arXiv subjects

Tianfeng Feng

Publications and source records attributed to Tianfeng Feng.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Distributed Trotterization with optimal time-scaling entanglement cost

Distributed architectures extend quantum simulation of many-body dynamics beyond the reach of any single processor, with shared entanglement mediating interactions between spatially separated devices. Conventional implementations rely on quantum teleportation, which provides a universal realization of nonlocal operations but incurs a fixed entanglement cost per gate, irrespective of its strength. This becomes increasingly inefficient in product formula simulation, where higher accuracy requires ever more numerous, yet progressively weaker, nonlocal rotations, causing the entanglement cost to diverge in the high-accuracy limit. Here we introduce a simple repeat-until-success protocol that makes entanglement consumption adaptive to interaction strength. Incorporating this primitive into distributed product formulas yields a total entanglement cost that scales linearly with evolution time and remains independent of Trotter error. A matching lower bound from quantum communication complexity proves this time scaling to be optimal, establishing a resource-efficient foundation for high-accuracy quantum simulation across networked processors.

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arXiv2026

Quantum-classical crossover in fault-tolerant quantum dynamics simulation

While quantum computers promise to solve classically intractable problems, identifying the point at which fault-tolerant quantum computation outperforms the best classical algorithms for practical applications remains an outstanding challenge. Here we establish a concrete quantum-classical crossover for quantum many-body dynamics under realistic hardware conditions. We introduce a scalable fault-tolerant framework that combines coherent observable estimation with a space-time-efficient implementation of non-Clifford rotations, suppressing the residual logical errors that limit existing partially fault-tolerant approaches. A benchmark against state-of-the-art tensor-network and variational Monte Carlo algorithms reveals a concrete crossover for mixed-field Ising dynamics at modest system sizes. For a physical error rate of $p=10^{-3}$, fault-tolerant simulation requires approximately 2 hours and $3.7 \times 10^5$ physical qubits for a 100-site 1D system, whereas tensor network approaches would require about 100 years. For 2D models, where rapid entanglement growth limits the classical evolution time, we project quantum runtimes within minutes. A physical error rate of $p=10^{-4}$ leads to at least an order of magnitude reduction in qubit count ($3.1 \times 10^4$ physical qubits) and runtime (minutes for 1D and seconds for 2D). The reduction in quantum runtime arises from our improved rotation-state injection and co-design of quantum error correction and observable-estimation protocols, which jointly suppress logical-error accumulation and reduce sampling overhead. Our results establish a scalable route towards practical quantum advantage and identify quantitative engineering targets for future fault-tolerant architectures.

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arXiv2026

Entanglement-Induced Resilience of Quantum Dynamics

Quantum many-body devices suffer from imperfections that destabilize dynamics and limit scalability. We show that the dynamical growth of entanglement can intrinsically protect generic quantum dynamics against coherent and perturbative noise. Through rigorous theoretical analysis of general quantum dynamics and numerical simulations of spin chains and fermionic lattices, we prove that entanglement-entropy growth confines the influence of local Hamiltonian perturbations, thereby suppressing errors in dynamical errors. The degree of protection correlates quantitatively with the entanglement entropy of subsystems on which the perturbations act, and applies broadly to both analog quantum simulators and real-time control protocols. This entanglement-induced resilience is conceptually distinct from quantum error correction or dynamical decoupling: it passively leverages native many-body correlations without additional qubits, measurements, or control overhead. Our results reveal a generic mechanism linking entanglement growth to dynamical stability and provide practical guidelines for designing noise-resilient quantum devices.

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arXiv2025

Experimental demonstration of genuine quantum information transmission through completely depolarizing channels in a superposition of cyclic orders

A major challenge in quantum communication is addressing the negative effects of noise on channel capacity, especially for completely depolarizing channels, where information transmission is inherently impossible. The concept of indefinite causal order provides a promising solution by allowing control over the sequence in which channels are applied. We experimentally demonstrate the activation of quantum communication through completely depolarizing channels using a programmable silicon photonic quantum chip. By implementing configurations based on the superposition of cyclic orders, a form of indefinite causal order, we report the first experimental realization of genuine quantum information transmission across multiple concatenated completely depolarizing channels. Our results show that when four completely depolarizing channels are combined using the superposition of cyclic orders, the fidelity of the output state is $0.712 \pm 0.013$, significantly exceeding the classical threshold of 2/3. Our work establishes indefinite causal order as a powerful tool for overcoming noise-induced limitations in quantum communication, demonstrating its potential in high-noise environments and opening new possibilities for building robust quantum networks.

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arXiv2025

Trotterization, Operator Scrambling, and Entanglement

Operator scrambling, which governs the spread of quantum information in many-body systems, is a central concept in both condensed matter and high-energy physics. Accurately capturing the emergent properties of these systems remains a formidable challenge for classical computation, while quantum simulators have emerged as a powerful tool to address this complexity. In this work, we reveal a fundamental connection between operator scrambling and the reliability of quantum simulations. We show that the Trotter error in simulating operator dynamics is bounded by the degree of operator scrambling, providing the most refined analysis of Trotter errors in operator dynamics so far. Furthermore, we investigate the entanglement properties of the evolved states, revealing that sufficient entanglement can lead to error scaling governed by the normalized Frobenius norms of both the observables of interest and the error operator, thereby enhancing simulation robustness and efficiency compared to previous works. We also show that even in regimes where the system's entanglement remains low, operator-induced entanglement can still emerge and suppress simulation errors. Our results unveil a comprehensive relationship between Trotterization, operator scrambling, and entanglement, offering new perspectives for optimizing quantum simulations.

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arXiv2025

Locality Implies Complex Numbers in Quantum Mechanics

We show that the presented real-number quantum theories, compatible with the independent source assumption, require the inclusion of a nonlocal map. This means that if the independent source assumption holds, in these models, complex-number quantum theory is equivalent to a real-number quantum theory with hidden nonlocal degrees of freedom. Our results suggest that complex numbers may be indispensable for describing the process involving entanglement between two independent systems.

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arXiv2025

Collapse-based models for gravity do not violate the entanglement-based witness of non-classicality

It is known that an entanglement-based witness of non-classicality can be applied to testing quantum effects in gravity. Specifically, if a system can create entanglement between two quantum probes by local means only, then it must be non-classical. Recently, claims have been made that collapse-based models of classical gravity, i.e. Di\'osi-Penrose model, can predict gravitationally induced entanglement between quantum objects, resulting in gravitationally induced entanglement is insufficient to conclude that gravity is fundamentally quantum, contrary to the witness statement. Here we vindicate the witness. We analyze the underlying physics of collapse-based models for gravity and show that these models have nonlocal features, violating the principle of locality.

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arXiv2025

Two measurement bases are asymptotically informationally complete for any pure state tomography

One of the fundamental questions in quantum information theory is to find how many measurement bases are required to obtain the full information of a quantum state. While a minimum of four measurement bases is typically required to determine an arbitrary pure state, we prove that for any states generated by finite-depth Clifford + T circuits, just two measurement bases are sufficient. More generally, we prove that two measurement bases are informationally complete for determining algebraic pure states whose state-vector elements represented in the computational basis are algebraic numbers. Since any pure state can be asymptotically approximated by a sequence of algebraic states with arbitrarily high precision, our scheme is referred to as asymptotically informationally complete for pure state tomography. Furthermore, existing works mostly construct the measurements using entangled bases. So far, the best result requires $O(n)$ local measurement bases for $n$-qubit pure-state tomography. Here, we show that two measurement bases that involve polynomial elementary gates are sufficient for uniquely determining sparse algebraic states. Moreover, we prove that two local measurement bases, involving single-qubit local operations only, are informationally complete for certain algebraic states, such as GHZ-like and W-like states. Besides, our two-measurement-bases scheme remains valid for mixed states with certain types of noises. We numerically test the uniqueness of the reconstructed states under two (local) measurement bases with and without measurement and depolarising types of noise. Our scheme provides a theoretical guarantee for pure state tomography in the fault-tolerant quantum computing regime.

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arXiv2024

Distributed Quantum Simulation

Quantum simulation is a promising pathway toward practical quantum advantage by simulating large-scale quantum systems. In this work, we propose communication-efficient distributed quantum simulation protocols by exploring three quantum simulation algorithms, including the product formula, the truncated Taylor series, and the processing of quantum signals over a quantum network. Our protocols are further shown to be optimal by deriving a lower bound on the quantum communication complexity for distributed quantum simulations with respect to evolution time and the number of distributed quantum processing units. Additionally, our distributed techniques go beyond quantum simulation and are applied to distributed versions of Grover's algorithms and quantum phase estimation. Our work not only paves the way for achieving a practical quantum advantage by scalable quantum simulation but also enlightens the design of more general distributed architectures across various physical systems for quantum computation.

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arXiv2024

Quantum Correlation Sharing: A Review On Recent Progress From Nonlocality To Other Non-Classical Correlations

This review offers a comprehensive exploration and synthesis of recent advancements in the domain of quantum correlation sharing facilitated through sequential measurements. We initiate our inquiry by delving into the interpretation of the joint probability, laying the foundation for an examination of quantum correlations within the context of specific measurement methods. The subsequent section meticulously explores nonlocal sharing under diverse measurement strategies and scenarios, with a specific focus on investigating the impact of these strategies on the dissemination of quantum nonlocality. Key perspectives such as "asymmetry" and "weak value" are scrutinized through detailed analyses across various scenarios, allowing us to evaluate the potential of nonlocality sharing. We also provide a retrospective overview of experimental endeavors associated with this phenomenon. The third part of our exploration presents research findings on steering sharing, offering clarity on the feasibility of steering sharing and summarizing the distinctive properties of quantum steering sharing in different scenarios. Continuing our journey, the fourth section delves into discussions on the sharing of diverse quantum correlations, encompassing network nonlocality, quantum entanglement, and quantum contextuality. Moving forward, the fifth section conducts a comprehensive review of the progress in the application of quantum correlation sharing, specifically based on sequential measurement strategies. Applications such as quantum random access coding, random number generation, and self-testing tasks are highlighted. Finally, we discuss and list some of the key unresolved issues in this research field, and conclude the entire article.

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arXiv2023

Conservation Laws and the Non-Classicality of Gravity

We analyze the interaction between quantum matter and classical objects through a general effective channel for hybrid dynamics, subject to the fundamental constraint that no quantum correlations can be generated between the classical and quantum sectors from any initially separable state. We demonstrate that, within this hybrid framework, imposing an additive conserved observable $\langle O_{QC} \rangle = \langle O_Q \rangle + \langle O_C \rangle$ strictly forbids a classical system from altering the local observable $\langle O_Q \rangle$ of its quantum counterpart. Applying this no-go theorem to gravity, under the assumption of such hybrid dynamics, we show that if global momentum or energy is conserved, a strictly classical gravitational field cannot induce momentum or energy transfers in a quantum system. In contrast, a quantum gravitational field naturally facilitates such back-action. Drawing upon the fundamental relationship between conservation laws and the quantum properties of objects, our analysis provides a novel perspective for interpreting existing experimental observations, such as free fall, as potential indicators of the non-classicality of gravity.

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arXiv2023

Fundamental Limitations on Communication over a Quantum Network

Entanglement, a fundamental feature of quantum mechanics, has long been recognized as a valuable resource in enabling secure communications and surpassing classical limits. However, previous research has primarily concentrated on static entangled states generated at a single point in time, overlooking the crucial role of the quantum dynamics responsible for creating such states. Here, we propose a framework for investigating entanglement across multiple time points, termed temporal entanglement, and demonstrate that the performance of a quantum network in transmitting information is inherently dependent on its temporal entanglement. Through case studies, we showcase the capabilities of our framework in enhancing conventional quantum teleportation and achieving exponential performance growth in the protocol of quantum repeaters. Additionally, our framework effectively doubles the communication distance in certain noise models. Our results address the longstanding question surrounding temporal entanglement within non-Markovian processes and its impact on quantum communication, thereby pushing the frontiers of quantum information science.

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arXiv2023

State Transfer and Entanglement between Two- and Four-Level Atoms in A Cavity

Qudits with a large Hilbert space to host quantum information are widely utilized in various applications, such as quantum simulation and quantum computation, but the manipulation and scalability of qudits still face challenges. Here, we propose a scheme to directly and locally transfer quantum information from multiple atomic qubits to a single qudit and vice versa in an optical cavity. With the qubit-qudit interaction, our scheme can transfer quantum states efficiently and measurement-independently. In addition, this scheme can be extended to the non-local case, where a high-dimensional maximal entangled state with asymmetric particle numbers can be robustly generated for realizing long-distance quantum communication. Such an information interface for qubits and qudit may have enlightening significance for future research on quantum systems in hybrid dimensions.

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arXiv2022

Experimental realization of a three-photon asymmetric maximally entangled state and its application to quantum teleportation

Quantum entanglement is a fundamental resource for quantum information processing and is widely used in quantum communication, quantum computation and quantum metrology. Early research on quantum entanglement mainly focus on qubit states, but in recent years, more and more research has begun to focus on high-dimensional entangled states. Compared with qubit entangled states, higher-dimensional entangled states have a larger information capacity and the potential to realize more complex quantum applications. In this Letter, we have experimentally prepared a special high-dimensional entangled state, the so-called three-photon asymmetric maximally entangled state, which consists of two two-dimensional photons and one four-dimensional photon. Using this asymmetric maximally entangled state as a resource, we have also implemented a proof-of-principle quantum teleportation experiment, realizing the transfer of quantum information from two qubits to a single ququart. The fidelities of the quantum teleportation range from 0.79 to 0.86, which are well above both the optimal single-copy ququart state-estimation limit of 2/5 and maximal qutrit-ququart overlap of 3/4, thus confirming a genuine and nonclassical four-dimensional teleportation. The asymmetric entangled state realized here has the potential to be used as a quantum interface in future quantum networks, allowing quantum information transfer between quantum objects of different dimensions via the quantum teleportation protocol demonstrated in this work.

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arXiv2022

Amplification of Gravitationally Induced Entanglement

Observation of gravitationally induced entanglement between two massive particles can be viewed as implying the existence of the nonclassical nature of gravity. However, weak interaction in the gravitational field is extremely small so that gravitationally induced entanglement is exceptionally challenging to test in practice. For addressing this key challenge, here we propose a criterion based on the logical contradictions of weak entanglement, which may boost the sensitivity of the signal due to the gravitationally induced entanglement. Specifically, we make use of the weak-value scenario and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering. We prove that it is impossible for a classical mediator to act on two local quantum objects to simulate amplified-weak-value phenomenon in two-setting Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering. Our approach can amplify the signal of gravitationally induced entanglement that were previously impossible to observe by any desired factor that depends on the magnitude of the weak value. Our results not only open up the possibility of exploring nonclassical nature of gravity in the near future, but they also pave the way for weak entanglement criterion of a more general nature.

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arXiv2022

Quantum cooling activated by coherently-controlled thermalisation

In this paper, we show that it is possible to significantly boost the heat extraction ability of the ICO fridge by applying N identical thermalising channels in a superposition of N cyclic causal orders[2], and that this can be further boosted in the ultracold regime by replacing the working qubit with a quDit working substance. Moreover, we show that for the alternative controlled-SWAPs scheme presented in [1] where one additionally has access to the reservoir qubits which are quantum correlated with the control-target system, the performance can be greatly enhanced in general (tripled for all N and temperatures). Then inspired by [3, 4], we show that quantum coherent control between thermalising a working system with one of N identical thermalising channels (where causal indefiniteness plays no role) yield same advantages in controlled-SWAPs scheme compared to the generalised N-SWITCH protocol for the thermodynamic task described in [1]. We also provide an experimental simulatable quantum cooling protocol with coherently-controlled thermalising channels and notice that it can outperform ICO refrigerator with some specific implementations of the thermalising channel in the case when we only have access to the control-target system. These 2 quantum cooling protocols bear much lower circuit complexity compared to the one with indefinite causal order which makes it more accessible for implementation of this type of nonclassical refrigerator with cutting edge quantum technologies.

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arXiv2022

Quantum Information Transfer between a Two-Level and a Four-Level Quantum System

Quantum mechanics provides a disembodied way to transfer quantum information from one quantum object to another. In theory, this quantum information transfer can occur between quantum objects of any dimension, yet the reported experiments of quantum information transfer to date have mainly focused on the cases where the quantum objects have the same dimension. Here we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate a scheme for quantum information transfer between quantum objects of different dimensions.By using an optical qubit-ququart entangling gate, we observe the transfer of quantum information between two photons with different dimensions, including the flow of quantum information from a four-dimensional photon to a two-dimensional photon and vice versa.The fidelities of the quantum information transfer range from 0.700 to 0.917, all above the classical limit of 2/3. Our work sheds light on a new direction for quantum information transfer and demonstrates our ability to implement entangling operations beyond two-level quantum systems.

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arXiv2021

Direct measurement of density-matrix elements using a phase-shifting technique Tianfeng

A direct measurement protocol allows reconstructing specific elements of the density matrix of a quantum state without using quantum state tomography. However, the direct measurement protocols to date are primarily based on weak or strong measurements with an ancillary pointer, which interacts with the investigated system to extract information about the specified elements. Here, we present a direct measurement scheme based on phase-shifting operations which do not need ancillary pointers. In this method, estimates of at most six expectation values of projective observables suffice to determine any specific element of an unknown quantum density matrix. A concrete quantum circuit to implement this direct measurement protocol for multiqubit states is provided, which is composed of just single-qubit gates and two multiqubit controlled-phase gates. This scheme is also extended for the direct measurement of the density matrix of continuous-variable quantum states. Our method can be used in quantum information applications where only partial information about the quantum state needs to be extracted, for example, problems such as entanglement witnessing, fidelity estimation of quantum systems, and quantum coherence estimation.

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