Quantum Physics

Nonadiabatic geometric quantum computation is dedicated to the realization of high-fidelity and robust quantum gates, which are necessary for fault-tolerant quantum computation. However, it is limited by cyclic and mutative evolution path, which usually requires longer gate-time and abrupt pulse control, weakening the gate performance. Here, we propose a scheme to realize geometric quantum gates with noncyclic and nonadiabatic evolution via invariant-based shortcuts, where universal quantum gates can be induced in one step without path mutation and the gate time is also effectively shortened. Our numerical simulations show that, comparing with the conventional dynamical gates, the constructed geometric gates have stronger resistance not only to systematic errors, induced by both qubit-frequency drift and the deviation of the amplitude of the driving fields, but also to environment-induced decoherence effect. In addition, our scheme can also be implemented on a superconducting circuit platform, with the fidelities of single-qubit and two-qubit gates are higher than 99.97 % and 99.84 % , respectively. Therefore, our scheme provides a promising way to realize high-fidelity fault-tolerant quantum gates for scalable quantum computation.

Second quantization is an essential topic in senior undergraduate and postgraduate level Quantum Mechanics course. However, it seems that there is a lack of transparent and natural derivation of this formalism from the first-quantization one in most existing textbooks. Without introducing the concept of a simple harmonic oscillator and taking the case of an assembly of identical fermions as an example, we provide a less ad hoc derivation of the second quantization formalism based on the equivalence of the fully antisymmetric many-fermion states and the Fock states.

Density functional theory together with the Kohn-Sham scheme represent an efficient framework to recover the ground state density and energy of a many-body quantum system from an auxiliary ``non-interacting'' system (one-body with a local potential). However, theoretical questions remain open. An important one is related to the existence of a derivative of the Lieb functional in some restricted (weak) sense (as pointed out by Lammert). Then, a further one would be related to the validity of the ``non-interacting v -representability'' conjecture. We gather here elements on these questions, providing reminders and thoughts that are non-conclusive but hopefully contribute to the reflection. This document must be considered as notes (it does not represent an article).

We characterize a high-finesse Fabry-Perot resonator for coupling with single neutral atoms. Our cavity consists of two mirrors with different reflectivities: One has minimal optical loss, and the other high transmission loss where more than 90% of the intracavity photons would be emitted. Cavity finesse, birefringent effects, and mechanical resonances are measured using the lasers at 780, 782, and 795 nm. In order to obtain cavity geometric parameters, we drive the adjacent longitudinal or transverse modes with two lasers simultaneously, and measure those frequencies using a precision wavelength meter (WLM). A major novelty of this method is that the parameters' uncertainty is solely determined by the resolution of the WLM, eliminating all of the temporal environment fluctuations. Moreover, the technique with two lasers consists of a vital approach for determining geometric parameters of a short cavity, with a free spectral range on the order of THz. Our system operates in the strong atom-cavity coupling regime that allows us to explore fundamental quantum optics and implement quantum network protocols.

We prove the first non-trivial one-shot inner bounds for sending quantum information over an entanglement unassisted two-sender quantum multiple access channel (QMAC) and an unassisted two-sender two-receiver quantum interference channel (QIC). Previous works only studied the unassisted QMAC in the limit of many independent and identical uses of the channel also known as the asymptotic iid limit, and did not study the unassisted QIC at all. We employ two techniques, rate splitting and successive cancellation}, in order to obtain our inner bound. Rate splitting was earlier used to obtain inner bounds, avoiding time sharing, for classical channels in the asymptotic iid setting. Our main technical contribution is to extend rate splitting from the classical asymptotic iid setting to the quantum one-shot setting. In the asymptotic iid limit our one-shot inner bound for QMAC approaches the rate region of Yard, Devetak and Hayden. For the QIC we get novel non-trivial rate regions in the asymptotic iid setting. All our results also extend to the case where limited entanglement assistance is provided, in both one-shot and asymptotic iid settings. The limited entanglement results for one-setting for both QMAC and QIC are new. For the QIC the limited entanglement results are new even in the asymptotic iid setting.

Thermalization is a ubiquitous process of statistical physics, in which details of few-body observables are washed out in favor of a featureless steady state. Even in isolated quantum many-body systems, limited to reversible dynamics, thermalization typically prevails. However, in these systems, there is another possibility: many-body localization (MBL) can result in preservation of a non-thermal state. While disorder has long been considered an essential ingredient for this phenomenon, recent theoretical work has suggested that a quantum many-body system with a uniformly increasing field -- but no disorder -- can also exhibit MBL, resulting in `Stark MBL.' Here we realize Stark MBL in a trapped-ion quantum simulator and demonstrate its key properties: halting of thermalization and slow propagation of correlations. Tailoring the interactions between ionic spins in an effective field gradient, we directly observe their microscopic equilibration for a variety of initial states, and we apply single-site control to measure correlations between separate regions of the spin chain. Further, by engineering a varying gradient, we create a disorder-free system with coexisting long-lived thermalized and nonthermal regions. The results demonstrate the unexpected generality of MBL, with implications about the fundamental requirements for thermalization and with potential uses in engineering long-lived non-equilibrium quantum matter.

The conventional framework for defining and understanding phases of matter requires thermodynamic equilibrium. Extensions to non-equilibrium systems have led to surprising insights into the nature of many-body thermalization and the discovery of novel phases of matter, often catalyzed by driving the system periodically. The inherent heating from such Floquet drives can be tempered by including strong disorder in the system, but this can also mask the generality of non-equilibrium phases. In this work, we utilize a trapped-ion quantum simulator to observe signatures of a non-equilibrium driven phase without disorder: the prethermal discrete time crystal (PDTC). Here, many-body heating is suppressed not by disorder-induced many-body localization, but instead via high-frequency driving, leading to an expansive time window where non-equilibrium phases can emerge. We observe a number of key features that distinguish the PDTC from its many-body-localized disordered counterpart, such as the drive-frequency control of its lifetime and the dependence of time-crystalline order on the energy density of the initial state. Floquet prethermalization is thus presented as a general strategy for creating, stabilizing and studying intrinsically out-of-equilibrium phases of matter.

Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) are usually associated with many-body systems with large degrees of freedom approaching the thermodynamic limit. In such systems, the many-body ground state shows abrupt changes at zero temperature when the control parameter of the Hamiltonian is scanned across a quantum critical point. Recently it has been realized that a QPT can also occur in a simple system composed of only a two-level atom and a single-mode bosonic field, described by the quantum Rabi model (QRM). Here we report the first experimental demonstration of a QPT in the QRM using a single trapped ion. We measure the average spin-up state population of the ion and the average phonon number in its spatial oscillation mode as two order parameters and observe the clear evidences of the phase transition via slow quench of the coupling between the ion and its spatial motion. An experimental probe of the phase transitions in a fundamental quantum optics model without imposing the thermodynamic limit opens up a new window for the controlled study of QPTs and quantum critical phenomena.

We experimentally study the ergodic dynamics of a 1D array of 12 superconducting qubits with a transverse field, and identify the regimes of strong and weak thermalization with different initial states. We observe convergence of the local observable to its thermal expectation value in the strong-thermalizaion regime. For weak thermalization, the dynamics of local observable exhibits an oscillation around the thermal value, which can only be attained by the time average. We also demonstrate that the entanglement entropy and concurrence can characterize the regimes of strong and weak thermalization. Our work provides an essential step towards a generic understanding of thermalization in quantum systems.

We demonstrate collectively enhanced vacuum-induced quantum beat dynamics from a three-level V-type atomic system. Exciting a dilute atomic gas of magneto-optically trapped 85 Rb atoms with a weak drive resonant on one of the transitions, we observe the forward-scattered field after a sudden shut-off of the laser. The subsequent radiative dynamics, measured for various optical depths of the atomic cloud, exhibits superradiant decay rates, as well as collectively enhanced quantum beats. Our work is also the first experimental illustration of quantum beats arising from atoms initially prepared in a single excited level as a result of the vacuum-induced coupling between excited levels.