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Franco Nori

Publications and source records attributed to Franco Nori.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Proposal of ensemble qubits with two-atom decay

We propose and analyze a novel approach to implement ensemble qubits. The required anharmonicity is provided by a simultaneous decay of two atoms (i.e., two-atom decay), which is achieved by fully quantum degenerate parametric amplification. For an atomic ensemble, the two-atom decay generates and stabilizes a 2D quantum manifold, which is spanned by the ground and single-excited superradiant states. Moreover, this nonlinear decay process can strongly suppress transitions to higher-excited superradiant states, and convert residual transitions into an effective decay from the single-excitation superradiant state to the ground state. Our method does not require Rydberg dipole blockade and, thus, strong atom-atom interactions, compared to previous work. This indicates that it can be applied to typical atomic or spin ensembles in simple experimental setups. Remarkably, our idea is compatible with the cavity protection mechanism, and therefore spin dephasing due to inhomogeneous broadening can be strongly suppressed. The presented ensemble qubit provides a new platform for quantum information processing, and also extends the range of applications of atomic or spin ensembles.

quant-ph↗

Exponential sensitivity revival of noisy non-Hermitian quantum sensing with two-photon drives

Unique properties of multimode non-Hermitian lattice dynamics can be utilized to construct exponentially sensitive sensors. However, the impact of noise remains unclear, which may severely degrade their sensitivity. We analytically characterize and highlight the impact of loss and gain on the sensitivity revival and stability of non-Hermitian sensors. Defying the general belief that the superiority of quantum sensing will vanish in the presence of loss, we find that by proactively tuning the loss, the exponential sensitivity can be surprisingly regained when the sensing dynamics is stable. Furthermore, we prove that gain is crucial to fully revive the ideally exponential sensitivity and to ensure the stability of non-Hermitian sensing by making a balanced loss and gain. Our paper opens a way to significantly enhance the sensitivity by proactively tuning the loss and gain, which may promote future quantum sensing and quantum engineering.

quant-ph↗

Nonmesonic Quantum Many-Body Scars in a 1D Lattice Gauge Theory

We investigate the meson excitations (particle-antiparticle bound states) in quantum many-body scars of a 1D $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theory coupled to a dynamical spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ chain as a matter field. By introducing a string representation of the physical Hilbert space, we express a scar state $\ket {Ψ_{n,l}}$ as a superposition of all string bases with an identical string number $n$ and a total length $l$. For the small-$l$ scar state $\ket {Ψ_{n,l}}$, the gauge-invariant spin exchange correlation function of the matter field hosts an exponential decay as the distance increases, indicating the existence of stable mesons. However, for large $l$, the correlation function exhibits a power-law decay, signaling the emergence of nonmesonic excitations. Furthermore, we show that this mesonic-nonmesonic crossover can be detected by the quench dynamics, starting from two low-entangled initial states, respectively, which are experimentally feasible in quantum simulators. Our results expand the physics of quantum many-body scars in lattice gauge theories and reveal that the nonmesonic state can also manifest ergodicity breaking.

cond-mat.str-el↗

Quantum Phase Transitions in Many-Dipole Light-Matter Systems

A potential phase transition between a normal ground state and a photon-condensed ground state in many-dipole light-matter systems is a topic of considerable controversy, exasperated by conflicting no-go and counter no-go theorems and often ill-defined models. We clarify this long-lasting debate by analyzing two specific arrangements of atoms, including a 3D cubic lattice and a cavity-embedded square lattice layer, which provides a physical model for single-mode cavity QED with coupled dipoles in the thermodynamic limit. These models are shown to significantly differ from the standard Dicke model and, in the thermodynamic limit, give rise to renormalized Hopfield models. We show that a ferroelectric phase transition can (in principle) still occur and the description of the abnormal phase beyond the critical point requires the inclusion of nonlinear terms in the Holstein-Primakoff mapping. We also show how our model agrees with recent experiments.

quant-ph↗

Manipulating Topological Polaritons in Optomechanical Ladders

We propose to manipulate topological polaritons in optomechanical ladders consisting of an optical Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chain and a mechanical SSH chain connected through optomechanical (interchain) interactions. We show that the topological phase diagrams are divided into six areas by four boundaries and that there are four topological phases characterized by the Berry phases. We find that a topologically nontrivial phase of the polaritons is generated by the optomechanical interaction between the optical and mechanical SSH chains even though they are both in the topologically trivial phases. Counter-intuitively, six edge states appear in one of the topological phases with only two topological nontrivial bands, and some edge states are localized near but not at the boundaries of an open-boundary ladder. Moreover, a two-dimensional Chern insulator with higher Chern numbers is simulated by introducing proper periodical adiabatic modulations of the driving amplitude and frequency. Our work not only opens a route towards topological polaritons manipulation by optomachanical interactions, but also will exert a far-reaching influence on designing topologically protected polaritonic devices.

quant-ph↗

High-Dimensional Two-Photon Quantum Controlled Phase-Flip Gate

High-dimensional quantum systems have been used to reveal interesting fundamental physics and to improve information capacity and noise resilience in quantum information processing. However, it remains a significant challenge to realize universal two-photon quantum gates in high dimensions with high success probability. Here, by considering an ion-cavity QED system, we theoretically propose, to the best of our knowledge, the first high-dimensional, deterministic and universal two-photon quantum gate. By using an optical cavity embedded with a single trapped 40Ca+ ion, we achieve a high average fidelity larger than 98% for a quantum controlled phase-flip gate in four-dimensional space, spanned by photonic spin angular momenta and orbital angular momenta. Our proposed system can be an essential building block for high-dimensional quantum information processing, and also provides a platform for studying high-dimensional cavity QED.

quant-ph↗

Relational superposition measurements with a material quantum ruler

In physics, it is crucial to identify operational measurement procedures to give physical meaning to abstract quantities. There has been significant effort to define time operationally using quantum systems, but the same has not been achieved for space. Developing an operational procedure to obtain information about the location of a quantum system is particularly important for a theory combining general relativity and quantum theory, which cannot rest on the classical notion of spacetime. Here, we take a first step towards this goal, and introduce a model to describe an extended material quantum system working as a position measurement device. Such a "quantum ruler" is composed of $N$ harmonically interacting dipoles and serves as a (quantum) reference system for the position of another quantum system. We show that we can define a quantum measurement procedure corresponding to the "superposition of positions", and that by performing this measurement we can distinguish when the quantum system is in a coherent or incoherent superposition in the position basis. The model is fully relational, because the only meaningful variables are the relative positions between the ruler and the system, and the measurement is expressed in terms of an interaction between the measurement device and the measured system.

quant-ph↗

Magnon-Skyrmion Hybrid Quantum Systems: Tailoring Interactions via Magnons

Coherent and dissipative interactions between different quantum systems are essential for the construction of hybrid quantum systems and the investigation of novel quantum phenomena. Here, we propose and analyze a magnon-skyrmion hybrid quantum system, consisting of a micromagnet and nearby magnetic skyrmions. We predict a strong coupling mechanism between the magnonic mode of the micromagnet and the quantized helicity degree of freedom of the skyrmion. We show that with this hybrid setup it is possible to induce magnon-mediated nonreciprocal interactions and responses between distant skyrmion qubits or between skyrmion qubits and other quantum systems like superconducting qubits. This work provides a quantum platform for the investigation of diverse quantum effects and quantum information processing with magnetic microstructures.

quant-ph↗

Supervised learning for robust quantum control in composite-pulse systems

In this work, we develop a supervised learning model for implementing robust quantum control in composite-pulse systems, where the training parameters can be either phases, detunings, or Rabi frequencies. This model exhibits great resistance to all kinds of systematic errors, including single, multiple, and time-varying errors. We propose a modified gradient descent algorithm for adapting the training of phase parameters, and show that different sampling methods result in different robust performances. In particular, there is a trade-off between high fidelity and robustness for a given number of training parameters, and both can be simultaneously enhanced by increasing the number of training parameters (pulses). For its applications, we demonstrate that the current model can be used for achieving high-fidelity arbitrary superposition states and universal quantum gates in a robust manner. This work provides a highly efficient learning model for fault-tolerant quantum computation by training various physical parameters.

quant-ph↗

Quantum Weak Force Sensing with Squeezed Magnomechanics

Cavity magnomechanics, exhibiting remarkable experimental tunability, rich magnonic nonlinearities, and compatibility with various quantum systems, has witnessed considerable advances in recent years. However, the potential benefits of using cavity magnomechanical (CMM) systems in further improving the performance of quantum-enhanced sensing for weak forces remain largely unexplored. Here we show that the performance of a quantum CMM sensor can be significantly enhanced beyond the standard quantum limit (SQL), by squeezing the magnons. We find that, for comparable parameters, two orders of enhancement in force sensitivity can be achieved in comparison with the case without the magnon squeezing. Moreover, we show optimal parameter regimes of homodyne angle for minimizing added quantum noise. Our findings provide a promising approach for highly tunable and compatible quantum force sensing using hybrid CMM devices, with potential applications ranging from quantum precision measurements to quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

Effective Field Theories and Finite-temperature Properties of Zero-dimensional Superradiant Quantum Phase Transitions

The existence of zero-dimensional superradiant quantum phase transitions seems inconsistent with conventional statistical physics. This work clarifies this apparent inconsistency. We demonstrate the corresponding effective field theories and finite-temperature properties of light-matter interacting systems, and show how this zero-dimensional quantum phase transition occurs. We first focus on the Rabi model, which is a minimum model that hosts a superradiant quantum phase transition. With the path integral method, we derive the imaginary-time action of the photon degrees of freedom. We also define a dynamical critical exponent as the rescaling between the temperature and the photon frequency, and perform dimensional analysis to the effective action. The dynamical critical exponent shows that the effective theory of the Rabi model is a free scalar field, where a true second-order quantum phase transition emerges. These results are also verified by numerical simulations of imaginary-time correlation functions of the order parameter. Furthermore, we also generalize this method to the Dicke model. Our results make the zero-dimensional superradiant quantum phase transition compatible with conventional statistical physics, and pave the way to understand it in the perspective of effective field theories.

quant-ph↗

Generation of True Quantum Random Numbers with On-Demand Probability Distributions via Single-Photon Quantum Walks

Random numbers are at the heart of diverse fields, ranging from simulations of stochastic processes to classical and quantum cryptography. The requirement for true randomness in these applications has motivated various proposals for generating random numbers based on the inherent randomness of quantum systems. The generation of true random numbers with arbitrarily defined probability distributions is highly desirable for applications, but it is very challenging. Here we show that single-photon quantum walks can generate multi-bit random numbers with on-demand probability distributions, when the required ``coin'' parameters are found with the gradient descent (GD) algorithm. Our theoretical and experimental results exhibit high fidelity for various selected distributions. This GD-enhanced single-photon system provides a convenient way for building flexible and reliable quantum random number generators. Multi-bit random numbers are a necessary resource for high-dimensional quantum key distribution.

quant-ph↗

Emergent parallel transport and curvature in Hermitian and non-Hermitian quantum mechanics

Studies have shown that the Hilbert spaces of non-Hermitian systems require nontrivial metrics. Here, we demonstrate how evolution dimensions, in addition to time, can emerge naturally from a geometric formalism. Specifically, in this formalism, Hamiltonians can be interpreted as a Christoffel symbol-like operators, and the Schroedinger equation as a parallel transport in this formalism. We then derive the evolution equations for the states and metrics along the emergent dimensions and find that the curvature of the Hilbert space bundle for any given closed system is locally flat. Finally, we show that the fidelity susceptibilities and the Berry curvatures of states are related to these emergent parallel transports.

quant-ph↗

Restoring Adiabatic State Transfer in Time-Modulated Non-Hermitian Systems

Non-Hermitian systems have attracted much interest in recent decades, driven partly by the existence of exotic spectral singularities, known as exceptional points (EPs), where the dimensionality of the system evolution operator is reduced. Among various intriguing applications, the discovery of EPs has suggested the potential for implementing a symmetric mode switch, when encircling them in a system parameter space. However, subsequent theoretical and experimental works have revealed that {\it dynamical} encirclement of EPs invariably results in asymmetric mode conversion; namely, the mode switching depends only on the winding direction but not on the initial state. This chirality arises from the failure of adiabaticity due to the complex spectrum of non-Hermitian systems. Although the chirality revealed has undoubtedly made a significant impact in the field, a realization of the originally sought symmetric adiabatic passage in non-Hermitian systems with EPs has since been elusive. In this work, we bridge this gap and theoretically demonstrate that adiabaticity, and therefore a symmetric state transfer, is achievable when dynamically winding around an EP. This becomes feasible by specifically choosing a trajectory in the system parameter space along which the corresponding evolution operator attains a real spectrum. Our findings, thus, offer a promise for advancing various wave manipulation protocols in both quantum and classical domains.

quant-ph↗

Quantum Phase Transitions in Optomechanical Systems

In this letter, we investigate the ground state properties of an optomechanical system consisting of a coupled cavity and mechanical modes. An exact solution is given when the ratio $η$ between the cavity and mechanical frequencies tends to infinity. This solution reveals a coherent photon occupation in the ground state by breaking continuous or discrete symmetries, exhibiting an equilibrium quantum phase transition (QPT). In the $U(1)$-broken phase, an unstable Goldstone mode can be excited. In the model featuring $Z_2$ symmetry, we discover the mutually (in the finite $η$) or unidirectionally (in $η\rightarrow \infty$) dependent relation between the squeezed vacuum of the cavity and mechanical modes. In particular, when the cavity is driven by a squeezed field along the required squeezing parameter, it enables modifying the region of $Z_2$-broken phase and significantly reducing the coupling strength to reach QPTs. Furthermore, by coupling atoms to the cavity mode, the hybrid system can undergo a QPT at a hybrid critical point, which is cooperatively determined by the optomechanical and light-atom systems. These results suggest that this optomechanical system complements other phase transition models for exploring novel critical phenomena.

quant-ph↗

Tuning the initial phase to control the final state of a driven qubit

A driven quantum system can experience Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) transitions between its states, when the respective energy levels quasi-cross. If this quasicrossing is traversed repeatedly under periodic driving, the trajectories can interfere either constructively or destructively. In the latter case, known as coherent destruction of tunneling, the transition between the energy states is suppressed. Even for the double-passage case, the accumulated phase difference (also referred to as the Stuckelberg phase) can lead to destructive interference, resulting in no transition. In this paper, we discuss a similar process for the single-passage dynamics. We study the LZSM single-passage problem starting from a superposition state. The phase difference of this initial state results in interference. When this results in either a zero or a unit transition probability, such a situation can be called single-passage complete localization in a target state. The phase can be chosen so that the occupation probabilities do not change after the transition, which is analogous to the problem of transitionless driving. We demonstrate how varying the system parameters (driving velocity, initial phase, initial detuning) can be used for quantum coherent control.

quant-ph↗

Sudden change of the photon output field marks phase transitions in the quantum Rabi model

The experimental observation of quantum phase transitions predicted by the quantum Rabi model in quantum critical systems is usually challenging due to the lack of signature experimental observables associated with them. Here, we describe a method to identify the dynamical critical phenomenon in the quantum Rabi model consisting of a three-level atom and a cavity at the quantum phase transition. Such a critical phenomenon manifests itself as a sudden change of steady-state output photons in the system driven by two classical fields, when both the atom and the cavity are initially unexcited. The process occurs as the high-frequency pump field is converted into the low-frequency Stokes field and multiple cavity photons in the normal phase, while this conversion cannot occur in the superradiant phase. The sudden change of steady-state output photons is an experimentally accessible measure to probe quantum phase transitions, as it does not require preparing the equilibrium state.

quant-ph↗

Variational generation of spin squeezing on one-dimensional quantum devices with nearest-neighbor interactions

Efficient preparation of spin-squeezed states is important for quantum-enhanced metrology. Current protocols for generating strong spin squeezing rely on either high dimensionality or long-range interactions. A key challenge is how to generate considerable spin squeezing in one-dimensional systems with only nearest-neighbor interactions. Here, we develop variational spin-squeezing algorithms to solve this problem. We consider both digital and analog quantum circuits for these variational algorithms. After the closed optimization loop of the variational spin-squeezing algorithms, the generated squeezing can be comparable to the strongest squeezing created from two-axis twisting. By analyzing the experimental imperfections, the variational spin-squeezing algorithms proposed in this work are feasible in recent developed noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers.

quant-ph↗