## Physics

### Microresonators enhancing long-distance dynamical entanglement generation in chiral quantum networks

Author(s): Wai-Keong Mok, Jia-Bin You, Leong-Chuan Kwek, and Davit Aghamalyan

A chiral network scheme is modified by the addition of microcavities leading to the prediction of a boost in concurrence. The protocol is expected to be robust against experimental imperfections and can be implemented in state-of-the-art integrated photonic platforms.

[Phys. Rev. A 101, 053861] Published Fri May 29, 2020

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Feature: Sun’s Past Hidden in Tree Rings

APS Physics - Fri, 2020-05-29 12:00

Physicist Fusa Miyake measures isotope abundances in ancient tree rings to uncover solar eruptions from thousands of years ago.

[Physics 13, 78] Published Fri May 29, 2020

Categories: Physics

### Focus: New Data Reveal the Heavy Side of Cosmic Rays

APS Physics - Fri, 2020-05-29 12:00

Author(s): Matteo Rini

Clean spectra for heavier cosmic rays measured on the International Space Station provide new opportunities to learn about the particles’ origins and about the interstellar medium.

[Physics 13, 87] Published Fri May 29, 2020

Categories: Physics

### Certification of spin-based quantum simulators

PRA: Quantum information - Fri, 2020-05-29 12:00

Author(s): Abolfazl Bayat, Benoit Voisin, Gilles Buchs, Joe Salfi, Sven Rogge, and Sougato Bose

Quantum simulators are engineered devices controllably designed to emulate complex and classically intractable quantum systems. A key challenge is to certify whether the simulator truly mimics the Hamiltonian of interest. This certification step requires the comparison of a simulator's output to a k...

[Phys. Rev. A 101, 052344] Published Fri May 29, 2020

Categories: Journals, Physics

### 128 Identical Quantum Sources Integrated on a Single Silica Chip. (arXiv:2005.12918v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

Quantum technology is playing an increasingly important role due to the intrinsic parallel processing capabilities endorsed by quantum superposition, exceeding upper limits of classical performances in diverse fields. Integrated photonic chip offers an elegant way to construct large-scale quantum systems in a physically scalable fashion, however, nonuniformity of quantum sources prevents all the elements from being connected coherently for exponentially increasing Hilbert space. Here, we experimentally demonstrate 128 identical quantum sources integrated on a single silica chip. By actively controlling the light-matter interaction in femtosecond laser direct writing, we are able to unify the properties of waveguides comprehensively and therefore the spontaneous four-wave mixing process for quantum sources. We verify the indistinguishability of the on-chip sources by a series of heralded two-source Hong-Ou-Mandel interference, with all the dip visibilities above 90%. In addition, the brightness of the sources is found easily reaching MHz and being applicable to both discrete-variable and continuous-variable platform, showing either clear anti-bunching feature or large squeezing parameter under different pumping regimes. The demonstrated scalability and uniformity of quantum sources, together with integrated photonic network and detection, will enable large-scale all-on-chip quantum processors for real-life applications.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Entanglement formation in continuous-variable random quantum networks. (arXiv:2005.12934v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

Entanglement is not only important for understanding the fundamental properties of many-body systems, but also the crucial resource enabling quantum advantages in practical information processing tasks. While previous works on entanglement formation and networking focus on discrete-variable systems, light---as the only travelling carrier of quantum information in a network---is bosonic and thus requires a continuous-variable description in general. In this work, we extend the study to continuous-variable quantum networks. By mapping the ensemble-averaged entanglement dynamics on an arbitrary network to a random-walk process on a graph, we are able to exactly solve the entanglement dynamics and reveal unique phenomena. We identify squeezing as the source of entanglement generation, which triggers a diffusive spread of entanglement with a parabolic light cone. The entanglement distribution is directly connected to the probability distribution of the random walk, while the scrambling time is determined by the mixing time of the random walk. The dynamics of bipartite entanglement is determined by the boundary of the bipartition; An operational witness of multipartite entanglement, based on advantages in sensing tasks, is introduced to characterize the multipartite entanglement growth. A surprising linear superposition law in the entanglement growth is predicted by the theory and numerically verified, when the squeezers are sparse in space-time, despite the nonlinear nature of the entanglement dynamics. We also give exact solution to the equilibrium entanglement distribution (Page curves), including its fluctuations, and found various shapes dependent on the average squeezing density and strength.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Quantum Mereology: Factorizing Hilbert Space into Subsystems with Quasi-Classical Dynamics. (arXiv:2005.12938v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

We study the question of how to decompose Hilbert space into a preferred tensor-product factorization without any pre-existing structure other than a Hamiltonian operator, in particular the case of a bipartite decomposition into "system" and "environment." Such a decomposition can be defined by looking for subsystems that exhibit quasi-classical behavior. The correct decomposition is one in which pointer states of the system are relatively robust against environmental monitoring (their entanglement with the environment does not continually and dramatically increase) and remain localized around approximately-classical trajectories. We present an in-principle algorithm for finding such a decomposition by minimizing a combination of entanglement growth and internal spreading of the system. Both of these properties are related to locality in different ways. This formalism could be relevant to the emergence of spacetime from quantum entanglement.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### The decomposition of an arbitrary $2^w\times 2^w$ unitary matrix into signed permutation matrices. (arXiv:2005.12959v1 [math-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

Birkhoff's theorem tells that any doubly stochastic matrix can be decomposed as a weighted sum of permutation matrices. A similar theorem reveals that any unitary matrix can be decomposed as a weighted sum of complex permutation matrices. Unitary matrices of dimension equal to a power of~2 (say $2^w$) deserve special attention, as they represent quantum qubit circuits. We investigate which subgroup of the signed permutation matrices suffices to decompose an arbitrary such matrix. It turns out to be a matrix group isomorphic to the extraspecial group {\bf E}$_{2^{2w+1}}^+$ of order $2^{2w+1}$. An associated projective group of order $2^{2w}$ equally suffices.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Nonlinear Spin Currents. (arXiv:2005.12999v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

The cavity mediated spin current between two ferrite samples has been reported by Bai et. al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 217201 (2017)]. This experiment was done in the linear regime of the interaction in the presence of external drive. In the current paper we develop a theory for the spin current in the nonlinear domain where the external drive is strong so that one needs to include the Kerr nonlinearity of the ferrite materials. In this manner the nonlinear polaritons are created and one can reach both bistable and multistable behavior of the spin current. The system is driven into a far from equilibrium steady state which is determined by the details of driving field and various interactions. We present a variety of steady state results for the spin current. A spectroscopic detection of the nonlinear spin current is developed, revealing the key properties of the nonlinear polaritons. The transmission of a weak probe is used to obtain quantitative information on the multistable behavior of the spin current. The results and methods that we present are quite generic and can be used in many other contexts where cavities are used to transfer information from one system to another, e.g., two different molecular systems.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Noisy pre-processing facilitating a photonic realisation of device-independent quantum key distribution. (arXiv:2005.13015v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

Device-independent quantum key distribution provides security even when the equipment used to communicate over the quantum channel is largely uncharacterized. An experimental demonstration of device-independent quantum key distribution is however challenging. A central obstacle in photonic implementations is that the global detection efficiency, i.e., the probability that the signals sent over the quantum channel are successfully received, must be above a certain threshold. We here propose a method to significantly relax this threshold, while maintaining provable device-independent security. This is achieved with a protocol that adds artificial noise, which cannot be known or controlled by an adversary, to the initial measurement data (the raw key). Focusing on a realistic photonic setup using a source based on spontaneous parametric down conversion, we give explicit bounds on the minimal required global detection efficiency.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### QASMBench: A Low-level QASM Benchmark Suite for NISQ Evaluation and Simulation. (arXiv:2005.13018v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

The rapid development of quantum computing in the NISQ era urgently demands a low-level benchmark suite for conveniently evaluating and verifying the properties of selective prototype hardware, the efficiency of different assemblers, optimizers and schedulers, the robustness of distinct error correction technologies, and the performance of various quantum simulators on classical computers. In this paper, we fill this gap by proposing a low-level, light-weighted, and easy-to-use benchmark suite called QASMBench based on the OpenQASM assembly representation. It collects commonly seen quantum algorithms and routines from a variety of domains including chemistry, simulation, linear algebra, searching, optimization, quantum arithmetic, machine learning, fault tolerance, cryptography, etc. QASMBench trades-off between generality and usability. It covers the number of qubits ranging from 2 to 60K, and the circuit depth from 4 to 12M, while keeping most of the benchmarks with qubits less than 16 so they can be directly verified on contemporary public-available cloud quantum machines. QASMBench is available at https://github.com/uuudown/QASMBench.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Operational Entanglement of Symmetry-Protected Topological Edge States. (arXiv:2005.13026v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

We use an entanglement measure that respects the superselection of particle number to study the non-local properties of symmetry-protected topological edge states. Considering $M$-leg Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) ladders as an example, we show that the topological properties and the operational entanglement extractable from the boundaries are intimately connected. Topological phases with at least two filled edge states have the potential to realize genuine, non-bipartite, many-body entanglement which can be transferred to a quantum register. We show, furthermore, that the onset of entanglement between the edges can be inferred from local particle number spectroscopy alone and present an experimental protocol to study the breaking of Bell's inequality.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Spectral singularities and tunable slab lasers with 2D material coating. (arXiv:2005.13052v1 [physics.optics])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

We investigate linear and nonlinear spectral singularities in the transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes of a slab laser consisting of an active planar slab sandwiched between a pair of Graphene or Weyl semimetal thin sheets. The requirement of the presence of linear spectral singularities gives the laser threshold condition while the existence of nonlinear spectral singularities due to an induced weak Kerr nonlinearity allows for computing the laser output intensity in the vicinity of the threshold. The presence of the Graphene and Weyl semimetal sheets introduces additional physical parameters that we can use to tune the output intensity of the laser. We provide a comprehensive study of this phenomenon and report peculiarities of lasing in the TM modes of the slab with Weyl semimetal coatings. In particular, we reveal the existence of a critical angle such that no lasing seems possible for TM modes of the slab with smaller emission angle. Our results suggest that for TM modes with emission angle slightly exceeding the critical angle, the laser output intensity becomes highly sensitive to the physical parameters of the coating.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### High-fidelity State Transfer Between Leaky Quantum Memories. (arXiv:2005.13062v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

We derive the optimal analytical quantum-state-transfer control solutions for two disparate quantum memory blocks. Employing the SLH formalism description of quantum network theory, we calculate the full quantum dynamics of system populations, which lead to the optimal solution for the highest quantum fidelity attainable. We show that, for the example where the mechanical modes of two optomechanical oscillators act as the quantum memory blocks, their optical modes and a waveguide channel connecting them can be used to achieve a quantum state transfer fidelity of 96% with realistic parameters using our derived optimal control solution. The effects of the intrinsic losses and the asymmetries in the physical memory parameters are discussed quantitatively.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Anomalous mechanisms of the loss of observability in non-Hermitian quantum models. (arXiv:2005.13069v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

Quantum phase transitions in certain non-Hermitian systems controlled by non-tridiagonal Hamiltonian matrices are found anomalous. In contrast to the known models with tridiagonal-matrix structure in which the geometric multiplicity of the completely degenerate energy eigenvalue appears always equal to one, this multiplicity is found larger than one in the present models. The phenomenon is interpreted as a confluence of several decoupled Kato's exceptional points of equal or different orders.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### On connectivity-dependent resource requirements for digital quantum simulation of $d$-level particles. (arXiv:2005.13070v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

A primary objective of quantum computation is to efficiently simulate quantum physics. Scientifically and technologically important quantum Hamiltonians include those with spin-$s$, vibrational, photonic, and other bosonic degrees of freedom, i.e. problems composed of, or approximated by, $d$-level particles (qudits). Recently, several methods for encoding these systems into a set of qubits have been introduced, where each encoding's efficiency was studied in terms of qubit and gate counts. Here, we build on previous results by including effects of hardware connectivity. To study the number of SWAP gates required to Trotterize commonly used quantum operators, we use both analytical arguments and automatic tools that optimize the schedule in multiple stages. We study the unary (or one-hot), Gray, standard binary, and block unary encodings, with three connectivities: linear array, ladder array, and square grid. Among other trends, we find that while the ladder array leads to substantial efficiencies over the linear array, the advantage of the square over the ladder array is less pronounced. Additionally, analytical and numerical results show that the Gray code is less advantageous when connectivity constraints are considered. These results are applicable in hardware co-design and in choosing efficient encodings for a given set of near-term quantum hardware when simulating Hamiltonians with $d$-level degrees of freedom.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Learning control of quantum systems using frequency-domain optimization algorithms. (arXiv:2005.13080v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

We investigate two classes of quantum control problems by using frequency-domain optimization algorithms in the context of ultrafast laser control of quantum systems. In the first class, the system model is known and a frequency-domain gradient-based optimization algorithm is applied to searching for an optimal control field to selectively and robustly manipulate the population transfer in atomic Rubidium. The other class of quantum control problems involves an experimental system with an unknown model. In the case, we introduce a differential evolution algorithm with a mixed strategy to search for optimal control fields and demonstrate the capability in an ultrafast laser control experiment for the fragmentation of Pr(hfac)$_3$ molecules.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Coherent Microwave Control of a Nuclear Spin Ensemble at Room Temperature. (arXiv:2005.13082v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

We use nominally forbidden electron-nuclear spin transitions in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond to demonstrate coherent manipulation of a nuclear spin ensemble using microwave fields at room temperature. We show that employing an off-axis magnetic field with a modest amplitude($\approx$ 0.01 T) at an angle with respect to the NV natural quantization axes is enough to tilt the direction of the electronic spins, and enable efficient spin exchange with the nitrogen nuclei of the NV center. We could then demonstrate fast Rabi oscillations on electron-nuclear spin exchanging transitions, coherent population trapping and polarization of nuclear spin ensembles in the microwave regime. Coupling many electronic spins of NV centers to their intrinsic nuclei offers full scalability with respect to the number of controllable spins and provides prospects for transduction. In particular, the technique could be applied to long-lived storage of microwave photons and to the coupling of nuclear spins to mechanical oscillators in the resolved sideband regime.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Quantum Algorithm for Approximating Maximum Independent Sets. (arXiv:2005.13089v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

We present a quantum algorithm for approximating maximum independent sets of a graph based on quantum non-Abelian adiabatic mixing in the sub-Hilbert space of degenerate ground states, which generates quantum annealing in a secondary Hamiltonian. For both sparse and dense graphs, our quantum algorithm on average can find an independent set of size very close to $\alpha(G)$, which is the size of the maximum independent set of a given graph $G$. Numerical results indicate that an $O(n^2)$ time complexity quantum algorithm is sufficient for finding an independent set of size $(1-\epsilon)\alpha(G)$. The best classical approximation algorithm can produce in polynomial time an independent set of size about half of $\alpha(G)$.

Categories: Journals, Physics

### Investigating Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithms under Bang-bang Protocols. (arXiv:2005.13103v1 [quant-ph])

arXiv.org: Quantum Physics - Thu, 2020-05-28 14:45

The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) is widely seen as a possible usage of Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices. In the standard version of the algorithm, two different Hamiltonians switch back-and-forth between being applied. The Hamiltonians are applied for a variable amount of time after each switch, but with a fixed total number of switches. Here we take an alternative approach and view the algorithm as a bang-bang protocol. In the bang-bang formulation, the total amount of time is fixed and broken up into a number of equal-sized intervals. The bang-bang protocol chooses which of the two Hamiltonians to apply during each interval. Thus the number of switches is not predetermined, and can become as large as the discretization allows. Using a randomized greedy optimizer for protocol performance called Stochastic Descent ($\mathrm{SD}$), we investigate the performance of bang-bang QAOA on MAX-2-SAT, finding the appearance of phase transitions with respect to the total time. As the total time increases, the optimal bang-bang protocol experiences a number of jumps and plateaus in performance which match up with an increasing number of switches in the standard QAOA formulation. At large times, it becomes more difficult to find a globally optimal bang-bang protocol and performances suffers. We investigate the effects of changing the initial conditions of the $\mathrm{SD}$ algorithm, and see that better local optima can be found by using an adiabatic initialization.

Categories: Journals, Physics