects. In this work, we compare various entanglement distribution protocols in a realistic noisy fiber network. We focus specifically on two schemes that only require the sending of a non-entangled carrier photon to remote nodes of the network. These protocols rely on optical CNOT gates and we vary the probability with which they can be successfully performed. Encoding our entangled states in photon polarization, we analyse the effect of depolarizing noise on the photonic states as the carrier passes through the fibers. Building a robust model of photon loss and calculating the distillable entanglement of the noisy states, we find the entanglement distribution rate. We discover that methods involving a separable carrier can reach a higher rate than the standard entanglement distribution protocol, provided that the success probability of the optical CNOT gates is sufficiently high., Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures. Comments welcome

We assess a scheme for measurement-free quantum teleportation from the perspective of the resources underpinning its performance. In particular, we focus on recently made claims about the crucial role played by the degree of non-Markovianity of the dynamics of the information carrier whose state we aim to teleport. We prove that any link between efficiency of teleportation and back-flow of information depends fundamentally on the way the various operations entailed by the measurement-free teleportation protocol are implemented, while - in general - no claim of causal link can be made. Our result reinforces the need for the explicit assessment of the underlying physical platform when assessing the performance and resources for a given quantum protocol and the need for a rigorous quantum resource theory of non-Markovianity., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. Comments welcome!

Distributing quantum correlations to each node of a network is a key aspect of quantum networking. Here, we present a robust, physically-motivated protocol by which global quantum correlations, as characterised by the discord, can be distributed to quantum memories using a mixed state of information carriers which possess only classical correlations. In addition to this, said distribution is measurement-outcome independent, and the distribution is done using only bilocal unitary operations and projective measurements. We also explore the scaling of this protocol for larger networks and illustrate the structure of the quantum correlations, showing its dependence on the local operations performed., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Comments are welcome

We describe and analyze a quantum thermometer based on a multi-layered collisional model. The proposed architecture provides significant sensitivity even for short interaction times between the ancillae comprised in the thermometer and the system to be probed, and a small number of information-acquiring collisions. The assessment of the flow of information taking place within the layered thermometer and between system and thermometer reveals that the tuning of the mutual backflow of information has a positive influence on the precision of thermometry, and helps unveiling the information-theoretic mechanisms behind the working principles of the proposed architecture.

Recent experiments have searched for evidence of the impact of non-inertial motion on the entanglement of particles. The success of these endeavours has been hindered by the fact that such tests were performed within spatial scales that were only "local" when compared to the spatial scales over which the non-inertial motion was taking place. We propose a Sagnac-like interferometer that, by challenging such bottlenecks, is able to achieve entangled states through a mechanism induced by the mechanical rotation of a photonic interferometer. The resulting states violate the Bell-Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality all the way up to the Tsirelson bound, thus signaling strong quantum nonlocality. Our results demonstrate that mechanical rotation can be thought of as resource for controlling quantum non-locality with implications also for recent proposals for experiments that can probe the quantum nature of curved spacetimes and non-inertial motion., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure

Spontaneous collapse models, which are phenomenological mechanisms introduced and designed to account for dynamical wavepacket reduction, are attracting a growing interest from the community interested in the characterisation of the quantum-to-classical transition. Here, we introduce a {\it quantum-probing} approach to the quest of deriving metrological upper bounds on the free parameters of such empirical models. To illustrate our approach, we consider an extended quantum Ising chain whose elements are -- either individually or collectively -- affected by a mechanism responsible for spontaneous collapse. We explore configurations involving out-of-equilibrium states of the chain, which allows us to infer information about the collapse mechanism before it is completely scrambled from the state of the system. Moreover, we investigate potential amplification effects on the probing performance based on the exploitation of quantum criticality., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. Comments welcome!

We investigate machine learning-based noise classification aimed at the recognition of the Markovian character of a dynamics and the identification of correlations of classical noise, as well as their interplay in small quantum networks. We operate control based on Coherent Tunneling by Adiabatic Passage (CTAP) or Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP) in a three-level system using different pulse configurations as inputs to train a feedforward neural network. Our results show that supervised learning can classify distinct types of classical diagonal noise affecting the system. Three non-Markovian (quasistatic correlated, anti-correlated, and uncorrelated) and Markovian noise mechanisms are classified with $99\%$ accuracy. Instead, correlations of Markovian noises cannot be classified with our method. The approach is robust against statistical measurement errors keeping its effectiveness even for physical measurements where a limited number of samples is available., Comment: 24 pages, 7 figures

The recently proposed zero-added-loss multiplexing (ZALM) source of entangled photons enables higher efficiency in entanglement distribution than spontaneous parametric down-conversion sources and can be carried out using both space-to-ground and ground-to-ground links. We demonstrate the flexibility of ZALM architectures to be adapted to alternative entanglement distribution protocols. Focusing on the counter-intuitive result that entanglement can be generated between distant parties without using any entanglement as a resource, we analyze two protocols for entanglement distribution to memories via separable states. Modelling them in a ZALM setup, we consider the effects of noise both in the communication channels and in the memories. We thereby identify the optimal protocol to use, with respect to the highest entanglement generated, given the noise conditions of the network., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

Squeezing is a crucial resource for quantum information processing and quantum sensing. In levitated nanomechanics, squeezed states of motion can be generated via temporal control of the trapping frequency of a massive particle. However, the amount of achievable squeezing typically suffers from detrimental environmental effects. We analyze the performance of a scheme that, by embedding careful time-control of trapping potentials and fully accounting for the most relevant sources of noise -- including measurement backaction -- achieves significant levels of mechanical squeezing. The feasibility of our proposal, which is close to experimental state-of-the-art, makes it a valuable tool for quantum state engineering., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, comments are welcome! Quantum Sci. Technol (2024)

The return of the information from the environment to the system is a phenomenon can be related to existence of non-Markovian mechanisms in the environment and such transformation of resources can be useful for quantum information applications. Thus, understanding the details of the system-environment information dynamics, i.e., the transference of quantum resources is of key importance to design noise-resilient quantum technologies. In this work, we show how a quantum resource propagates from the main system to an environment, using as model a single qubit coupled to two linear chains of qubits, and also the information dynamics among the environment qubits. In this way, we characterize the propagation of information leaving the main qubit and going through the environment. Finally, we connect the conditions for the emergence of this dynamics to the existence of quantum Darwinism.

We report on an experiment achieving the dynamical generation of non-Gaussian states of motion of a levitated optomechanical system. We access intrinsic Duffing-like non-linearities by squeezing an oscillator's state of motion through rapidly switching the frequency of its trap. We characterize the experimental non-Gaussian state against expectations from simulations and give prospects for the emergence of genuine non-classical features., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Comments welcome

Extracting meaningful information about unknown quantum states without performing a full tomography is an important task. Low-dimensional projections and random measurements can provide such insight but typically require careful crafting. In this paper, we present an optical scheme based on sending unknown input states through a multimode fiber and performing two-point intensity and coincidence measurements. A short multimode fiber implements effectively a random projection in the spatial domain, while a long-dispersive multimode fiber performs a spatial and spectral projection. We experimentally show that useful properties -- i.e., the purity, dimensionality, and degree of indistinguishability -- of various states of light including spectrally entangled biphoton states, can be obtained by measuring statistical properties of photocurrents and their correlation between two outputs over many realizations of unknown random projections. Moreover, we show that this information can then be used for state classification.

We investigate the phenomenology leading to the non-conservation of energy of the continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) model from the viewpoint of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, and use such framework to assess the equilibration process entailed by the dissipative formulation of the model (dCSL). As a paradigmatic situation currently addressed in frontier experiments aimed at investigating possible collapse theories, we consider a one-dimensional mechanical oscillator in a thermal state. We perform our analysis in the phase space of the oscillator, where the entropy production rate, a non-equilibrium quantity used to characterize irreversibility, can be conveniently analyzed. We show that the CSL model violates Clausius law, as it exhibits a negative entropy production rate, while the dCSL model reaches equilibrium consistently only under certain dynamical conditions, thus allowing us to identify the values -- in the parameter space -- where the latter mechanism can be faithfully used to describe a thermodynamically consistent phenomenon., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures

We present a protocol to create entangled coherent states by engineering cross-Kerr interactions between bosonic systems endowed with (externally driven) internal spin-like degrees of freedom. With slight modifications, the protocol is also able to produce N00N states through nonlinear beam splitter interactions. Each bosonic system interacts locally with its spin and by suitably tuning the model parameters, various classes of effective bosonic interaction Hamiltonians, mediated by the coupled spins, can be engineered. Our approach is benchmarked by numerical simulations aimed at studying the entanglement within a bosonic register and comparing it with the expected one resulting from the target Hamiltonians., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures

Recent developments have led to the possibility of embedding machine learning tools into experimental platforms to address key problems, including the characterization of the properties of quantum states. Leveraging on this, we implement a quantum extreme learning machine in a photonic platform to achieve resource-efficient and accurate characterization of the polarization state of a photon. The underlying reservoir dynamics through which such input state evolves is implemented using the coined quantum walk of high-dimensional photonic orbital angular momentum, and performing projective measurements over a fixed basis. We demonstrate how the reconstruction of an unknown polarization state does not need a careful characterization of the measurement apparatus and is robust to experimental imperfections, thus representing a promising route for resource-economic state characterisation.

Spectral densities encode the relevant information characterising the system-environment interaction in an open-quantum system problem. Such information is key to determining the system's dynamics. In this work, we leverage the potential of machine learning techniques to reconstruct the features of the environment. Specifically, we show that the time evolution of a system observable can be used by an artificial neural network to infer the main features of the spectral density. In particular, for relevant examples of spin-boson models, we can classify with high accuracy the Ohmicity parameter of the environment as either Ohmic, sub-Ohmic or super-Ohmic, thereby distinguishing between different forms of dissipation., Comment: 11+2 pages, 9 figures, RevTeX4-2 Close to the published version in Mach. Learn.: Sci. Technol

The formalism of linear response theory can be extended to encompass physical situations where an open quantum system evolves towards a non-equilibrium steady-state. Here, we use the framework put forward by Konopik and Lutz [Phys. Rev. Research {\bf 1}, 033156 (2019)] to go beyond unitary perturbations of the dynamics. Considering an open system comprised of two coupled quantum harmonic oscillators, we study the system's response to unitary perturbations, affecting the Hamiltonian dynamics, as well as non-unitary perturbations, affecting the properties of the environment, e.g., its temperature and squeezing. We show that linear response, combined with a quantum probing approach, can effectively provide valuable quantitative information about the perturbation and characteristics of the environment, even in cases of non-unitary dynamics., Comment: 8 + 4 pages, 7 figures, RevTeX4-2 Close to published version in Phys. Rev. Research

We argue that, in the quest for the translation of fundamental research into actual quantum technologies, two avenues that have - so far - only partly explored should be pursued vigorously. On first entails that the study of energetics at the fundamental quantum level holds the promises for the design of a generation of more energy-efficient quantum devices. On second route to pursue implies a more structural hybridisation of quantum dynamics with data science techniques and tools, for a more powerful framework for quantum information processing.

We make use of the powerful formalism of quantum parameter estimation to assess the characteristic rates of a Continuous Spontaneous Localisation (CSL) model affecting the motion of a massive mechanical system. We show that a study performed in non-equilibrium conditions unveils the advantages provided by the use of genuinely quantum resources -- such as quantum correlations -- in estimating the CSL-induced diffusion rate. In stationary conditions, instead, the gap between quantum performance and a classical scheme disappears. Our investigation contributes to the ongoing effort aimed at identifying suitable conditions for the experimental assessment of collapse models., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures

We provide a new perspective on shadow tomography by demonstrating its deep connections with the general theory of measurement frames. By showing that the formalism of measurement frames offers a natural framework for shadow tomography -- in which ``classical shadows'' correspond to unbiased estimators derived from a suitable dual frame associated with the given measurement -- we highlight the intrinsic connection between standard state tomography and shadow tomography. Such perspective allows us to examine the interplay between measurements, reconstructed observables, and the estimators used to process measurement outcomes, while paving the way to assess the influence of the input state and the dimension of the underlying space on estimation errors. Our approach generalizes the method described in [H.-Y. Huang {\it et al.}, Nat. Phys. 16, 1050 (2020)], whose results are recovered in the special case of covariant measurement frames. As an application, we demonstrate that a sought-after target of shadow tomography can be achieved for the entire class of tight rank-1 measurement frames -- namely, that it is possible to accurately estimate a finite set of generic rank-1 bounded observables while avoiding the growth of the number of the required samples with the state dimension., Comment: Comments welcom

Manipulating quantum systems undergoing non-Gaussian dynamics in a fast and accurate manner is becoming fundamental to many quantum applications. Here, we focus on classical and quantum protocols transferring a state across a double-well potential. The classical protocols are achieved by deforming the potential, while the quantum ones are assisted by a counter-diabatic driving. We show that quantum protocols perform more quickly and accurately. Finally, we design a figure of merit for the performance of the transfer protocols -- namely, the \textit{protocol grading} -- that depends only on fundamental physical quantities, and which accounts for the quantum speed limit, the fidelity and the thermodynamic of the process. We test the protocol grading with classical and quantum protocols, and show that quantum protocols have higher protocol grading than the classical ones.

Quantum reservoir computers (QRC) and quantum extreme learning machines (QELM) aim to efficiently post-process the outcome of fixed -- generally uncalibrated -- quantum devices to solve tasks such as the estimation of the properties of quantum states. The characterisation of their potential and limitations, which is currently lacking, will enable the full deployment of such approaches to problems of system identification, device performance optimization, and state or process reconstruction. We present a framework to model QRCs and QELMs, showing that they can be concisely described via single effective measurements, and provide an explicit characterisation of the information exactly retrievable with such protocols. We furthermore find a close analogy between the training process of QELMs and that of reconstructing the effective measurement characterising the given device. Our analysis paves the way to a more thorough understanding of the capabilities and limitations of both QELMs and QRCs, and has the potential to become a powerful measurement paradigm for quantum state estimation that is more resilient to noise and imperfections., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, comments welcome

The detection of entanglement provides a definitive proof of quantumness. Its ascertainment might be challenging for hot or macroscopic objects, where entanglement is typically weak, but nevertheless present. Here we propose a platform for measuring entanglement by connecting the objects of interest to an uncontrolled quantum network, whose emission (readout) is trained to learn and sense the entanglement of the former. First, we demonstrate the platform and its features with generic quantum systems. As the network effectively learns to recognise quantum states, it is possible to sense the amount of entanglement after training with only non-entangled states. Furthermore, by taking into account measurement errors, we demonstrate entanglement sensing with precision that scales beyond the standard quantum limit and outperforms measurements performed directly on the objects. Finally, we utilise our platform for sensing gravity-induced entanglement between two masses and predict an improvement of two orders of magnitude in the precision of entanglement estimation compared to existing techniques., Comment: Main text: 6 pages with 4 figures. Appendix: 10 pages with 5 figures

Quantum coherence is a central ingredient in quantum physics with several theoretical and technological ramifications. In this work we consider a figure of merit encoding the information on how the coherence generated on average by a quantum gate is affected by unitary errors (coherent noise sources). We provide numerical evidences that such information is well captured by the statistics of local energy measurements on the output states of the gate. These findings are then corroborated by experimental data taken in a quantum optics setting.

Many phenomena and fundamental predictions, ranging from Hawking radiation to the early evolution of the Universe rely on the interplay between quantum mechanics and gravity or more generally, quantum mechanics in curved spacetimes. However, our understanding is hindered by the lack of experiments that actually allow us to probe quantum mechanics in curved spacetime in a repeatable and accessible way. Here we propose an experimental scheme for a photon that is prepared in a path superposition state across two rotating Sagnac interferometers that have different diameters and thus represent a superposition of two different spacetimes. We predict the generation of genuine entanglement even at low rotation frequencies and show how these effects could be observed even due to the Earth's rotation. These predictions provide an accessible platform in which to study the role of the underlying spacetime in the generation of entanglement., Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures; version accepted for publication in PRL

We employ a machine learning-enabled approach to quantum state engineering based on evolutionary algorithms. In particular, we focus on superconducting platforms and consider a network of qubits -- encoded in the states of artificial atoms with no direct coupling -- interacting via a common single-mode driven microwave resonator. The qubit-resonator couplings are assumed to be in the resonant regime and tunable in time. A genetic algorithm is used in order to find the functional time-dependence of the couplings that optimise the fidelity between the evolved state and a variety of targets, including three-qubit GHZ and Dicke states and four-qubit graph states. We observe high quantum fidelities (above 0.96 in the worst case setting of a system of effective dimension 96) and resilience to noise, despite the algorithm being trained in the ideal noise-free setting. These results show that the genetic algorithms represent an effective approach to control quantum systems of large dimensions., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures

The Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) of light is an infinite-dimensional degree of freedom of light with several applications in both classical and quantum optics. However, to fully take advantage of the potential of OAM states, reliable detection platforms to characterize generated states in experimental conditions are needed. Here, we present an approach to reconstruct input OAM states from measurements of the spatial intensity distributions they produce. To obviate issues arising from intrinsic symmetry of Laguerre-Gauss modes, we employ a pair of intensity profiles per state projecting it only on two distinct bases, showing how this allows to uniquely recover input states from the collected data. Our approach is based on a combined application of dimensionality reduction via principal component analysis, and linear regression, and thus has a low computational cost during both training and testing stages. We showcase our approach in a real photonic setup, generating up-to-four-dimensional OAM states through a quantum walk dynamics. The high performances and versatility of the demonstrated approach make it an ideal tool to characterize high dimensional states in quantum information protocols.

The ability to reliably distribute entanglement among the nodes of a network is an essential requirement for the development of effective quantum communication protocols and the realization of useful quantum networks. It has been demonstrated, in different contexts, that two remote systems can be entangled via local interactions with a carrier system that always remains in a separable state with respect to such distant particles. We develop a strategy for entanglement distribution via separable carriers that can be applied to any number of network nodes to achieve various entanglement distribution patterns. We show that our protocol results in multipartite entanglement, while the carrier mediating the process is always in a separable state with respect to the network. We provide examples showcasing the flexibility of our approach and propose a scheme of principle for the experimental demonstration of the protocol., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables

We examine how the ability of a system to redundantly proliferate relevant information about its pointer states is affected when it is coupled to multiple baths. To this end, we consider a system in contact with two baths: one -- termed the {\it accessible} environment -- which, on its own, induces a pure dephasing mechanism on the state of the system and satisfies the conditions for classical objectivity to be established. The second environment, which we dub as {\it inaccessible}, affects the system in two physically relevant ways. Firstly, we consider an interaction that commutes with the Hamiltonian describing the interaction between system and accessible bath. It thus also gives rise to dephasing of the system, albeit on different time scales. Secondly, we consider a thermalising interaction, which does not commute with the system-accessible environment Hamiltonian. While the former still allows the system to redundantly encode its state into the accessible environment, the latter degrades the correlations, eventually destroying them in the long-time limit, and thus leads to a loss of the conditions necessary for classical objectivity to be established. This sheds light on the role that commutativity between the various system-bath interaction terms plays when establishing the conditions for classical objectivity to be supported., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures

The characterization of quantum critical phenomena is pivotal for the understanding and harnessing of quantum many-body physics. However, their complexity makes the inference of such fundamental processes difficult. Thus, efficient and experimentally non-demanding methods for their diagnosis are strongly desired. Here, we introduce a general scheme, based on the combination of finite-size scaling and the linear response of a given observable to a time-dependent perturbation, to efficiently extract the energy gaps to the lowest excited states of the system, and thus infer its dynamical critical exponents. Remarkably, the scheme is able to tackle both integrable and non-integrable models, prepared away from their ground states. It thus holds the potential to embody a valuable diagnostic tool for experimentally significant problems in quantum many-body physics., Comment: 6+4 pages; comments welcome!

The superposition principle is the cornerstone of quantum mechanics, leading to a variety of genuinely quantum effects. Whether the principle applies also to macroscopic systems or, instead, there is a progressive breakdown when moving to larger scales, is a fundamental and still open question. Spontaneous wavefunction collapse models predict the latter option, thus questioning the universality of quantum mechanics. Technological advances allow to challenge collapse models and the quantum superposition principle more and more with a variety of different experiments. Among them, non-interferometric experiments proved to be the most effective in testing these models. We provide an overview of such experiments, including cold atoms, optomechanical systems, X-rays detection, bulk heating as well as comparisons with cosmological observations. We also discuss avenues for future dedicated experiments, which aim at further testing collapse models and the validity of quantum mechanics.

The objective of the proposed MAQRO mission is to harness space for achieving long free-fall times, extreme vacuum, nano-gravity, and cryogenic temperatures to test the foundations of physics in macroscopic quantum experiments. This will result in the development of novel quantum sensors and a means to probe the foundations of quantum physics at the interface with gravity. Earlier studies showed that the proposal is feasible but that several critical challenges remain, and key technologies need to be developed. These new technologies will open up the potential for achieving additional science objectives. The proposed research campaign aims to advance the state of the art and to perform the first macroscopic quantum experiments in space. Experiments on the ground, in micro-gravity, and in space will drive the proposed research campaign during the current decade to enable the implementation of MAQRO within the subsequent decade., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, submitted as a Research Campaign Whitepaper for the BPS2023 Decadal Survey

We summarize the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with ESA and national space and research funding agencies., Comment: Summary of the Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space and corresponding Road-map: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1064855/

The Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) of light has been at the center of several classical and quantum applications for imaging, information processing and communication. However, the complex structure inherent in OAM states makes their detection and classification nontrivial in many circumstances. Most of the current detection schemes are based on models of the OAM states built upon the use of Laguerre-Gauss modes. However, this may not in general be sufficient to capture full information on the generated states. In this paper, we go beyond the Laguerre-Gauss assumption, and employ Hypergeometric-Gaussian modes as the basis states of a refined model that can be used -- in certain scenarios -- to better tailor OAM detection techniques. We show that enhanced performances in OAM detection are obtained for holographic projection via spatial light modulators in combination with single-mode fibers, and for classification techniques based on a machine learning approach. Furthermore, a three-fold enhancement in the single-mode fiber coupling efficiency is obtained for the holographic technique, when using the Hypergeometric-Gaussian model with respect to the Laguerre-Gauss one. This improvement provides a significant boost in the overall efficiency of OAM-encoded single-photon detection systems. Given that most of the experimental works using OAM states are effectively based on the generation of Hypergeometric-Gauss modes, our findings thus represent a relevant addition to experimental toolboxes for OAM-based protocols in quantum communication, cryptography and simulation.

Experimentally engineering high-dimensional quantum states is a crucial task for several quantum information protocols. However, a high degree of precision in the characterization of experimental noisy apparatus is required to apply existing quantum state engineering protocols. This is often lacking in practical scenarios, affecting the quality of the engineered states. Here, we implement experimentally an automated adaptive optimization protocol to engineer photonic Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) states. The protocol, given a target output state, performs an online estimation of the quality of the currently produced states, relying on output measurement statistics, and determines how to tune the experimental parameters to optimize the state generation. To achieve this, the algorithm needs not be imbued with a description of the generation apparatus itself. Rather, it operates in a fully black-box scenario, making the scheme applicable in a wide variety of circumstances. The handles controlled by the algorithm are the rotation angles of a series of waveplates and can be used to probabilistically generate arbitrary four-dimensional OAM states. We showcase our scheme on different target states both in classical and quantum regimes, and prove its robustness to external perturbations on the control parameters. This approach represents a powerful tool for automated optimizations of noisy experimental tasks for quantum information protocols and technologies.

Quantum Optimal Control is an established field of research which is necessary for the development of Quantum Technologies. In recent years, Machine Learning techniques have been proved usefull to tackle a variety of quantum problems. In particular, Reinforcement Learning has been employed to address typical problems of control of quantum systems. In this tutorial we introduce the methods of Quantum Optimal Control and Reinforcement Learning by applying them to the problem of three-level population transfer. The jupyter notebooks to reproduce some of our results are open-sourced and available on github., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures

The ability to control the motion of mechanical systems through its interaction with light has opened the door to a plethora of applications in fundamental and applied physics. With experiments routinely reaching the quantum regime, the focus has now turned towards creating and exploiting interesting non-classical states of motion and entanglement in optomechanical systems. Quantumness has also shifted from being the very reason why experiments are constructed to becoming a resource for the investigation of fundamental physics and the creation of quantum technologies. Here, by focusing on opto- and electromechanical platforms we review recent progress in quantum state preparation and entanglement of mechanical systems, together with applications to signal processing and transduction, quantum sensing, topological physics, as well as small-scale thermodynamics., Comment: 15 pages, 150 references. Review article submitted to Nature Physics. Comments very welcome

Many advanced quantum techniques feature non-Gaussian dynamics, and the ability to manipulate the system in that domain is the next-stage in many experiments. One example of meaningful non-Gaussian dynamics is that of a double-well potential. Here we study the dynamics of a levitated nanoparticle undergoing the transition from an harmonic potential to a double-well in a realistic setting, subjecting to both thermalisation and localisation. We characterise the dynamics of the nanoparticle from a thermodynamic point-of-view, investigating the dynamics with the Wehrl entropy production and its rates. Furthermore, we investigate coupling regimes where the the quantum effect and thermal effect are of the same magnitude, and look at suitable squeezing of the initial state that provides the maximum coherence. The effects and the competitions of the unitary and the dissipative parts onto the system are demonstrated. We quantify the requirements to relate our results to a bonafide experiment with the presence of the environment, and discuss the experimental interpretations of our results in the end., Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Comments are welcome

We model the dynamics of a closed quantum system brought out of mechanical equilibrium, undergoing a non-driven, spontaneous, thermodynamic transformation. In particular, we consider a quantum particle in a box with a moving and insulating wall, subjected to a constant external pressure. Under the assumption that the wall undergoes classical dynamics, we obtain a system of differential equations that describes the evolution of the quantum system and the motion of the wall. We study the dynamics of such system and the thermodynamics of the process of compression and expansion of the box. Our approach is able to capture several properties of the thermodynamic transformations considered and goes beyond a description in terms of an ad-hoc time-dependent Hamiltonian, considering instead the mutual interactions between the dynamics of the quantum system and the parameters of its Hamiltonian., Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures

We deploy a combination of reinforcement learning-based approaches and more traditional optimization techniques to identify optimal protocols for population transfer in a multi-level system. We constraint our strategy to the case of fixed coupling rates but time-varying detunings, a situation that would simplify considerably the implementation of population transfer in relevant experimental platforms, such as semiconducting and superconducting ones. Our approach is able to explore the space of possible control protocols to reveal the existence of efficient protocols that, remarkably, differ from (and can be superior to) standard Raman, STIRAP or other adiabatic schemes. The new protocols that we identify are robust against both energy losses and dephasing.

We consider a finite one-dimensional chain of quantum rotors interacting with a set of thermal baths at different temperatures. When the interaction between the rotors is made chiral, such a system behaves as an autonomous thermal motor, converting heat currents into non-vanishing rotational ones. Such a dynamical response is strongly pronounced in the range of the Hamiltonian parameters for which the ground state of the system in the thermodynamic limit exhibits a quantum phase transition. Such working points are associated with large quantum coherence and multipartite quantum correlations within the state of the system. This suggests that the optimal operating regime of such quantum autonomous motor is one of maximal quantumness., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures; comments welcome!

Advances in quantum technologies are giving rise to a revolution in the way fundamental physics questions are explored at the empirical level. At the same time, they are the seeds for future disruptive technological applications of quantum physics. Remarkably, a space-based environment may open many new avenues for exploring and employing quantum physics and technologies. Recently, space missions employing quantum technologies for fundamental or applied studies have been proposed and implemented with stunning results. The combination of quantum physics and its space application is the focus of this review: we cover both the fundamental scientific questions that can be tackled with quantum technologies in space and the possible implementation of these technologies for a variety of academic and commercial purposes.

Recently, the European Commission supported by many European countries has announced large investments towards the commercialization of quantum technology (QT) to address and mitigate some of the biggest challenges facing today's digital era - e.g. secure communication and computing power. For more than two decades the QT community has been working on the development of QTs, which promise landmark breakthroughs leading to commercialization in various areas. The ambitious goals of the QT community and expectations of EU authorities cannot be met solely by individual initiatives of single countries, and therefore, require a combined European effort of large and unprecedented dimensions comparable only to the Galileo or Copernicus programs. Strong international competition calls for a coordinated European effort towards the development of QT in and for space, including research and development of technology in the areas of communication and sensing. Here, we aim at summarizing the state of the art in the development of quantum technologies which have an impact in the field of space applications. Our goal is to outline a complete framework for the design, development, implementation, and exploitation of quantum technology in space., Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure

We investigate the implications of quantum Darwinism in a composite quantum system with interacting constituents exhibiting a decoherence-free subspace. We consider a two-qubit system coupled to an $N$-qubit environment via a dephasing interaction. For excitation preserving interactions between the system qubits, an analytical expression for the dynamics is obtained. It demonstrates that part of the system Hilbert space redundantly proliferates its information to the environment, while the remaining subspace is decoupled and preserves clear non-classical signatures. For measurements performed on the system, we establish that a non-zero quantum discord is shared between the composite system and the environment, thus violating the conditions of strong Darwinism. However, due to the asymmetry of quantum discord, the information shared with the environment is completely classical for measurements performed on the environment. Our results imply a dichotomy between objectivity and classicality that emerges when considering composite systems., Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures. v2 matches published version

We present a scheme for the charging of a quantum battery based on the dynamics of an open quantum system undergoing coherent quantum squeezing and affected by an incoherent squeezed thermal bath. We show that quantum coherence, as instigated by the application of coherent squeezing, are key in the determination of the performance of the charging process, which is efficiency-enhanced at low environmental temperature and under a strong squeezed driving.

Quantum technologies are opening novel avenues for applied and fundamental science at an impressive pace. In this perspective article, we focus on the promises coming from the combination of quantum technologies and space science to test the very foundations of quantum physics and, possibly, new physics. In particular, we survey the field of mesoscopic superpositions of nanoparticles and the potential of interferometric and non-interferometric experiments in space for the investigation of the superposition principle of quantum mechanics and the quantum-to-classical transition. We delve into the possibilities offered by the state-of-the-art of nanoparticle physics projected in the space environment and discuss the numerous challenges, and the corresponding potential advancements, that the space environment presents. In doing this, we also offer an ab-initio estimate of the potential of space-based interferometry with some of the largest systems ever considered and show that there is room for tests of quantum mechanics at an unprecedented level of detail., Comment: 12+5 pages, 7+2 figures

The act of measuring a system has profound consequences of dynamical and thermodynamic nature. In particular, the degree of irreversibility ensuing from a non-equilibrium process is strongly affected by measurements aimed at acquiring information on the state of a system of interest: the conditional and unconditional entropy production, which quantify the degree of irreversibility of the open system's dynamics, are related to each other by clearly interpreted informational quantities. Building on a recently proposed collisional-model framework [G. T. Landi {\it et al.}, arXiv:2103.06247], we investigate the case of continuous-variable information carriers prepared in Gaussian states and undergoing Gaussian processes. We build up a toolbox that fully characterizes the thermodynamics of continuously measured non-equilibrium Gaussian systems and processes, illustrating how the instruments hereby introduced provide key insight into recent experiments on mesoscopic quantum systems [Phys. Rev. Lett, {\bf 125}, 080601 (2020)]., Comment: 9+4 pages, 2 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.A

Crossing a quantum critical point in finite time challenges the adiabatic condition due to the closing of the energy gap, which ultimately results in the formation of excitations. Such non-adiabatic excitations are typically deemed detrimental in many scenarios, and consequently several strategies have been put forward to circumvent their formation. Here, however, we show how these non-adiabatic excitations -- originated from the failure to meet the adiabatic condition due to the presence of a quantum critical point -- can be controlled and thus harnessed to perform certain tasks advantageously. We focus on closed cycles reaching the quantum critical point of fully-connected models analyzing two examples. First, a quantum battery that is loaded by approaching a quantum critical point, whose stored and extractable work increases exponentially via repeating cycles. Second, a scheme for the fast preparation of spin squeezed states containing multipartite entanglement that offer a metrological advantage. The corresponding figure of merit in both cases crucially depends on universal critical exponents and the scaling of the protocol driving the system in the vicinity of the transition. Our results highlight the rich interplay between quantum thermodynamics and metrology with critical nonequilibrium dynamics., Comment: Comments welcome! 6+6 pages