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Observation and Modulation of the Quantum Mpemba Effect on a Superconducting Quantum Processor

Yueshan Xu1,*, Cai-Ping Fang2,3,*, Bing-Jie Chen2,3,*, Ming-Chuan Wang2,3,*, Zi-Yong Ge4, Yun-Hao Shi2, Yu Liu2, Cheng-Lin Deng1, Kui Zhao1 et al.

Zheng-He Liu2,3, Tian-Ming Li2,3, Hao Li1, Ziting Wang1, Gui-Han Liang2, Da’er Feng2,3, Xue-Yi Guo1, Xu-Yang Gu2,3, Yang He2,3, Hao-Tian Liu2,3, Zheng-Yang Mei2,3, Yongxi Xiao2,3, Yu Yan2,5, Yi-Han Yu2,3, Wei-Ping Yuan2,3, Jia-Chi Zhang2,3, Zheng-An Wang1, Gangqin Liu2, Xiaohui Song2, Ye Tian2, Yu-Ran Zhang6, Shi-Xin Zhang2, Kaixuan Huang1,†, Zhongcheng Xiang2,3,7,‡, Dongning Zheng2,3,7,8, Kai Xu2,3,1,7,8,§, and Heng Fan2,3,1,7,8,∥

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: huangkx@baqis.ac.cn
  • ‡Contact author: zcxiang@iphy.ac.cn
  • §Contact author: kaixu@iphy.ac.cn
  • ∥Contact author: hfan@iphy.ac.cn

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 010402 – Published 29 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/951q-j8kq

Abstract

In nonequilibrium quantum systems, the quantum Mpemba effect (QME) emerges as a counterintuitive phenomenon: Systems exhibiting greater initial symmetry breaking restore symmetry faster. It has been attracting broad interest in studying QME dynamics and potential applications in quantum information science. While theoretical exploration of QME has surged, experimental studies, specifically on its flexible modulation, remain limited. Here, we report the observation and modulation of QME using a superconducting processor featuring an all-to-all connected, tunable-coupling architecture that enables precise control from short- to long-range interactions. This platform allows independent manipulation of coupling regimes, on-site potentials, and initial states, enabling us to elucidate their roles in QME. To quantify symmetry restoration, we employ entanglement asymmetry (EA), derived from the reconstructed density matrix via quantum state tomography, as a sensitive probe. In strong short-range coupling regimes, EA crossovers during quenches from tilted Néel states confirm the presence of QME. In contrast, in intermediate-coupling regimes, synchronized EA and entanglement entropy dynamics reveal the suppression of QME. Remarkably, QME reemerges with the introduction of on-site linear potentials or quenches from tilted ferromagnetic states, the latter proving robust against on-site disorder. Our study demonstrates flexible QME modulation on a superconducting platform with multiple controllable parameters, shedding light on quantum many-body nonequilibrium dynamics and opening avenues for quantum information applications.

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