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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Entanglement structures in quantum field theories. II. Distortions of vacuum correlations through the lens of local observers

When observing a quantum field via detectors with access to only the mixed states of spatially separated, local regions—a ubiquitous experimental design—the capacity to access the full extent of distributed entanglement can be limited, shrouded by classical correlations. By performing projective measurements of the field external to two detection patches and classically communicating the results, underlying pure states may be identified for which entanglement quantification is clear. In the Gaussian continuous-variable states of the free scalar field vacuum, this protocol uncovers a disparity between the spacelike entanglement established within the field and that which is locally detectable. Further, this discrepancy is found to grow exponentially with the separation between observation regions. The protocol developed herein offers insight and practical guidance for clarifying the unavoidable distortion of quantum field correlations when viewed from the vantage of a pair of local observers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Intertwined Topological and Magnetic Orders in Atomically Thin Chern Insulator MnBi 2 Te 4

The interplay between band topology and magnetic order plays a key role in quantum states of matter. MnBi 2 Te 4 , a van der Waals magnet, has recently emerged as an exciting platform for exploring Chern insulator physics. Its layered antiferromagnetic order was predicted to enable even-odd layer-number dependent topological states, supported by promising edge transport measurements. Furthermore, it becomes a Chern insulator when all spins are aligned by an applied magnetic field. However, the evolution of the bulk electronic structure as the magnetic state is continuously tuned and its dependence on layer number remains unexplored. Here, employing multimodal probes, we establish oneto-one correspondence between bulk electronic structure, magnetic state, topological order, and layer thickness in atomically thin MnBi 2 Te 4 devices. As the magnetic state is tuned through the canted magnetic phase, we observe a band crossing, i.e., the closing and reopening of the bulk bandgap, corresponding to the concurrent topological phase transition. Surprisingly, we find that the even- and odd-layer number devices exhibit a similar topological phase transition coupled to magnetic states, distinct from recent theoretical and experimental reports. Our findings shed new light on the interplay between band topology and magnetic order in this newly discovered topological magnet and validate the band crossing with concurrent measurements of topological invariant in a continuously tuned topological phase transition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Quantum Computational Determination of the Weak Mixing Angle in the Standard Model

The weak mixing angle $s_W$ is a fundamental constant in the Standard Model (SM) and measured at the $Z$ boson mass to be $\widehat{s}^2_W(m_Z) = 0.23129 \pm 0.00004$ in the $\overline{\rm MS}$ renormalization scheme, where $m_Z=91.2\ \text{GeV}$. On the other hand, non-stabilizerness - the magic - characterizes the computational advantage of a quantum system over classical computers. We consider the production of magic from stabilizer initial states, which carry zero magic, in the 2-to-2 scattering of charged leptons in the SM at the tree level, which is mediated by the photon and the $Z$ boson. Using the second order stabilizer Rényi entropy, and averaging over all 60 initial stabilizer states and the scattering angle, we compute and minimize the magic production as a function of $s^2_W$ in the Møller scattering $e^-e^-\to e^-e^-$, which is free of kinematic thresholds. At the centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=m_Z$, there is a unique minimum in magic production at $\mathbf{s}^{2}_W(m_Z)=0.2317$, which agrees with the measured $\widehat{s}^2_W(m_Z)$ at the sub-percent level. At higher energies, the magic-minimizing $\mathbf{s}^{2}_W$ continues to agree with the empirical value at the percent level or better, up to 10 TeV. The finding suggests the electroweak sector of the SM tends to generate minimal quantum resources from the computational viewpoint.

Liu, Qiaofeng [Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Quantum Computational Determination of the Weak Mixing Angle in the Standard Model

The weak mixing angle $s_W$ is a fundamental constant in the Standard Model (SM) and measured at the $Z$ boson mass to be $\widehat{s}^2_W(m_Z) = 0.23129 \pm 0.00004$ in the $\overline{\rm MS}$ renormalization scheme, where $m_Z=91.2\ \text{GeV}$. On the other hand, non-stabilizerness - the magic - characterizes the computational advantage of a quantum system over classical computers. We consider the production of magic from stabilizer initial states, which carry zero magic, in the 2-to-2 scattering of charged leptons in the SM at the tree level, which is mediated by the photon and the $Z$ boson. Using the second order stabilizer Rényi entropy, and averaging over all 60 initial stabilizer states and the scattering angle, we compute and minimize the magic production as a function of $s^2_W$ in the Møller scattering $e^-e^-\to e^-e^-$, which is free of kinematic thresholds. At the centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=m_Z$, there is a unique minimum in magic production at $\mathbf{s}^{2}_W(m_Z)=0.2317$, which agrees with the measured $\widehat{s}^2_W(m_Z)$ at the sub-percent level. At higher energies, the magic-minimizing $\mathbf{s}^{2}_W$ continues to agree with the empirical value at the percent level or better, up to 10 TeV. The finding suggests the electroweak sector of the SM tends to generate minimal quantum resources from the computational viewpoint.

Liu, Qiaofeng [Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Quantum Computational Determination of the Weak Mixing Angle in the Standard Model

The weak mixing angle $s_W$ is a fundamental constant in the Standard Model (SM) and measured at the $Z$ boson mass to be $\widehat{s}^2_W(m_Z) = 0.23129 \pm 0.00004$ in the $\overline{\rm MS}$ renormalization scheme, where $m_Z=91.2\ \text{GeV}$. On the other hand, non-stabilizerness - the magic - characterizes the computational advantage of a quantum system over classical computers. We consider the production of magic from stabilizer initial states, which carry zero magic, in the 2-to-2 scattering of charged leptons in the SM at the tree level, which is mediated by the photon and the $Z$ boson. Using the second order stabilizer Rényi entropy, and averaging over all 60 initial stabilizer states and the scattering angle, we compute and minimize the magic production as a function of $s^2_W$ in the Møller scattering $e^-e^-\to e^-e^-$, which is free of kinematic thresholds. At the centre-of-mass energy $\sqrt{s}=m_Z$, there is a unique minimum in magic production at $\mathbf{s}^{2}_W(m_Z)=0.2317$, which agrees with the measured $\widehat{s}^2_W(m_Z)$ at the sub-percent level. At higher energies, the magic-minimizing $\mathbf{s}^{2}_W$ continues to agree with the empirical value at the percent level or better, up to 10 TeV. The finding suggests the electroweak sector of the SM tends to generate minimal quantum resources from the computational viewpoint.

Liu, Qiaofeng [Northwestern U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Operationally induced preferred basis in unitary quantum mechanics

The preferred-basis problem and the definite-outcome aspect of the measurement problem persist even if the detector is modeled unitarily, because experimental data are necessarily represented in a Boolean event algebra of mutually exclusive records whereas the theoretical description is naturally formulated in a noncommutative operator algebra with continuous unitary symmetry. This change of mathematical type constitutes the core of the 'cut': a structurally necessary interface from group-based kinematics to set-based counting. In the presented view the basis relevant for recorded outcomes is not determined by the system Hamiltonian alone; it is induced by the measurement mapping, i.e., by the detector channel together with the coarse-grained readout that defines an instrument. The probabilistic mapping is anchored in symmetry and measure theory: by Gleason-type uniqueness (Gleason for projections in $d>2$ and Busch's extension for Positive Operator-Valued Measures (POVMs) including $d=2$), the trace rule is the unique probability measure consistent with additivity over exclusive events and basis-independence of the unitary sector. A compact qubit--pointer model yields an induced unsharp POVM $E_\pm=\tfrac12(\id\pm η\,σ_z)$ with $η$ fixed by pointer resolution, displaying explicitly how the detector induces the relevant basis. Finally, nested-observer paradoxes are tightened into a non-composability lemma: joint assignment of outcome propositions is obstructed unless a joint instrument exists. This relocates the origin of randomness to the stochasticity of the transition rules.

Pronskikh, Vitaly [Fermilab] (ORCID:00000002518174↗
DOE OSTI2020

Broadband quadrature-squeezed vacuum and nonclassical photon number correlations from a nanophotonic device

We report demonstrations of both quadrature-squeezed vacuum and photon number difference squeezing generated in an integrated nanophotonic device. Squeezed light is generated via strongly driven spontaneous four-wave mixing below threshold in silicon nitride microring resonators. The generated light is characterized with both homodyne detection and direct measurements of photon statistics using photon number–resolving transition-edge sensors. We measure 1.0(1) decibels of broadband quadrature squeezing (~4 decibels inferred on-chip) and 1.5(3) decibels of photon number difference squeezing (~7 decibels inferred on-chip). Nearly single temporal mode operation is achieved, with measured raw unheralded second-order correlations g (2) as high as 1.95(1). Multiphoton events of over 10 photons are directly detected with rates exceeding any previous quantum optical demonstration using integrated nanophotonics. These results will have an enabling impact on scaling continuous variable quantum technology.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Space-Time Quantum Information from the Entangled States of Magnetic Molecule (STI Product)

This collaborative project combines synthesis, measurement, and theory by three faculty members at the Eddleman Quantum Institute of UC Irvine to effectively investigate the quantum properties of molecules in the space, time, and frequency domains. Through synthetic chemistry, molecules are tailored for their magnetic and coherent properties. By combining femtosecond (fs) terahertz (THz) light and a continuous wave (cw) THz laser with a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM), quantum phenomena are probed with simultaneous femtosecond temporal and atomic-scale spatial resolution. In particular, the invention of the quantum superposition microscope (QSM) advances quantum sensing for enhanced spectroscopy and imaging capabilities. Coupling theory to the experimental efforts offers a deeper understanding and predictive power for the molecular systems. The phenomena of superposition, entanglement, and coherence is central to quantum information science and can be realized in qubit states. Many systems can be modeled by a double-well potential in which two levels are formed in the two lowest energy states interacting with the environment and external radiation. In focusing on molecules as two-level systems, the underlying expectation is that their tunable composition and structure allows an effective parameter space to optimize their use as qubits for quantum sensing and computing. The THz radiation induces the superposition between the two states, appearing as temporal oscillations that damp in amplitude. Enhanced spectroscopy and imaging in the time and frequency domains is achieved through the extreme sensitivity of the frequency and damping of coherence of two-level systems to its environment. A single hydrogen molecule trapped in the STM tunneling gap experiences a double-well potential and absorption of THz femtosecond pulses of light creates the superposition of its two levels, appearing as damped oscillations in the light induced direct current (DC). The oscillation frequency depends sensitively on the electric field distribution of the copper nitride (Cu 2 N) surface, through the Stark effect, and associated with the different charge distributions at the copper and nitrogen sites and in between. This QSM can resolve variation in the surface electric field with 0.02 nanometer resolution. In addition, the single hydrogen molecule entaes with nearby hydrogen molecules as seen in the avoided level crossings of energy (oscillation frequency) versus the voltage across the tunneling gap. Thus, the first application of the QSM senses and images the surface electric field at the atomic scale. Results from this project advance fundamental understanding of quantum phenomena, develop novel synthesis, measurement, and theory, provide the knowledge foundation for molecule-based qubits and sensing that enable the development of the QSM and emergent technologies. This project trained researchers in quantum information science, extended knowledge in classrooms, and outreached to the community.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Revisiting spin ice physics in the ferromagnetic Ising pyrochlore Pr 2 Sn 2 O 7

Pyrochlore materials are characterized by their hallmark network of corner-sharing rare-earth tetrahedra, which can produce a wide array of complex magnetic ground states. Ferromagnetic Ising pyrochlores often obey the “two-in-two-out” spin ice rules, which can lead to a highly degenerate spin structure. Large moment systems, such as Ho 2 Ti 2 O 7 and Dy 2 Ti 2 O 7 , tend to host a classical spin ice state with low-temperature spin freezing and emergent magnetic monopoles. Systems with smaller effective moments, such as Pr 3+ -based pyrochlores, have been proposed as excellent candidates for hosting a “quantum spin ice” characterized by entanglement and a slew of exotic quasiparticle excitations. However, experimental evidence for a quantum spin ice state has remained elusive. Here, in this work, we show that the low-temperature magnetic properties of Pr 2 Sn 2 O 7 satisfy several important criteria for continued consideration as a quantum spin ice. We find that Pr 2 Sn 2 O 7 exhibits two distinct spin-correlation time scales of τ ≥ 10 –4 and ~10 –10 s in the spin ice regime. Our comprehensive bulk characterization and neutron scattering measurements enable us to map out the magnetic field-temperature phase diagram, producing results consistent with expectations for a ferromagnetic Ising pyrochlore. We identify key hallmarks of spin ice physics and show that the application of small magnetic fields (μ 0 H c ~0.5 T) suppresses the spin ice state and induces a field-polarized, ordered spin-ice phase. Together, our work clarifies the current state of Pr 2 Sn 2 O 7 and encourages future studies aimed at exploring the potential for a quantum spin ice ground state in this system.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Doppler-Free Saturation Spectroscopy (DFSS) for Magnetic and Electric Field Measurements in an FRC plasma

The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and TAE Technologies (TAE) focused on a feasibility study of Doppler-free saturation spectroscopy (DFSS) as a diagnostic strategy to measure the internal magnetic and electric fields of TAE’s C-2W field-reversed configuration (FRC) fusion device. Non-perturbative measurements of magnetic and electric fields in the core of FRCs can provide critical information needed to constrain equilibrium models and for the continued advancement of the fusion research program at TAE. DFSS is a well-established, laser-based absorption spectroscopy technique used to suppress inhomogeneous (Doppler) broadening linewidths and reveal Zeeman/Stark split hyperfine structures of target emission lines. The collaboration involved the use of ORNL’s suite of experimentally validated quantum mechanical modelling codes to simulate theoretical atomic spectra for a variety of machine parameters and laser beam configurations. TAE’s expertise was heavily used to provide measurements/models of the required machine parameters needed as inputs to the simulations. Results of an all-encompassing error analysis demonstrate the favourable capabilities of the diagnostic and provided invaluable insights as to how DFSS can be best used to accurately measure internal B/E-fields in C-2W.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Entanglement phases in large- N hybrid Brownian circuits with long-range couplings

Here, we develop solvable models of large-N hybrid quantum circuits on qubits and fermions with tunable long-range power-law interactions and continuous local monitoring. These models provide analytical access to the entanglement phase diagram and error-correcting properties of many-body entangled nonequilibrium states generated by such dynamics. In one dimension, the long-range couplings are irrelevant for α > 3/2, where α is the power-law exponent, and the models exhibit a conventional measurement-induced phase transition between volume- and area-law entangled phases. For 1/2 < α < 3/2, the long-range couplings become relevant, leading to a nontrivial dynamical exponent at the measurement-induced phase transition. More interestingly, for α < 1, the entanglement pattern receives a subvolume correction for both area-law and volume-law phases, indicating that the phase realizes a quantum error correcting code whose code distance scales as L 2–2α . While the entanglement phase diagram is the same for both the interacting qubit and fermionic hybrid Brownian circuits, we find that long-range free-fermionic circuits exhibit a distinct phase diagram with two different fractal entangled phases.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Stripe magnetic order and field-induced quantum criticality in the perfect triangular-lattice antiferromagnet CsCeSe 2

The two-dimensional triangular-lattice antiferromagnet (TLAF) is a textbook example of frustrated magnetic systems. Despite its simplicity, the TLAF model exhibits a highly rich and complex magnetic phase diagram, featuring numerous distinct ground states that can be stabilized through frustrated next-nearest-neighbor couplings or anisotropy. In this paper, we report low-temperature magnetic properties of the TLAF material CsCeSe 2 . The inelastic neutron scattering (INS) together with specific heat measurements and density functional theory calculations of crystalline electric field suggest that the ground state of Ce ions is a Kramers doublet with strong easy-plane anisotropy. Elastic neutron scattering measurements demonstrate the presence of stripe-yz magnetic order that develops below T N = 0.35K, with the zero-field ordered moment of m Ce ≈ 0.65μ B . Application of magnetic field first increases the ordering temperature by about 20% at the intermediate field region and eventually suppresses the stripe order in favor of the field-polarized ferromagnetic state via a continuous quantum phase transition (QPT). The field-induced response demonstrates sizable anisotropy for different in-plane directions, B ∥ a and B ⊥ ⁢a, which indicates the presence of bond-dependent coupling in the spin Hamiltonian. As a result, we further show theoretically that the presence of anisotropic bond-dependent interactions can change the universality class of QPT for B ∥ a and B ⊥ ⁢a.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reducing measurement costs by recycling the Hessian in adaptive variational quantum algorithms

Abstract Adaptive protocols enable the construction of more efficient state preparation circuits in variational quantum algorithms (VQAs) by utilizing data obtained from the quantum processor during the execution of the algorithm. This idea originated with Adaptive Derivative-Assembled Problem-Tailored variational quantum eigensolver (ADAPT-VQE), an algorithm that iteratively grows the state preparation circuit operator by operator, with each new operator accompanied by a new variational parameter, and where all parameters acquired thus far are optimized in each iteration. In ADAPT-VQE and other adaptive VQAs that followed it, it has been shown that initializing parameters to their optimal values from the previous iteration speeds up convergence and avoids shallow local traps in the parameter landscape. However, no other data from the optimization performed at one iteration is carried over to the next. In this work, we propose an improved quasi-Newton optimization protocol specifically tailored to adaptive VQAs. The distinctive feature in our proposal is that approximate second derivatives of the cost function are recycled across iterations in addition to optimal parameter values. We implement a quasi-Newton optimizer where an approximation to the inverse Hessian matrix is continuously built and grown across the iterations of an adaptive VQA. The resulting algorithm has the flavor of a continuous optimization where the dimension of the search space is augmented when the gradient norm falls below a given threshold. We show that this inter-optimization exchange of second-order information leads the approximate Hessian in the state of the optimizer to be consistently closer to the exact Hessian. As a result, our method achieves a superlinear convergence rate even in situations where the typical implementation of a quasi-Newton optimizer converges only linearly. Our protocol decreases the measurement costs in implementing adaptive VQAs on quantum hardware as well as the runtime of their classical simulation.

Ramôa, Mafalda (ORCID:0000000302187801)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Single-Spin Readout and Quantum Sensing Using Optomechanically Induced Transparency

Solid-state spin defects are promising quantum sensors for a large variety of sensing targets. Some of these defects couple appreciably to strain in the host material. We propose to use this strain coupling for mechanically mediated dispersive single-shot spin readout by an optomechanically induced transparency measurement. Surprisingly, the estimated measurement times for negatively charged silicon-vacancy defects in diamond are an order of magnitude shorter than those for single-shot optical fluorescence readout. Here, our scheme can also be used for general parameter-estimation metrology and offers a higher sensitivity than conventional schemes using continuous position detection.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Entanglement Cost for Infinite-Dimensional Physical Systems

We prove that the entanglement cost equals the regularized entanglement of formation for any infinite-dimensional quantum state ρ ΑΒ with finite quantum entropy on at least one of the subsystems A or B. This generalizes a foundational result in quantum information theory that was previously formulated only for operations and states on finite-dimensional systems. The extension to infinite-dimensional systems is nontrivial because the conventional tools for establishing both the direct and converse bounds, i.e., strong typicality, monotonicity, and asymptotic continuity, are no longer directly applicable. To address this problem, we construct a new entanglement dilution protocol for infinite-dimensional states implementable by local operations and a finite amount of one-way classical communication (one-way LOCC), using weak and strong typicality multiple times. We also prove the optimality of this protocol among all protocols, even under infinite-dimensional separable operations, by developing an argument based on alternative forms of monotonicity and asymptotic continuity of the entanglement of formation for infinite-dimensional states. Along the way, we derive a new integral representation for the quantum entropy of infinite-dimensional states, which we believe to be of independent interest. Our results allow us to fully characterize an important operational entanglement measure—the entanglement cost—for all infinite-dimensional physical systems.

Complexity↗
DOE OSTI2022

Photoemission characterization of N-polar III-nitride photocathodes as candidate bright electron beam sources for accelerator applications

We report on the growth and characterization of a new class of photocathode structures for use as electron sources to produce high brightness electron beams for accelerator applications. The sources are realized using III-nitride materials and are designed to leverage the strong polarization field, which is characteristic of this class of materials when grown in their wurtzite crystal structure, to produce a negative electron affinity condition without the use of Cs, possibly allowing these materials to be operated in radio frequency guns. A Quantum Efficiency (QE) of about 1×10−3 and an emitted electrons’ Mean Transverse Energy (MTE) of about 100 meV are measured at a wavelength of 265 nm. In a vacuum level of 3×10−10 Torr, the QE does not decrease after more than 24 h of continuous operation. The lowest MTE of about 50 meV is measured at 300 nm along with a QE of 1.5×10−5. Surface characterizations reveal a possible contribution to the MTE from surface morphology, calling for more detailed studies.

Cultrera, L. (ORCID:0000000235606059)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Probing quantum criticality in ferromagnetic CeRh 6 Ge 4

CeRh 6 Ge 4 is unusual in that its ferromagnetic transition can be suppressed continuously to zero temperature, i.e., to a ferromagnetic quantum-critical point (QCP), through the application of modest hydrostatic pressure. This discovery has raised the possibility that the ferromagnetic QCP may be of the Kondo-breakdown type characterized by a jump in Fermi volume, to which thermopower S measurements should be sensitive. Further, though S/T changes both sign and magnitude around the critical pressure P c ≈ 0.8 GPa, these changes are not abrupt but extend over a pressure interval from within the ferromagnetic state up to P c . Together with temperature and pressure variations in electrical resistivity and previously reported heat capacity, thermopower results point to the near coincidence of two sequential effects near P c , delocalization of 4f degrees of freedom through orbital-selective hybridization followed by quantum criticality of itinerant ferromagnetism.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Discovering causal structure with reproducing-kernel Hilbert space ε -machines

We merge computational mechanics’ definition of causal states (predictively equivalent histories) with reproducing-kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) representation inference. The result is a widely applicable method that infers causal structure directly from observations of a system’s behaviors whether they are over discrete or continuous events or time. A structural representation—a finite- or infinite-state kernel ϵ-machine—is extracted by a reduced-dimension transform that gives an efficient representation of causal states and their topology. In this way, the system dynamics are represented by a stochastic (ordinary or partial) differential equation that acts on causal states. We introduce an algorithm to estimate the associated evolution operator. Paralleling the Fokker–Planck equation, it efficiently evolves causal-state distributions and makes predictions in the original data space via an RKHS functional mapping. We demonstrate these techniques, together with their predictive abilities, on discrete-time, discrete-value infinite Markov-order processes generated by finite-state hidden Markov models with (i) finite or (ii) uncountably infinite causal states and (iii) continuous-time, continuous-value processes generated by thermally driven chaotic flows. The method robustly estimates causal structure in the presence of varying external and measurement noise levels and for very high-dimensional data.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗