Measurement- and Feedback-Driven Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions on a Quantum Processor
Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 010401 – Published 29 June, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2c1p-8vx9
Abstract
Midcircuit measurements and feedback operations conditioned on the measurement outcomes are essential for implementing quantum error-correction on quantum hardware. When integrated in quantum many-body dynamics, they can give rise to novel nonequilibrium phase transitions both at the level of each individual quantum trajectory and the averaged quantum channel. Experimentally resolving both transitions on realistic devices has been challenging due to limitations on the fidelity and the significant latency for performing midcircuit measurements and feedback operations in real time. Here, we develop a superconducting quantum processor that enables global midcircuit measurement with an average quantum nondemolition (QND) fidelity of 98.7% and fast conditional feedback with a 200 ns real-time decision latency. Using this platform, we demonstrate the coexistence of an absorbing-state transition in the quantum channel and a measurement-induced entanglement transition at the level of individual quantum trajectories. For the absorbing-state transition, we experimentally extract a set of critical exponents at the transition point, which is in excellent agreement with the directed percolation universality class. Crucially, the two transitions occur at distinct values of the tuning parameter. Our results demonstrate that adaptive quantum circuits provide a powerful platform for exploring nonequilibrium quantum many-body dynamics.
