arXiv subjects

Kai Klocke

Publications and source records attributed to Kai Klocke.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Spin-liquid-based topological qubits

Topological quantum computation relies on control of non-Abelian anyons for inherently fault-tolerant storage and processing of quantum information. By now, blueprints for topological qubits are well developed for electrically active topological superconductor and fractional quantum Hall platforms. We leverage recent insights into the creation and detection of non-Abelian anyons in electrically insulating spin systems to propose topological qubit architectures based on quantum spin liquids. We present two types of prototype designs that enable the requisite control in a potentially scalable framework: one invokes spin liquids integrated into magnetic tunnel junction arrays, the other uses semiconductor-spin liquid hybrids. We further identify various protocols for interrogating spin-liquid-based topological qubits, both to validate the underlying principles of topological quantum computation and to establish gates required for universal quantum computation. These results provide long-term direction for experimental investigation of Kitaev materials and potentially other solid-state spin liquid hosts.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

Entanglement dynamics in monitored Kitaev circuits: loop models, symmetry classification, and quantum Lifshitz scaling

Quantum circuits offer a versatile platform for simulating digital quantum dynamics and uncovering novel states of non-equilibrium quantum matter. One principal example are measurement-induced phase transitions arising from non-unitary dynamics in monitored circuits, which employ mid-circuit measurements as an essential building block next to standard unitary gates. Although a comprehensive understanding of dynamics in generic circuits is still evolving, we contend that monitored quantum circuits yield robust phases of dynamic matter, which -- akin to Hamiltonian ground state phases -- can be categorized based on symmetries and spatial dimensionality. To illustrate this concept, we focus on quantum circuits within symmetry classes BDI and D, which are measurement-only adaptations of the paradigmatic Kitaev and Yao-Kivelson models, embodying particle-hole-symmetric Majorana fermions with or without time-reversal. We establish a general framework -- Majorana loop models -- for both symmetry classes to provide access to the phenomenology of the entanglement dynamics in these circuits, displaying both an area-law phase of localized Majorana loops and a delocalized, highly entangled Majorana liquid phase. The two phases are separated by a continuous transition displaying quantum Lifshitz scaling, albeit with critical exponents of two distinct universality classes. The loop model framework provides not only analytical understanding of these universality classes in terms of non-linear sigma models, but also allows for highly efficient numerical techniques capable of simulating excessively large circuits with up to $10^8$ qubits. We utilize this framework to accurately determine universal probes that distinguish both the entangled phases and the critical points of the two symmetry classes. Our work thereby further solidifies the concept of emergent circuit phases and their phase transitions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Power-law entanglement and Hilbert space fragmentation in non-reciprocal quantum circuits

Quantum circuits utilizing measurement to evolve a quantum wave function offer a new and rich playground to engineer unconventional entanglement dynamics. Here we introduce a hybrid, non-reciprocal setup featuring a quantum circuit, whose updates are conditioned on the state of a classical dynamical agent. In our example the circuit is represented by a Majorana quantum chain controlled by a classical $N$-state Potts chain undergoing pair-flips. The local orientation of the classical spins controls whether randomly drawn local measurements on the quantum chain are allowed or not. This imposes a dynamical kinetic constraint on the entanglement growth, described by the transfer matrix of an $N$-colored loop model. It yields an equivalent description of the circuit by an $SU(N)$-symmetric Temperley-Lieb Hamiltonian or by a kinetically constrained surface growth model for an $N$-component height field. For $N=2$, we find a diffusive growth of the half-chain entanglement towards a stationary profile $S(L)\sim L^{1/2}$ for $L$ sites. For $N\ge3$, the kinetic constraints impose Hilbert space fragmentation, yielding subdiffusive growth towards $S(L)\sim L^{0.57}$. This showcases how the control by a classical dynamical agent can enrich the entanglement dynamics in quantum circuits, paving a route toward novel entanglement dynamics in non-reciprocal hybrid circuit architectures.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Nanoscale electrostatic control in ultra clean van der Waals heterostructures by local anodic oxidation of graphite gates

In an all-van der Waals heterostructure, the active layer, gate dielectrics and gate electrodes are assembled from two-dimensional crystals that have a low density of atomic defects. This design allows two-dimensional electron systems with very low disorder to be created, particularly in heterostructures where the active layer also has intrinsically low disorder, such as crystalline graphene layers or metal dichalcogenide heterobilayers. A key missing ingredient has been nanoscale electrostatic control, with existing methods for fabricated local gates typically introducing unwanted contamination. Here we describe a resist-free local anodic oxidation process for patterning sub 100nm features in graphite gates, and their subsequent integration into an all-van der Waals heterostructure. We define a quantum point contact in the fractional quantum Hall regime as a benchmark device and observe signatures of chiral Luttinger liquid behaviour, indicating an absence of extrinsic scattering centres in the vicinity of the point contact. In the integer quantum Hall regime, we demonstrate in situ control of the edge confinement potential, a key requirement for the precision control of chiral edge states. This technique may enable the fabrication of devices capable of single anyon control and coherent edge-state interferometry in the fractional quantum Hall regime.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Spontaneous localization at a potential saddle point from edge state reconstruction in a quantum Hall point contact

Quantum point contacts (QPCs) are an essential component in mesoscopic devices. Here, we study the transmission of quantum Hall edge modes through a gate-defined QPC in monolayer graphene. We observe resonant tunneling peaks and a nonlinear conductance pattern characteristic of Coulomb-blockaded localized states. The in-plane electric polarizability reveals the states are localized at a classically-unstable electrostatic saddle point. We explain this unexpected finding within a self-consistent Thomas-Fermi model, finding that localization of a zero-dimensional state at the saddle point is favored whenever the applied confinement potential is sufficiently soft compared to the Coulomb energy. Our results provide a direct demonstration of Coulomb-driven reconstruction at the boundary of a quantum Hall system.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Majorana Loop Models for Measurement-Only Quantum Circuits

Projective measurements in random quantum circuits lead to a rich breadth of entanglement phases and extend the realm of non-unitary quantum dynamics. Here we explore the connection between measurement-only quantum circuits in one spatial dimension and the statistical mechanics of loop models in two dimensions. While Gaussian Majorana circuits admit a microscopic mapping to loop models, for non-Gaussian, i.e., generic Clifford, circuits a corresponding mapping may emerge only on a coarse grained scale. We then focus on a fundamental symmetry of loop models: the orientability of world lines. We discuss how orientability enters in the measurement framework, acting as a separatrix for the universal long-wavelength behavior in a circuit. When orientability is broken, the circuit falls into the universality class of closely packed loops with crossings (CPLC) and features a Goldstone phase with a peculiar, universal $\log^2(L)$-scaling of the entanglement entropy. In turn, when orientability is preserved, the long-wavelength behavior of the circuit mimics that of (coupled) two-dimensional Potts models. We demonstrate the strength of the loop model approach by numerically simulating a variety of measurement-only Clifford circuits. Upon varying the set of measured operators, a rich circuit dynamics is observed, ranging from CPLC to the $1$-state Potts model (percolation), the $2$-state Potts model (Ising) and coupled Potts models (BKT) universality class. Loop models thus provide a handle to access a large class of measurement-only circuits and yield a blueprint on how to realize desired entanglement phases by measurement.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Topological order and entanglement dynamics in the measurement-only XZZX quantum code

We examine the dynamics of a $(1+1)$-dimensional measurement-only circuit defined by the stabilizers of the [[5,1,3]] quantum error correcting code interrupted by single-qubit Pauli measurements. The code corrects arbitrary single-qubit errors and it stabilizes an area law entangled state with a $D_2 = \mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{Z}_2$ symmetry protected topological (SPT) order, as well as a symmetry breaking (SB) order from a two-fold bulk degeneracy. The Pauli measurements break the topological order and induce a phase transition into a trivial area law phase. Allowing more than one type of Pauli measurement increases the measurement-induced frustration, and the SPT and SB order can be broken either simultaneously or separately at nonzero measurement rate. This yields a rich phase diagram and unanticipated critical behavior at the phase transitions. Although the correlation length exponent $ν=\tfrac43$ and the dynamical critical exponent $z=1$ are consistent with bond percolation, the prefactor of the logarithmic entanglement growth may take non-integer multiples of the percolation value. Remarkably, we identify a robust transient scaling regime for the purification dynamics of $L$ qubits. It reveals a modified dynamical critical exponent $z^*\neq z$, which is observable up to times $t\sim L^{z^*}$ and is reminiscent of the relaxation of critical systems into a prethermal state.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2021

Localization crossover and subdiffusive transport in a classical facilitated network model of a disordered, interacting quantum spin chain

We consider the random-field Heisenberg model, a paradigmatic model for many-body localization (MBL), and add a Markovian dephasing bath coupled to the Anderson orbitals of the model's non-interacting limit. We map this system to a classical facilitated hopping model that is computationally tractable for large system sizes, and investigate its dynamics. The classical model exhibits a robust crossover between an ergodic (thermal) phase and a frozen (localized) phase. The frozen phase is destabilized by thermal subregions (bubbles), which thermalize surrounding sites by providing a fluctuating interaction energy and so enable off-resonance particle transport. Investigating steady state transport, we observe that the interplay between thermal and frozen bubbles leads to a clear transition between diffusive and subdiffusive regimes. This phenomenology both describes the MBL system coupled to a bath, and provides a classical analogue for the many-body localization transition in the corresponding quantum model, in that the classical model displays long local memory times. It also highlights the importance of the details of the bath coupling in studies of MBL systems coupled to thermal environments.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2021

Thermal anyon interferometry in phonon-coupled Kitaev spin liquids

Recent theoretical studies inspired by experiments on the Kitaev magnet $α$-RuCl$_3$ highlight the nontrivial impact of phonons on the thermal Hall conductivity of chiral topological phases. Here we introduce mixed mesoscopic-macroscopic devices that allow refined thermal-transport probes of non-Abelian spin liquids with Ising topological order. These devices feature a quantum-coherent mesoscopic region with negligible phonon conductance, flanked by macroscopic lobes that facilitate efficient thermalization between chiral Majorana edge modes and bulk phonons. We show that our devices enable $(i)$ accurate determination of the quantized thermal Hall conductivity, $(ii)$ identification of non-Abelian Ising anyons via the temperature dependence of the thermal conductance, and most interestingly $(iii)$ single-anyon detection through heat-based anyon interferometry. Analogous results apply broadly to phonon-coupled chiral topological orders.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Time-domain anyon interferometry in Kitaev honeycomb spin liquids and beyond

Motivated by recent experiments on the Kitaev honeycomb magnet $α\text{-RuCl}_3$, we introduce time-domain probes of the edge and quasiparticle content of non-Abelian spin liquids. Our scheme exploits ancillary quantum spins that communicate via time-dependent tunneling of energy into and out of the spin liquid's chiral Majorana edge state. We show that the ancillary-spin dynamics reveals the edge-state velocity and, in suitable geometries, detects individual non-Abelian anyons and emergent fermions via a time-domain counterpart of quantum-Hall anyon interferometry. We anticipate applications to a wide variety of topological phases in solid-state and cold-atoms settings.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Controlling excitation avalanches in driven Rydberg gases

Recent experiments with strongly interacting, driven Rydberg ensembles have introduced a promising setup for the study of self-organized criticality (SOC) in cold atom systems. Based on this setup, we theoretically propose a control mechanism for the paradigmatic avalanche dynamics of SOC in terms of a time-dependent drive amplitude. This gives access to a variety of avalanche dominated, self-organization scenarios, prominently including self-organized criticality, as well as sub- and supercritical dynamics. We analyze the dependence of the dynamics on external scales and spatial dimensionality. It demonstrates the potential of driven Rydberg systems as a playground for the exploration of an extended SOC phenomenology and their relation to other common scenarios of SOC, such as e.g. in neural networks and on graphs.

cond-mat.quant-gas↗