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At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Operator dynamics in Floquet many-body systems

We study operator dynamics in many-body quantum systems, focusing on generic features of systems that are ergodic, spatially extended, and lack conserved densities. Quantum circuits of various types provide simple models for such systems. We focus on Floquet quantum circuits, comparing their behavior with what has been found previously for circuits that are random in time. Floquet circuits, which have discrete time-translation symmetry, represent an intermediate case between circuits that are random in time and lack any symmetry, and systems with a time-independent Hamiltonian and continuous time-translation invariance. By making this comparison, one of our aims is to identify signatures of time-translation symmetry in Floquet operator dynamics. To characterize behavior we examine a variety of quantities in solvable models and numerically: operator autocorrelation functions; the partial spectral form factor; the out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC); and the paths in operator space that make the dominant contributions to the ensemble-averaged autocorrelation functions. Our most striking result is that ensemble-averaged autocorrelation functions show behavior that is distinctively different in Floquet systems compared to systems in which successive time-steps are independent. Specifically, while average autocorrelation functions decay on a microscopic timescale for circuits that are random in time, in Floquet systems they have a late-time tail with a duration that grows parametrically with the size of the operator support. In the simplest models this tail is separated from the initial decay by a minimum, so that the average autocorrelation function has an intermediate-time peak. The existence of these tails provides a way to understand deviations of the spectral form factor from random matrix behavior at times shorter than the Thouless time. In contrast to this feature in autocorrelation functions, we find no new aspects to the behavior of OTOCs for Floquet models compared to random-in-time circuits. We show that this difference between averaged autocorrelation functions and OTOCs can be understood in terms of the paths in operator space that contribute to the two quantities: paths for the former retain a limited support at late times, while paths for the latter are dominated by operator spreading. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Yoshimura, Takato (ORCID:0000000309159846)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Strain-tunable microwave-resonance technique for quantum materials

By integrating a dielectric microwave resonator with a piezoelectric-based strain device, we develop an in situ strain-tunable microwave spectroscopy technique that enables contactless measurements of material properties under strain. To demonstrate the capability of this device, we measure the strain-dependent microwave surface impedance of the representative iron-based superconductor Ba⁢Fe 2 (As 1−𝑥 ⁢P 𝑥 ) 2 at the slightly overdoped composition. We successfully control and observe the suppression of superconductivity under both compressive and tensile anisotropic lattice distortions along the tetragonal [110] T direction, as manifested by changes in the quality factor and resonance frequency shifts of microwave resonance. Furthermore, strain-induced changes in microwave surface resistivity, an extension of conventional DC-limit transport elastoresistivity to the microwave regime, provide information on electronic anisotropy equivalent to that of DC elastoresistivity, while offering a contactless alternative. Furthermore, our strain-tunable cavity therefore serves as a powerful, contactless probe of fundamental material properties under strain and may also potentially facilitate the design of hybrid quantum systems with strain-engineered quantum degrees of freedom.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Superradiance in alpha clustered mirror nuclei

Resonances in unstable quantum systems are radiating states that despite decaying overall normalization have a well-defined structure which is being balanced by outgoing radiation. Such an interplay between outgoing wave and internal quantum many-body dynamics leads to several unique effects. One of those is known as superradiance, or alignment, where due to decay or virtual coupling to the continuum the states undergo restructuring so that their wave functions align towards the decay channels thus facilitating the decay. This effect is well understood theoretically and is closely related to the fundamental properties of reaction physics. Direct observation of superradiance in open quantum many-body systems is difficult because it is hard to find identical complex quantum systems that are different only in their coupling to the continuum of reaction states describing the decay. Here we report this phenomenon in alpha cluster decays of mirror nuclei 18 O and 18 Ne.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurements of a quantum bulk acoustic resonator using a superconducting qubit

Phonon modes at microwave frequencies can be cooled to their quantum ground state using conventional cryogenic refrigeration, providing a convenient way to study and manipulate quantum states at the single phonon level. Phonons are of particular interest because mechanical deformations can mediate interactions with a wide range of different quantum systems, including solid-state defects, superconducting qubits, and optical photons when using optomechanically active constructs. Phonons, thus, hold promise for quantum-focused applications as diverse as sensing, information processing, and communication. Here, we describe a piezoelectric quantum bulk acoustic resonator (QBAR) with a 4.88 GHz resonant frequency, which, at cryogenic temperatures, displays large electromechanical coupling strength combined with a high intrinsic mechanical quality factor, Q i ≈ 4.3 × 10 4 . Using a recently developed flip-chip technique, we couple this QBAR resonator to a superconducting qubit on a separate die and demonstrate the quantum control of the mechanics in the coupled system. Furthermore, this approach promises a facile and flexible experimental approach to quantum acoustics and hybrid quantum systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Schrödinger–Langevin equation with quantum trajectories for photodissociation dynamics

The Schrödinger–Langevin equation is integrated to study the wave packet dynamics of quantum systems subject to frictional effects by propagating an ensemble of quantum trajectories. The equations of motion for the complex action and quantum trajectories are derived from the Schrödinger–Langevin equation. The moving least squares approach is used to evaluate the spatial derivatives of the complex action required for the integration of the equations of motion. Computational results are presented and analyzed for the evolution of a free Gaussian wave packet, a two-dimensional barrier model, and the photodissociation dynamics of NOCl. The absorption spectrum of NOCl obtained from the Schrödinger–Langevin equation displays a redshift when frictional effects increase. This computational result agrees qualitatively with the experimental results in the solution-phase photochemistry of NOCl.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

De Broglie relations, gravitational time dilation and weak equivalence principle

Interplays between quantum physics and gravity have long inspired exciting studies, which reveal subtle connections between quantum laws and the general notion of curved spacetime. One important example is the uniqueness of free-falling motions in both quantum and gravitational physics. In this work, we re-investigate the free-falling motions of quantum test wave packets that are distributed over weakly curved spacetime backgrounds. Except for the de Broglie relations, no assumption of priori given Hamiltonians or least actions satisfied by the quantum system is made. We find that the mean motions of quantum test wave packets can be deduced naturally from the de Broglie relations with a generalized treatment of gravitational time dilations in quantum waves. Such mean motions of quantum test masses in gravitational field are independent of their masses and compositions, and restore exactly the free-falling or geodesic motions of classical test masses in curved spacetime. This suggests a novel perspective that weak equivalence principle, which states the universality of free-fall, may be deeply rooted in quantum physics and be a phenomenon that has emerged from the quantum world.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Exact bounds for dynamical critical exponents of transverse-field Ising chains with a correlated disorder

Highlights: • Analytic results in disordered quantum systems are obtained. • Correlated disorder changes the universality class of quantum phase transitions. • The lower and upper bounds of the dynamical critical exponent are obtained. This study investigates the dynamical critical exponent of disordered Ising chains under transverse fields to examine the effect of a correlated disorder on quantum phase transitions. The correlated disorder, where the on-site transverse field depends on the nearest-neighbor coupling strengths connecting the site, gives a qualitatively different result from the uncorrelated disorder. In the uncorrelated disorder cases where the transverse field is either homogeneous over sites or random independently of the nearest-neighbor coupling strengths, the dynamical critical exponent is infinite. In contrast, in the presence of the correlated disorder, we analytically show that the dynamical critical exponent is finite. We also show that the dynamical critical exponent depends on the tuning process of the transverse field strengths.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Measurement incompatibility and Schrödinger-Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering in a class of probabilistic theories

Steering is one of the most counter intuitive non-classical features of bipartite quantum system, first noticed by Schrödinger at the early days of quantum theory. On the other hand, measurement incompatibility is another non-classical feature of quantum theory, initially pointed out by Bohr. Recently, Quintino et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 160402 (2014)] and Uola et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 160403 (2014)] have investigated the relation between these two distinct non-classical features. They have shown that a set of measurements is not jointly measurable (i.e., incompatible) if and only if they can be used for demonstrating Schrödinger-Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering. The concept of steering has been generalized for more general abstract tensor product theories rather than just Hilbert space quantum mechanics. In this article, we discuss that the notion of measurement incompatibility can be extended for general probability theories. Further, we show that the connection between steering and measurement incompatibility holds in a border class of tensor product theories rather than just quantum theory.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Quantum algorithms for systems of linear equations inspired by adiabatic quantum computing

We present two quantum algorithms based on evolution randomization, a simple variant of adiabatic quantum computing, to prepare a quantum state |x⟩ that is proportional to the solution of the system of linear equations $A\overrightarrow{x} = \overrightarrow{b}$. The time complexities of our algorithms are O(κ 2 log(κ)/ε) and O(κ log(κ)/ε), where κ is the condition number of A and ε is the precision. Both algorithms are constructed using families of Hamiltonians that are linear combinations of products of A, the projector onto the initial state |b⟩, and single-qubit Pauli operators. The algorithms are conceptually simple and easy to implement. They are not obtained from equivalences between the gate model and adiabatic quantum computing. They do not use phase estimation or variable-time amplitude amplification, and do not require large ancillary systems. We discuss a gate-based implementation via Hamiltonian simulation and prove that our second algorithm is almost optimal in terms of κ. Like previous methods, our techniques yield an exponential quantum speed-up under some assumptions. Our results emphasize the role of Hamiltonian-based models of quantum computing for the discovery of important algorithms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tree tensor network hierarchical equations of motion based on time-dependent variational principle for efficient open quantum dynamics in structured thermal environments

In this work, we introduce an efficient method, TTN-HEOM, for exactly calculating the open quantum dynamics for driven quantum systems interacting with highly structured bosonic baths by combining the tree tensor network (TTN) decomposition scheme with the bexcitonic generalization of the numerically exact hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM). The method yields a series of quantum master equations for all core tensors in the TTN that efficiently and accurately capture the open quantum dynamics for non-Markovian environments to all orders in the system–bath interaction. These master equations are constructed based on the time-dependent Dirac–Frenkel variational principle, which isolates the optimal dynamics for the core tensors given the TTN ansatz. The dynamics converges to the HEOM when increasing the rank of the core tensors, a limit in which the TTN ansatz becomes exact. We introduce TENSO, tensor equations for non-Markovian structured open systems, as a general-purpose Python code to propagate the TTN-HEOM dynamics. We implement three general propagators for the coupled master equations: two fixed-rank methods that require a constant memory footprint during the dynamics and one adaptive-rank method with a variable memory footprint controlled by the target level of computational error. We exemplify the utility of these methods by simulating a two-level system coupled to a structured bath containing one Drude–Lorentz component and eight Brownian oscillators, which is beyond what can presently be computed using the standard HEOM. Our results show that the TTN-HEOM is capable of simulating both dephasing and relaxation dynamics of driven quantum systems interacting with structured baths, even those of chemical complexity, with an affordable computational cost.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantum algorithms for geologic fracture networks

Abstract Solving large systems of equations is a challenge for modeling natural phenomena, such as simulating subsurface flow. To avoid systems that are intractable on current computers, it is often necessary to neglect information at small scales, an approach known as coarse-graining. For many practical applications, such as flow in porous, homogenous materials, coarse-graining offers a sufficiently-accurate approximation of the solution. Unfortunately, fractured systems cannot be accurately coarse-grained, as critical network topology exists at the smallest scales, including topology that can push the network across a percolation threshold. Therefore, new techniques are necessary to accurately model important fracture systems. Quantum algorithms for solving linear systems offer a theoretically-exponential improvement over their classical counterparts, and in this work we introduce two quantum algorithms for fractured flow. The first algorithm, designed for future quantum computers which operate without error, has enormous potential, but we demonstrate that current hardware is too noisy for adequate performance. The second algorithm, designed to be noise resilient, already performs well for problems of small to medium size (order 10–1000 nodes), which we demonstrate experimentally and explain theoretically. We expect further improvements by leveraging quantum error mitigation and preconditioning.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Collection of fluorescence from an ion using trap-integrated photonics

Spontaneously emitted photons are entangled with the electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom of the emitting atom, so interference and measurement of these photons can entangle separate matter-based quantum systems as a resource for quantum information processing. Since confinement in a single-mode facilitates the photon interference needed for generating entanglement, the dipole emission patterns relevant in spontaneous emission present a mode-matching challenge. Current demonstrations rely on bulk photon-collection and manipulation optics that suffer from large component size and system-to-system variability—factors that impede scaling to the large numbers of entangled pairs needed for quantum information processing. To address these limitations, we demonstrate a collection method that enables passive phase stability, straightforward photonic manipulation, and intrinsic reproducibility. Specifically, we engineer a waveguide-integrated grating to couple photons emitted from a trapped ion into a single optical mode within a microfabricated ion-trap chip. Using the integrated collection optic, we characterize the collection efficiency, image the ion, and detect the ion’s quantum state. The integrated optic covers 2.18% of the solid angle and collects 1.97 ± 0.3% of the spontaneously emitted light incident on the grating for a total collection efficiency of 0.043% into a single-mode waveguide. This proof-of-principle demonstration lays the foundation for leveraging the inherent stability and reproducibility of integrated photonics to create, manipulate, and measure multipartite quantum states in arrays of quantum emitters.

Optical physics↗
DOE OSTI2014

Quantization of interface currents

At the interface of two two-dimensional quantum systems, there may exist interface currents similar to edge currents in quantum Hall systems. It is proved that these interface currents are macroscopically quantized by an integer that is given by the difference of the Chern numbers of the two systems. It is also argued that at the interface between two time-reversal invariant systems with half-integer spin, one of which is trivial and the other non-trivial, there are dissipationless spin-polarized interface currents.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Making molecular-spin qubits more robust

By finding a way to reduce decoherence in relatively dense collections of tiny molecular magnets, researchers have renewed interest in such quantum systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Topologies on quantum topoi induced by quantization

In the present paper, we consider effects of quantization in a topos approach of quantum theory. A quantum system is assumed to be coded in a quantum topos, by which we mean the topos of presheaves on the context category of commutative subalgebras of a von Neumann algebra of bounded operators on a Hilbert space. A classical system is modeled by a Lie algebra of classical observables. It is shown that a quantization map from the classical observables to self-adjoint operators on the Hilbert space naturally induces geometric morphisms from presheaf topoi related to the classical system to the quantum topos. By means of the geometric morphisms, we give Lawvere-Tierney topologies on the quantum topos (and their equivalent Grothendieck topologies on the context category). We show that, among them, there exists a canonical one which we call a quantization topology. We furthermore give an explicit expression of a sheafification functor associated with the quantization topology.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Quantum correlation cost of the weak measurement

Quantum correlation cost (QCC) characterizing how much quantum correlation is used in a weak-measurement process is presented based on the trace norm. It is shown that the QCC is related to the trace-norm-based quantum discord (TQD) by only a factor that is determined by the strength of the weak measurement, so it only catches partial quantumness of a quantum system compared with the TQD. We also find that the residual quantumness can be ‘extracted’ not only by the further von Neumann measurement, but also by a sequence of infinitesimal weak measurements. As an example, we demonstrate our outcomes by the Bell-diagonal state.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Quantum speed limits for quantum-information-processing tasks

We derive algebraic bounds on achievable rates for quantum state transfer and entanglement generation in general quantum systems. We apply these bounds to graph-based models of local quantum spin systems to obtain speed limits on these tasks. A comparison to numerical optimal control results for spin chains suggests that unexplored regions of the dynamical landscape may support enhanced performance of key quantum-information-processing tasks.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Theory of the nucleus as applied to quantum chaos

A critical analysis of the present-day concept of chaos in quantum systems as nothing but a quantum signature of chaos in classical mechanics is given. It is proposed to specify a regular versus a chaotic behavior on the basis of symmetries of the system being considered and global integrals of motion that are associated with these symmetries in accordance with the Liouville-Arnold theorem rather than on the basis of the concept of Lyapunov’s instability of trajectories. Numerical criteria of quantum chaos that follow from the proposed concept are analyzed.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗