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At least 739 records · Page 41
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Development Of Non-Invasive Beam Diagnostics By Quantum Optics-Based Detection

We report our effort and latest progress developing diagnostics using quantum optics-based detection method for determining the spatial properties and current of electron beams. As electrons pass through a dilute vapor of rubidium atoms, their magnetic field perturb the atomic spin’s quantum state and causes polarization rotation of a laser resonant with an optical transition of the atoms. By measuring the polarization rotation angle across the laser beam, we recreate a 2D projection of the magnetic field and use it to determine the e-beam position, size and total current. We tested this method for an e-beam with currents ranging from 30 to 110 µA. Our study shows this approach is insensitive to electron kinetic energy, and is initially verified experimentally between 10 to 20 keV. A different approach was also performed with highly excited rubidium atoms in Rydberg states through a coherent two photon process. We use this detection scheme to measure the electric field generated by a

Zhang, S. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator F↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quantum Zeno Control of Superconducting Qubit Coherence

The Quantum Zeno Effect (QZE) dictates how the dynamics of a quantum system can be modified through continuous or discrete measurements [1]. It has gained increasing attention in quantum computing community in recent years, both due to its inevitable implications for qubit readout as well as for its promise for enabling new methods of quantum state control such as reservoir engineering and Zeno-dragging. Here, we investigate Zeno effects implemented via weak measurements for controlling superconducting-qubit coherence during gate and readout operations in a multi-qubit setup. Building on prior observations [2] that measurement backaction can both suppress and enhance qubit relaxation, we predict and measure QZE-altered qubit coherence times by manipulating the spectral overlap of qubit spectrum with background noise sources. We also discuss modifications and opportunities for controllable QZE due to anharmonic effects in multi-level superconducting atoms. [1] S. Greenfield, A. Kamal, J. Dressel, E. Levenson-Falk, arXiv:2506.12679 (2025) [2] Thorbeck, Z. Xiao, L. Govia, A. Kamal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 090602 (2024)

Seidel, Olivia [Texas U., Arlington; Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improved Accuracy for Trotter Simulations Using Chebyshev Interpolation

Quantum metrology allows for measuring properties of a quantum system at the optimal Heisenberg limit. However, when the relevant quantum states are prepared using digital Hamiltonian simulation, the accrued algorithmic errors will cause deviations from this fundamental limit. In this work, we show how algorithmic errors due to Trotterized time evolution can be mitigated through the use of standard polynomial interpolation techniques. Our approach is to extrapolate to zero Trotter step size, akin to zero-noise extrapolation techniques for mitigating hardware errors. We perform a rigorous error analysis of the interpolation approach for estimating eigenvalues and time-evolved expectation values, and show that the Heisenberg limit is achieved up to polylogarithmic factors in the error. Our work suggests that accuracies approaching those of state-of-the-art simulation algorithms may be achieved using Trotter and classical resources alone for a number of relevant algorithmic tasks.

Rendon, Gumaro↗
DOE OSTI2022

Crystal Growth and Electronic Properties of LaSbSe

The ZrSiS-type materials have gained intensive attentions. The magnetic version of the ZrSiS-type materials, LnSbTe (Ln = Lanthanide), offers great opportunities to explore new quantum states owing to the interplay between magnetism and electronic band topology. Here, we report the growth and characterization of the non-magnetic LaSbSe of this material family. We found the metallic transport, low magnetoresistance and non-compensated charge carriers with relatively low carrier density in LaSbSe. The specific heat measurement has revealed distinct Sommerfeld coefficient and Debye temperature in comparison to LaSbTe. Such addition of a new LnSbSe selenide compound could provide the alternative material choices in addition to LnSbTe telluride materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Tunneling between Multiple Histories as a Solution to the Information Loss Paradox

The information loss paradox associated with black hole Hawking evaporation is an unresolved problem in modern theoretical physics. In a recent brief essay, we revisited the evolution of the black hole entanglement entropy via the Euclidean path integral (EPI) of the quantum state and allow for the branching of semi-classical histories along the Lorentzian evolution. We posited that there exist at least two histories that contribute to EPI, where one is an information-losing history, while the other is an information-preserving one. At early times, the former dominates EPI, while at the late times, the latter becomes dominant. By doing so, we recovered the essence of the Page curve, and thus, the unitarity, albeit with the turning point, i.e., the Page time, much shifted toward the late time. In this full-length paper, we fill in the details of our arguments and calculations to strengthen our notion. One implication of this modified Page curve is that the entropy bound may thus be violated. We comment on the similarity and difference between our approach and that of the replica wormholes and the islands’ conjectures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Extending superconducting qubit lifetimes: What’s Next?

The coherence times of superconducting qubits have risen approximately five orders of magnitude since 1998 when the first such qubit was measured by Nakamura and collaborators. This is fantastic progress but decoherence is still a major issue preventing us from escaping the NISQ (noisy intermediate-scale quantum) era and moving into the era in which we achieve practical quantum advantage on economically and scientifically useful tasks. Most of the progress to date has been achieved through creation of new qubit designs whose quantum states are intrinsically less sensitive to environmental noise and such work continues. Somoroff et al. use a novel ‘fluxonium’ low-frequency qubit design that has for the first time achieved coherence times exceeding one millisecond

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

40 Years of SCES at Los Alamos

Reports of unconventional superconductivity in UBe 13 in 1983 and soon thereafter of the possible coexistence of bulk superconductivity and spin fluctuations in UPt 3 marked the beginning of a 40-year adventure in the study of strongly correlated quantum materials and phenomena at Los Alamos. The subsequent discovery and exploration of heavy-fermion magnetism, cuprates, Kondo insulators, Ce- and Pu-115 superconductors and, more broadly, quantum states of narrow-band systems provided challenges for the next 30 years. Progress was not made in a vacuum but benfitted from significant advances in the Americas, Asia and Europe as well as from essential collaborations, visitors and Los Alamos students and postdocs, many subsequently setting their own course in SCES. As often the case, serendipity played a role in shaping this history.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spin-squeezed vector atomic magnetometry

Atomic magnetometers based on Zeeman shift measurement have the potential for high sensitivity and long-term stability. Like other atomic sensors, including atomic clocks and atom interferometers, the atomic magnetometer could, in principle, be augmented with spin squeezing for further sensitivity enhancement. However, existing atomic magnetometers are not compatible with spin squeezing because the atoms can hardly be in a pure quantum state during operation. Moreover, a natural challenge faced by an atomic magnetometer is the arbitrary direction of the magnetic field. In this paper, we propose a cold-atom-based magnetometer with spin squeezing that can measure both the magnitude and the direction of an arbitrary magnetic field. For experimentally accessible parameters, we show that the technique described above could potentially achieve a sensitivity nearly two orders of magnitude higher than that of the best existing magnetometers.

Li, Jinyang [Northwestern U.] (ORCID:0000000194328↗
DOE OSTI2026

The Maximal Entanglement Limit in Statistical and High-energy Physics

These lectures advocate the idea that quantum entanglement provides a unifying foundation for both statistical physics and high-energy interactions. I argue that, at sufficiently long times or high energies, most quantum systems approach a Maximal Entanglement Limit (MEL) in which phases of quantum states become unobservable, reduced density matrices acquire a thermal form, and probabilistic descriptions emerge without invoking ergodicity or classical randomness. Within this framework, the emergence of probabilistic parton model, thermalization in the break-up of confining strings and in high-energy collisions, and the universal small-x behavior of structure functions arise as direct consequences of entanglement and geometry of high-dimensional Hilbert space.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Cosmological Constant in Coherent Quantum Gravity

It is argued that quantum states of geometry, like those of particles, should be coherent on light cones of any size. An exact classical solution, the gravitational shock wave of a relativistic point particle, is used to estimate gravitational drag from coherent energy flows, and the expected gravitational effect of virtual transverse vacuum energy fluctuations on surfaces of causal diamonds. It is proposed that the appropriately spacetime-averaged gravitational effect of the Standard Model vacuum state leads to the observed small nonzero value of the cosmological constant, dominated by gravitational drag of virtual gluonic strings at the strong interaction scale.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ultrafast, multiphoton-pump, multiphoton-probe spectroscopy

Methods for pump-probe spectroscopy are provided. In an embodiment, such a method comprises directing pump light having a frequency ωpump at a location in a sample to excite a transition between two quantum states of a target entity in the sample, directing probe light at the location to generate a coherent output signal having a frequency ωoutput and a wavevector koutput, and detecting the output signal as the probe light is scanned over a range of frequencies. In the method, either the transition excited by the pump light is a multiphoton transition corresponding to a frequency difference of n*ωpump, wherein n≥2; or the probe light is a set of m coherent light pulses, each coherent light pulse having a frequency ωm and a wavevector km, wherein m≥2; or both. Systems for carrying out the methods are also provided.

Morrow, Darien James↗
DOE OSTI2021

3D superconducting radio-frequency resonators for quantum computing

Superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) technology is being used not only in discovery science programs and basic research but also for several applications that benefit society more directly. The advantage of superconducting resonators over those made of normal-conducting metal is their ability to store electromagnetic energy with much lower dissipation. The high quality factor and longer dissipation time provided by these superconducting resonators can deliver superior performance. Currently, the quantum processing architecture uses resonators and interconnecting circuits operating in the microwave regime with superconducting strip-line technology and low noise electronic devices for switching and communication. The performance of these devices can be enhanced by embedding them in 3D SRF cavity resonators to prolong the coherence time, which improves the utility of the device by reducing error rates and allowing more manipulations (calculations) before the quantum state decays. In this presentation, I will review the current technology and progress towards the three dimensional SRF cavities to enhance the coherence time.

Dhakal, Pashupati↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optically pumped gradient magnetometer

A method is provided for sensing a magnetic field in a magnetic gradiometer of the kind in which pump light and light constituting an optical carrier traverse first and second atomic vapor cells that contain host atoms and that are separated from each other by a known distance. According to such method, the host atoms are prepared in a coherent superposition of two quantum states that differ in energy by an amount that is sensitive to an ambient magnetic field. Modulation of the optical carrier in the respective cells gives rise to sidebands that interfere to generate a beat frequency indicative of the magnetic field gradient. The host atoms are prepared at least in a mode that allows measurement of ambient magnetic field components perpendicular to the axis of the pump light. In such mode, the host atoms are spin-polarized by pump light while subjected to a controlled magnetic field directed parallel to the pump beam, and then the controlled magnetic field is adiabatically extinguished.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Preparing Fermions via Classical Sampling and Linear Combinations of Unitaries

We present an extension of the Evolving density matrices on Qubits (E$ρ$OQ) framework that enables efficient fault-tolerant preparation of fermionic quantum states. The original method circumvents state preparation by stochastic sampling, but faces a sign problem in fermionic systems leading to a large number of circuits necessary. We resolve this by combining classical stochastic sampling with a linear combination of unitaries method that avoids the exponential circuit scaling that plagued naïve implementations. The resulting algorithm requires $\mathcal{O}(M^2)$$R_Z$ rotations for circuit preparation, where $M$ is the number of retained basis states. We validate the method for ground and excited states in the Thirring model, including by computing two-point correlation functions relevant to scattering. In this model for fixed accuracy $\varepsilon$, $M$ is found to scale empirically as $M \propto \frac{1}{mg}\log(1/g)\log(1/m)$.

Gustafson, Erik J. [RIACS, Mtn. View] (ORCID:00000↗
DOE OSTI2024

Achieving the Heisenberg limit with Dicke states in noisy quantum metrology

Going beyond the standard quantum limit in noisy quantum metrology is an important and challenging task. Here we show how Dicke states can be used to surpass the standard quantum limit and achieve the Heisenberg limit in open quantum systems. The system we study has qubits symmetrically coupled to a resonator, and our objective is to estimate the coupling between the qubits and the resonator. The time-dependent quantum Fisher information with respect to the coupling is studied for this open quantum system where the same decay rates are assumed on all qubits. We show that when the system is initialized to a Dicke state with an optimal excitation number one can go beyond the standard quantum limit and achieve the Heisenberg limit even for finite values of the decays on the qubit and the resonator, particularly when the qubits and resonator are strongly coupled. We compare our results against the highly entangled GHZ state and a completely separable state and show that the GHZ state performs quite poorly, whereas under certain noise conditions the separable state is able to go beyond the standard quantum limit due to subsequent interactions with a resonator.

open quantum systems & decoherence↗
DOE OSTI2022

Exploring far-from-equilibrium ultrafast polarization control in ferroelectric oxides with excited-state neural network quantum molecular dynamics

Ferroelectric materials exhibit a rich range of complex polar topologies, but their study under far-from-equilibrium optical excitation has been largely unexplored because of the difficulty in modeling the multiple spatiotemporal scales involved quantum-mechanically. To study optical excitation at spatiotemporal scales where these topologies emerge, we have performed multiscale excited-state neural network quantum molecular dynamics simulations that integrate quantum-mechanical description of electronic excitation and billion-atom machine learning molecular dynamics to describe ultrafast polarization control in an archetypal ferroelectric oxide, lead titanate. Far-from-equilibrium quantum simulations reveal a marked photo-induced change in the electronic energy landscape and resulting cross-over from ferroelectric to octahedral tilting topological dynamics within picoseconds. The coupling and frustration of these dynamics, in turn, create topological defects in the form of polar strings. The demonstrated nexus of multiscale quantum simulation and machine learning will boost not only the emerging field of ferroelectric topotronics but also broader optoelectronic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Convex Optimization for Nonequilibrium Steady States on a Hybrid Quantum Processor

Finding the transient and steady state properties of open quantum systems is a central problem in various fields of quantum technologies. Here, in this work, we present a quantum-assisted algorithm to determine the steady states of open system dynamics. By reformulating the problem of finding the fixed point of Lindblad dynamics as a feasibility semidefinite program, we bypass several well-known issues with variational quantum approaches to solving for steady states. We demonstrate that our hybrid approach allows us to estimate the steady states of higher dimensional open quantum systems and discuss how our method can find multiple steady states for systems with symmetries.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Constant-Depth Preparation of Matrix Product States with Adaptive Quantum Circuits

Adaptive quantum circuits, which combine local unitary gates, midcircuit measurements, and feedforward operations, have recently emerged as a promising avenue for efficient state preparation, particularly on near-term quantum devices limited to shallow-depth circuits. Matrix product states (MPS) comprise a significant class of many-body entangled states, efficiently describing the ground states of one-dimensional gapped local Hamiltonians and finding applications in a number of recent quantum algorithms. Recently, it has been shown that the Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki state—a paradigmatic example of an MPS—can be exactly prepared with an adaptive quantum circuit of constant depth, an impossible feat with local unitary gates alone due to its nonzero correlation length [Smith , PRX Quantum 4, 020315 (2023)]. In this work, we broaden the scope of this approach and demonstrate that a diverse class of MPS can be exactly prepared using constant-depth adaptive quantum circuits, outperforming theoretically optimal preparation with unitary circuits. We show that this class includes short- and long-ranged entangled MPS, symmetry-protected topological (SPT) and symmetry-broken states, MPS with finite Abelian, non-Abelian, and continuous symmetries, resource states for MBQC, and families of states with tunable correlation length. Moreover, we illustrate the utility of our framework for designing constant-depth sampling protocols, such as for random MPS or for generating MPS in a particular SPT phase. We present sufficient conditions for particular MPS to be preparable in constant time, with global on-site symmetry playing a pivotal role. Altogether, this work demonstrates the immense promise of adaptive quantum circuits for efficiently preparing many-body entangled states and provides explicit algorithms that outperform known protocols to prepare an essential class of states. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Smith, Kevin C. (ORCID:0000000223971518)↗