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At least 127 records · Page 7

Measuring quantum discord at the LHC

There has been an increasing interest in exploring quantities associated with quantum information at colliders. We perform a detailed analysis describing how to measure the quantum discord in the top anti-top quantum state at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). While for pure states, quantum discord, entanglement, and Bell nonlocality all probe the same correlations, for mixed states they probe different aspects of quantum correlations. The quantum discord, in particular, is interesting because it aims to encapsulate all correlations between systems that cannot have a classical origin. We employ two complementary approaches for the study of the top anti-top system, namely the decay method and the kinematic method. We highlight subtleties associated with measuring discord for reconstructed quantum states at colliders. Usually quantum discord is difficult to compute due to an extremization that must be performed. We show, however, that for the $t\bar{t}$ system this extremization can be performed analytically and we provide closed-form formulas for the quantum discord. We demonstrate that with current LHC datasets, quantum discord can be observed at 3.6 – 5.7σ, depending on the signal region, with the decay method and can be measured at a precision of 0.1 – 0.2% with the kinematic method. At the high luminosity LHC, the observation of quantum discord is expected to be > 5σ using both the decay and kinematic methods and can be measured with a precision of 5% with the decay method and 0.05% with the kinematic method. Additionally, we identify the kinematic cuts at the LHC to isolate the $t\bar{t}$ state that is separable but has non-zero discord. By systematically investigating quantum discord for the first time through a detailed collider analysis, this work expands the toolkit for quantum information studies in particle physics and lays the groundwork for deeper insights into the quantum properties in high-energy collisions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Probing celestial energy and charge correlations through real-time quantum simulations: Insights from the Schwinger model

Motivated by recent developments in the application of light-ray operators (LROs) in high energy physics, we propose a new strategy to study correlation functions of LROs through real-time quantum simulations. We argue that quantum simulators provide an ideal laboratory to explore the properties LROs in lower-dimensional quantum field theories. This is exemplified in the 1 + 1 -d Schwinger model, employing tensor network methods, focusing on the calculation of energy and charge correlators. Despite some challenges in extracting the necessary correlation functions from the lattice, the methodology used can be extended to real quantum devices. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Freestanding VO 2 membranes on epidermal nanomesh for ultra-sensitive correlated breathable sensors

The interest in highly sensitive sensors is rapidly increasing for detecting very tiny signals for Internet of Things devices. Here, we achieve ultra-sensitive correlated breathable sensors based on freestanding VO 2 membranes. We fabricate the membranes by growing VO 2 films onto sacrificial Sr 3 Al 2 O 6 layer grown on SrTiO 3 , selectively dissolving the Sr 3 Al 2 O 6 in water, and then rendering freestanding VO 2 membrane on nanomesh. The nanomeshes are extremely flexible, sweat permeable, and readily skin-adhesive. The resistance of the VO 2 membranes is reversibly tuned by human’s tiny mechanical stimuli and breath stimuli. The stimuli modulate the Peierls dimerization of one-dimensional V-V chains in the VO 2 lattice which concomitantly controls the electron correlation and hence resistivity. Since our breathable sensors operate based on quantum-mechanical correlation effects, their sensitivity is 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than conventional tactile and respiratory sensors based on other materials. Thus, the freestanding membranes of correlated oxides on epidermal nanomeshes are multifunctional platforms for developing ultra-sensitive correlated breathable sensors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Deciphering and Manipulating Low Dimensional Magnetism

This program investigates the electronic structure and collective quantum phenomena of correlated magnetic materials using advanced angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and complementary probes, with a focus on three interrelated material families: (i) the semiconducting van der Waals magnet Cr₂Ge₂Te₆, (ii) metallic Fe-based van der Waals magnets including Fe₃GeTe₂ Fe₃GaTe₂, and Fe5GeTe₂, and (iii) kagome magnets such as FeGe, FeSn, and CsV₃Sb₅/CsCr₃Sb₅. In Cr₂Ge₂Te₆, our work established how spin excitations develop across a dimensional crossover as spins establish correlation to form long range order, providing a clean platform to isolate correlation effects. In metallic Fe-based magnets, we uncovered the dichotomy between flat and dispersive bands, revealed momentum-dependent electronic reconstructions tied to magnetic order, and demonstrated reversible, non-volatile electronic switching near room temperature, highlighting the strong coupling among spin, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom in metallic ferromagnets. In kagome magnets, we identified charge density wave formation, symmetry breaking, flat-band renormalization, and field-induced momentum-dependent electronic anisotropy, elucidating how geometric frustration and electronic correlations conspire to generate emergent quantum states. Collectively, these results establish a unified microscopic framework for understanding correlation-driven electronic reconstruction, symmetry breaking, and collective order across semiconducting and metallic magnetic systems, advancing DOE mission goals in quantum materials discovery and control.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Simulating strongly correlated molecules with a superconducting quantum processor

Many of the biggest challenges in expanding the nation’s access to clean and low-cost energy resources are fundamentally chemistry or materials challenges. An important case is the development of new catalysts for the up-conversion of cheap and readily available materials such as methane or water into materials suitable for use as a fuel such as methanol or oxygen. To understand and exploit such processes, computer simulations of chemical reactions provide a natural complement to experimental studies. Unfortunately, most catalytic reactions involve so-called “strongly correlated” molecules which are notoriously difficult to study with simulation algorithms that can be executed on existing (classical) computers. The recent growth in quantum information science offers an alternative potential route for simulating these difficult systems. As a result, an increasing number of computational chemists are becoming interested in quantum computing. At the same time, quantum information scientists have identified chemistry simulation as a possible first demonstration of a quantum computer providing an improvement over a classical computer. The objective of this project is to accurately simulate strongly correlated molecules on a quantum processor. To meet the high challenges of this objective, new hybrid quantum/classical algorithms will be co-designed with advanced quantum gate developments and computed on customized quantum hardware. Some of the developed techniques will be transferable to study other molecular systems, while the project as a whole will help define better strategies for advancing the quantum simulation of matter more generally.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Realization of fermionic Laughlin state on a quantum processor

Strongly correlated topological phases of matter are central to modern condensed matter physics and quantum information technology but often challenging to probe and control in material systems. The experimental difficulty of accessing these phases has motivated the use of engineered quantum platforms for simulation and manipulation of exotic topological states. Among these, the Laughlin state stands as a cornerstone for topological matter, embodying fractionalization, anyonic excitations, and incompressibility. Although its bosonic analogs have been realized on programmable quantum simulators, a genuine fermionic Laughlin state has yet to be demonstrated on a quantum processor. Here, we realize the ν = 1/3 fermionic Laughlin state on IonQ’s trapped-ion quantum computer using an efficient and scalable Hamiltonian variational ansatz with 369 two-qubit gates on a 16-qubit circuit. Employing symmetry-verification error mitigation, we extract key observables that characterize the Laughlin state, including correlation hole, bulk-edge correspondence, and topological entanglement entropy, with strong agreement to exact diagonalization benchmarks. This work demonstrates an end-to-end workflow to simulate material-intrinsic topological orders and provides a starting point to explore its dynamics and excitations on digital quantum processors.

Shen, Lingnan [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (U↗

Genuine k -partite correlations and entanglement in the ground state of the Dicke model for interacting qubits

Here, in this work, we calculate and study correlations of the Dicke model in the presence of qubit–qubit interaction. Whereas the analysis of correlations among its subsystems is essential for the understanding of corresponding critical phenomena and for performing quantum information tasks, the majority of correlation measures are restricted to bipartitions due to the inherent challenges associated with handling multiple partitions. To circunvent this we employ the calculation of Genuine Multipartite Correlations (GMC) based on the invariance of our model under particle permutation. We then quantify the correlations within each subpart of the system, as well as the percentage contribution of each GMC of order $k$, highlighting the many-body behaviors for different regimes of parameters. Additionally, we show that GMC signal both first- and second-order quantum phase transitions present in the model. Furthermore, as GMC encompasses both classical and quantum correlations, we employ Quantum Fisher Information (QFI) to detect genuine multipartite entanglement. Ultimately, we map the Dicke model with interacting qubits to spin in solids interacting with a quantum field of magnons, thus demonstrating a potential experimental realization of this model.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Spin squeezing in an ensemble of nitrogen–vacancy centres in diamond

Spin-squeezed states provide a seminal example of how the structure of quantum mechanical correlations can be controlled to produce metrologically useful entanglement. These squeezed states have been demonstrated in a wide variety of quantum systems ranging from atoms in optical cavities to trapped ion crystals. By contrast, despite their numerous advantages as practical sensors, spin ensembles in solid-state materials have yet to be controlled with sufficient precision to generate targeted entanglement such as spin squeezing. Here we report the experimental demonstration of spin squeezing in a solid-state spin system. Our experiments are performed on a strongly interacting ensemble of nitrogen–vacancy colour centres in diamond at room temperature, and squeezing (−0.50 ± 0.13 dB) below the noise of uncorrelated spins is generated by the native magnetic dipole–dipole interaction between nitrogen–vacancy centres. To generate and detect squeezing in a solid-state spin system, we overcome several challenges. First, we develop an approach, using interaction-enabled noise spectroscopy, to characterize the quantum projection noise in our system without directly resolving the spin probability distribution. Second, noting that the random positioning of spin defects severely limits the generation of spin squeezing, we implement a pair of strategies aimed at isolating the dynamics of a relatively ordered sub-ensemble of nitrogen–vacancy centres. Furthermore, our results open the door to entanglement-enhanced metrology using macroscopic ensembles of optically active spins in solids.

Atomic and molecular physics↗

Embracing disorder in quantum materials design

Many of the most exciting materials discoveries in fundamental condensed matter physics are made in systems hosting some degree of intrinsic disorder. While disorder has historically been regarded as something to be avoided in materials design, it is often of central importance to correlated and quantum materials. This is largely driven by the conceptual and theoretical ease to handle, predict, and understand highly uniform systems that exhibit complex interactions, symmetries, and band structures. In this Perspective, we highlight how flipping this paradigm has enabled exciting possibilities in the emerging field of high entropy materials, focusing primarily on high entropy oxide and chalcogenide quantum materials. These materials host high levels of cation or anion compositional disorder while maintaining unexpectedly uniform single crystal lattices. The diversity of atomic scale interactions of spin, charge, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom are found to emerge into coherent properties on much larger length scales. Thus, altering the variance and magnitudes of the atomic scale properties through elemental selection can open new routes to tune global correlated phases, such as magnetism, metal–insulator transitions, ferroelectricity, and even emergent topological responses. The strategy of embracing disorder in this way provides a much broader pallet from which functional states can be designed for next-generation microelectronic and quantum information systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Embracing Disorder in Quantum Materials Design

Many of the most exciting materials discoveries in fundamental condensed matter physics are made in systems hosting some degree of intrinsic disorder. While disorder has historically been regarded as something to be avoided in materials design, it is often of central importance to correlated and quantum materials. This is largely driven by the conceptual and theoretical ease to handle, predict, and understand highly uniform systems that exhibit complex interactions, symmetries, and band structures. In this Perspective, we highlight how flipping this paradigm has enabled exciting possibilities in the emerging field of high entropy materials, focusing primarily on high entropy oxide and chalcogenide quantum materials. These materials host high levels of cation or anion compositional disorder while maintaining unexpectedly uniform single crystal lattices. The diversity of atomic scale interactions of spin, charge, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom are found to emerge into coherent properties on much larger length scales. Thus, altering the variance and magnitudes of the atomic scale properties through elemental selection can open new routes to tune global correlated phases, such as magnetism, metal–insulator transitions, ferroelectricity, and even emergent topological responses. The strategy of embracing disorder in this way provides a much broader pallet from which functional states can be designed for next-generation microelectronic and quantum information systems.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Modeling Strong Light-Matter Coupling in Correlated Systems: State-Averaged Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics Complete Active Space Self-Consistent Field Theory

The description of strongly correlated systems interacting with quantized cavity modes poses significant theoretical challenges due to the combinatorial scaling of electronic and photonic degrees of freedom. Recent advances addressing this complexity include cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) generalizations of complete active space configuration interaction and density matrix renormalization group methods. In this work, we introduce a QED extension of state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field theory, which incorporates cavity-induced correlations through a second-order orbital optimization framework with robust convergence properties. The method is implemented using both photon number state and coherent state representations, with the latter showing robust origin invariance in the energies regardless of the completeness of the photonic Fock space. The implementation enables symmetry-free orbital relaxations to account for photon-mediated symmetry breaking in polaritonic systems. Numerical validation on lithium hydride, hydroxide anion, and magnesium hydride cation demonstrates that this method achieves significantly improved accuracy in modeling ground-state and polariton potential energy surfaces compared to QED-CASCI in a fixed orbital basis. In these studies, we reach sub-kcal/mol accuracy in potential energy surface in much smaller active spaces than are required for QED-CASCI. This advancement provides a more robust approach for studying cavity-altered chemical landscapes for ground and exited strongly coupled systems.

CASSCF↗

Heralded Generation of Correlated Photon Pairs from CdS/CdSe/CdS Quantum Shells

Quantum information processing demands efficient quantum light sources (QLS) capable of producing high-fidelity single photons or entangled photon pairs. Single epitaxial quantum dots (QDs) have long been proven to be efficient sources of deterministic single photons; however, their production via molecular-beam epitaxy presents scalability challenges. Conversely, colloidal semiconductor QDs offer scalable solution processing and tunable photoluminescence, but suffer from broader linewidths and unstable emissions. This leads to spectrally inseparable emission from exciton (X) and biexciton (XX) states, complicating the production of single photons and triggered photon pairs. Here, in this work, we demonstrate that colloidal semiconductor quantum shells (QSs) achieve significant spectral separation (∼75–80 meV) and long temporal stability of X and XX emissive states, enabling the observation of exciton-biexciton bunching in colloidal QDs. Our low-temperature single-particle measurements show cascaded XX-X emission of single photon pairs for over 200 s, with minimal overlap between X and XX features. The X-XX distinguishability allows for an in-depth theoretical characterization of cross-correlation strength, placing it in perspective with photon pairs of epitaxial counterparts. These findings highlight a strong potential of semiconductor quantum shells for applications in quantum information processing.

biexciton↗

Heavy states in 3d gravity and 2d CFT

We discuss correlators of light fields in heavy states in AdS 3 gravity and holographic 2d CFTs. In the bulk, the propagator of free fields in AdS backgrounds containing a conical defect or a BTZ black hole can be obtained by solving a wave equation, as well as by the method of images. On the boundary, these geometries are sourced by heavy operator insertions, and the propagator is dual to a heavy-light (HHLL) correlator. By matching its expansion in Virasoro blocks to our bulk results, we determine the OPE coefficients of all contributing states in both the s and t channels. In the s channel, these states are excitations of the light field on top of the heavy state, and their OPE coefficients are the amplitudes to create them. The t-channel OPE is dominated by the Virasoro vacuum block, but there is also an infinite family of light two-particle states that contribute to the correlator. The OPE coefficients that couple these states to heavy operators represent their expectation values in heavy backgrounds. We determine them exactly, derive their asymptotic form at large twist, and discuss their behavior near and above the BTZ threshold, where they become thermal one-point functions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Spinon excitations and spin correlations in the one-dimensional quantum magnet β -VOSO 4 probed by Raman spectroscopy

Fractionalized excitations such as spinons and anyons have emerged as a central theme in condensed matter physics with broad implications for superconductivity, quantum statistics, and quantum computation. The nearly ideal one-dimensional S = 1/2 system β-VOSO 4 without long-range order down to 85 mK provides a promising platform to experimentally explore such fractionalized excitations. Here, we employ Raman spectroscopy to probe magnetic excitations and the evolution of spin correlations in β-VOSO 4 . Spinon signatures are found along the chain direction, evidenced by a broad, gapless scattering continuum at low temperatures. The temperature dependence of the spinon spectral weight aligns considerably with numerical density matrix renormalization group calculations. By comparing the experimental spinon spectral weight with calculated results and evaluating the associated quantum Fisher information (QFI) therefrom, we observe a steep increase in QFI upon cooling, indicating rapidly growing correlation lengths. Our study showcases QFI as a probe of spin correlations in quantum magnets.

Wulferding, Dirk [Sejong Univ., Seoul (Korea, Repu↗

Time-reversed Young’s experiment: Deterministic, diffractionless second-order interference effect

The classic Young’s double-slit experiment exhibits first-order interference, producing alternating bright and dark fringes shaped by the diffraction effect of the slits. In contrast, here we demonstrate that its time-reversed configuration generates an ideal, deterministic second-order ‘ghost’ interference pattern free from diffraction and first-order effects with the use of only a position-fixed detector. The pattern’s size is governed by the dimensions of the ‘effectively extended light source’ formed by point emitter(s). Beyond highlighting the nonreciprocal physics between the two configurations, this system unlocks a range of novel phenomena inaccessible in traditional double-slit experiments. These include fully programmable, digitized interference fringe formations and the ability to align the pattern plane with the source plane on the same side of the setup. Remarkably, our proposed experiment achieves these outcomes without relying on nonclassical correlations or quantum entanglement. Here, by restoring time-reversal symmetry and eliminating diffraction, our theoretical analysis reveals that this approach offers exciting potential for advancing optical imaging and sensing technologies with improved transverse and longitudinal phase-shift sensitivity and resolution limit beyond current limitations.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Modular flow in JT gravity and entanglement wedge reconstruction

It has been shown in recent works that JT gravity with matter with two boundaries has a type II ∞ algebra on each side. As the bulk spacetime between the two boundaries fluctuates in quantum nature, we can only define the entanglement wedge for each side in a pure algebraic sense. As we take the semiclassical limit, we will have a fixed long wormhole spacetime for a generic partially entangled thermal state (PETS), which is prepared by inserting heavy operators on the Euclidean path integral. Under this limit, with appropriate assumptions of the matter theory, geometric notions of the causal wedge and entanglement wedge emerge in this background. In particular, the causal wedge is manifestly nested in the entanglement wedge. Different PETS are orthogonal to each other, and thus the Hilbert space has a direct sum structure over sub-Hilbert spaces labeled by different Euclidean geometries. The full algebra for both sides is decomposed accordingly. From the algebra viewpoint, the causal wedge is dual to an emergent type III 1 subalgebra, which is generated by boundary light operators. To reconstruct the entanglement wedge, we consider the modular flow in a generic PETS for each boundary. We show that the modular flow acts locally and is the boost transformation around the global RT surface in the semiclassical limit. It follows that we can extend the causal wedge algebra to a larger type III 1 algebra corresponding to the entanglement wedge. Within each sub-Hilbert space, the original type II ∞ reduces to type III 1 .

2D Gravity↗

Removal of Homogeneous Broadening from 1 H-Detected Multidimensional Solid-State NMR Spectra

1 H-detected magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiments have revolutionized the NMR studies of biological and inorganic solids by providing unparalleled sensitivity and resolution. Despite these gains, homogeneous broadening, originating from the incomplete removal of homonuclear dipolar interactions under fast MAS, remains highly prevalent and limits the achievable resolution. In direct analogy to super-resolution microscopy methods, we show that resolution beyond that currently achievable by fast MAS alone can be obtained by experiment-driven deconvolution. Following the acquisition of a single 2D NMR spectrum to measure the frequency-dependent homogeneous lineshapes, any number of 1 H-detected spectra can be enhanced in resolution, yielding comparable spectra as obtained with twice the MAS frequency. In conclusion, the versatility of this approach is demonstrated in the enhancement of single- and double-quantum homonuclear correlation spectra, in addition to heteronuclear correlation spectra acquired on a surface organometallic complex and the protein GB1.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗