arXiv subjects

Prineha Narang

Publications and source records attributed to Prineha Narang.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Multiphoton Spectroscopy of a Dynamical Axion Insulator

The unusual magnetoelectric transport present in Weyl semimetals and 3D topological insula- tors can be compactly understood as manifestations of a background axion field, which itself is determined by the microscopic band structure. In the presence of correlations, an additional axion quasiparticle may emerge as the collective excitations on top of the mean background field. Such modes couple nonlinearly to electric and magnetic fields, giving rise to a dynamical magnetoelectric response. However, unambiguous identification of this collective axion mode is challenging due to its inherent nonlinear dynamics. Here, we propose an all-optical protocol that utilizes a pump-probe setup for verifying and characterizing the transient dynamics of axion fields in three-dimensional insulator systems. In particular, we show that nonlinear Raman processes induce dynamical oscillations of the axion field that depend on the geometry of the incident electromagnetic fields. These oscillations manifest in the polarization and magnetization of the material, hence, can be subsequently measured using time-resolved Kerr rotation spectroscopy. Our results open a pathway towards using multi-photon and quantum pair spectroscopies to identify new correlated phases of quantum matter.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Passive detection of Schwinger boson dynamics via a qubit

The quantum sensing landscape has been revolutionized by advanced technologies like superconducting circuits and qubit-based systems which have furthered the ability to probe and understand fundamental properties of quantum matter. Here, we propose an integrated photonic device where a transmon qubit capacitively couples to a microwave cross-resonator, and the setup is employed for sensing of time reversal broken order in materials. In this sensing scheme, the transmon qubit plays a dual role as both a control element and a passive detector, while the photonic cross-resonator serves as the host for the sample, enabling a contact-free spectroscopic method suitable for studying materials where reliable electrical contacts are challenging to obtain, e.g., in van der Waal 2D heterostructures. We show that by tuning the coupling strength and phase between the transmon and the cross-resonator, the system allows selective control over the interaction dynamics and leads to a highly sensitive detection method that can be compactly understood in terms of evolution of excited state population and quantum metric of the resonator-transmon hybrid state. This architecture has the potential to host a wide range of quantum phenomena that can be precisely encoded in the dynamics of the transmon qubit and, in this way, potentially allows access to elusive aspects of correlated materials.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Strain-Induced Antiferromagnetic-to-Altermagnetic Phase Transition and Topology in $(\mathrm{CrO}_2)_1/(\mathrm{TaO}_2)_2$ Superlattice

Topological aspects in altermagnets have come into focus recently, and tuning the antiferromagnetic (AFM) state into an altermagnetic phase remains an active frontier. We realize both within a rutile superlattice here in this paper. With first principles calculation, we show that a uniaxial strain of only 0.5$\%$ along the c axis converts the $(\mathrm{CrO}_2)_1/(\mathrm{TaO}_2)_2$ rutile superlattice from a trivial antiferromagnet into an altermagnet with topology accompanied by a weak SOC. The strain opens a spin-dependent band splitting of $\sim 1.1 eV$ and, despite the weak SOC together with in-plane magnetic moment orientation, generates an intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity of order $10^3 S/cm$, comparable magnitude to that in ferromagnetic Weyl semimetals. Tiny SOC here with in-plane $\text{Néel}$ orientation gaps out the Weyl nodal rings, giving rise to 16 Weyl points in the superlattice. Thus, we point out a simple route toward strain and field tunable, low-dissipation altermagnetic electronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Tunable Non-Gaussian Mechanical States in a Strongly Coupled Hybrid Quantum System

Quantum states of motion are critical components in the second quantum revolution. We investigate the generation and control of non-Gaussian motional states in a tripartite hybrid quantum system consisting of a collection of qubits coupled to a mechanical resonator, which in turn interacts with an externally driven photonic cavity. This hybrid architecture provides a versatile platform for quantum control by integrating nonlinear interactions and multiple control parameters. Operating in the strong coupling regime, we study the transient dynamics resulting from a time-dependent external drive that has a boxcar profile. Starting from coherent states in both the mechanical and cavity subsystems, we show that this drive protocol, combined with time-independent interaction and frequency configurations, leads to the emergence of highly non-Gaussian quantum states in the intermediary mechanical degree of freedom. These states are characterized by a pronounced negative volume in the Wigner quasi-probability distribution and enhanced quantum Fisher information, indicative of their quantum utility. We systematically analyze the impact of the qubit phase, interaction strengths, and drive parameters on the degree of non-Gaussianity. Our findings underscore the tunability and richness of this hybrid platform, paving the way for advanced quantum state engineering and applications in quantum sensing, metrology, and information processing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

The morphology and interface structure of titanium on graphene

Titanium (Ti) is an adhesion and contact metal commonly used in nanoelectronics and two-dimensional (2D) materials research. However, when Ti is deposited on graphene (Gr), we obtain dramatically different film morphology depending on the experimental conditions. Through a combination of transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and ab initio density functional theory calculations, we show that the most critical parameters are the number of Gr layers, the nature of the Gr support, and the deposition temperature. Particularly distinctive is the island morphology and large defect density of Ti on monolayer Gr, compared to bilayer or thicker Gr. We propose that this results from structural and mechanical differences between monolayer and thicker Gr flakes, where monolayer Gr is more flexible, exhibits larger surface roughness and therefore lower Ti diffusivity, and is more easily damaged. Our results highlight the extreme sensitivity of Ti morphology on Gr to processing and substrate conditions, allowing us to propose design rules for controlling Ti-Gr interface properties and morphology and to discuss the implications for other technologically relevant metal deposition processes.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Information back-flow in quantum non-Markovian dynamics and its connection to teleportation

A quantum process is called non-Markovian when memory effects take place during its evolution. Quantum non-Markovianity is a phenomenon typically associated with the information back-flow from the environment to the principal system, however it has been shown that such an effect is not necessary. In this work, we establish a connection between quantum non-Markovianity and the protocol of quantum teleportation in both discrete and continuous-variable systems. We also show how information flows during a teleportation protocol between the principal system and the environment in a bidirectional way leading up to a state revival.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Robust superzone gap opening in incommensurate antiferromagnetic semimetal EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$ under in-plane magnetic field

The interplay between magnetism and charge transport in semimetals has emerged as a fertile ground for discovering novel electronic phenomena. A notable example is the recent discovery of electronic commensuration arising from a spin moiré superlattice (SMS), realized as double-q spin modulation in the antiferromagnetic semimetal EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$. Here, we investigate the in-plane magnetic-field tunability of the SMS using neutron scattering, magnetic and transport measurements. We reveal an incommensurate noncollinear cycloidal magnetic ground state. Temperature-field phase diagrams constructed with field tilting uncover multiple spin-reoriented phases, suggesting the critical role of in-plane field components in driving magnetic transitions. Despite substantial spin reorientation of the double-q phase, we observe a persistent gap opening, evidenced by strong suppression in both Hall and longitudinal conductivities. Model calculations attribute this robustness to the stability of SMS under tilting fields. Our results establish EuAg$_4$Sb$_2$ as a tunable platform for exploring spin-texture-driven superzone gap opening in electronic states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Hamiltonian Learning at Heisenberg Limit for Hybrid Quantum Systems

Hybrid quantum systems with different particle species are fundamental in quantum materials and quantum information science. In this work, we establish a rigorous theoretical framework proving that, given access to an unknown spin-boson type Hamiltonian, our algorithm achieves Heisenberg-limited estimation for all coupling parameters up to error $ε$ with a total evolution time ${O}(ε^{-1})$ using only ${O}({\rm polylog}(ε^{-1}))$ measurements. It is also robust against small state preparation and measurement errors. In addition, we provide an alternative algorithm based on distributed quantum sensing, which significantly reduces the evolution time per measurement. To validate our method, we demonstrate its efficiency in hybrid Hamiltonian learning and spectrum learning, with broad applications in AMO, condensed matter and high energy physics. Our results provide a scalable and robust framework for precision Hamiltonian characterization in hybrid quantum platforms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Observation of the Axion quasiparticle in 2D MnBi$_2$Te$_4$

In 1978, Wilczek and Weinberg theoretically discovered a new boson-the Axion-which is the coherent oscillation of the $θ$ field in QCD. Its existence can solve multiple fundamental questions including the strong CP problem of QCD and the dark matter. However, its detection is challenging because it has almost no interaction with existing particles. Similar $θ$ has been introduced to condensed matter and so far studied as a static, quantized value to characterize topology of materials. But the coherent oscillation of $θ$ in condensed matter is proposed to lead to new physics directly analogous to the high-energy Axion particle, the dynamical Axion quasiparticle (DAQ). In this paper, we present the direct observation of the DAQ. By combining 2D electronic device with ultrafast pump-probe optics, we manage to measure the magnetoelectric coupling $θ$ ($θ\proptoα$) of 2D MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ with sub-picosecond time-resolution. This allows us to directly observe the DAQ by seeing a coherent oscillation of $θ$ at ~44 GHz in real time, which is uniquely induced by the out-of-phase antiferromagnetic magnon. Interestingly, in 2D MnBi$_2$Te$_4$, the DAQ arises from the magnon-induced coherent modulation of Berry curvature. Such ultrafast control of quantum wavefunction can be generalized to manipulate Berry curvature and quantum metric of other materials in ultrafast time-scale. Moreover, the DAQ enables novel quantum physics such as Axion polariton and electric control of ultrafast spin polarization, implying applications in unconventional light-matter interaction and coherent antiferromagnetic spintronics. Beyond condensed matter, the DAQ can serve as a detector of the dark matter Axion particle. We estimate the detection frequency range and sensitivity in the critically-lacking meV regime, contributing to one of the most challenging questions in fundamental physics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Quantifying total correlations in quantum systems through the Pearson correlation coefficient

Conventionally the total correlations within a quantum system are quantified through distance-based expressions such as the relative entropy or the square-norm. Those expressions imply that a quantum state can contain both classical and quantum correlations. In this work, we provide an alternative method to quantify the total correlations through the Pearson correlation coefficient. Using this method, we argue that a quantum state can be correlated in either a classical or a quantum way, i.e., the two cases are mutually exclusive. We also illustrate that, at least for the case of two-qubit systems, the distribution of the correlations among certain locally incompatible pairs of observables provides insight in regards to whether a system contains classical or quantum correlations. Finally, we show how correlations in quantum systems are connected to the general entropic uncertainty principle.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Electric-Field Control of Magnetic Skyrmion Chirality in a Centrosymmetric 2D van der Waals Magnet

Two-dimensional van der Waals magnets hosting topological magnetic textures, such as skyrmions, show promise for applications in spintronics and quantum computing. Electrical control of these topological spin textures would enable novel devices with enhanced performance and functionality. Here, using electron microscopy combined with in situ electric and magnetic biasing, we show that the skyrmion chirality, whether left-handed or right-handed, in insulating Cr2Ge2Te6, is controlled by external electric field direction applied during magnetic field cooling process. The electric-field-tuned chirality remains stable, even amid variations in magnetic and electric fields. Our theoretical investigation reveals that nonzero Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions between the nearest neighbors, induced by the external electric field, change their sign upon reversing the electric field direction, thereby facilitating chirality selection. The electrical control of magnetic chirality demonstrated in this study can be extended to other non-metallic centrosymmetric skyrmion-hosting magnets, opening avenues for future device designs in topological spintronics and quantum computing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Electronic superradiance mediated by nuclear dynamics

Superradiance, in which the collective behavior of emitters can generate enhanced radiative decay, was first predicted by a model, now known as the Dicke model, that contains a collection of two-level systems (the emitters) all interacting with the same photonic mode. In this article, we extend the original Dicke model to elucidate the influence of nuclear motion on superradiant emission. Our dynamical simulations of the combined electronic, nuclear, and photonic system reveal a new time scale attributed to the population leakage of the dark, subradiant states. Furthermore, this dark state emission pathway can be controlled by tuning the nuclear potential energy landscape. These findings impact how superradiant states and molecular degrees of freedom can be leveraged and utilized in quantum optical systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

Unitary Dilation Strategy Towards Efficient and Exact Simulation of Non-Unitary Quantum Evolutions

Simulating quantum systems with their environments often requires non-unitary operations, and mapping these to quantum devices often involves expensive dilations or prohibitive measurement costs to achieve desired precisions. Building on prior work with a finite-differences strategy, we introduce an efficient and exact single-ancilla unitary decomposition technique that addresses these challenges. Our approach is based on Lagrange-Sylvester interpolation, akin to analytical differentiation techniques for functional interpolation. As a result, we can exactly express any arbitrary non-unitary operator with no finite approximation error using an easily computable decomposition. This can lead to several orders of magnitude reduction in the measurement cost, which is highly desirable for practical quantum computations of open systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Learning Orthogonal Random Unitary Channels with Contracted Quantum Approaches and Simplex Optimization

Random (mixed) unitary channels describe an important subset of quantum channels, which are commonly used in quantum information, noise modeling, and quantum error mitigation. Despite their usefulness, there is substantial complexity in characterizing or identifying generic random unitary channels. We present a procedure for learning a class of random unitary channels on orthogonal unitary bases on a quantum computer utilizing Pauli learning and a contracted quantum learning procedure. Our approach involves a multi-objective, Pauli- and unitary-based minimization, and allows for learning locally equivalent channels. We demonstrate our approach for varying degrees of noise and investigate the scalability of these approaches, particularly with sparse noise models.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Hamiltonian Simulation via Stochastic Zassenhaus Expansions

We introduce the stochastic Zassenhaus expansions (SZEs), a class of ancilla-free quantum algorithms for Hamiltonian simulation. These algorithms map nested Zassenhaus formulas onto quantum gates and then employ randomized sampling to minimize circuit depths. Unlike Suzuki-Trotter product formulas, which grow exponentially long with approximation order, the nested commutator structures of SZEs enable high-order formulas for many systems of interest. For a 10-qubit transverse-field Ising model, we construct an 11th-order SZE with 42x fewer CNOTs than the standard 10th-order product formula. Further, we empirically demonstrate regimes where SZEs reduce simulation errors by many orders of magnitude compared to leading algorithms.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Twist-induced spin splitting and spin-Hall-like effect in antiferromagnetic bilayers

Momentum-resolved spin-polarized bands are a key ingredient in many proposed spintronic devices, but their existence often relies on lattice commensurability or strong spin-orbit coupling. By a large-scale DFT calculation (up to 4212 atoms), we propose a way to realize strongly spin-polarized bands in the absence of these ingredients by twisting monolayers of van der Waals magnetic semiconductor CrSBr. Furthermore, due to the highly anisotropic electronic transport in this material, the twist-induced electronic transport becomes strongly coupled to the spin transport. We show that an in-plane electric field induces a transverse spin current, manifesting a twist-tunable spin-Hall effect in the absence of spin-orbit coupling. Using highthroughput computations, we also identify 231 other material candidates out of a set of 6000 magnetic two-dimensional materials, which satisfy the necessary conditions to realize this behavior, paving the way to widespread application of twist-tunable spin transport.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Solid-state qubits in moire superlattices

Qubits are the fundamental units in quantum computing, but they are also pivotal for advancements in quantum communication and sensing. Currently, there are a variety of platforms for qubits, including cold atoms, superconducting circuits, point defects, and semiconductor quantum dots. In these systems, each qubit requires individual preparation, making identical replication a challenging task. Constructing and maintaining stable, scalable qubits remains a formidable challenge, especially for solid-state qubits. The race to identify the best one remains inconclusive, making the search for new qubits a welcome endeavor. Our study introduces moiré superlattices of twisted bilayer materials as a promising platform for qubits due to their tunability, natural patterns, and extensive materials library. Our first-principles calculations reveal that when the twist angle between the two layers is sufficiently small, these materials foster identical, localized quantum wells within the moiré superlattices. Each quantum well accommodates a few dispersionless bands and localized states, akin to the discrete energy levels of an alkali atom. Existing experimental techniques allow for individual initialization, manipulation, and readout of the local quantum states. The vast array of 2D materials provides a multitude of potential candidates for qubit exploration in such systems. Due to their inherent scalability and uniformity, our proposed qubits present significant advantages over conventional solid-state qubit systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Quantum geometry induced microwave enhancement of flat band superconductivity

Photo-control of correlated phases is central to advancing and manipulating novel functional properties of quantum materials. Here, we explore microwave enhancement of superconductivity in flat bands through generation of nonequilibrium quasiparticles at subgap frequencies. In conventional superconductors, it is known to occur via radiation absorption determined by fermi velocity, which however is small in flat bands resulting in quenched quasiparticle excitations. Strikingly, in contrast to the conventional paradigm we show a non-vanishing microwave absorption in flat band systems enabled by Bloch quantum geometry leading to superconducting gap enhancement, underscoring the band-geometric origin of nonequilibrium flat band superconductivity. Specifically, we demonstrate this in twisted bilayer graphene, a promising candidate material, and find significant gap enhancement near critical temperature. This work highlights that the nonequilibrium dynamics of materials with non-trivial flat bands as a promising area for future experimental and theoretical investigation.

cond-mat.supr-con↗