arXiv subjects

Junhua Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Junhua Zhang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Detecting Quantum Stochastic Effects in Radiation Reaction via Laser-Produced Surface QED Plasmas

We propose a method to detect quantum stochastic effects in radiation reaction by irradiating a V-shaped plasma cavity with an ultra-intense laser pulse. The pulse accelerates GeV electrons along the inner surface and simultaneously drives strong-field surface wave near the cavity apex. The accelerated electron bunches then collide with the surface wave, the latter acts as an effective counter-propagating ultra-intense electromagnetic wave, triggering significant radiation reaction. Importantly, because the surface wave is confined to an ultra-thin QED plasma layer (on the scale of the skin depth) where the expected number of hard photon emissions per electron is of order unity, stochastic effects are expected. Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations with different QED models show that radiation reaction strongly reshapes the angular distribution of high-energy electrons. In particular, electrons deflected by the surface wave experience strong radiation loss. However, compared with the semi-classical model, the stochastic QED model preserves a higher-energy component in the deflected beam, producing a clear angular-spectral signature, which potentially opens a pathway for experimental study of quantum stochastic effects in radiation reaction.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Low-Latency Out-of-Core ANN Search in High-Dimensional Space

In-memory graph-based approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) search has superior search performance but incurs significant memory footprint. Disk-based methods reduce memory usage but suffer from high disk access latency. A common challenge is how to achieve low-latency search while significantly reducing memory footprint. In this paper, we propose SkipDisk, a disk-memory hybrid ANN search that significantly reduces memory footprint while achieving search latency comparable to or lower than in-memory method HNSW. By analyzing existing disk-based methods, we observed that disk access remains the primary bottleneck, and existing lower bound based filtering methods are two loose to effectively reduce disk access. Therefore, we design SkipDisk to achieve tight lower bound with low memory footprint to reduce the search latency. First, we design a dedicated pivot for each point to improve the lower bound of the triangle inequality for effective filtering. We further design an estimation-based approach based on this lower bound. Second, to reduce the memory footprint, we employ a three-level data pruning strategy to preserve informative data in memory. Third, to further reduce search latency, we design an asynchronous I/O strategy based on the decoupling of in-memory search and disk access by storing neighbor nodes in memory. Experiments show that our method achieves a latency of 85 of HNSW's latency with approximately 10 memory footprint, and a latency to 63 of HNSW's with a slightly higher memory footprint of around 20.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2026

Beyond-Ten-Hour Coherence in a Decoherence-Free Trapped-Ion Clock Qubit

Quantum systems promise to revolutionize information processing science and technology [1-3]. The preservation of quantum coherence, the defining property of qubits, fundamentally constrains the performance of quantum information processing with quantum memories [4]. While trapped atomic ions theoretically support million-year coherence based on spontaneous emission [5-7], experimental demonstrations have reached far less, only about an hour [8-13]. Here we combine clock-state qubits with decoherence-free subspace (DFS) encoding to achieve coherence exceeding ten hours. Using correlation-based phase tracking in 171Yb+ ion pairs sympathetically cooled by 138Ba+ ion, we demonstrate this without magnetic shielding or enhanced microwave phase stabilization that previously limited coherence times. DFS encoding references the qubit phase to the inter-ion energy difference to reject microwave phase noise and common-mode magnetic fluctuations, while clock states provide environmental insensitivity. Throughout measurements extended to 1600 seconds, we observe minimal coherence decay, with exponential fits yielding a coherence time of (3.77 +/- 1.09) x 10^4 seconds. Our results establish DFS encoding as a form of passive error correction that eliminates technical noise constraints, unlocking the million-year coherence potential of atomic ions for scalable quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Constant-time Connectivity and 2-Edge Connectivity Querying in Dynamic Graphs

Connectivity query processing is a fundamental problem in graph processing. Given an undirected graph and two query vertices, the problem aims to identify whether they are connected via a path. Given frequent edge updates in real graph applications, in this paper, we study connectivity query processing in fully dynamic graphs, where edges are frequently inserted or deleted. A recent solution, called D-tree, maintains a spanning tree for each connected component and applies several heuristics to reduce the depth of the tree. To improve efficiency, we propose a new spanning-tree-based solution by maintaining a disjoint-set tree simultaneously. By combining the advantages of two trees, we achieve the constant query time complexity and also significantly improve the theoretical running time in both edge insertion and edge deletion. In addition, we extend our connectivity maintenance algorithms to maintain 2-edge connectivity. Our performance studies on real large datasets show considerable improvement of our algorithms.

cs.DB↗

arXiv2025

Scalable entangling gates on ion qubits via structured light addressing

A central challenge in developing practical quantum processors is maintaining low control complexity while scaling to large numbers of qubits. Trapped-ion systems excel in small-scale operations and support rapid qubit scaling via long-chain architectures. However, their performance in larger systems is hindered by spectral crowding in radial motional modes, a problem that forces reliance on intricate pulse-shaping techniques to maintain gate fidelities. Here, we overcome this challenge by developing a novel trapped-ion processor with an individual-addressing system that generates steerable Hermite-Gaussian beam arrays. The transverse gradient of these beams couples qubits selectively to sparse axial motional modes, enabling to isolate a single mode as entanglement mediator. Leveraging this capability, we demonstrate addressable two-qubit entangling gates in chains up to six ions with fidelities consistently around 0.97, achieved without complex pulse shaping. Our method significantly reduces control overhead while preserving scalability, providing a crucial advance toward practical large-scale trapped-ion quantum computing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Resonant frequencies distribution for multiple closely spaced subwavelength resonators

In this paper, we investigate a resonant system comprising $N$ closely packed spherical resonators ($N>2$). We analyze how the spatial arrangement of these resonators influences the distribution of resonant frequencies, focusing on leading-order terms. Furthermore, we characterize the asymptotic behavior of resonant modes linked to their respective frequencies. Our results demonstrate distinct trends across configurations: For single-row alignment, the system exhibits $N$ clearly separated resonant frequencies; For multi-row arrangements, the resonant frequency range broadens, though the total number of frequencies may diminish; while for ring configurations, comparable frequency ranges to chain arrangements emerge, but with fewer resonant frequencies. We derive explicit analytical expressions to quantify these frequency distributions. Regarding resonant modes, we identify that at specific frequencies, the gradient of these modes may exhibit different asymptotic behavior between different resonators.

math.AP↗

arXiv2024

A Design of Hadronic Calorimeter for DarkSHINE Experiment

The sensitivity of the dark photon search through invisible decay final states in low background experiments significantly relies on the neutron and muon veto efficiency, which depends on the amount of material used and the design of detector geometry. This paper presents an optimized design of a hadronic calorimeter (HCAL) used for the DarkSHINE experiment, which is studied using a GEANT4-based simulation framework. The geometry is optimized by comparing a traditional design with uniform absorbers to one that uses different thicknesses at different locations of the detector, which enhances the efficiency of vetoing low-energy neutrons at the sub-GeV level. The overall size and total amount of material used in HCAL are optimized to be lower due to the load and budget requirements, while the overall performance is studied to meet the physical objectives.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

A Single-Ion Information Engine for Charging Quantum Battery

Information engines produce mechanical work through measurement and adaptive control. For information engines, the principal challenge lies in how to store the generated work for subsequent utilization. Here, we report an experimental demonstration where quantized mechanical motion serves as a quantum battery and gets charged in repeated cycles by a single trapped-ion information engine. This is enabled by a key technological advancement in rapid state discrimination, allowing us to suppress measurement-induced disturbances. Consequently, we were able to obtain a charging efficiency over 50\% of the theoretical limit at the optimal temperature. The experimental results substantiate that this approach can render trapped ions a promising platform for microscopic information engines with potential applications in the future upon scaling up.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Performance of AC-LGAD strip sensor designed for the DarkSHINE experiment

AC-coupled Low Gain Avalanche Detector (AC-LGAD) is a new precise detector technology developed in recent years. Based on the standard Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) technology, AC-LGAD sensors can provide excellent timing performance and spatial resolution. This paper presents the design and performance of several prototype AC-LGAD strip sensors for the DarkSHINE tracking system, as well as the electrical characteristics and spatial resolution of the prototype sensors from two batches of wafers with different $n^+$ dose.The range of spatial resolutions of 6.5$\mathrm{μm}$ $\sim$ 8.2$\mathrm{μm}$ and 8.8$\mathrm{μm}$ $\sim$ 12.3$\mathrm{μm}$ are achieved by the AC-LGAD sensors with 100$μm$ pitch size.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

Observing Quantum Synchronization of a Single Trapped-Ion Qubit

Synchronizing a few-level quantum system is of fundamental importance to understanding synchronization in deep quantum regime. Whether a two-level system, the smallest quantum system, can be synchronized has been theoretically debated for the past several years. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate that a qubit can indeed be synchronized to an external driving signal by using a trapped-ion system. By engineering fully controllable gain and damping processes, an ion qubit is synchronized to oscillate at the same frequency as the driving signal and lock in phase. We systematically investigate the parameter regions of synchronization and observe characteristic features of the Arnold tongue. Our measurements agree remarkably well with numerical simulations based on recent theory on qubit synchronization. By synchronizing the basic unit of quantum information, our research opens up the possibility of applying quantum synchronization to large-scale quantum networks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Significant-loophole-free test of Kochen-Specker contextuality using two species of atomic-ions

Quantum measurements cannot be thought of as revealing preexisting results, even when they do not disturb any other measurement in the same trial. This feature is called contextuality and is crucial for the quantum advantage in computing. Here, we report the first observation of quantum contextuality simultaneously free of the detection, sharpness and compatibility loopholes. The detection and sharpness loopholes are closed by adopting a hybrid two-ion system and highly efficient fluorescence measurements offering a detection efficiency of $100\%$ and a measurement repeatability $>98\%$. The compatibility loophole is closed by targeting correlations between observables for two different ions in a Paul trap, a $^{171}\mathrm{Yb}^{+}$ ion and a $^{138}\mathrm{Ba}^{+}$ ion, chosen so measurements on each ion use different operation laser wavelengths, fluorescence wavelengths, and detectors. The experimental results show a violation of the bound for the most adversarial noncontextual models and open a new way to certify quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Stabilizing Topological Superfluidity of Lattice Fermions

Attractive interaction between spinless fermions in a two-dimensional lattice drives the formation of a topological superfluid. But the topological phase is dynamically unstable towards phase separation when the system has a high density of states and large interaction strength. This limits the critical temperature to an experimentally challenging regime where, for example, even ultracold atoms and molecules in optical lattices would struggle to realize the topological superfluid. We propose that the introduction of a weaker longer-range repulsion, in addition to the short-range attraction between lattice fermions, will suppress the phase separation instability. Taking the honeycomb lattice as an example, we show that our proposal significantly enlarges the stable portion of the topological superfluid phase and increases the critical temperature by an order of magnitude. Our work opens a route to enhance the stability of topological superfluids by engineering inter-particle interactions.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗

arXiv2020

Single ion-qubit exceeding one hour coherence time

Realizing a long coherence time quantum memory is a major challenge of current quantum technology. Here, we report a single \Yb ion-qubit memory with over one hour coherence time, an order of improvement compared to the state-of-the-art record. The long coherence time memory is realized by addressing various technical challenges such as ambient magnetic-field noise, phase noise and leakage of the microwave oscillator. Moreover, systematically study the decoherence process of our quantum memory by quantum process tomography, which enables to apply the strict criteria of quantum coherence, relative entropy of coherence. We also benchmark our quantum memory by its ability in preserving quantum information, i.e., the robustness of quantum memory, which clearly shows that over 6000 s, our quantum memory preserves non-classical quantum information. Our results verify the stability of the quantum memory in hours level and indicate its versatile applicability in various scenarios.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Randomness expansion secured by quantum contextuality

The output randomness from a random number generator can be certified by observing the violation of quantum contextuality inequalities based on the Kochen-Specker theorem. Contextuality can be tested in a single quantum system, which significantly simplifies the experimental requirements to observe the violation comparing to the ones based on nonlocality tests. However, it is not yet resolved how to ensure compatibilities for sequential measurements that is required in contextuality tests. Here, we employ a modified Klyachko-Can-Binicioğlu-Shumovsky contextuality inequality, which can ease the strict compatibility requirement on measurements. On a trapped single \Ba ion system, we experimentally demonstrate violation of the contextuality inequality and realize self-testing quantum random number expansion by closing detection loopholes. We perform $1.29 \times 10^8$ trials of experiments and extract the randomness of $8.06 \times 10^5$ bits with a speed of 270 bits s$^{-1}$. Our demonstration paves the way for the practical high-speed spot-checking quantum random number expansion and other secure information processing applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Frequency stabilization of a 650 nm laser to I$_{2}$ spectrum for trapped $^{138}$Ba$^{+}$ ions

The optical manipulation of Ba$^{+}$ ions is mainly performed by a 493 nm laser for the S$_{1/2}$-P$_{1/2}$ transition and a 650 nm laser for the P$_{1/2}$-D$_{3/2}$ transition. Since the branching ratio between the 493 nm and 650 nm transitions of a single Ba$^{+}$ ion is comparable, stabilization systems of both lasers are equally important for Doppler cooling, sub-Doppler cooling, optical pumping and state detection. The stabilization system of a 493 nm laser to an absolute Te$_2$ reference has been well established. However, the stabilization of a 650 nm laser has not been presented before. Here we report twenty spectral lines of I$_{2}$ in the range of 0.9 GHz above the resonance of the P$_{1/2}$-D$_{3/2}$ transition. We stabilize the 650 nm laser through the optical cavity to the lowest one among these lines, which is about 350 MHz apart, as the absolute frequency reference. Furthermore, we measure the frequency differences between these iodine lines and the Ba$^+$ resonance through fluorescence excitation spectrum with well-resolved dark states, which is in agreement with the theoretical expectation. The presented stabilization scheme enables us to perform precise experiments with Ba$^{+}$ ions.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2017

Unconventional superconductivity and anomalous response in hole-doped transition metal dichalcogenides

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides entwine interaction, spin-orbit coupling, and topology. Hole-doped systems lack spin degeneracy: states are indexed with spin and valley specificity. This unique structure offers new possibilities for correlated phases and phenomena. We realize an unconventional superconducting pairing phase which is an equal mixture of a spin singlet and the $m = 0$ spin triplet. It is stable against large in-plane magnetic fields, and its topology allows quasiparticle excitations of net nonzero Berry curvature via pair-breaking circularly polarized light.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Quantum simulation of molecular spectroscopy in trapped-ion device

Molecules are the most demanding quantum systems to be simulated by quantum computers because of their complexity and the emergent role of quantum nature. The recent theoretical proposal of Huh et al. (Nature Photon., 9, 615 (2015)) showed that a multi-photon network with a Gaussian input state can simulate a molecular spectroscopic process. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of molecular vibrational spectroscopy of SO$_{2}$ with a trapped-ion system. In our realization, the molecular scattering operation is decomposed to a series of elementary quantum optical operations, which are implemented through Raman laser beams, resulting in a multimode Gaussian (Bogoliubov) transformation. The molecular spectroscopic signal is reconstructed from the collective projection measurements on phonon modes of the trapped-ion system. Our experimental demonstration would pave the way to large-scale molecular quantum simulations, which are classically intractable.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Single-qubit quantum memory exceeding $10$-minute coherence time

A long-time quantum memory capable of storing and measuring quantum information at the single-qubit level is an essential ingredient for practical quantum computation and com-munication. Recently, there have been remarkable progresses of increasing coherence time for ensemble-based quantum memories of trapped ions, nuclear spins of ionized donors or nuclear spins in a solid. Until now, however, the record of coherence time of a single qubit is on the order of a few tens of seconds demonstrated in trapped ion systems. The qubit coherence time in a trapped ion is mainly limited by the increasing magnetic field fluctuation and the decreasing state-detection efficiency associated with the motional heating of the ion without laser cooling. Here we report the coherence time of a single qubit over $10$ minutes in the hyperfine states of a \Yb ion sympathetically cooled by a \Ba ion in the same Paul trap, which eliminates the heating of the qubit ion even at room temperature. To reach such coherence time, we apply a few thousands of dynamical decoupling pulses to suppress the field fluctuation noise. A long-time quantum memory demonstrated in this experiment makes an important step for construction of the memory zone in scalable quantum computer architectures or for ion-trap-based quantum networks. With further improvement of the coherence time by techniques such as magnetic field shielding and increase of the number of qubits in the quantum memory, our demonstration also makes a basis for other applications including quantum money.

quant-ph↗