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Open quantum systems are susceptible to losses in information, energy, and particles due to their surrounding environment. One novel strategy to mitigate these losses is to transform them into advantages for quantum technologies through tailored non-Hermitian quantum systems. In this work, we theoretically propose a fast generation of multipartite entanglement in non-Hermitian qubits. Our findings reveal that weakly coupled non-Hermitian qubits can accelerate multiparty entanglement generation by thousands of times compared to Hermitian qubits, in particular when approaching the $2^n$-th order exceptional points of $n$ qubits in the ${\cal P}{\cal T}-$ symmetric regime. Furthermore, we show that Hermitian qubits can generate GHZ states with a high fidelity more than $0.9995$ in a timescale comparable to that of non-Hermitian qubits, but at the expense of intense driving and large coupling constant. Our approach is scalable to a large number of qubits, presenting a promising pathway for advancing quantum technologies through the non-Hermiticity and higher-order exceptional points in many-body quantum systems., Comment: 5 figures

In contrast to the classical optimization process required by the quantum approximate optimization algorithm, FALQON, a feedback-based algorithm for quantum optimization [A. B. Magann {\it et al.,} {\color{blue}Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf129}, 250502 (2022)}], enables one to obtain approximate solutions to combinatorial optimization problems without any classical optimization effort. In this study, we leverage the specifications of a recent experimental platform for the neutral atom system [Z. Fu {\it et al.,} {\color{blue}Phys. Rev. A {\bf105}, 042430 (2022)}] and present a scheme to implement an optimally tuned small-angle controlled-phase gate. By examining the 2- to 4-qubit FALQON algorithms in the Max-Cut problem and considering the spontaneous emission of the neutral atomic system, we have observed that the performance of FALQON implemented with small-angle controlled-phase gates exceeds that of FALQON utilizing CZ gates. This approach has the potential to significantly simplify the logic circuit required to simulate FALQON and effectively address the Max-Cut problem, which may pave a way for the experimental implementation of near-term noisy intermediate-scale quantum algorithms with neutral-atom systems., Comment: typos corrected and figures updated

Holonomic quantum computing offers a promising paradigm for quantum computation due to its error resistance and the ability to perform universal quantum computations. Here, we propose a scheme for the rapid implementation of a holonomic swap gate in neutral atomic systems, based on the selective Rydberg pumping mechanism. By employing time-dependent soft control, we effectively mitigate the impact of off-resonant terms even at higher driving intensities compared to time-independent driving. This approach accelerates the synthesis of logic gates and passively reduces the decoherence effects. Furthermore, by introducing an additional atom and applying the appropriate driving field, our scheme can be directly extended to implement a three-qubit controlled-swap gate. This advancement makes it a valuable tool for quantum state preparation, quantum switches, and a variational quantum algorithm in neutral atom systems., Comment: Accepted by EPJ Quantum Technology

Quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum networks rely on hybrid quantum systems operating in different frequency ranges. For instance, the superconducting qubits work in the gigahertz range, while the optical photons used in communication are in the range of hundreds of terahertz. Due to the large frequency mismatch, achieving the direct coupling and information exchange between different information carriers is generally difficult. Accordingly, a quantum interface is demanded, which serves as a bridge to establish information linkage between different quantum systems operating at distinct frequencies. Recently, the magnon mode in ferromagnetic spin systems has received significant attention. While the inherent weak optomagnonic coupling strength restricts the microwave-to-optical photon conversion efficiency using magnons, the versatility of the magnon modes, together with their readily achievable strong coupling with other quantum systems, endow them with many distinct advantages. Here, we realize the magnon-based microwave-light interface by adopting an optical cavity with adjustable free spectrum range and different kinds of magnetostatic modes in two microwave cavity configurations. By optimizing the parameters, an internal conversion efficiency of $1.28 \times 10^{-7}$ is achieved. We analyze the impact of various parameters on the microwave-to-optics conversion. The study provides useful guidance and insights to further enhancing the microwave-to-optics conversion efficiency using magnons., Comment: 11 pages 7 figures

Frustration, that is, the impossibility to satisfy the energetic preferences between all spin pairs simultaneously, underlies the complexity of many fundamental properties in spin systems, including the computational hardness to determine their ground states. Coherent Ising machines (CIM) have been proposed as a promising analog computational approach to efficiently find different degenerate ground states of large and complex Ising models. However, CIMs also face challenges in solving frustrated Ising models: Frustration not only reduces the probability to find good solutions, but it also prohibits to leverage quantum effects in doing so. To circumvent these detrimental effects of frustration, we show how frustrated Ising models can be mapped to frustration-free CIM configurations by including ancillary modes and modifying the coupling protocol used in current CIM designs. In our proposal, degenerate optical parametric oscillator (DOPO) modes encode the ground state candidates of the studied Ising model, while the ancillary modes enable the autonomous transformation to a frustration-free Ising model that preserves the ground states encoded in the DOPO modes. Such frustration elimination may empower current CIMs to improve precision and to benefit from quantum effects in dealing with frustrated Ising models., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

The realization of strong nonlinear coupling between single photons has been a long-standing goal in quantum optics and quantum information science, promising wide impact applications, such as all-optical deterministic quantum logic and single-photon frequency conversion. Here, we report an experimental observation of the strong coupling between a single photon and a photon pair in an ultrastrongly-coupled circuit-QED system. This strong nonlinear interaction is realized by introducing a detuned flux qubit working as an effective coupler between two modes of a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. The ultrastrong light--matter interaction breaks the excitation number conservation, and an external flux bias breaks the parity conservation. The combined effect of the two enables the strong one--two-photon coupling. Quantum Rabi-like avoided crossing is resolved when tuning the two-photon resonance frequency of the first mode across the single-photon resonance frequency of the second mode. Within this new photonic regime, we observe the second harmonic generation for a mean photon number below one. Our results represent a key step towards a new regime of quantum nonlinear optics, where individual photons can deterministically and coherently interact with each other in the absence of any stimulating fields., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures

Sensors play a crucial role in advanced apparatuses and it is persistently pursued to improve their sensitivities. Recently, the singularity of a non-Hermitian system, known as the exceptional point (EP), has drawn much attention for this goal. Response of the eigenfrequency shift to a perturbation $\epsilon$ follows the $\epsilon^{1/n}$-dependence at an $n$th-order EP, leading to significantly enhanced sensitivity via a high-order EP. However, due to the requirement of increasingly complicated systems, great difficulties will occur along the path of increasing the EP order to enhance the sensitivity. Here we report that by utilizing the spectral anomaly of the coherent perfect absorption (CPA), the sensitivity at a third-order EP can be further enhanced owing to the cooperative effects of both CPA and EP. We realize this synthetically enhanced sensor using a pseudo-Hermitian cavity magnonic system composed of two yttrium iron garnet spheres and a microwave cavity. The detectable minimum change of the magnetic field reaches $4.2\times10^{-21}$T. It opens a new avenue to design novel sensors using hybrid non-Hermitian quantum systems., Comment: 18 pages,5 figures

Scattering theory has been suggested as a convenient method to identify topological phases of matter, in particular of disordered systems for which the Bloch band-theory approach is inapplicable. Here we examine this idea, employing as a benchmark a one-dimensional triangle chain whose versatility yields a scattering matrix that ``flows" in parameter space among several members of the topology classification scheme. Our results show that the reflection amplitudes (from both ends of a sufficiently long chain) do indicate the appearance of edge states in {\it all} (topological and non-topological) cases. For the topological cases, the transmission has a peak at the topological phase transition, which happens at the Fermi energy. A peak still exists as one moves into the non-topological `trivial' regions, in which another transmission peak may occur at nonzero energy, at which a relevant edge state appears in the isolated chain. For finite chains, the peak in the transmission strongly depends on their coupling of the leads, and {\it not} on the phase transition of the isolated chain. In any case, {\it the appearance of a peak in the transmission is not sufficient to conclude that the system undergoes a topological phase transition.}

Cavity magnomechanics (CMM) is an emerging field and has received much attention in the past decade. It deals with coherent couplings among microwave cavity photons, magnons and vibration phonons. So far, all previous CMM experiments have been operated in the weak-coupling regime. This considerably limits prospective various applications of the system. Here, we demonstrate the CMM system in the strong-coupling regime and observe the associated normal-mode splitting. In this regime, the mechanical oscillator is strongly coupled to a cavity-magnon polariton that is formed by strongly coupled cavity photons and magnons, and the polariton-mechanics cooperativity reaches $4\times10^3$, which is improved by three orders of magnitude than previous CMM experiments. The system is then in the triple-strong-coupling regime and the normal modes of the system are the hybridization of microwave photons, magnons and phonons. This is achieved by significantly reducing the decay rate of the polariton mode using coherent perfect absorption and the decay rate is reduced by four orders of magnitude. The work paves the way towards coherent control and measurement of the quantum states of phonons, photons and magnons, and provides a new platform for the study of rich strong-coupling effects in multipartite hybrid systems.

Light-matter interaction is crucial to both understanding fundamental phenomena and developing versatile applications. Strong coupling, robustness, and controllability are the three most important aspects in realizing light-matter interactions. Topological and non-Hermitian photonics, have provided frameworks for robustness and extensive control freedom, respectively. How to engineer the properties of the edge state such as photonic density of state, scattering parameters by using non-Hermitian engineering while ensuring topological protection has not been fully studied. Here we construct a parity-time-symmetric dimerized photonic lattice and generate complex-valued edge states via spontaneous PT-symmetry breaking. The enhanced strong coupling between the topological photonic edge mode and magnon mode in a ferromagnetic spin ensemble is demonstrated. Our research reveals the subtle non-Hermitian topological edge states and provides strategies for realizing and engineering topological light-matter interactions., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

We experimentally demonstrate the nonreciprocal microwave amplification using a cavity magnonic system, consisting of a passive cavity (i.e., the split-ring resonator), an active feedback circuit integrated with an amplifier, and a ferromagnetic spin ensemble (i.e., a yttrium-iron-garnet sphere). Combining the amplification provided by the active circuit and the nonreciprocity supported by the cavity magnonics, we implement a nonreciprocal amplifier with the functions of both unidirectional amplification and reverse isolation. The microwave signal is amplified by 11.5 dB in the forward propagating direction and attenuated in the reverse direction by -34.7 dB, giving an isolation ratio of 46.2 dB. Such a unidirectional amplifier can be readily employed in quantum technologies, where the device can simultaneously amplify the weak signal output by the quantum system and isolate the sensitive quantum system from the backscattered external noise. Also, it is promising to explore more functions and applications using a cavity magnonic system with real gain., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

Entanglement is a fundamental property in quantum mechanics that systems share inseparable quantum correlation regardless of their mutual distances. Owing to the fundamental significance and versatile applications, the generation of quantum entanglement between {\it macroscopic} systems has been a focus of current research. Here we report on the deterministic generation and tomography of the macroscopically entangled Bell state in a hybrid quantum system containing a millimeter-sized spin system ($\sim 1\times10^{19}$ atoms) and a micrometer-sized superconducting qubit. The deterministic generation is realized by coupling the macroscopic spin system and the qubit via a microwave cavity. Also, we develop a joint tomography approach to confirming the deterministic generation of the Bell state, which gives a generation fidelity of $0.90\pm0.01$. Our work makes the macroscopic spin system the {\it largest} system (in the sense of atom number) capable of generating the maximally entangled quantum state., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

Cluster states are versatile quantum resources and an essential building block for measurement-based quantum computing. The possibility to generate cluster states in specific systems may thus serve as an indicator regarding if and to what extent these systems can be harnessed for quantum technologies and quantum information processing in particular. Here, we apply this analysis to networks of degenerate optical parametric oscillators (DOPOs), also called coherent Ising machines (CIMs). CIMs are distinguished by their highly flexible coupling capabilities, which makes it possible to use them, e.g., to emulate large spin systems. As CIMs typically operate with coherent states (and superpositions thereof), it is natural to consider cluster states formed by superpositions of coherent states, i.e., coherent cluster states. As we show, such coherent cluster states can, under ideal conditions, be generated in DOPO networks with the help of beam splitters and classical pumps. Our subsequent numerical analysis provides the minimum requirements for the generation of coherent cluster states under realistic conditions. Moreover, we discuss how nonequilibrium pumps can improve the generation of coherent cluster states. In order to assess the quality of the cluster-state generation, we map the generated states to an effective spin space using modular variables, which allows us to apply entanglement criteria tailored for spin-based cluster states., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures

The dipole approximation is usually employed to describe light-matter interactions under ordinary conditions. With the development of artificial atomic systems, `giant atom' physics is possible, where the scale of atoms is comparable to or even greater than the wavelength of the light they interact with, and the dipole approximation is no longer valid. It reveals interesting physics impossible in small atoms and may offer useful applications. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the giant spin ensemble (GSE), where a ferromagnetic spin ensemble interacts twice with the meandering waveguide, and the coupling strength between them can be continuously tuned from finite (coupled) to zero (decoupled) by varying the frequency. In the nested configuration, we investigate the collective behavior of two GSEs and find extraordinary phenomena that cannot be observed in conventional systems. Our experiment offers a new platform for `giant atom' physics., Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures

Non-classical quantum states are the pivotal features of a quantum system that differs from its classical counterpart. However, the generation and coherent control of quantum states in a macroscopic spin system remain an outstanding challenge. Here we experimentally demonstrate the quantum control of a single magnon in a macroscopic spin system (i.e., 1~mm-diameter yttrium-iron-garnet sphere) coupled to a superconducting qubit via a microwave cavity. By tuning the qubit frequency {\it in situ} via the Autler-Townes effect, we manipulate this single magnon to generate its non-classical quantum states, including the single-magnon state and the superposition state of a single magnon and vacuum. Moreover, we confirm the deterministic generation of these non-classical states by Wigner tomography. Our experiment offers the first reported deterministic generation of the non-classical quantum states in a macroscopic spin system and paves a way to explore its promising applications in quantum engineering., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures

Quantum many-body simulation provides a straightforward way to understand fundamental physics and connect with quantum information applications. However, suffering from exponentially growing Hilbert space size, characterization in terms of few-body probes in real space is often insufficient to tackle challenging problems such as quantum critical behavior and many-body localization (MBL) in higher dimensions. Here, we experimentally employ a new paradigm on a superconducting quantum processor, exploring such elusive questions from a Fock space view: mapping the many-body system onto an unconventional Anderson model on a complex Fock space network of many-body states. By observing the wave packet propagating in Fock space and the emergence of a statistical ergodic ensemble, we reveal a fresh picture for characterizing representative many-body dynamics: thermalization, localization, and scarring. In addition, we observe a quantum critical regime of anomalously enhanced wave packet width and deduce a critical point from the maximum wave packet fluctuations, which lend support for the two-dimensional MBL transition in finite-sized systems. Our work unveils a new perspective of exploring many-body physics in Fock space, demonstrating its practical applications on contentious MBL aspects such as criticality and dimensionality. Moreover, the entire protocol is universal and scalable, paving the way to finally solve a broader range of controversial many-body problems on future larger quantum devices., Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures + supplementary information

Hybrid quantum systems in the ultrastrong, and even more in the deep-strong, coupling regimes can exhibit exotic physical phenomena and promise new applications in quantum technologies. In these nonperturbative regimes, a qubit--resonator system has an entangled quantum vacuum with a nonzero average photon number in the resonator, where the photons are virtual and cannot be directly detected. The vacuum field, however, is able to induce the symmetry breaking of a dispersively coupled probe qubit. We experimentally observe the parity symmetry breaking of an ancillary Xmon artificial atom induced by the field of a lumped-element superconducting resonator deep-strongly coupled with a flux qubit. This result opens a way to experimentally explore the novel quantum-vacuum effects emerging in the deep-strong coupling regime., Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures

Topological photonics provides a novel platform to explore topological physics beyond traditional electronic materials and stimulates promising applications in topologically protected light transport and lasers. Classical degrees of freedom such as polarizations and wavevectors are routinely used to synthesize topological light modes. Beyond the classical regime, inherent quantum nature of light gives birth to a wealth of fundamentally distinct topological states, which offer topological protection in quantum information processing. Here we implement such experiments on topological states of quantized light in a superconducting circuit, on which three resonators are tunably coupled to a gmon qubit. We construct one and two-dimensional Fock-state lattices where topological transport of zero-energy states, strain induced pseudo-Landau levels, valley Hall effect and Haldane chiral edge currents are demonstrated. Our study extends the topological states of light to the quantum regime, bridges topological phases of condensed matter physics with circuit quantum electrodynamics, and offers a new freedom in controlling the quantum states of multiple resonators., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures

Quantum interference effects in the unmodulated quantum systems with light-matter interaction have been widely studied, such as electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler-Townes splitting (ATS). However, the similar quantum interference effects in the Floquet systems (i.e., periodically modulated systems), which might cover rich new physics, were rarely studied. In this article, we investigate the quantum interference effects in the Floquet two- and three-level systems analytically and numerically. We show a coherent destruction tunneling effect in a lotuslike multipeak spectrum with a Floquet two-level system, where the intensity of the probe field is periodically modulated with a square-wave sequence. We demonstrate that the multipeak split into multiple transparency windows with tunable quantum interference if the Floquet system is asynchronously controlled via a third level. Based on phenomenological analysis with Akaike information criterion, we show that the symmetric central transparency window has a similar mechanism to the traditional ATS or EIT depending on the choice of parameters, additional with an extra degree of freedom to control the quantum interference provided by the modulation period. The other transparent windows are shown to be asymmetric, different from the traditional ATS and EIT windows. These nontrivial quantum interference effects open up a scope to explore the applications of the Floquet systems.

Bistable mechanical vibration is observed in a cavity magnomechanical system, which consists of a microwave cavity mode, a magnon mode, and a mechanical vibration mode of a ferrimagnetic yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) sphere. The bistability manifests itself in both the mechanical frequency and linewidth under a strong microwave drive field, which simultaneously activates three different kinds of nonlinearities, namely, magnetostriction, magnon self-Kerr, and magnon-phonon cross-Kerr nonlinearities. The magnon-phonon cross-Kerr nonlinearity is first predicted and measured in magnomechanics. The system enters a regime where Kerr-type nonlinearities strongly modify the conventional cavity magnomechanics that possesses only a radiation-pressure-like magnomechanical coupling. Three different kinds of nonlinearities are identified and distinguished in the experiment. Our work demonstrates a new mechanism for achieving mechanical bistability by combining magnetostriction and Kerr-type nonlinearities, and indicates that such Kerr-modified cavity magnomechanics provides a unique platform for studying many distinct nonlinearities in a single experiment., Comment: with Suppl. Mat. To appear in PRL

For solid-state spin systems, the collective spin motion in a single crystal embodies multiple magnetostatic modes. Recently, it was found that the cross-Kerr interaction between the higher-order magnetostatic mode and the Kittel mode introduces a new operable degree of freedom. In this work, we propose a scheme to entangle two magnon modes via the cross-Kerr nonlinearity when the bias field is inhomogeneous and the system is driven. Quantum entanglement persists at the steady state, as demonstrated by numerical results using experimentally feasible parameters. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that entangled states can survive better in the system where self-Kerr and cross-Kerr nonlinearities coexist. Our work provides insights and guidance for designing experiments to observe entanglement between different degrees of freedom within a single ferrimagnetic crystal. Additionally, it may stimulate potential applications in quantum information processing using spintronic devices., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

Materials with a kagome lattice provide a platform for searching for new electronic phases and investigating the interplay between correlation and topology. Various probes have recently shown that the kagome lattice can host diverse quantum phases with intertwined orders, including charge density wave states, bond density wave states, chiral charge order, and, rarely, superconductivity. However, reports of the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic order in kagome materials remain elusive. Here we revisit a magnetic superconductor CeRu$_2$ with a kagome network formed by Ru atoms. Our first-principles calculations revealed a kagome flat band near the Fermi surface, indicative of flat-band magnetism. At ambient pressure, CeRu$_2$ exhibits a superconducting transition temperature ($T_{\text{c}}$) up to ~ 6 K and a magnetic order at ~ 40 K. Notably, superconductivity and related behavior can be tuned by adjusting the amount of Ru. We conducted a systematic investigation of the superconductivity and magnetic order in CeRu$_2$ via magnetic, resistivity, and structural measurements under pressure up to ~ 168 GPa. An unusual phase diagram that suggests an intriguing interplay between the compound's superconducting order parameters has been constructed. A $T_{\text{c}}$ resurgence was observed above pressure of ~ 28 GPa, accompanied by the sudden appearance of a secondary superconducting transition. Our experiments have identified tantalizing phase transitions driven by high pressure and suggest that the superconductivity and magnetism in CeRu$_2$ are strongly intertwined., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures; v2: corrected author order

Cavity magnomechanics has recently become a new platform for studying macroscopic quantum phenomena. The magnetostriction induced vibration mode of a large-size ferromagnet or ferrimagnet reaching its ground state represents a genuine macroscopic quantum state. Here we study the ground-state cooling of the mechanical vibration mode in a cavity magnomechanical system, and focus on the role of magnon squeezing in improving the cooling efficiency. The magnon squeezing is obtained by exploiting the magnon self-Kerr nonlinearity. We find that the magnon squeezing can significantly and even completely suppress the magnomechanical Stokes scattering. It thus becomes particularly useful in realizing ground-state cooling in the unresolved-sideband regime, where the conventional sideband cooling protocols become inefficient. We also find that the coupling to the microwave cavity plays only an adverse effect in mechanical cooling. This makes essentially the two-mode magnomechanical system (without involving the microwave cavity) a preferred system for cooling the mechanical motion, in which the magnon mode is established by a uniform bias magnetic field and a microwave drive field., Comment: Contribution to the Special Topic: Cavity Optomechanics in Fundamental Research

Cat states, which were initially proposed to manifest macroscopic superpositions, play an outstanding role in fundamental aspects of quantum dynamics. In addition, they have potential applications in quantum computation and quantum sensing. However, cat states are vulnerable to dissipation, which puts the focus of cat-state generation on higher speed and increased robustness. Dissipative cat-state generation is a common approach based on the nonlinear coupling between a lossy pump field and a half-frequency signal field. In such an approach, the pump field is usually kept in equilibrium, which limits the cat-state generation. We show that the equilibrium requirement can be removed by leveraging a synchronous pump method. In this nonequilibrium regime, the speed of the cat-state generation can be increased by one order of magnitude, and the robustness to single-photon loss can be enhanced. The realization of synchronous pumps is discussed for both time-multiplexed systems and standing modes.

When there is a certain amount of field inhomogeneity, the biased ferrimagnetic crystal will exhibit the higher-order magnetostatic (HMS) mode in addition to the uniform-precession Kittel mode. In cavity magnonics, we show both experimentally and theoretically the cross-Kerr-type interaction between the Kittel mode and HMS mode. When the Kittel mode is driven to generate a certain number of excitations, the HMS mode displays a corresponding frequency shift and vice versa. The cross-Kerr effect is caused by an exchange interaction between these two spin-wave modes. Utilizing the cross-Kerr effect, we realize and integrate a multi-mode cavity magnonic system with only one yttrium iron garnet (YIG) sphere. Our results will bring new methods to magnetization dynamics studies and pave a way for novel cavity magnonic devices by including the magnetostatic mode-mode interaction as an operational degree of freedom., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures

We propose a new protected logic qubit called pokemon, which is derived from the 0-$\pi$ qubit by harnessing one capacitively shunted inductor and two capacitively shunted Josephson junctions embedded in a superconducting loop. Similar to the 0-$\pi$ qubit, the two basis states of the proposed qubit are separated by a high barrier, but their wave functions are highly localized along both axis directions of the two-dimensional parameter space, instead of the highly localized wave functions along only one axis direction in the 0-$\pi$ qubit. This makes the pokemon qubit more protected. For instance, the relaxation of the pokemon qubit is exponentially reduced by two equally important factors, while the relaxation of the 0-$\pi$ qubit is exponentially reduced by only one factor. Moreover, we show that the inductor in the pokemon can be replaced by a nonlinear inductor using, e.g., a pair or two pairs of Josephson junctions. This offers an experimentally promising way to implement next-generation superconducting qubits with even higher quantum coherence., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

We propose an experimentally realizable nonreciprocal magnonic device at the single-magnon level by exploiting magnon blockade in a magnon-based hybrid system. The coherent qubit-magnon coupling, mediated by virtual photons in a microwave cavity, leads to the energy-level anharmonicity of the composite modes. In contrast, the corresponding dissipative counterpart, induced by traveling microwaves in a waveguide, yields inhomogeneous broadenings of the energy levels. As a result, the cooperative effects of these two kinds of interactions give rise to the emergence of the direction-dependent magnon blockade. We show that this can be demonstrated by studying the equal-time second-order correlation function of the magnon mode. Our study opens an avenue to engineer nonreciprocal magnonic devices in the quantum regime involving only a small number of magnons., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures

Strong long-range coupling between distant spins is crucial for spin-based quantum information processing. However, achieving such a strong spin-spin coupling remains challenging. Here we propose to realize a strong coupling between two distant spins via the Kerr effect of magnons in a yttrium-iron-garnet nanosphere. By applying a microwave field on this nanosphere, the Kerr effect of magnons can induce the magnon squeezing, so that the coupling between the spin and the squeezed magnons can be exponentially enhanced. This in turn allows the spin-magnon distance to increase from nano- to micrometer scale. By considering the virtual excitation of the squeezed magnons in the dispersive regime, strong spin-spin coupling mediated by the squeezed magnons can be achieved, and a remote quantum-state transfer, as well as the nonlocal two-qubit ISWAP gate with high fidelity becomes implementable. Our approach offers a feasible scheme to perform quantum information processing among distant spins., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures

We show how to measure a steady-state magnon population in a magnetostatic mode of a ferromagnet or ferrimagnet, such as yttrium iron garnet. We adopt an optomechanical approach and utilize the magnetoelasticity of the ferromagnet. The magnetostrictive force dispersively couples magnons to the deformation displacement of the ferromagnet, which is proportional to the magnon population. By further coupling the mechanical displacement to an optical cavity that is resonantly driven by a weak laser, the magnetostrictively induced displacement can be sensed by measuring the phase quadrature of the optical field. The phase shows an excellent linear dependence on the magnon population for a not very large population, and can thus be used as a `magnometer' to measure the magnon population. We further study the effect of thermal noises, and find a high signal-to-noise ratio even at room temperature. At cryogenic temperatures, the resolution of magnon excitation numbers is essentially limited by the vacuum fluctuations of the phase, which can be significantly improved by using a squeezed light.

Multistability is an extraordinary nonlinear property of dynamical systems and can be explored to implement memory and switches. Here we experimentally realize the tristability in a three-mode cavity magnonic system with Kerr nonlinearity. The three stable states in the tristable region correspond to the stable solutions of the frequency shift of the cavity magnon polariton under specific driving conditions. We find that the system staying in which stable state depends on the history experienced by the system, and this state can be harnessed to store the history information. In our experiment, the memory time can reach as long as 5.11 s. Moreover, we demonstrate the ternary logic gate with good on-off characteristics using this multistable hybrid system. Our new findings pave a way towards cavity magnonics-based information storage and processing.

Entanglement is a holistic property of multipartite quantum systems, which is accompanied by the establishment of nonclassical correlations between subsystems. Most entanglement mechanisms can be described by a coherent interaction Hamiltonian, and entanglement develops over time. In other words, the generation of entanglement has a time arrow. Dissipative structure theory directs the evolving time arrow of a non-equilibrium system. By dissipating energy to the environment, the system establishes order out of randomness. This is also referred to as self-organization. Here, we explore a new mechanism to create entanglement, utilizing the wisdom of dissipative structure theory in quantum systems. The entanglement between subsystems can emerge via the dissipation-structured correlation. This method requires a non-equilibrium initial state and cooperative dissipation, which can be implemented in a variety of waveguide-coupled quantum systems.

We demonstrate that multipartite entanglement, witnessed by the quantum Fisher information (QFI), can characterize topological quantum phase transitions in the spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ toric code model on a square lattice with external fields. We show that the QFI density of the ground state can be written in terms of the expectation values of gauge-invariant Wilson loops for different sizes of square regions and identify $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological order by its scaling behavior. Furthermore, we use this multipartite entanglement witness to investigate thermalization and disorder-assisted stabilization of topological order after a quantum quench. Moreover, with an upper bound of the QFI, we demonstrate the absence of finite-temperature topological order in the 2D toric code model in the thermodynamic limit. Our results provide insights to topological phases, which are robust against external disturbances, and are candidates for topologically protected quantum computation., Comment: 6+4 pages, 3+0 figures

Using a distinguishable-particle lattice model based on void-induced dynamics, we successfully reproduce the well-known linear relation between heat capacity and temperature at very low temperatures. The heat capacity is dominated by two-level systems formed due to the strong localization of voids to two neighboring sites, and can be exactly calculated in the limit of ultrastable glasses. Similar but weaker localization at higher temperatures accounts for the glass transition. The result supports the conventional two-level tunneling picture by revealing how two-level systems emerge from random particle interactions, which also cause the glass transition. Our approach provides a unified framework for relating microscopic dynamics of glasses at room and cryogenic temperatures.

A quantum network consisting of magnonic and mechanical nodes connected by light is proposed. Recent years have witnessed a significant development in cavity magnonics based on collective spin excitations in ferrimagnetic crystals, such as yttrium iron garnet (YIG). Magnonic systems are considered to be a promising building block for a future quantum network. However, a major limitation of the system is that the coherence time of the magnon excitations is limited by their intrinsic loss (typically in the order of 1 $\mu$s for YIG). Here, we show that by coupling the magnonic system to a mechanical system using optical pulses, an arbitrary magnonic state (either classical or quantum) can be transferred to and stored in a distant long-lived mechanical resonator. The fidelity depends on the pulse parameters and the transmission loss. We further show that the magnonic and mechanical nodes can be prepared in a macroscopic entangled state. These demonstrate the quantum state transfer and entanglement distribution in such a novel quantum network of magnonic and mechanical nodes. Our work shows the possibility to connect two separate fields of optomagnonics and optomechanics, and to build a long-distance quantum network based on magnonic and mechanical systems., Comment: PRX Quantum 2, 040344 (2021)

Quantum state transport is an important way to study the energy or information flow. By combining the unconventional Rydberg pumping mechanism and the diagonal form of van der Waals interactions, we construct a theoretical model via second-order perturbation theory to realize a long-range coherent transport inside the ground-state manifold of neutral atoms system. With the adjustment of the Rabi frequencies and the interatomic distance, this model can be used to simulate various single-body physics phenomena such as Heisenberg $XX$ spin chain restricted in the single-excitation manifold, coherently perfect quantum state transfer, parameter adjustable Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model, and chiral motion of atomic excitation in the triangle by varying the geometrical arrangement of the three atoms, which effectively avoid the influence of atomic spontaneous emission at the same time. Moreover, the influence of atomic position fluctuation on the fidelity of quantum state transmission is discussed in detail, and the corresponding numerical results show that our work provides a robust and easy-implemented scheme for quantum state transport with neutral atoms., Comment: 20pages, 21 figures, published in Phys. Rev. A 105, 032417 (2022)

We study the parity-symmetry-breaking quantum phase transition (QPT) in a cavity magnonic system driven by a parametric field, where the magnons in a ferrimagnetic yttrium-iron-garnet sphere strongly couple to a microwave cavity. With appropriate parameters, this cavity magnonic system can exhibit a rich phase diagram, including the parity-symmetric phase, parity-symmetry-broken phase, and bistable phase. When increasing the drive strength beyond a critical threshold, the cavity magnonic system undergoes either a first- or second-order nonequilibrium QPT from the parity-symmetric phase with microscopic excitations to the parity-symmetry-broken phase with macroscopic excitations, depending on the parameters of the system. Our work provides an alternate way to engineer the QPT in a hybrid quantum system containing the spin ensemble in a ferri- or ferromagnetic material with strong exchange interactions., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures

Exceptional points (EPs) are exotic degeneracies of non-Hermitian systems, where the eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenvectors simultaneously coalesce in parameter space, and these degeneracies are sensitive to tiny perturbations on the system. Here we report an experimental observation of the EP in a hybrid quantum system consisting of dense nitrogen (P1) centers in diamond coupled to a coplanar-waveguide resonator. These P1 centers can be divided into three subensembles of spins, and cross relaxation occurs among them. As a new method to demonstrate this EP, we pump a given spin subensemble with a drive field to tune the magnon-photon coupling in a wide range. We observe the EP in the middle spin subensemble coupled to the resonator mode, irrespective of which spin subensemble is actually driven. This robustness of the EP against pumping reveals the key role of the cross relaxation in P1 centers. It offers a novel way to convincingly prove the existence of the cross-relaxation effect via the EP., Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures

The interplay between the spin-orbit and Zeeman interactions acting on a spinful Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model is studied based on an InAs nanowire subjected to a periodic gate potential along the axial direction. It is shown that a nontrivial topological phase can be achieved by regulating the confining-potential configuration. In the absence of the Zeeman field, we prove that the topology of the chain is not affected by the Rashba spin-orbit interaction due to the persisting chiral symmetry. The energies of the edge modes can be manipulated by varying the magnitude and direction of the external magnetic field. Remarkably, the joint effect of the two spin-related interactions leads to novel edge states that appear in the gap formed by the anti-crossing of the bands of a finite spinful dimerized chain, and can be merged into the bulk states by tilting the magnetic-field direction.