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This paper investigates the properties of strongly coupled matter at high densities in a quark star (QS). The QS is built from the density-dependent quark mass model (DDQM), modified to obtain higher maximum gravitational mass ($\rm M_{max}$) of the QS using the data from observed pulsars: XMMU J173203.3-344518, PSR J0030+0451, PSR J0740+6620, and PSR J0952-0607 as constraints in Bayesian inference. We observed that the quark matter (QM) that composes QSs with $\rm M_{max} > 2M_\odot$ violates the conformality criteria determined through conformal field theory. This behavior is interpreted as a consequence of the increase in quark population with $\rho_B$ and the concomitant formation of colored quark and gluon condensates, which are influenced by the pressure build-up in the stellar core as $\rho_B$ increases. This is reflected in the enhanced DDQM model employed, which introduces an additional term relevant at high densities. On the other hand, for $\rm M_{max} < 2M_\odot$ we observed the desired behavior of the QM as predicted by quantum chromodynamics (QCD) at higher densities, where the interaction decreases with increasing $\rho_B$ and eventually the quarks become deconfined due to the depletion of the DDQM through an additional attractive contribution in this case., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures

In this work, we constrain the values of the parameters of the Generalized Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (GTOV) equation through Bayesian inference. We use the mass and radius data from the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) for PSR J0740+6620 and PSR J0030+0451, as well as the mass, radius, and dimensionless tidal deformability from the gravitational wave (GW) events GW190814 and GW170817. We use two distinct parameterizations of the extended non-linear Walecka model (eNLW) with and without hyperons. The GTOV employed for the study contains additional free parameters with different physical motivations. Two possible scenarios are considered in our analysis: conservative and speculative. In the first case, we take into account the most reliable neutron star (NS) data from NICER and the GW170817 event. In the second case, we consider the possibility that the compact object with a mass of $2.54 M_{\odot}$ in the GW190814 event is an NS. Our findings show significant improvements in the physical quantities analyzed, leading to better agreement with the observational data compared to the results obtained using the TOV equation.

Ultracold dipolar hard-core bosons in optical ladders provide exciting possibilities for the quantum simulation of anisotropic XXZ spin ladders. We show that introducing a tilt along the rungs results in a rich phase diagram at unit filling. In particular, for a sufficiently strong dipolar strength, the interplay between the long-range tail of the dipolar interactions and the tilting leads to the emergence of a quantum floating phase, a critical phase with incommensurate density-density correlations. Interestingly, the study of the entanglement spectrum, reveals that the floating phase is topological, constituting an intermediate gapless stage in the melting of a crystal into a gapped topological Haldane phase. This novel scenario for topological floating phases in dipolar XXZ ladders can be investigated in on-going experiments.

Adaptive variational quantum algorithms arguably offer the best prospects for quantum advantage in the NISQ era. Since the inception of the first such algorithm, ADAPT-VQE, many improvements have appeared in the literature. We combine the key improvements along with a novel operator pool -- which we term Coupled Exchange Operator (CEO) pool -- to assess the cost of running state-of-the-art ADAPT-VQE on hardware in terms of measurement counts and circuit depth. We show a dramatic reduction of these quantum resources compared to the early versions of the algorithm. We also find that our state-of-the-art CEO-ADAPT-VQE outperforms UCCSD, the most widely regarded static VQE ansatz, in all relevant metrics.

In classical thermodynamics, heat must spontaneously flow from hot to cold systems. In quantum thermodynamics, the same law applies when considering multipartite product thermal states evolving unitarily. If initial correlations are present, anomalous heat flow can happen, temporarily making cold thermal states colder and hot thermal states hotter. Such effect can happen due to entanglement, but also because of classical randomness, hence lacking a direct connection with nonclassicality. In this work, we introduce scenarios where anomalous heat flow \emph{does} have a direct link to nonclassicality, defined to be the failure of noncontextual models to explain experimental data. We start by extending known noncontextuality inequalities to a setup where sequential transformations are considered. We then show a class of quantum prepare-transform-measure protocols, characterized by time intervals $(0,\tau_c)$ for a given critical time $\tau_c$, where anomalous heat flow happens only if a noncontextuality inequality is violated. We also analyze a recent experiment from Micadei et. al. [Nat. Commun. 10, 2456 (2019)] and find the critical time $\tau_c$ based on their experimental parameters. We conclude by investigating heat flow in the evolution of two qutrit systems, showing that our findings are not an artifact of using two-qubit systems., Comment: 14+10 pages, 1 figure

This research explores the trainability of Parameterized Quantum circuit-based policies in Reinforcement Learning, an area that has recently seen a surge in empirical exploration. While some studies suggest improved sample complexity using quantum gradient estimation, the efficient trainability of these policies remains an open question. Our findings reveal significant challenges, including standard Barren Plateaus with exponentially small gradients and gradient explosion. These phenomena depend on the type of basis-state partitioning and mapping these partitions onto actions. For a polynomial number of actions, a trainable window can be ensured with a polynomial number of measurements if a contiguous-like partitioning of basis-states is employed. These results are empirically validated in a multi-armed bandit environment.

In this work, we investigate some extensions of the Kiselev black hole solutions in the context of $f(\mathbb{T},\CMcal{T})$ gravity. By mapping the components of the Kiselev energy-momentum tensor into the anisotropic energy-momentum tensor and assuming a particular form of $f(\mathbb{T},\CMcal{T})$, we obtain exact solutions for the field equation in this theory that carries dependence on the coupling constant and on the parameter of the equation of state of the fluid. We show that in this scenario of modified gravity some new structure is added to the geometry of spacetime as compared to the Kiselev black hole. We analyse the energy conditions, mass, horizons and the Hawking temperature considering particular values for the parameter of the equation of state.

We characterize the global hypoellipticity, almost hypoellipticity and solvability for a class of systems of real vector fields on the (n + 1)-dimensional torus as well as the same properties about the sum of squares associated to the system. The key result is a theorem about propagation of regularity for solutions of the system.

A double quantum dot coupled to an optical cavity is a prototypical example of a non-trivial open quantum system. Recent experimental and theoretical studies show that this system is a candidate for single-photon detection in the microwave domain. This motivates studies that go beyond just the average current, and also take into account the full counting statistics of photon and electron detections. With this in mind, here we provide a detailed analysis of the waiting time statistics of this system within the quantum jump unravelling, which allows us to extract analytical expressions for the success and failure probabilities, as well as for the inter detection times. Furthermore, by comparing single and multi-photon scenarios, we infer a hierarchy of occurrence probabilities for the different events, highlighting the role of photon interference events in the detection probabilities. Our results therefore provide a direct illustration of how waiting time statistics can be used to optimize a timely and relevant metrological task., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

We present a quantum-classical algorithm to study the dynamics of the Rohksar-Kivelson plaquette ladder on NISQ devices. We show that complexity is largely reduced using gauge invariance, additional symmetries, and a crucial property associated to how plaquettes are blocked against ring-exchange in the ladder geometry. This allows for an efficient simulation of sizable plaquette ladders with a small number of qubits, well suited for the capabilities of present NISQ devices. We illustrate the procedure for ladders with simulation of up to $8$ plaquettes in an IBM-Q machine, employing scaled quantum gates.

Reinforcement Learning (RL) consists of designing agents that make intelligent decisions without human supervision. When used alongside function approximators such as Neural Networks (NNs), RL is capable of solving extremely complex problems. Deep Q-Learning, a RL algorithm that uses Deep NNs, achieved super-human performance in some specific tasks. Nonetheless, it is also possible to use Variational Quantum Circuits (VQCs) as function approximators in RL algorithms. This work empirically studies the performance and trainability of such VQC-based Deep Q-Learning models in classic control benchmark environments. More specifically, we research how data re-uploading affects both these metrics. We show that the magnitude and the variance of the gradients of these models remain substantial throughout training due to the moving targets of Deep Q-Learning. Moreover, we empirically show that increasing the number of qubits does not lead to an exponential vanishing behavior of the magnitude and variance of the gradients for a PQC approximating a 2-design, unlike what was expected due to the Barren Plateau Phenomenon. This hints at the possibility of VQCs being specially adequate for being used as function approximators in such a context., Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures

Adaptive protocols enable the construction of more efficient state preparation circuits in variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) by utilizing data obtained from the quantum processor during the execution of the algorithm. This idea originated with ADAPT-VQE, an algorithm that iteratively grows the state preparation circuit operator by operator, with each new operator accompanied by a new variational parameter, and where all parameters acquired thus far are optimized in each iteration. In ADAPT-VQE and other adaptive VQAs that followed it, it has been shown that initializing parameters to their optimal values from the previous iteration speeds up convergence and avoids shallow local traps in the parameter landscape. However, no other data from the optimization performed at one iteration is carried over to the next. In this work, we propose an improved quasi-Newton optimization protocol specifically tailored to adaptive VQAs. The distinctive feature in our proposal is that approximate second derivatives of the cost function are recycled across iterations in addition to parameter values. We implement a quasi-Newton optimizer where an approximation to the inverse Hessian matrix is continuously built and grown across the iterations of an adaptive VQA. The resulting algorithm has the flavor of a continuous optimization where the dimension of the search space is augmented when the gradient norm falls below a given threshold. We show that this inter-optimization exchange of second-order information leads the Hessian in the state of the optimizer to better approximate the exact Hessian. As a result, our method achieves a superlinear convergence rate even in situations where the typical quasi-Newton optimizer converges only linearly. Our protocol decreases the measurement costs in implementing adaptive VQAs on quantum hardware as well as the runtime of their classical simulation.

Recent experiments on ultracold dipoles in optical lattices open exciting possibilities for the quantum simulation of extended Hubbard models. When considered in one dimension, these models present at unit filling a particularly interesting ground-state physics, including a symmetry-protected topological phase known as Haldane insulator. We show that the tail of the dipolar interaction beyond nearest-neighbors, which may be tailored by means of the transversal confinement, does not only modify quantitatively the Haldane insulator regime and lead to density waves of larger periods, but results as well in unexpected insulating phases. These insulating phases may be topological or topologically trivial, and are characterized by peculiar correlations of the site occupations. These phases may be realized and observed in state-of-the-art experiments., Comment: AAM, basically change of format wrt first version

We show that squeezing is a crucial resource for interferometers based on the spatial separation of ultra-cold interacting matter. Atomic interactions lead to a general limitation for the precision of these atom interferometers, which can neither be surpassed by larger atom numbers nor by conventional phase or number squeezing. However, tailored squeezed states allow to overcome this sensitivity bound by anticipating the major detrimental effect that arises from the interactions. We envisage applications in future high-precision differential matter-wave interferometers, in particular gradiometers, e.g., for gravitational-wave detection., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

In this work, we perform a comparative analysis between the density-dependent quark model and the vector MIT bag model using Bayesian analysis. We use the equations of state generated by these two models to describe quark stars. We impose four recent observational astrophysical constraints on both models to determine their model-dependent parameters in an optimized manner assuming that the compact objects observed are composed entirely of self-bound quarks. The restrictions are aimed at producing stars with maximum masses $2 - 2.35$ M$_\odot$ and a mass-radii diagram compatible with the observed pulsars: PSR J0740+6620, PSR J0952-0607, PSR J0030+0451 and the compact object XMMU J173203.3-344518. With this analysis, the parameter dependence of the nuclear equation of state (EoS) of both models is restricted., Comment: Published Version

Recent experiments have realized a twisted bilayer-like optical potential for ultra-cold atoms, which in contrast to solid-state set ups may allow for an arbitrary ratio between the inter- and intra-layer couplings. For commensurate Moir\'e twistings a large-enough inter-layer coupling results in particle transport dominated by channel formation. For incommensurate twistings, the interlayer coupling acts as an effective disorder strength. Whereas for weak couplings the whole spectrum remains ergodic, at a critical value part of the eigenspectrum transitions into multifractal states. A similar transition may be observed as well as a function of an energy bias between the two layers. Our study reveals atoms in optical twisted-bilayer lattices as an interesting new platform for the study of ergodicity breaking and multifractality.

We study the out-of-equilibrium quantum dynamics of dipolar polarons, i.e., impurities immersed in a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate, after a quench of the impurity-boson interaction. We show that the dipolar nature of the condensate and of the impurity results in anisotropic relaxation dynamics, in particular, anisotropic dressing of the polaron. More relevantly for cold-atom setups, quench dynamics is strongly affected by the interplay between dipolar anisotropy and trap geometry. Our findings pave the way for simulating impurities in anisotropic media utilizing experiments with dipolar mixtures., Comment: 26 pages, 6 figures

Recent experiments have created supersolids of dipolar quantum droplets. The resulting crystals lack, however, a genuine cohesive energy and are maintained by the presence of an external confinement, bearing a resemblance to the case of ion Coulomb crystals. We show that a mixture of two antiparallel dipolar condensates allows for the creation of potentially large, self-bound crystals which, resembling ionic crystals in solid-state physics, are maintained by the mutual dipolar attraction between the components, with no need of transversal confinement. This opens intriguing novel possibilities, including three-dimensionally self-bound droplet-ring structures, stripe/labyrinthic patterns, and self-bound crystals of droplets surrounded by an interstitial superfluid, resembling the case of superfluid Helium in porous media.

We study the temporal growth and spatial propagation of quantum correlations in a two-dimensional bilayer realising a spin-1/2 quantum XXZ model with couplings mediated by long-range and anisotropic dipolar interactions. Starting with an initial state consisting of spins with opposite magnetization in each of the layers, we predict the emergence of a momentum-dependent dynamic instability in the spin structure factor that results, at short times, in the creation of pairs of excitations at exponentially fast rates. The created pairs present a characteristic momentum distribution that can be tuned by controlling the dipolar orientation, the layer separation or the dipolar couplings. The predicted behavior remains observable at very low filling fractions, making it accessible in state-of-the-art experiments with Rydberg atoms, magnetic atoms, and polar molecule arrays., Comment: 4+7 pages, 4+5 figures; comments welcome

The ground-state phases of a quantum many-body system are characterized by an order parameter, which changes abruptly at quantum phase transitions when an external control parameter is varied. Interestingly, these concepts may be extended to excited states, for which it is possible to define equivalent excited-state quantum phase transitions. However, the experimental mapping of a phase diagram of excited quantum states has not yet been demonstrated. Here we present the experimental determination of the excited-state phase diagram of an atomic ferromagnetic quantum gas, where, crucially, the excitation energy is one of the control parameters. The obtained phase diagram exemplifies how the extensive Hilbert state of quantum many-body systems can be structured by the measurement of well-defined order parameters., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures (main text) + 3 pages, 3 figures (supplement)

In this paper, we review two approaches that can describe, in a geometrical way, the kinematics of particles that are affected by Planck-scale departures, named Finsler and Hamilton geometries. By relying on maps that connect the spaces of velocities and momenta, we discuss the properties of configuration and phase spaces induced by these two distinct geometries. In particular, we exemplify this approach by considering the so-called $q$-de Sitter-inspired modified dispersion relation as a laboratory for this study. We finalize with some points that we consider as positive and negative ones of each approach for the description of quantum configuration and phases spaces., Comment: 22 pages. Matches published version. Invited contribution for Physics. Special Issue "New Advances in Quantum Geometry"

In this work, we investigate the existence of neutron stars (NS) in the framework of $f$($\mathbb{T}$,$\mathcal{T}$) gravity, where $\mathbb{T}$ is the torsion tensor and $\mathcal{T}$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. The hydrostatic equilibrium equations are obtained, however, with $p$ and $\rho$ quantities passed on by effective quantities $\bar{p}$ and $\bar{\rho}$, whose mass-radius diagrams are obtained using modern equations of state (EoS) of nuclear matter derived from relativistic mean field models and compared with the ones computed by the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equations. Substantial changes in the mass-radius profiles of NS are obtained even for small changes in the free parameter of this modified theory. The results indicate that the use of $f$($\mathbb{T}$,$\mathcal{T}$) gravity in the study of NS provides good results for the masses and radii of some important astrophysical objects, as for example, the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) NGC 6397 and the pulsar of millisecond PSR J0740+6620. In addition, radii results inferred from the Lead Radius EXperiment (PREX-2) can also be described for certain parameter values.

Zero-noise extrapolation provides an especially useful error mitigation method for noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices. Our analysis, based on matrix product density operators, of the transverse-field Ising model with depolarizing noise, reveals both advantages and inherent problems associated with zero-noise extrapolation when simulating non-equilibrium many-body dynamics. On the one hand, interestingly, noise alters systematically the behavior of the Loschmidt echo at the dynamical phase transition times, doubling the number of non-analytic points, and hence inducing an error that, inherently, cannot be mitigated. On the other, zero-noise extrapolation may be employed to recover quantum revivals of the Loschmidt echo, which would be completely missed in the absence of mitigation, and to retrieve faithfully noise-free inter-site correlations. Our results, which are in good agreement with those obtained using quantum simulators, reveal the potential of matrix product density operators for the investigation of the performance of quantum devices with a large number of qubits and deep noisy quantum circuits.

Gases of doubly-dipolar particles, with both magnetic and electric dipole moments, offer intriguing novel possibilities. We show that the interplay between doubly-dipolar interactions, quantum stabilization, and external confinement results in a rich ground-state physics of supersolids and incoherent droplet arrays in doubly-dipolar condensates. Our study reveals novel possibilities for engineering quantum droplets and droplet supersolids, including supersolid-supersolid transitions and the realization of supersolid arrays of pancake droplets., Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures

Inter-site dipolar interactions induce, even in absence of disorder, an intriguing non-ergodic dynamics for dipolar bosons in an optical lattice. We show that the inherent dipole-induced density-dependent tunneling, typically neglected, plays a crucial role in this dynamics. For shallow-enough lattices, the delocalization stemming from the interaction-induced hopping overcomes the localization induced by inter-site interactions. As a result, in stark contrast to the more studied case of hard-core bosons, delocalization is counter-intuitively strengthen when the dipolar strength increases. Furthermore, the quasi-cancellation between bare and interaction-induced tunneling may lead, near a lattice-depth-dependent value of the dipole strength, to an exact decoupling of the Hilbert space between ergodic hard-core states and strongly non-ergodic soft-core ones. Our results show that interaction-induced hopping should play a crucial role in future experiments on the dynamics of polar lattice gases., Comment: AAM version close to that published

Recent breakthrough experiments on dipolar condensates have reported the creation of supersolids, including two-dimensional arrays of quantum droplets. Droplet arrays are, however, not the only possible non-trivial density arrangement resulting from the interplay of mean-field instability and quantum stabilization. Several other possible density patterns may occur in trapped condensates at higher densities, including the so-called honeycomb supersolid, a phase that exists, as it is also the case of a triangular droplet supersolid, in the thermodynamic limit. We show that compared to droplet supersolids, honeycomb supersolids have a much-enhanced superfluid fraction while keeping a large density contrast, and constitute in this sense a much better dipolar supersolid. However, in contrast to droplet supersolids, quantized vortices cannot be created in a honeycomb supersolid without driving a transition into a so-called labyrinthic phase. We show that the reduced moment of inertia, and with it the superfluid fraction, can be however reliably probed by studying the dynamics following a scissors-like perturbation.

The high-fidelity analysis of many-body quantum states of indistinguishable atoms requires the accurate counting of atoms. Here we report the tomographic reconstruction of an atom-number-resolving detector. The tomography is performed with an ultracold rubidium ensemble that is prepared in a coherent spin state by driving a Rabi coupling between the two hyperfine clock levels. The coupling is followed by counting the occupation number in one level. We characterize the fidelity of our detector and show that a negative-valued Wigner function is associated with it. Our results offer an exciting perspective for the high-fidelity reconstruction of entangled states and can be applied for a future demonstration of Heisenberg-limited atom interferometry.

Experiments on dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates have recently reported the observation of supersolidity. Although quantized vortices constitute a key probe of superfluidity, their observability in dipolar supersolids is largely prevented by the strong density depletion caused by the formation of droplets. We present a novel approach to the nucleation of vortices and their observation, based on the quenching of the s-wave scattering length across the superfluid-supersolid transition. Starting from a slowly rotating, vortex-free, configuration in the superfluid phase, we predict vortex nucleation as the system enters the supersolid phase, due to the strong reduction of the critical angular velocity in the supersolid. Once a vortex is created, we show that it is robustly preserved when the condensate is brought back to the superfluid phase, where it may be readily observed.