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At least 1,603 records · Page 89

Majorana Superconducting Qubit

In this paper, we propose a platform for universal quantum computation that uses conventional $s$-wave superconducting leads to address a topological qubit stored in spatially separated Majorana bound states in a multiterminal topological superconductor island. Both the manipulation and readout of this “Majorana superconducting qubit” are realized by tunnel couplings between Majorana bound states and the superconducting leads. The ability of turning on and off tunnel couplings on demand by local gates enables individual qubit addressability while avoiding cross-talk errors. By combining the scalability of superconducting qubit and the robustness of topological qubits, the Majorana superconducting qubit may provide a promising and realistic route towards quantum computation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Probing the State of a Mechanical Oscillator with an Ultrastrongly Coupled Quantum Emitter

Performing accurate position measurements of a mechanical resonator by coupling it to some optically driven quantum emitter is an important challenge for quantum sensing and metrology. We fully characterize the quantum noise associated with this measurement process, by deriving master equations for the coupled emitter and the resonator valid in the ultrastrong coupling regime. At short timescales, we show that this noise sets a fundamental limit to the readout sensitivity and that the standard quantum limit can be recovered for realistic experimental conditions. At long timescales, the scattering of the mechanical quadratures leads to the decoupling of the emitter from the driving light, switching off the noise source. Furthermore, this method can be used to describe the interaction of any quantum system strongly coupled to a finite size reservoir.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Franck-Condon Tuning of Optical Cycling Centers by Organic Functionalization

Laser induced electronic excitations that spontaneously emit photons and decay directly to the initial ground state (“optical cycling transitions”) are used in quantum information and precision measurement for state initialization and readout. To extend this primarily atomic technique to large, organic compounds, we theoretically investigate optical cycling of alkaline earth phenoxides and their functionalized derivatives. We find that optical cycle leakage due to wave function mismatch is low in these species, and can be further suppressed by using chemical substitution to boost the electron-withdrawing strength of the aromatic molecular ligand through resonance and induction effects. This provides a straightforward way to use chemical functional groups to construct optical cycling moieties for laser cooling, state preparation, and quantum measurement.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Fast Preparation and Detection of a Rydberg Qubit Using Atomic Ensembles

Here, we demonstrate a new approach for fast preparation, manipulation, and collective readout of an atomic Rydberg-state qubit. By making use of Rydberg blockade inside a small atomic ensemble, we prepare a single qubit within 3 μs with a success probability of $F_p$ = 0.93 ± 0.02, rotate it, and read out its state in 6 μs with a single-shot fidelity of $F_d$ = 0.92 ± 0.04. The ensemble-assisted detection is 10 3 times faster than imaging of a single atom with the same optical resolution, and enables fast repeated nondestructive measurement. We observe qubit coherence times of 15 μs, much longer than the π rotation time of 90 ns. Potential applications ranging from faster quantum information processing in atom arrays to efficient implementation of quantum error correction are discussed.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Trapped Electrons and Ions as Particle Detectors

Electrons and ions trapped with electromagnetic fields have long served as important high-precision metrological instruments, and more recently have also been proposed as a platform for quantum information processing. Here we point out that these systems can also be used as highly sensitive detectors of passing charged particles, due to the combination of their extreme charge-to-mass ratio and low-noise quantum readout and control. In particular, these systems can be used to detect energy depositions many orders of magnitude below typical ionization scales. As illustrations, we suggest some applications in particle physics. We outline a nondestructive time-of-flight measurement capable of sub-eV energy resolution for slowly moving, collimated particles. We also show that current devices can be used to provide competitive sensitivity to models where ambient dark matter particles carry small electric millicharges $\ll$e. Furthermore, our calculations may also be useful in the characterization of noise in quantum computers coming from backgrounds of charged particles.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Floquet Prethermalization with Lifetime Exceeding 90 s in a Bulk Hyperpolarized Solid

Here, we report the observation of long-lived Floquet prethermal states in a bulk solid composed of dipolar-coupled 13 C nuclei in diamond at room temperature. For precessing nuclear spins prepared in an initial transverse state, we demonstrate pulsed spin-lock Floquet control that prevents their decay over multiple-minute-long periods. We observe Floquet prethermal lifetimes $T^{'}_{2}$≈90.9 s, extended >60 000-fold over the nuclear free induction decay times. The spins themselves are continuously interrogated for ~10 min, corresponding to the application of ≈5.8×10 6 control pulses. The 13 C nuclei are optically hyperpolarized by lattice nitrogen vacancy centers; the combination of hyperpolarization and continuous spin readout yields significant signal-to-noise ratio in the measurements. This allows probing the Floquet thermalization dynamics with unprecedented clarity. We identify four characteristic regimes of the thermalization process, discerning short-time transient processes leading to the prethermal plateau and long-time system heating toward infinite temperature. This Letter points to new opportunities possible via Floquet control in networks of dilute, randomly distributed, low-sensitivity nuclei. In particular, the combination of minutes-long prethermal lifetimes and continuous spin interrogation opens avenues for quantum sensors constructed from hyperpolarized Floquet prethermal nuclei.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Mitigating Depolarizing Noise on Quantum Computers with Noise-Estimation Circuits

A significant problem for current quantum computers is noise. While there are many distinct noise channels, the depolarizing noise model often appropriately describes average noise for large circuits involving many qubits and gates. We present a method to mitigate the depolarizing noise by first estimating its rate with a noise-estimation circuit and then correcting the output of the target circuit using the estimated rate. The method is experimentally validated on the simulation of the Heisenberg model. We find that our approach in combination with readout-error correction, randomized compiling, and zero-noise extrapolation produces results close to exact results even for circuits containing hundreds of CNOT gates.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dynamical Anyon Generation in Kitaev Honeycomb Non-Abelian Spin Liquids

Relativistic Mott insulators known as “Kitaev materials” potentially realize spin liquids hosting non-Abelian anyons. Motivated by fault-tolerant quantum-computing applications in this setting, we introduce a dynamical anyon-generation protocol that exploits universal edge physics. The setup features holes in the spin liquid, which define energetically cheap locations for non-Abelian anyons, connected by a narrow bridge that can be tuned between spin liquid and topologically trivial phases. We show that modulating the bridge from trivial to spin liquid over intermediate time scales—quantified by analytics and extensive simulations—deposits non-Abelian anyons into the holes with O(1) probability. The required bridge manipulations can be implemented by integrating the Kitaev material into magnetic tunnel junction arrays that engender locally tunable exchange fields. Combined with existing readout strategies, our protocol reveals a path to topological qubit experiments in Kitaev materials at zero applied magnetic field.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

High-Fidelity Ion State Detection Using Trap-Integrated Avalanche Photodiodes

Integrated technologies greatly enhance the prospects for practical quantum information processing and sensing devices based on trapped ions. High-speed and high-fidelity ion state readout is critical for any such application. Integrated detectors offer significant advantages for system portability and can also greatly facilitate parallel operations if a separate detector can be incorporated at each ion-trapping location. Here, we demonstrate ion quantum state detection at room temperature utilizing single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) integrated directly into the substrate of silicon ion trapping chips. Furthermore, we detect the state of a trapped Sr + ion via fluorescence collection with the SPAD, achieving 99.92(1)% average fidelity in 450 μs, opening the door to the application of integrated state detection to quantum computing and sensing utilizing arrays of trapped ions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Benchmarking Quantum Simulators Using Ergodic Quantum Dynamics

Here we propose and analyze a sample-efficient protocol to estimate the fidelity between an experimentally prepared state and an ideal target state, applicable to a wide class of analog quantum simulators without advanced spatiotemporal control. Our protocol relies on universal fluctuations emerging from generic Hamiltonian dynamics, which we discover in the present work. It does not require fine-tuned control over state preparation, quantum evolution, or readout capability, while achieving near optimal sample complexity: a percent-level precision is obtained with ~103 measurements, independent of system size. Furthermore, the accuracy of our fidelity estimation improves exponentially with increasing system size. We numerically demonstrate our protocol in a variety of quantum simulator platforms, including quantum gas microscopes, trapped ions, and Rydberg atom arrays. We discuss applications of our method for tasks such as multiparameter estimation of quantum states and processes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Superconducting Levitated Detector of Gravitational Waves

A magnetically levitated mass couples to gravity and can act as an effective gravitational wave detector. We show that a superconducting sphere levitated in a quadrupolar magnetic field, when excited by a gravitational wave, will produce magnetic field fluctuations that can be read out using a flux tunable microwave resonator. With a readout operating at the standard quantum limit, such a system could achieve broadband strain noise sensitivity of h ≲ 10 − 20 / Hz for frequencies of 1 kHz–1 MHz, opening new corridors for astrophysical probes of new physics. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Superconducting contact and quantum interference between two-dimensional van der Waals and three-dimensional conventional superconductors

Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) superconductors enable uniform, flat, and clean van der Waals tunneling interfaces, motivating their integration into conventional superconducting circuits. However, fully superconducting contact must be made between the 2D material and three-dimensional (3D) superconductors to employ the standard microwave drive and readout of qubits in such circuits. We present a method for creating zero-resistance contacts between 2D NbSe 2 and 3D aluminum that behave as Josephson junctions (JJs) with large effective areas compared to 3D-3D JJs. The devices formed from 2D TMD superconductors are strongly influenced by the geometry of the flakes themselves as well as the placement of the contacts to bulk 3D superconducting leads. We present a model for the supercurrent flow in a 2D-3D superconducting structure by a numerical solution of the Ginzburg-Landau equations and find good agreement with experiment. Finally, these results demonstrate a crucial step towards a new generation of hybrid superconducting quantum circuits.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Magnetic anisotropy in single-crystalline antiferromagnetic Mn 2 Au

Multiple recent studies have identified the metallic antiferromagnet Mn 2 ⁢Au to be a candidate for spintronic applications due to apparent in-plane anisotropy, preserved magnetic properties above room temperature, and current-induced Néel vector switching. Crystal growth is complicated by the fact that Mn 2 ⁢Au melts incongruently. We present a bismuth flux method to grow millimeter-scale bulk single crystals of Mn 2 ⁢Au in order to examine the intrinsic anisotropic electrical and magnetic properties. Flux quenching experiments reveal that the Mn 2 ⁢Au crystals precipitate below 550°⁢C, about 100⁢°⁢C below the decomposition temperature of Mn 2 ⁢Au. Bulk Mn 2 ⁢Au crystals have a room-temperature resistivity of 16–19 µ⁢Ωcm and a residual resistivity ratio of 41. Mn 2 ⁢Au crystals have a dimensionless susceptibility on the order of 10 –4 (SI units), comparable to calculated and experimental reports on powder samples. Single-crystal neutron diffraction confirms the in-plane magnetic structure. The tetragonal symmetry of Mn 2 ⁢Au constrains the ab-plane magnetic susceptibility to be constant, meaning that χ 100 =χ 110 in the low-field limit, below any spin-flop transition. We find that three measured magnetic susceptibilities χ 100 , χ 110 , and χ 001 are the same order of magnitude and agree with the calculated prediction, meaning the low-field susceptibility of Mn 2 ⁢Au is quite isotropic, despite clear differences in ab-plane and ac-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Mn 2 ⁢Au is calculated to have an extremely high in-plane spin-flop field above 30 T, which is much larger than that of another in-plane antiferromagnet, Fe 2 ⁢As (less than 1 T). Finally, the subtle anisotropy of intrinsic susceptibilities may lead to dominating effects from shape, crystalline texture, strain, and defects in devices that attempt spin readout in Mn 2⁢ Au.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Asymptotic optimality of twist-untwist protocols for Heisenberg scaling in atom-based sensing

Twist-untwist protocols for quantum metrology consist of a serial application of (1) unitary nonlinear dynamics (e.g., spin squeezing or Kerr nonlinearity), (2) parameterized dynamics U ( φ ) (e.g., a collective rotation or phase space displacement), and (3) time reversed application of step 1. Such protocols are known to produce states that allow Heisenberg scaling for experimentally accessible estimators of φ even when the nonlinearities are applied for times much shorter than required to produce Schrödinger cat states. In this work, we prove that, asymptotically in the number of particles, twist-untwist protocols provide the lowest estimation error among quantum metrology protocols that utilize two calls to a weakly nonlinear evolution and a readout involving only first and second moments of a total spin operator n → · J → . We consider the following physical settings: all-to-all interactions generated by one-axis twisting J z 2 (e.g., interacting Bose gases), constant finite range spin-spin interactions of distinguishable or bosonic atoms (e.g., trapped ions or Rydberg atoms, or lattice bosons). In these settings, we further show that the optimal twist-untwist protocols asymptotically achieve 85% and 92% of the respective quantum Cramér-Rao bounds. We show that the error of a twist-untwist protocol can be decreased by a factor of L without an increase in the noise of the spin measurement if the twist-untwist protocol can be noiselessly iterated as an L layer quantum alternating operator ansatz.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Scalable measurement error mitigation via iterative bayesian unfolding

Measurement errors are a significant obstacle to achieving scalable quantum computation. To counteract systematic readout errors, researchers have developed postprocessing techniques known as measurement error mitigation methods. However, these methods face a tradeoff between scalability and returning nonnegative probabilities. In this paper, we present a solution to overcome this challenge. Our approach focuses on iterative Bayesian unfolding, a standard mitigation technique used in high-energy physics experiments, and implements it in a scalable way. We demonstrate our method on experimental Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state preparation on up to 127 qubits and on the Bernstein-Vazirani algorithm on up to 26 qubits. Compared to state-of-the-art methods (such as M3), our implementation guarantees valid probability distributions, returns comparable or better-mitigated results, and does so without a noticeable time and memory overhead. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Pokharel, Bibek (ORCID:0000000342841353)↗

Three-Wave Mixing Kinetic Inductance Traveling-Wave Amplifier with Near-Quantum-Limited Noise Performance

We present a theoretical model and experimental characterization of a microwave kinetic inductance traveling-wave (KIT) amplifier, whose noise performance, measured by a shot-noise tunnel junction (SNTJ), approaches the quantum limit. Biased with a dc current, this amplifier operates in a three-wave mixing fashion, thereby reducing by several orders of magnitude the power of the microwave pump tone and associated parasitic heating compared to conventional four-wave mixing KIT amplifier devices. It consists of a 50 Ω artificial transmission line whose dispersion allows for a controlled amplification bandwidth. We measure $16.5^{+1}_{–1.3}$ dB of gain across a 2 GHz bandwidth with an input 1 dB compression power of –63 dBm, in qualitative agreement with theory. Using a theoretical framework that accounts for the SNTJ-generated noise entering both the signal and idler ports of the KIT amplifier, we measure the system-added noise of an amplification chain that integrates the KIT amplifier as the first amplifier. This system-added noise, 3.1 ± 0.6 quanta (equivalent to 0.66 ± 0.15 K) between 3.5 and 5.5 GHz, is the one that a device replacing the SNTJ in that chain would see. This KIT amplifier is therefore suitable to read large arrays of microwave kinetic inductance detectors and promising for multiplexed superconducting qubit readout.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Many-Body Physics in the NISQ Era: Quantum Programming a Discrete Time Crystal

Recent progress in the realm of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices represents an exciting opportunity for many-body physics by introducing new laboratory platforms with unprecedented control and measurement capabilities. We explore the implications of NISQ platforms for many-body physics in a practical sense: we ask which physical phenomena, in the domain of quantum statistical mechanics, they may realize more readily than traditional experimental platforms. While a universal quantum computer can simulate any system, the eponymous noise inherent to NISQ devices practically favors certain simulation tasks over others in the near term. As a particularly well-suited target, we identify discrete time crystals (DTCs), novel nonequilibrium states of matter that break time translation symmetry. These can only be realized in the intrinsically out-of-equilibrium setting of periodically driven quantum systems stabilized by disorder-induced many-body localization. While promising precursors of the DTC have been observed across a variety of experimental platforms—ranging from trapped ions to nitrogen-vacancy centers to NMR crystals—none have all the necessary ingredients for realizing a fully fledged incarnation of this phase, and for detecting its signature long-range spatiotemporal order. We show that a new generation of quantum simulators can be programmed to realize the DTC phase and to experimentally detect its dynamical properties, a task requiring extensive capabilities for programmability, initialization, and readout. Specifically, the architecture of Google’s Sycamore processor is a remarkably close match for the task at hand. We also discuss the effects of environmental decoherence, and how they can be distinguished from ‘internal’ decoherence coming from closed-system thermalization dynamics. Already with existing technology and noise levels, we find that DTC spatiotemporal order would be observable over hundreds of periods, with parametric improvements to come as the hardware advances.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Accelerated Weak Signal Search Using Mode Entanglement and State Swapping

Quantum fluctuations constitute the primary noise barrier limiting cavity-based axion-dark-matter searches. In an experiment designed to mimic a real axion search, we employ a quantum enhanced sensing technique to detect a synthetic axionlike microwave tone at an unknown frequency weakly coupled to a resonator, demonstrating a factor-of-5.6 acceleration relative to a quantum limited search for the same tone. This speed-up is achieved by dynamically coupling the resonator mode to a second (readout) mode with balanced swapping and two-mode squeezing interactions, which results in both visibility-bandwidth and peak-visibility increase. A small fractional imbalance between the two interaction rates yields further scan-rate enhancement and we demonstrate that an eightfold acceleration can be achieved.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗