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We present a framework for simulating the open dynamics of spin–boson systems by combining variational non-Gaussian states with a quantum trajectories approach. We apply this method to a generic spin–boson Hamiltonian that has both Tavis–Cummings and Holstein type couplings and which has broad applications to a variety of quantum simulation platforms, polaritonic physics, and quantum chemistry. Additionally, we discuss how the recently developed truncated Wigner approximation for open quantum systems can be applied to the same Hamiltonian. We benchmark the performance of both methods and identify the regimes where each method is best suited. Finally, we discuss strategies to improve each technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equilibrium state of a quantum system can deviate from the Gibbs state if the system–environment (SE) coupling is not weak. An analytical expression for this mean force Gibbs state (MFGS) is known in the ultrastrong coupling (USC) regime for the Caldeira–Leggett (CL) model that assumes a harmonic environment. Here, we derive analytical expressions for the MFGS in the USC regime for more general SE models. For all the generalized models considered here, we find the USC state to be diagonal in the basis set by the SE interaction, just like in the CL case. While for the generic model considered, the corresponding USC-MFGS is found to alter from the CL result, we do identify a class of models more general than the CL model for which the CL-USC result remains unchanged. We also provide numerical verification for our results. These results provide key tools for the study of strong coupling quantum thermodynamics and several quantum chemistry and biology problems under more realistic SE models, going beyond the CL model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum states in complex aggregates are unavoidably affected by environmental effects, which typically cannot be accurately modeled by simple Markovian processes. As system sizes scale up, nonperturbative simulation becomes thus unavoidable, but they are extremely challenging due to the intimate interplay of intrinsic many-body interaction and time-retarded feedback from environmental degrees of freedom. In this work, we utilize the recently developed quantum dissipation with minimally extended state space approach to address reservoir induced long-ranged temporal correlations in finite size Ising-type spin chains. For thermal reservoirs with ohmic and subohmic spectral density, we simulate the quantum time evolution from finite to zero temperature. The competition between thermal fluctuations, quantum fluctuations, and anti-/ferromagnetic interactions reveals a rich pattern of dynamical phases, including dissipative induced phase transitions and spatiotemporal correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between cavity photons and molecular vibrations leads to the formation of vibrational polaritons, which have demonstrated the ability to influence chemical reactivity and change material characteristics. Although ultrafast spectroscopy has been extensively applied to study vibrational polaritons, the nonlinear relationship between signal and quantum state population complicates the analysis of their kinetics. Here, we employ a second-order kinetic model and transform matrix method (TMM) to develop an effective model to capture the nonlinear relationship between the two-dimensional IR (or pump–probe) signal and excited state populations. We test this method on two types of kinetics: a sequential relaxation from the second to the first excited states of dark modes, and a Raman state relaxing into the first excited state. By globally fitting the simulated data, we demonstrate accurate extraction of relaxation rates and the ability to identify intermediate species by comparing the species spectra with theoretical ground truth, validating our method. This study demonstrates the efficacy of a second-order TMM approximation in capturing essential spectral features with up to 10% excited state population, simplifying global analysis and enabling straightforward extraction of kinetic parameters, thus empowering our methodology in understanding excited-state dynamics in polariton systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MPSDynamics.jl package provides an easy-to-use interface for performing open quantum systems simulations at zero and finite temperatures. The package has been developed with the aim of studying non-Markovian open system dynamics using the state-of-the-art numerically exact Thermalized-Time Evolving Density operator with Orthonormal Polynomials Algorithm based on environment chain mapping. The simulations rely on a tensor network representation of the quantum states as matrix product states (MPS) and tree tensor network states. Written in the Julia programming language, MPSDynamics.jl is a versatile open-source package providing a choice of several variants of the Time-Dependent Variational Principle method for time evolution (including novel bond-adaptive one-site algorithms). The package also provides strong support for the measurement of single and multi-site observables, as well as the storing and logging of data, which makes it a useful tool for the study of many-body physics. It currently handles long-range interactions, time-dependent Hamiltonians, multiple environments, bosonic and fermionic environments, and joint system–environment observables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous variational methods have been proposed for solving quantum many-body systems, but they often face exponentially increasing computational complexity as the Hilbert space dimension grows. To address this, we introduce a novel approach using quantum neural networks to simulate the dissipative dynamics of many-body open quantum systems. This method combines neural-network quantum state representation with the time-dependent variational principle, both implemented via quantum algorithms. This results in accurate open quantum dynamics described by the Lindblad quantum master equation, exemplified by the spin-boson and transverse field Ising models. Our approach avoids the computational expense of classical algorithms and demonstrates the potential advantages of quantum computing for many-body simulations. To reduce measurement errors, we introduce a projection reset procedure, which could benefit other quantum simulations. In addition, our approach can be extended to simulate non-Markovian quantum dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas-phase molecules are a promising platform to elucidate the mechanisms of action and scope of polaritons for optical control of chemistry. Polaritons arise from the strong coupling of a dipole-allowed molecular transition with the photonic mode of an optical cavity. There is mounting evidence of modified reactivity under polaritonic conditions; however, the complex condensed-phase environment of most experimental demonstrations impedes mechanistic understanding of this phenomenon. While the gas phase was the playground of early efforts in atomic cavity quantum electrodynamics, we have only recently demonstrated the formation of molecular polaritons under these conditions. Studying the reactivity of isolated gas-phase molecules under strong coupling would eliminate solvent interactions and enable quantum state resolution of reaction progress. In this Perspective, we contextualize recent gas-phase efforts in the field of polariton chemistry and offer a practical guide for experimental design moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an exact analytical solution is presented for achieving coherent population transfer and creating arbitrary coherent superposition states in a five-state chainwise system by a train of coincident pulses. We show that the solution of a five-state chainwise system can be reduced to an equivalent three-state Λ-type one with the simplest resonant coupling under the assumption of adiabatic elimination together with a requirement of the relation among the four coincident pulses. In this method, the four coincident pulses at each step all have the same time dependence, but with specific magnitudes. The results show that, by using a train of appropriately coincident pulses, this technique not only enables complete population transfer, but also creates any desired coherent superposition between the initial and final states, while the population in all intermediate states is effectively suppressed. Furthermore, this technique can also exhibit a one-way population transfer behavior. The results are of potential interest in applications where high-fidelity multi-state quantum control is essential, e.g., quantum information, atom optics, formation of ultracold molecules, cavity QED, nuclear coherent population transfer, and light transfer in waveguide arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kitaev chain is one of the important physical models for studying topological quantum states and quantum computing. We here propose an approach to simulate the one-dimensional Kitaev chain via a circuit of superconducting qubits. In our approach, all coupling parameters can be controlled independently, and a nontrivial gauge phase is constructed. We also study the environmental effects on the topological states of the Kitaev chain. In addition to the independent environment surrounding each qubit, we consider the common environment shared by neighboring qubits. Such an environment can generate effective non-Hermitian dissipative coupling between qubits. Through analysis and numerical calculation, we demonstrate that the common environment can significantly affect the topological properties of the qubit chain. Moreover, we observe that dissipative couplings at the edges of the Kitaev chain affect the topological states more strongly than those located elsewhere. Our work may provide a new way to explore topological phase transitions and environmental effects on topological physics using superconducting qubit circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When combined with nanostructured substrates, two-dimensional semiconductors can be engineered with strain to tailor light–matter interactions on the nanoscale. Recently, room-temperature nanoscale exciton localization with controllable wrinkling in 1L-WSe2 was achieved using arrays of gold nanocones. Here, the characterization of quantum dot-like states and single-photon emitters in the 1L-WSe2/nanocone system is reported. The nanocones induce a wide range of strains, and as a result, a diverse ensemble of narrowband, potential single-photon emitters is observed. The distribution of emitter energies reveals that most reside in two spectrally isolated bands, leaving a less populated intermediate band that is spectrally isolated from the ensembles. The spectral isolation is advantageous for high-purity quantum light emitters, and anti-bunched emission from one of these states is confirmed up to 25 K. Although the spatial distribution of strain is expected to influence the orientation of the transition dipoles of the emitters, multimodal emission polarization anisotropy and atomic force microscopy reveal that the macroscopic orientation of the wrinkles is not a good predictor of dipole orientation. Finally, the emission is found to change with thermal cycling from 4 to 290 K and back to 4 K, highlighting the need to control factors such as temperature-induced strain to enhance the robustness of this quantum emitter platform. The initial characterization here shows that controlled nanowrinkles of 1L-WSe2 generate quantum light in addition to uncovering potential challenges that need to be addressed for their adoption into quantum photonic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When combined with nanostructured substrates, two-dimensional semiconductors can be engineered with strain to tailor light–matter interactions on the nanoscale. Recently, room-temperature nanoscale exciton localization with controllable wrinkling in 1L-WSe2 was achieved using arrays of gold nanocones. Here, the characterization of quantum dot-like states and single-photon emitters in the 1L-WSe2/nanocone system is reported. The nanocones induce a wide range of strains, and as a result, a diverse ensemble of narrowband, potential single-photon emitters is observed. The distribution of emitter energies reveals that most reside in two spectrally isolated bands, leaving a less populated intermediate band that is spectrally isolated from the ensembles. The spectral isolation is advantageous for high-purity quantum light emitters, and anti-bunched emission from one of these states is confirmed up to 25 K. Although the spatial distribution of strain is expected to influence the orientation of the transition dipoles of the emitters, multimodal emission polarization anisotropy and atomic force microscopy reveal that the macroscopic orientation of the wrinkles is not a good predictor of dipole orientation. Finally, the emission is found to change with thermal cycling from 4 to 290 K and back to 4 K, highlighting the need to control factors such as temperature-induced strain to enhance the robustness of this quantum emitter platform. The initial characterization here shows that controlled nanowrinkles of 1L-WSe2 generate quantum light in addition to uncovering potential challenges that need to be addressed for their adoption into quantum photonic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a general definition of a quantum committor in order to clarify reaction mechanisms and facilitate control in processes where coherent effects are important. With a quantum committor, we generalize the notion of a transition state to quantum superpositions and quantify the effect of interference on the progress of the reaction. The formalism is applicable to any linear quantum master equation supporting metastability for which absorbing boundary conditions designating the reactant and product states can be applied. We use this formalism to determine the dependence of the quantum transition state on coherences in a polaritonic system and optimize the initialization state of a conical intersection model to control reactive outcomes, achieving yields of the desired state approaching 100%. In addition to providing a practical tool, the quantum committor provides a conceptual framework for understanding reactions in cases when classical intuitions fail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of Neural-network Quantum States (NQS) has significantly advanced wave function ansatz research, sparking a resurgence in orbital space variational Monte Carlo (VMC) exploration. This work introduces three algorithmic enhancements to reduce computational demands of VMC optimization using NQS: an adaptive learning rate algorithm, constrained optimization, and block optimization. We evaluate the refined algorithm on complex multireference bond stretches of H2O and N2 within the cc-pVDZ basis set and calculate the ground-state energy of the strongly correlated chromium dimer (Cr2) in the Ahlrichs SV basis set. Our results achieve superior accuracy compared to coupled cluster theory at a relatively modest CPU cost. This work demonstrates how to enhance optimization efficiency and robustness using these strategies, opening a new path to optimize large-scale restricted Boltzmann machine-based NQS more effectively and marking a substantial advancement in NQS's practical quantum chemistry applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust control of a quantum system is essential to utilize the current noisy quantum hardware to its full potential, such as quantum algorithms. To achieve such a goal, a systematic search for an optimal control for any given experiment is essential. The design of optimal control pulses requires accurate numerical models and, therefore, accurate characterization of the system parameters. We present an online Bayesian approach for quantum characterization of qutrit systems, which automatically and systematically identifies optimal experiments that provide maximum information on the system parameters, thereby greatly reducing the number of experiments that need to be performed on the quantum testbed. Unlike most characterization protocols that provide point-estimates of the parameters, the proposed approach is able to estimate their probability distribution. The applicability of the Bayesian experimental design technique was demonstrated on test problems, where each experiment was defined by a parameterized control pulse. In addition to this, we also present an approach for iterative pulse extension, which is robust under uncertainties in transition frequencies and coherence times, and shot noise, despite being initialized with wide uninformative priors. Furthermore, we provide a mathematical proof of the theoretical identifiability of the model parameters and present conditions on the quantum state under which the parameters are identifiable. The proof and conditions for identifiability are presented for both closed and open quantum systems using the Schrödinger equation and the Lindblad master equation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hückel molecular orbital (HMO) theory provides a semi-empirical treatment of the electronic structure in conjugated π-electronic systems. A scalable system-agnostic execution of HMO theory on a quantum computer is reported here based on a variational quantum deflation (VQD) algorithm for excited state quantum simulation. A compact encoding scheme is proposed here that provides an exponential advantage over the direct mapping and allows for quantum simulation of the HMO model for systems with up to 2n conjugated centers with n qubits. The transformation of the Hückel Hamiltonian to qubit space is achieved by two different strategies: an iterative refinement transformation and the Frobenius-inner-product-based transformation. These methods are tested on a series of linear, cyclic, and hetero-nuclear conjugated π-electronic systems. The molecular orbital energy levels and wavefunctions from the quantum simulation are in excellent agreement with the exact classical results. However, the higher excited states of large systems are found to suffer from error accumulation in the VQD simulation. This is mitigated by formulating a variant of VQD that exploits the symmetry of the Hamiltonian. This strategy has been successfully demonstrated for the quantum simulation of C60 fullerene containing 680 Pauli strings encoded on six qubits. The methods developed in this work are easily adaptable to similar problems of different complexity in other fields of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged as promising quantum functional blocks benefitting from their unique combination of spin, valley, and layer degrees of freedom, particularly for the tremendous flexibility of moiré superlattices formed by van der Waals stacking. These degrees of freedom coupled with the enhanced Coulomb interaction in 2D structures allow excitons to serve as on-chip information carriers. However, excitons are spatially circumscribed due to their low mobility and limited lifetime. One way to overcome these limitations is through the coupling of excitons with surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), which facilitates an interaction between remote quantum states. Here, we showcase the successful coupling of SPPs with interlayer excitons in molybdenum diselenide/tungsten diselenide heterobilayers. Our results indicate that the valley polarization can be efficiently transferred to SPPs, enabling preservation of polarization information even after propagating tens of micrometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkali metal dosing has nowadays been extensively used in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) for the in situ surface electron doping of materials to provide access to the unoccupied states. This technique also gives rise to nontrivial physical phenomena, such as the appearance of quantum well states and effects due to alkali metal intercalation. Here, we uncovered a previously unobserved type of electronic behavior induced by alkali metal dosing. By employing ARPES to study the evolution of the electronic structure of the Ti2O3 thin film upon rubidium (Rb) dosing, we found that the electron chemical potential of the system remains unchanged throughout the process. Interestingly, a series of electron-like band dispersions first appear with Rb dosing. A further increase in the Rb dosage leads to the eventual disappearance of the electron-like bands and the emergence of a set of hole-like bands. Our finding enriches the phenomenology brought about by alkali metal surface dosing, suggesting a novel functionality of this popular surface doping technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulating mixed-state evolution in open quantum systems is crucial for various chemical physics, quantum optics, and computer science applications. These simulations typically follow the Lindblad master equation dynamics. An alternative approach known as quantum state diffusion unraveling is based on the trajectories of pure states generated by random wave functions, which evolve according to a nonlinear Itô–Schrödinger equation (ISE). This study introduces weak first-order and second-order solvers for the ISE based on directly applying the Itô–Taylor expansion with exact derivatives in the interaction picture. We tested the method on free and driven Morse oscillators coupled to a thermal environment and found that both orders allowed practical estimation with a few dozen iterations. The variance was relatively small compared to the linear unraveling and did not grow with time. The second-order solver delivers a much higher accuracy and stability with bigger time steps than the first-order scheme, with a small additional workload. However, the second-order algorithm has quadratic complexity with the number of Lindblad operators as opposed to the linear complexity of the first-order algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnBi2Te4 can generate a variety of exotic topological quantum states, which are closely related to its special structure. We conduct comprehensive multiple-cycle high-pressure research on MnBi2Te4 by using a diamond anvil cell to study its phase transition behaviors under high pressure. As observed, when the pressure does not exceed 15 GPa, the material undergoes an irreversible metal–semiconductor–metal transition, whereas when the pressure exceeds 17 GPa, the layered structure is damaged and becomes irreversibly amorphous due to the lattice distortion caused by compression, but it is not completely amorphous, which presents some nano-sized grains after decompression. Our investigation vividly reveals the phase transition behaviors of MnBi2Te4 under high pressure cycling and paves the experimental way to find topological phases under high pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnBi2Te4 can generate a variety of exotic topological quantum states, which are closely related to its special structure. We conduct comprehensive multiple-cycle high-pressure research on MnBi2Te4 by using a diamond anvil cell to study its phase transition behaviors under high pressure. As observed, when the pressure does not exceed 15 GPa, the material undergoes an irreversible metal–semiconductor–metal transition, whereas when the pressure exceeds 17 GPa, the layered structure is damaged and becomes irreversibly amorphous due to the lattice distortion caused by compression, but it is not completely amorphous, which presents some nano-sized grains after decompression. Our investigation vividly reveals the phase transition behaviors of MnBi2Te4 under high pressure cycling and paves the experimental way to find topological phases under high pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical regions (domains or basins) within the molecular structure are open systems that exchange charge between them and, consequently, house a fractional number of electrons (net charge). The natural framework describing the quantum states for these domains is the density matrix (DM) in its grand-canonical version, which corresponds to a convex expansion into a set of basis states of an integer number of electrons. In this report, it is shown that the solution for these quantities is supported by the DM expansion into three states of different numbers of particles: the neutral and two (edge) ionic states. The states and the average number of particles in the domains (fractional occupation population) are determined by the coefficients of the expansion in terms of the fundamental transference magnitudes, revealing the donor/acceptor character of the domains by which the quantum accessible states are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A much-needed solution for the efficient modeling of strong coupling between matter and optical cavity modes is offered by mean-field mixed quantum–classical dynamics, where a classical cavity field interacts self-consistently with quantum states of matter through Ehrenfest's theorem. We previously introduced a modified mean-field approach, referred to as decoupled mean-field (DC-MF) dynamics, wherein vacuum fluctuations of the cavity field are decoupled from the quantum-mechanical ground state as a means to resolve an unphysical drawing of energy from the vacuum fluctuations by a two-level atom. Here, we generalize DC-MF dynamics for an arbitrary number of (nondegenerate) atomic levels and show that it resolves an unphysical lack of emission from a three-level atom predicted by conventional mean-field dynamics. We furthermore show DC-MF to provide an improved description of reabsorption and (resonant) two-photon emission processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed the polyatomic extension of the established [M. Gustafsson, J. Chem. Phys. 138, 074308 (2013)] classical theory of radiative association in the absence of electronic transitions. The cross section and the emission spectrum of the process is calculated by a quasiclassical trajectory method combined with the classical Larmor formula which can provide the radiated power in collisions. We have also proposed a Monte Carlo scheme for efficient computation of ro-vibrationally quantum state resolved cross sections for radiative association. Besides the method development, the global potential energy and dipole surfaces for H + CN collisions have been calculated and fitted to test our polyatomic semiclassical method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that a simple telescoping sum trick, together with the triangle inequality and a tensorisation property of expected-contractive coefficients of random channels, allow us to achieve general simultaneous decoupling for multiple users via local actions. Employing both old (Dupuis et al. in Commun Math Phys 328:251–284, 2014) and new methods (Dupuis in IEEE Trans Inf Theory 69:7784–7792, 2023), we obtain bounds on the expected deviation from ideal decoupling either in the one-shot setting in terms of smooth min-entropies, or the finite block length setting in terms of Rényi entropies. These bounds are essentially optimal without the need to address the simultaneous smoothing conjecture, which remains unresolved. This leads to one-shot, finite block length, and asymptotic achievability results for several tasks in quantum Shannon theory, including local randomness extraction of multiple parties, multi-party assisted entanglement concentration, multi-party quantum state merging, and quantum coding for the quantum multiple access channel. Because of the one-shot nature of our protocols, we obtain achievability results without the need for time-sharing, which at the same time leads to easy proofs of the asymptotic coding theorems. We show that our one-shot decoupling bounds furthermore yield achievable rates (so far only conjectured) for all four tasks in compound settings, which are additionally optimal for entanglement of assistance and state merging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oblivious transfer (OT) is a significant two party privacy preserving cryptographic primitive. OT involves a sender having several pieces of information and a receiver having a choice bit. The choice bit represents the piece of information that the receiver wants to obtain as an output of OT. At the end of the protocol, sender remains oblivious about the choice bit and receiver remains oblivious to the contents of the information that were not chosen. It has applications ranging from secure multi-party computation, privacy-preserving protocols to cryptographic protocols for secure communication. Most of the classical OT protocols are based on number theoretic assumptions which are not quantum secure and existing quantum OT protocols are not so efficient and practical. Herein, we present the design and analysis of a simple yet efficient quantum OT protocol, namely qOT. qOT is designed by using the asymmetric key distribution proposed by Gao et al. (Opt Express 20(16):17411–17420, 2012) as a building block. The designed qOT requires only single photons as a source of a quantum state, and the measurements of the states are computed using single particle projective measurement. These make qOT efficient and practical. Our proposed design is secure against quantum attacks. Moreover, qOT also provides long-term security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on semi-quantum private comparison (SQPC) protocols, where participants with limited quantum capabilities compare private information with the help of a quantum third party (TP). Yan et al. introduced an SQPC protocol in 2021, but Li et al. later found it vulnerable to double controlled NOT (CNOT) operation attacks and proposed improvements. However, this study identifies a different vulnerability in Yan et al.’s protocol — a reflecting attack that allows information leakage. Bob can intercept and reflect quantum states, avoiding detection and then use Alice’s measurement outcomes and pre-shared key to access her confidential information. The study also proposes an enhanced method to secure the protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work we revisit the problem of the quantum droplet in atomic Bose–Einstein condensates with an eye towards describing its ground state in the large density, so-called Thomas–Fermi (TF) limit. We consider the problem as being separable into 3 distinct regions: an inner one, where the TF approximation is valid, a sharp transition region where the density abruptly drops towards the (vanishing) background value and an outer region which asymptotes to the background value. We analyze the spatial extent of each of these regions, and develop a systematic effective description of the rapid intermediate transition region. Accordingly, we derive a uniformly valid description of the ground state that is found to accurately match our numerical computations. As an additional application of our considerations, we show that this formulation allows for an analytical approximation of excited states such as the (trapped) dark soliton in the large density limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, it was shown that if two distant test masses, each in a spatially superposed quantum state, become entangled due to their mutual gravitational interaction, then this entanglement could serve as evidence of the quantum nature of gravity. We extend this treatment to a many-body system in a general setup and study the entanglement properties of the time-evolved state. We exactly compute the time-dependent I-concurrence for every bipartition and obtain the necessary and sufficient condition for the creation of genuine many-body entanglement. We further show that this entanglement is of generalised GHZ type when certain conditions are met. We also evaluate the amount of multipartite entanglement in the system using a set of generalised Meyer-Wallach measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantum uncertainty relation characterizes the restriction of the quantum coherence on different measurement bases. The skew information of coherence is a coherence measure both operationally and informatically. We study the quantum uncertainty relation for the skew information of coherence under any two orthonormal bases. In qubit and qutrit systems, we derive the quantum uncertainty relations with the lower bounds in the factorized forms by the purity of quantum states and the incompatibility between two orthonormal bases. Especially the lower bound in qubit systems is strictly positive for non-maximally mixed states and incompatible orthonormal bases. These quantum uncertainty relations reveal the intrinsic relation among the coherence, the purity and the incompatibility between two orthonormal bases quantitatively. The advantages of these quantum uncertainty relations are illustrated by some specific examples. This method we developed here is beneficial to some other quantum uncertainty relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum Secure Direct Communication (QSDC) is a promising approach for secure information exchange. This paper proposes an efficient and secure four-party QSDC scheme utilizing hyperentangled Bell states in the polarization degree of freedom, the first longitudinal momentum degree of freedom and the second longitudinal momentum degree of freedom. The four participants can perform different unitary operations to independently encode their secret messages onto photons in three degrees of freedom, subsequently transmitting them directly through the quantum channel. In this proposed protocol, each degree of freedom of the photon can effectively carry two bits of information. Each round of transmission by a photon enables the four legitimate participants to obtain six classical bits of information. Notably, when compared to other photons based single-degree-of-freedom QSDC network protocols, the capacity of proposed QSDC protocol is tripled. Therefore, it significantly enhances the information transmission capability. Furthermore, comprehensive security analysis shows that our QSDC network protocol can withstand various attacks from external eavesdroppers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the development of quantum technologies, a reliable means for characterizing quantum devices, be it a measurement device, a state-preparation device, or a transformation device, is crucial. However, the conventional approach based on, for example, quantum state tomography or process tomography relies on assumptions that are often not necessarily justifiable in a realistic experimental setting. Although the device-independent (DI) approach to this problem bypasses the shortcomings above by making only minimal, justifiable assumptions, most of the theoretical proposals to date only work in the idealized setting where independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) trials are assumed. Here, we provide a versatile solution for rigorous device-independent certification that does not rely on the i.i.d. assumption. Specifically, we describe how the prediction-based ratio (PBR) protocol and martingale-based protocol developed for hypothesis testing can be applied in the present context to achieve a device-independent certification of desirable properties with confidence interval (CI). To illustrate the versatility of these methods, we demonstrate how we can use them to certify—with finite data—the underlying negativity, Hilbert space dimension, entanglement depth, and fidelity to some target pure state. In particular, we provide examples showing how the amount of certifiable negativity and fidelity scales with the number of trials and how many experimental trials one needs to certify a qutrit state space or the presence of genuine tripartite entanglement. Overall, we have found that the PBR protocol and the martingale-based protocol often offer similar performance, even though the latter does have to presuppose any witness (Bell-like inequality). In contrast, our findings also show that the performance of the martingale-based protocol may be severely affected by one's choice of Bell-like inequality. Intriguingly, a Bell function useful for self-testing does not necessarily give the optimal confidence-gain rate for certifying the fidelity to the corresponding target state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that gravitational interactions between particles require a departure from the conventional picture of the quantum state of a multiparticle system in terms of tensor products of one-particle states. This modification is essential in order to accommodate the existence of a new boost-like relativistic angular momentum charge which pairs of particles must carry asymptotically due to long-range effects of gravity. These findings challenge conventional assumptions, prompting a re-evaluation of the constraints on quantum entanglement between particle subsystems in a black hole geometry.Honorable Mention in the 2024 Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discrimination of quantum operations has long been an intriguing challenge, with theoretical research notably advancing our understanding of the quantum features in discriminating quantum objects. This challenge is closely related to the discrimination of quantum states, and proof-of-principle demonstrations of the latter have already been realized using optical photons. However, the experimental demonstration of discriminating general quantum operations, including both unitary and nonunitary operations, has remained elusive. In general quantum systems, especially those with high dimensions, the preparation of arbitrary quantum states and the implementation of arbitrary quantum operations and generalized measurements are nontrivial tasks. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the optimal unambiguous discrimination of up to six displacement operators and the unambiguous discrimination of nonunitary quantum operations. Our results demonstrate powerful tools for experimental research in quantum information processing and are expected to stimulate a wide range of valuable applications in the field of quantum sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some recent references have considered quantum detection problems in discrete and continuous frames. This paper examines the quantum detection problem with g-frame in finite dimensions. We will discuss two issues related to the problem at hand: the quantum injectivity problem and the solvability of the quantum state estimation problem. This work addresses the quantum detection problem in a broader context and provides multiple descriptions of quantum injective g-frames. Specifically, we also offer a quantitative stability outcome for g-frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixers play a crucial role in superconducting quantum computing, primarily by facilitating frequency conversion of signals to enable precise control and readout of quantum states. However, imperfections, particularly local oscillator leakage and unwanted sideband signal, can significantly compromise control fidelity. To mitigate these defects, regular and precise mixer calibrations are indispensable, yet they pose a formidable challenge in large-scale quantum control. Here, we introduce an in situ and scalable mixer calibration scheme using superconducting qubits. Our method leverages the qubit's response to imperfect signals, allowing for calibration without modifying the wiring configuration. We experimentally validate the efficacy of this technique by benchmarking single-qubit gate error and qubit coherence time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum architecture Search (QAS) is a promising direction for optimization and automated design of quantum circuits towards quantum advantage. Recent techniques in QAS emphasize Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP)-based deep Q-networks. However, their interpretability remains challenging due to the large number of learnable parameters and the complexities involved in selecting appropriate activation functions. In this work, to overcome these challenges, we utilize the Kolmogorov-Arnold Network (KAN) in the QAS algorithm, analyzing their efficiency in the task of quantum state preparation and quantum chemistry. In quantum state preparation, our results show that in a noiseless scenario, the probability of success is 2× to 5× higher than MLPs. In noisy environments, KAN outperforms MLPs in fidelity when approximating these states, showcasing its robustness against noise. In tackling quantum chemistry problems, we enhance the recently proposed QAS algorithm by integrating curriculum reinforcement learning with a KAN structure. This facilitates a more efficient design of parameterized quantum circuits by reducing the number of required 2-qubit gates and circuit depth. Further investigation reveals that KAN requires a significantly smaller number of learnable parameters compared to MLPs; however, the average time of executing each episode for KAN is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum states decohere through interaction with the environment. Quantum error correction can preserve coherence through active feedback wherein quantum information is encoded into a logical state with a high degree of symmetry. Perturbations are detected by measuring the symmetries of the state and corrected by applying gates based on these measurements. To measure the symmetries without perturbing the data, ancillary quantum states are required. Shor error correction uses a separate quantum state for the measurement of each symmetry. Steane error correction maps the perturbations onto a logical ancilla qubit, which is then measured to check several symmetries simultaneously. We experimentally compare Shor and Steane correction of bit flip errors using the Bacon-Shor code implemented in a chain of 23 trapped atomic ions. We find that the Steane method produces fewer errors after a single round of error correction and less disturbance to the data qubits without error correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of cybersecurity, hackers often enter computer systems despite current security measures, owing to the huge amount of network traffic that makes intruder identification difficult. Differentiating between authorized traffic and abnormal data produced by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attackers is still a major difficulty. This research provides a unique technique that uses Quantum Machine Learning (QML) to improve security protocols for secure communication between two parties. Our strategy enhances detection accuracy and speed by using the characteristics of quantum neural networks. The approach includes creating a dataset from network traffic patterns, preprocessing it, and then turning it into quantum bits via angle embedding. The research uses outlier analysis, min-entropy, and quantum state fidelity to distinguish between normal and abnormal data patterns. The dispersed randomness of network header data is measured using entropy, which aids in identifying security concerns. The suggested QML-based methodology outperforms conventional approaches and current models, including AMM-CNN and ANN models, with a detection accuracy of 99.87% for DDoS attacks. This advancement leads to more effective and secure communication networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum states beyond thermodynamic equilibrium represent fascinating and cutting-edge research. However, the behavior of dynamical quantum phase transitions in complex open quantum systems remains poorly understood. Here, using state-of-the-art numerical approaches, we show that by quenching the qubits-oscillator coupling in a dissipative two-qubit Rabi model, the system undergoes dynamical quantum phase transitions. These transitions are characterized by kinks in the Loschmidt echo rate function at parameter values close to a thermodynamic quantum phase transition and are associated with distinct entanglement features. The two classes of critical phenomena depend on qubit interactions and entanglement, revealing different behaviors of the critical exponent of the first kink of the Loschmidt echo for interacting versus non-interacting qubits. This research enhances our understanding of non-equilibrium quantum systems and offers potential applications in quantum sensing and metrology, as it examines how dynamical transitions can enhance the sensitivity of the Loschmidt echo to the quench parameters. Dynamical quantum phase transitions can be observed when time is treated as a control parameter in non-equilibrium quantum systems. The authors show that quenching the qubits-oscillator coupling in a dissipative two-qubit system leads to different transitions depending on interactions and entanglement, with promising applications in quantum sensing and metrology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating a free electron to high‐energy forms the basis for studying particle and nuclear physics. Here it is shown that the wave function of such an energetic electron can be further manipulated with the femtosecond intense lasers. During the scattering between a high‐energy electron and a circularly polarized laser pulse, a regime is found where the enormous spin angular momenta of laser photons can be efficiently transferred to the electron orbital angular momentum (OAM). The wave function of the scattered electron is twisted from its initial plane‐wave state to the quantum vortex state. Nonlinear quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory suggests that the GeV‐level electrons acquire average intrinsic OAM beyond ⟨l⟩∼100ℏ$\langle l \rangle \sim 100\hbar $ at laser intensities of 1020 W cm−2 with linear scaling. These electrons emit γ‐photons with two‐peak spectrum, which sets them apart from the ordinary electrons. The findings demonstrate a proficient method for generating relativistic leptons with the vortex wave functions based on existing laser technology, thereby fostering a novel source for particle and nuclear physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present work is to demonstrate the applicability of machine learning techniques and in particular neural network quantum states in the context of loop quantum gravity, albeit for a simplified theory. We consider 3-dimensional Euclidean gravity in a gauge theoretical formulation in a certain weak coupling limit due to Smolin, and show that the gauge group becomes Abelian, resulting in U (1) 3 BF-theory. The theory is quantised using loop quantum gravity methods. The kinematical degrees of freedom are truncated, on account of computational feasibility, by fixing a graph and deforming the algebra of the holonomies to impose a cutoff on the charge vectors. This leads to a quantum theory related to U q (1) 3 BF-theory. The effect of imposing the cutoff on the charges is examined. We also implement the quantum volume operator of 3d loop quantum gravity. Most importantly we compare two constraints for the quantum model obtained: a master constraint enforcing curvature and Gauß constraint, as well as a combination of a quantum Hamilton constraint constructed using Thiemann's strategy and the Gauß master constraint. The two constraints are solved using the neural network quantum state ansatz, demonstrating its ability to explore models which are out of reach for exact numerical methods. The solutions spaces are quantitatively compared and although the forms of the constraints are radically different, the solutions turn out to have a surprisingly large overlap. We also investigate the behavior of the quantum volume in solutions to the constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling the electrical response of multi-level quantum systems at finite frequency has been typically performed in the context of two incomplete paradigms: (i) input-output theory, which is valid at any frequency but neglects dynamic losses, and (ii) semiclassical theory, which captures dynamic dissipation effects well but is only accurate at low frequencies. Here, we develop a unifying theory, valid for arbitrary frequencies, that captures both the small-signal quantum behavior and the non-unitary effects introduced by relaxation and dephasing. The theory allows a multi-level system to be described by a universal small-signal equivalent-circuit model, a resonant RLC circuit, whose topology only depends on the number of energy levels. We apply our model to a double-quantum-dot charge qubit and a Majorana qubit, showing the capability to continuously describe the systems from adiabatic to resonant and from coherent to incoherent, suggesting new and realistic experiments for improved quantum state readout. Our model will facilitate the design of hybrid quantum–classical circuits and the simulation of qubit control and quantum state readout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ultimate precision in quantum sensing could be achieved using optimal quantum probe states. However, current quantum sensing protocols do not use probe states optimally. Indeed, the calculation of optimal probe states remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we present an algorithm that efficiently calculates a probe state for correlated and uncorrelated measurement strategies. The algorithm involves a conic program, which minimizes a linear objective function subject to conic constraints on a operator-valued variable. Our algorithm outputs a probe state that is a simple function of the optimal variable. We prove that our algorithm finds the optimal probe state for channel estimation problems, even in the multiparameter setting. For many noiseless quantum sensing problems, we prove the optimality of maximally entangled probe states. We also analyze the performance of 3D-field sensing using various probe states. Our work opens the door for a plethora of applications in quantum metrology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cascade of correlated topological quantum states in the newly discovered vanadium-based kagome superconductors, AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, and Cs), with a Z2 topological band structure has sparked immense interest. Here, we report the discovery of superconductivity and electronic nematic order in high-quality single-crystals of a new titanium-based kagome metal, CsTi3Bi5, that preserves the translation symmetry, in stark contrast to the charge density wave superconductor AV3Sb5. Transport and magnetic susceptibility measurements show superconductivity with an onset superconducting transition temperature Tc of approximately 4.8 K. Using the scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy and Josephson scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the single crystals of CsTi3Bi5 exhibit two distinct superconducting gaps. Furthermore, the superconducting gaps break the six-fold crystal rotational symmetry down to two-fold. At low energies, we find that the quasiparticle interference patterns exhibit rotational-symmetry-breaking C2 patterns, revealing a nematic ordered normal state with the same nematic direction as in the superconducting state. Our findings uncover a novel superconducting state in CsTi3Bi5 and provide new insights for the intrinsic electron liquid crystal phases in kagome superconductors. The new kagome metals can exhibit unconventional electron correlated states beyond recently discovered kagome superconductors AV3Sb5. Here, the authors report discovery of superconductivity and intrinsic nematic order in a new titanium-based kagome metal CsTi3Bi5 without charge density wave order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organo‐aluminum compounds are usually derived via salt metathesis reactions starting from aluminum halides and s‐block organometallics such as organolithiums or Grignard reagents. Herein, an alternative route is reported using an Cp*Al(I)/Zn(II)R2 (Cp* = C5Me5; R = aryl) system which facilitates the formation of a range of halide and donor free heteroleptic triorgano‐alanes of the general formula [Al(Cp*)R2]. Exposing the obtained alanes to an atmosphere of CO2 enables for the selective insertion of CO2 in their AlCp* moieties. State of the art quantum chemical calculations support experimental observations providing mechanistic insights on the observed reactivity of the [Al(Cp*)R2] compounds towards this unsaturated organic molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum computers require memories that are capable of storing quantum information reliably for long periods of time. The surface code is a two-dimensional quantum memory with code parameters that scale optimally with the number of physical qubits, under the constraint of two-dimensional locality. In three spatial dimensions an analogous simple yet optimal code was not previously known. Here we present a family of three dimensional topological codes with optimal scaling code parameters and a polynomial energy barrier. Our codes are based on a construction that takes in a stabilizer code and outputs a three-dimensional topological code with related code parameters. The output codes are topological defect networks formed by layers of surface code joined along one-dimensional junctions, with a maximum stabilizer check weight of six. When the input is a family of good quantum low-density parity-check codes the output codes have optimal scaling. Our results uncover strongly-correlated states of quantum matter that are capable of storing quantum information with the strongest possible protection from errors that is achievable in three dimensions. Quantum error correcting codes are inefficient when implemented on platforms with local connectivity in two dimensions, which motivates platforms with 3D connectivity and codes applicable in these conditions. Here, the authors show how to transform any CSS stabilizer code into a 3D topological code, leading to codes with optimal asymptotic scaling in 3D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexagonal boron nitride exhibits two types of defects with great potential for quantum information technologies: single-photon emitters (SPEs) and one-dimensional grain boundaries hosting topologically-protected phonons, termed as topologically-protected phonon lines (TPL). Here, by means of a simple effective model and density functional theory calculations, we show that it is possible to use these phonons for the transmission of information. Particularly, a single SPE can be used to induce single-, two- and qubit-phonon states in the one-dimensional channel, and (ii) two distant SPEs can be coupled by the TPL that acts as a waveguide, thus exhibiting strong quantum correlations. We highlight the possibilities offered by this material-built-in nano-architecture as a phononic device for quantum information technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-optimal control holds promise across the full spectrum of quantum technologies, where the rapid generation of unitary gates and state transformations is crucial to mitigate decoherence effects. In practical scenarios, quantum systems are always immersed in an external time-dependent field or potential, either owing to the inevitable influence of the environment or as a sought-after effect for enhanced coherence. The challenge then lies in finding the time-optimal approach to navigate quantum systems amidst dynamical ambient Hamiltonians, a pursuit that has proven elusive thus far. We showcase the implementation of arbitrary quantum state transformations and a universal set of single-qubit gates under a background Landau-Zener Hamiltonian. Leveraging the favorable coherence properties of timedomain Rabi oscillations, we achieve velocities surpassing the Mandelstam-Tamm quantum speed limit and significantly lower energy costs than those incurred by conventional quantum control techniques. These findings highlight a promising pathway to expedite and economize high-fidelity quantum operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]