Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

Abstract: We show that a qubit transfer protocol can be realized through a flat band hosted by a disordered $XX$ spin-1/2 diamond chain. In the absence of disorder, the transmission becomes impossible due to the compact localized states forming the flat band. When off-diagonal disorder is considered, the degeneracy of the band is preserved but the associated states are no longer confined to the unit cells. By perturbatively coupling the sender and receiver to the flat band, we derive a general effective Hamiltonian resembling a star network model with two hubs. The effective couplings correspond to wavefunctions associated with the flat-band modes. Specific relationships between these parameters define the quality of the quantum-state transfer which, in turn, are related to the degree of localization in the flat band. Our findings establish a framework for further studies of flat bands in the context of quantum communication.

Abstract: We analyze relativistic quantum scattering in the Schr\"odinger picture. The suggestive requirement of translational invariance and conservation of the four-momentum, that the interacting Hamiltonian commute with the four-momentum $P$ of free particles, is shown to imply the absence of interactions. The relaxed requirement, that the interacting Hamiltonian $H'$ commute with the four-velocity $U= P/M$, $M=\sqrt{P^2}$, allows Poincar\'e covariant interactions just as in the nonrelativistic case. If the $S$-matrix is Lorentz invariant, it still commutes with the four-momentum $P$ though $H'$ does not. Shifted observers, whose translations are generated by the four-velocity $U$, just see a shifted superposition of near-mass-degenerate states with unchanged relative phases, while the four-momentum generates oscillated superpositions with changed relative phases.

Abstract: Enhancing and tailoring light-matter interactions offer remarkable nonlinear resources with wide-ranging applications in various scientific disciplines. In this study, we investigate the construction of strong and deterministic tripartite `beamsplitter' (`squeeze') interactions by utilizing cavity-enhanced nonlinear anti-Stokes (Stokes) scattering within the spin-photon-phonon degrees of freedom. We explore the exotic dynamical and steady-state properties associated with the confined motion of a single atom within a high-finesse optical cavity. Notably, we demonstrate the direct extraction of vacuum fluctuations of photons and phonons, which are inherent in Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, without requiring any free parameters. Moreover, our approach enables the realization of high-quality single-quanta sources with large average photon (phonon) occupancies. The underlying physical mechanisms responsible for generating nonclassical quantum emitters are attributed to decay-enhanced single-quanta blockade and the utilization of long-lived motional phonons, resulting in strong nonlinearity. This work unveils significant opportunities for studying hitherto unexplored physical phenomena and provides novel perspectives on fundamental physics dominated by strong tripartite interactions.

Abstract: We experimentally investigate a superconducting circuit composed of two flux qubits ultrastrongly coupled to a common $LC$ resonator. Owing to the large anharmonicity of the flux qubits, the system can be correctly described by a generalized Dicke Hamiltonian containing spin-spin interaction terms. In the experimentally measured spectrum, an avoided level crossing provides evidence of the exotic interaction that allows the \textit{simultaneous} excitation of \textit{two} artificial atoms by absorbing \textit{one} photon from the resonator. This multi-atom ultrastrongly coupled system opens the door to studying nonlinear optics where the number of excitations is not conserved. This enables novel processes for quantum-information processing tasks on a chip.

Abstract: Measurement sensitivity is one of the critical indicators for Rydberg atomic radio receivers. This work quantitatively studies the relationship between the atomic superheterodyne receiver's sensitivity and the number of atoms involved in the measurement. The atom number is changed by adjusting the length of the interaction area. The results show that for the ideal case, the sensitivity of the atomic superheterodyne receiver exhibits a quantum scaling: the amplitude of its output signal is proportional to the atom number, and the amplitude of its read-out noise is proportional to the square root of the atom number. Hence, its sensitivity is inversely proportional to the square root of the atom number. This work also gives a detailed discussion of the properties of transit noise in atomic receivers and the influence of some non-ideal factors on sensitivity scaling. This work is significant in the field of atom-based quantum precision measurements.

Abstract: The representation of a quantum wave function as a neural network quantum state (NQS) provides a powerful variational ansatz for finding the ground states of many-body quantum systems. Nevertheless, due to the complex variational landscape, traditional methods often employ the stochastic reconfiguration (SR) approach, resulting in limited scalability and computational efficiency because of the need to compute and invert the metric tensor. We introduce a method that circumvents the computation of the metric tensor, relying solely on first-order gradient descent, thereby facilitating the use of significantly larger neural network architectures. Our approach leverages the principle of imaginary time evolution by constructing a target wave function derived from the Schrodinger equation, and then training the neural network to approximate this target function. Through iterative optimization, the approximated state converges progressively towards the ground state. The advantages of our method are demonstrated through numerical experiments with 2D J1-J2 Heisenberg model, revealing enhanced stability and energy accuracy compared to conventional energy loss minimization. Importantly, our approach displays competitiveness with the well-established density matrix renormalization group method and NQS optimization with SR. By allowing the use of larger neural networks, our approach might open up possibilities for tackling previously intractable problems within the context of many-particle quantum systems.

Abstract: Spin-boson (SB) model plays a central role in studies of dissipative quantum dynamics, both due its conceptual importance and relevance to a number of physical systems. Here we provide rigorous bounds of the computational complexity of the SB model for the physically relevant case of a zero temperature Ohmic bath. We start with the description of the bosonic bath via its Feynman-Vernon influence functional (IF), which is a tensor on the space of spin's trajectories. By expanding the kernel of the IF functional via a sum of decaying exponentials, we obtain an analytical approximation of the continuous bath by a finite number of damped bosonic modes. We bound the error induced by restricting bosonic Hilbert spaces to a finite-dimensional subspace with small boson numbers, which yields an analytical form of a matrix-product state (MPS) representation of the IF. We show that the MPS bond dimension $D$ scales polynomially in the error on physical observables $\epsilon$, as well as in the evolution time $T$, $D\propto T^4/\epsilon^2$. This bound indicates that the spin-boson model can be efficiently simulated using polynomial in time computational resources.

Abstract: We theoretically describe macroscopic quantum synchronization effects occurring in a network of all-to-all coupled quantum limit-cycle oscillators. The coupling causes a transition to synchronization as indicated by the presence of global phase coherence. We demonstrate that the microscopic quantum properties of the oscillators qualitatively shape the synchronization behavior in a macroscopically large system. The resulting dynamics features universal behavior, quantum effects, and emergent behavior not visible at the level of two coupled oscillators.

Abstract: The development of a microwave electrometer with inherent uncertainty approaching its ultimate limit carries both fundamental and technological significance. Recently, the Rydberg electrometer has garnered considerable attention due to its exceptional sensitivity, small-size, and broad tunability. This specific quantum sensor utilizes low-entropy laser beams to detect disturbances in atomic internal states, thereby circumventing the intrinsic thermal noise encountered by its classical counterparts8,9. However, due to the thermal motion of atoms10, the advanced Rydberg-atom microwave electrometer falls considerably short of the standard quantum limit by over three orders of magnitude. In this study, we utilize an optically thin medium with approximately 5.2e5 laser-cooled atoms11 to implement heterodyne detection. By mitigating a variety of noises and strategically optimizing the parameters of the Rydberg electrometer, our study achieves an electric-field sensitivity of 10.0 nV/cm/Hz^1/2 at a 100 Hz repetition rate, reaching a factor of 2.6 above the standard quantum limit and a minimum detectable field of 540 pV cm. We also provide an in-depth analysis of noise mechanisms and determine optimal parameters to bolster the performance of Rydberg-atom sensors. Our work provides insights into the inherent capacities and limitations of Rydberg electrometers, while offering superior sensitivity for detecting weak microwave signals in numerous applications.

Abstract: Distributed quantum computing provides a viable approach towards scalable quantum computation, which relies on nonlocal quantum gates to connect distant quantum nodes, to overcome the limitation of a single device. However, such an approach has only been realized within single nodes or between nodes separated by a few tens of meters, preventing the target of harnessing computing resources in large-scale quantum networks. Here, we demonstrate distributed quantum computing between two nodes spatially separated by 7.0 km, using stationary qubits based on multiplexed quantum memories, flying qubits at telecom wavelengths, and active feedforward control based on field-deployed fiber. Specifically, we illustrate quantum parallelism by implementing Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm and quantum phase estimation algorithm between the two remote nodes. These results represent the first demonstration of distributed quantum computing over metropolitan-scale distances and lay the foundation for the construction of large-scale quantum computing networks relying on existing fiber channels.

Abstract: Thanks to the rapid progress and growing complexity of quantum algorithms, correctness of quantum programs has become a major concern. Pioneering research over the past years has proposed various approaches to formally verify quantum programs using proof systems such as quantum Hoare logic. All these prior approaches are post-hoc: one first implements a complete program and only then verifies its correctness. In this work, we propose Quantum Correctness by Construction (QbC): an approach to constructing quantum programs from their specification in a way that ensures correctness. We use pre- and postconditions to specify program properties, and propose a set of refinement rules to construct correct programs in a quantum while language. We validate QbC by constructing quantum programs for two idiomatic problems, teleportation and search, from their specification. We find that the approach naturally suggests how to derive program details, highlighting key design choices along the way. As such, we believe that QbC can play an important role in supporting the design and taxonomization of quantum algorithms and software.

Abstract: Superconducting (or Andreev) spin qubits have recently emerged as an alternative qubit platform with realizations in semiconductor-superconductor hybrid nanowires. In these qubits, the spin degree of freedom is intrinsically coupled to the supercurrent across a Josephson junction via the spin-orbit interaction, which facilitates fast, high-fidelity spin readout using circuit quantum electrodynamics techniques. Moreover, this spin-supercurrent coupling has been predicted to facilitate inductive multi-qubit coupling. In this work, we demonstrate a strong supercurrent-mediated coupling between two distant Andreev spin qubits. This qubit-qubit interaction is of the longitudinal type and we show that it is both gate- and flux-tunable up to a coupling strength of 178 MHz. Finally, we find that the coupling can be switched off in-situ using a magnetic flux. Our results demonstrate that integrating microscopic spin states into a superconducting qubit architecture can combine the advantages of both semiconductors and superconducting circuits and pave the way to fast two-qubit gates between remote spins.

Abstract: The Quantum Max Cut (QMC) problem has emerged as a test-problem for designing approximation algorithms for local Hamiltonian problems. In this paper we attack this problem using the algebraic structure of QMC, in particular the relationship between the quantum max cut Hamiltonian and the representation theory of the symmetric group. The first major contribution of this paper is an extension of non-commutative Sum of Squares (ncSoS) optimization techniques to give a new hierarchy of relaxations to Quantum Max Cut. The hierarchy we present is based on optimizations over polynomials in the qubit swap operators. This is contrast to the ``standard'' quantum Lasserre Hierarchy, which is based on polynomials expressed in terms of the Pauli matrices. To prove correctness of this hierarchy, we give a finite presentation of the algebra generated by the qubit swap operators. This presentation allows for the use of computer algebraic techniques to manipulate simplify polynomials written in terms of the swap operators, and may be of independent interest. Surprisingly, we find that level-2 of this new hierarchy is exact (up to tolerance $10^{-7}$) on all QMC instances with uniform edge weights on graphs with at most 8 vertices. The second major contribution of this paper is a polynomial-time algorithm that exactly computes the maximum eigenvalue of the QMC Hamiltonian for certain graphs, including graphs that can be ``decomposed'' as a signed combination of cliques. A special case of the latter are complete bipartite graphs with uniform edge-weights, for which exact solutions are known from the work of Lieb and Mattis. Our methods, which use representation theory of the symmetric group, can be seen as a generalization of the Lieb-Mattis result.

Abstract: The quantum phase estimation (QPE) is one of the fundamental algorithms based on the quantum Fourier transform (QFT). It has applications in order-finding, factoring, and finding the eigenvalues of unitary operators. The major challenge in running QPE and other quantum algorithms is the noise in quantum computers. This noise is due to the interactions of qubits with the environment and due to the faulty gate operations. In the present work, we study the impact of incoherent noise on QPE, modeled as trace-preserving and completely positive quantum channels. Different noise models such as depolarizing, phase flip, bit flip, and bit-phase flip are taken to understand the performance of the QPE in the presence of noise. The simulation results indicate that the standard deviation of the eigenvalue of the unitary operator has strong exponential dependence upon the error probability of individual qubits. Furthermore, the standard deviation increases with the number of qubits for fixed error probability.

Abstract: Managing the response to natural disasters effectively can considerably mitigate their devastating impact. This work explores the potential of using supervised hybrid quantum machine learning to optimize emergency evacuation plans for cars during natural disasters. The study focuses on earthquake emergencies and models the problem as a dynamic computational graph where an earthquake damages an area of a city. The residents seek to evacuate the city by reaching the exit points where traffic congestion occurs. The situation is modeled as a shortest-path problem on an uncertain and dynamically evolving map. We propose a novel hybrid supervised learning approach and test it on hypothetical situations on a concrete city graph. This approach uses a novel quantum feature-wise linear modulation (FiLM) neural network parallel to a classical FiLM network to imitate Dijkstra's node-wise shortest path algorithm on a deterministic dynamic graph. Adding the quantum neural network in parallel increases the overall model's expressivity by splitting the dataset's harmonic and non-harmonic features between the quantum and classical components. The hybrid supervised learning agent is trained on a dataset of Dijkstra's shortest paths and can successfully learn the navigation task. The hybrid quantum network improves over the purely classical supervised learning approach by 7% in accuracy. We show that the quantum part has a significant contribution of 45.(3)% to the prediction and that the network could be executed on an ion-based quantum computer. The results demonstrate the potential of supervised hybrid quantum machine learning in improving emergency evacuation planning during natural disasters.

Abstract: Understanding and approximating extremal energy states of local Hamiltonians is a central problem in quantum physics and complexity theory. Recent work has focused on developing approximation algorithms for local Hamiltonians, and in particular the ``Quantum Max Cut'' (QMax-Cut) problem, which is closely related to the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model. In this work, we introduce a family of semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxations based on the Navascues-Pironio-Acin (NPA) hierarchy which is tailored for QMaxCut by taking into account its SU(2) symmetry. We show that the hierarchy converges to the optimal QMaxCut value at a finite level, which is based on a new characterization of the algebra of SWAP operators. We give several analytic proofs and computational results showing exactness/inexactness of our hierarchy at the lowest level on several important families of graphs. We also discuss relationships between SDP approaches for QMaxCut and frustration-freeness in condensed matter physics and numerically demonstrate that the SDP-solvability practically becomes an efficiently-computable generalization of frustration-freeness. Furthermore, by numerical demonstration we show the potential of SDP algorithms to perform as an approximate method to compute physical quantities and capture physical features of some Heisenberg-type statistical mechanics models even away from the frustration-free regions.

Abstract: We introduce a general approach to realize quantum states with holographic entanglement structure via monitored dynamics. Starting from random unitary circuits in $1+1$ dimensions, we introduce measurements with a spatiotemporally-modulated density. Exploiting the known critical properties of the measurement-induced entanglement transition, this allows us to engineer arbitrary geometries for the bulk space (with a fixed topology). These geometries in turn control the entanglement structure of the boundary (output) state. We demonstrate our approach by giving concrete protocols for two geometries of interest in two dimensions: the hyperbolic half-plane and a spatial section of the BTZ black hole. We numerically verify signatures of the underlying entanglement geometry, including a direct imaging of entanglement wedges by using locally-entangled reference qubits. Our results provide a concrete platform for realizing geometric entanglement structures on near-term quantum simulators.

Abstract: Superconducting metamaterial transmission lines implemented with lumped circuit elements can exhibit left-handed dispersion, where the group and phase velocity have opposite sign, in a frequency range relevant for superconducting artificial atoms. Forming such a metamaterial transmission line into a ring and coupling it to qubits at different points around the ring results in a multimode bus resonator with a compact footprint. Using flux-tunable qubits, we characterize and theoretically model the variation in the coupling strength between the two qubits and each of the ring resonator modes. Although the qubits have negligible direct coupling between them, their interactions with the multimode ring resonator result in both a transverse exchange coupling and a higher order $ZZ$ interaction between the qubits. As we vary the detuning between the qubits and their frequency relative to the ring resonator modes, we observe significant variations in both of these inter-qubit interactions, including zero crossings and changes of sign. The ability to modulate interaction terms such as the $ZZ$ scale between zero and large values for small changes in qubit frequency provides a promising pathway for implementing entangling gates in a system capable of hosting many qubits.

Abstract: Distributing quantum information between remote systems will necessitate the integration of emerging quantum components with existing communication infrastructure. This requires understanding the channel-induced degradations of the transmitted quantum signals, beyond the typical characterization methods for classical communication systems. Here we report on a comprehensive characterization of a Boston-Area Quantum Network (BARQNET) telecom fiber testbed, measuring the time-of-flight, polarization, and phase noise imparted on transmitted signals. We further design and demonstrate a compensation system that is both resilient to these noise sources and compatible with integration of emerging quantum memory components on the deployed link. These results have utility for future work on the BARQNET as well as other quantum network testbeds in development, enabling near-term quantum networking demonstrations and informing what areas of technology development will be most impactful in advancing future system capabilities.

Abstract: One of the most counterintuitive aspects of quantum theory is its claim that there is 'intrinsic' randomness in the physical world. Quantum information science has greatly progressed in the study of intrinsic, or secret, quantum randomness in the past decade. With much emphasis on device-independent and semi-device-independent bounds, one of the most basic questions has escaped attention: how much intrinsic randomness can be extracted from a given state $\rho$, and what measurements achieve this bound? We answer this question for two different randomness quantifiers: the conditional min-entropy and the conditional von Neumann entropy. For the former, we solve the min-max problem of finding the measurement that minimises the maximal guessing probability of an eavesdropper. The result is that one can guarantee an amount of conditional min-entropy $H^{*}_{\textrm{min}}=-\log_{2}P^{*}_{\textrm{guess}}(\rho)$ with $P^{*}_{\textrm{guess}}(\rho)=\frac{1}{d}\,(\textrm{tr} \sqrt{\rho})^2$ by performing suitable projective measurements. For the latter, we find that its maximal value is $H^{*}= \log_{2}d-S(\rho)$, with $S(\rho)$ the von Neumann entropy of $\rho$. Optimal values for $H^{*}_{\textrm{min}}$ and $H^{*}$ are achieved by measuring in any basis that is unbiased to the eigenbasis of $\rho$, as well as by other less intuitive measurements.