arXiv subjects

Liam J. Bond

Publications and source records attributed to Liam J. Bond.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Optimal Displacement Sensing with Spin-Dependent Squeezed States

Displacement sensing is a fundamental task in metrology. However, the development of quantum-enhanced sensors that fully utilize the available degrees of freedom in many-body quantum systems remains an outstanding challenge. We propose many-body displacement sensing schemes that use spin-dependent squeezed (SDS) states -- hybrid spin-boson states whose bosonic squeezed quadrature is conditioned on an auxiliary spin. We prove that SDS states are \emph{optimal}, i.e. their quantum Cramér-Rao bound saturates the Heisenberg limit. We propose explicit measurement sequences that can be readily implemented in systems such as trapped ions. We also introduce a scalable state-preparation protocol and numerically demonstrate the preparation of $8.7$~dB of spin-dependent squeezing $15$ times faster than the standard approach using second-order sidebands in trapped ions. The potential applications of our sensing protocols range from measuring single-photon scattering to searches for dark matter.

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arXiv2026

Permutation-invariant codes: a numerical study and qudit constructions

We investigate Permutation-Invariant (PI) quantum error-correcting codes encoding a logical qudit of dimension $\mathrm{d}_\mathrm{L}$ in PI states using physical qudits of dimension $\mathrm{d}_\mathrm{P}$. We extend the Knill--Laflamme (KL) conditions for $d-1$ deletion errors from qubits to qudits and investigate numerically both qubit ($\mathrm{d}_\mathrm{L} = \mathrm{d}_\mathrm{P} = 2$) and qudit ($\mathrm{d}_\mathrm{L} > 2$ or $\mathrm{d}_\mathrm{P} > 2$) PI codes. We analyze the scaling of the block length $n$ in terms of the code distance $d$, and compare to existing families of PI codes due to Ouyang, Aydin--Alekseyev--Barg (AAB) and Pollatsek--Ruskai (PR). Our three main findings are: (i) We conjecture that qubit PI codes correcting up to $d-1$ deletion errors have block length $n(d) \geq (3d^2 + 1) / 4$, which implies an upper bound $d \leq \sqrt{12n-3}/3$ on their code distance, and that PR codes can saturate this bound. (ii) For qudit PI codes encoding a single qudit we numerically observe that increasing $\mathrm{d}_\mathrm{P}$ results in $n$ monotonically decreasing and approaching the quantum Singleton bound $n(d) \geq 2d-1$. (iii) We propose a semi-analytic extension of the qubit AAB construction to qudits that finds explicit solutions by solving a linear program. Our results therefore provide key insights into lower bounds on the block length scaling of both qubit and qudit PI codes, and demonstrate the benefit of increased physical local dimension in the context of PI codes.

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arXiv2025

Engineering continuous-variable entanglement in mechanical oscillators with optimal control

We demonstrate an optimal quantum control strategy for the deterministic preparation of entangled harmonic oscillator states in trapped ions. The protocol employs dynamical phase modulation of laser-driven Jaynes-Cummings and anti-Jaynes-Cummings interactions. We prepare Two-Mode Squeezed Vacuum (TMSV) states in the mechanical motions of a trapped ion and characterize the states with phase-space tomography. First, we verify continuous-variable entanglement by measuring an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entanglement parameter of 0.0132(7), which is below the threshold of 0.25 for Reid's EPR criterion. Second, we perform a continuous-variable Bell test and find a violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt inequality, measuring 2.26(3), which is above the entanglement threshold of 2. We also demonstrate the flexibility of our method by preparing a non-Gaussian entangled oscillator state--a superposition of TMSV states.

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arXiv2025

Global Variational Quantum Circuits for Arbitrary Symmetric State Preparation

Quantum states that are symmetric under particle exchange play a crucial role in fields such as quantum metrology and quantum error correction. We use a variational circuit composed of global one-axis twisting and global rotations to efficiently prepare arbitrary symmetric states, i.e. any superposition of Dicke states. The circuit does not require local addressability or ancilla qubits and thus can be readily implemented in a variety of experimental platforms including trapped-ion quantum simulators and cavity QED systems. We provide analytic and numerical evidence that any $N$-qubit symmetric state can be prepared in $2N/3$ steps. We demonstrate the utility of our protocol by preparing (i) metrologically useful $N$-qubit Dicke states of up to $N = 300$ qubits in $\mathcal{O}(1)$ gate steps with theoretical infidelities $1-\mathcal{F} < 10^{-3}$, (ii) the $N = 9$ Ruskai codewords in $P = 4$ gate steps with $1-\mathcal{F} < 10^{-4}$, and (iii) the $N = 13$ Gross codewords in $P = 7$ gate steps with $1-\mathcal{F} < 10^{-4}$. Focusing on trapped-ion platforms, for the $N = 9$ Ruskai and $N = 13$ Gross codewords we estimate that the protocol achieves fidelities $\gtrsim 95\%$ in the presence of typical experimental noise levels, thus providing a pathway to the preparation of a wide range of useful highly-entangled quantum states.

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arXiv2025

Vibrationally coupled Rydberg atom-ion molecules

We study the occurrence of Rydberg atom-ion molecules (RAIMs) in a hybrid atom-ion system with an ion crystal trapped in a Paul trap coupled to Rydberg atoms on its either ends. To assess the feasibility of such a system, we perform a detailed Floquet analysis of the effect of the Paul trap's rf potential on the RAIMs and provide a qualitative analysis of the survival probability based on scaling laws. We conclude that the RAIM survives for sufficiently weak and low frequency traps. We then use this hybrid system and propose a scheme to utilise the common motional modes of the ion crystal to suppress (blockade) or enhance (anti-blockade) the probability of forming two RAIMs at the ends of the chain, replacing the typical blockade radius by the length of the ion crystal.

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arXiv2024

Open quantum dynamics with variational non-Gaussian states and the truncated Wigner approximation

We present a framework for simulating the open dynamics of spin-boson systems by combining variational non-Gaussian states with a quantum trajectories approach. We apply this method to a generic spin-boson Hamiltonian that has both Tavis-Cummings and Holstein type couplings, and which has broad applications to a variety of quantum simulation platforms, polaritonic physics, and quantum chemistry. Additionally, we discuss how the recently developed truncated Wigner approximation for open quantum systems can be applied to the same Hamiltonian. We benchmark the performance of both methods and identify the regimes where each method is best suited to. Finally we discuss strategies to improve each technique.

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arXiv2023

Fast quantum state preparation and bath dynamics using non-Gaussian variational ansatz and quantum optimal control

We combine quantum optimal control with a variational ansatz based on non-Gaussian states for fast, non-adiabatic preparation of quantum many-body states. We demonstrate this on the example of the spin-boson model, and use a multi-polaron ansatz to prepare near-critical ground states. For one mode, we achieve a reduction in infidelity of up to $\approx 60$ ($\approx 20$) times compared to linear (optimised local adiabatic) ramps respectively; for many modes we achieve a reduction in infidelity of up to $\approx 5$ times compared to non-adiabatic linear ramps. Further, we show that the typical control quantity, the leakage from the variational manifold, provides only a loose bound on the state's fidelity. Instead, in analogy to the bond dimension of matrix product states, we suggest a controlled convergence criterion based on the number of polarons. Finally, motivated by the possibility of realizations in trapped ions, we study the dynamics of a system with bath properties going beyond the paradigm of (sub/super) Ohmic couplings. We apply the ansatz to the study of the out-of-time-order-correlator (OTOC) of the bath modes in a non-perturbative regime. The scrambling time is found to be a robust feature only weakly dependent on the details of the coupling between the bath and the spin.

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