We propose a new approach to excite the isomeric ${}^{229}\mathrm{Th}$ nuclear state, which has attracted much attention recently as a potential “nuclear clock.” Our approach is based on a laser-driven electron recollision process, the core process of strong-field atomic physics. Bringing together knowledge of recollision physics and of the related nuclear physics, we calculate the isomeric excitation probability. This new approach does not require precise knowledge of the energy of the isomeric state. The excitation is well timed which may be exploited to control the coherence of the isomeric state. Experimental realization is within reach using tabletop laser systems.

We study the temporal stability of stripe-type spin order in a layered nickelate with x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and observe fluctuations on timescales of tens of minutes over a wide temperature range. These fluctuations show an anomalous temperature dependence: they slow down at intermediate temperatures and speed up on both heating and cooling. This behavior appears to be directly connected with spatial correlations: stripes fluctuate slowly when stripe correlation lengths are large and become faster when spatial correlations decrease. A low-temperature decay of nickelate stripe correlations, reminiscent of what occurs in cuprates as a result of a competition between stripes and superconductivity, hence occurs via loss of both spatial and temporal correlations.

Although genuine multipartite entanglement has already been generated and verified by experiments, most of the existing measures cannot detect genuine entanglement faithfully. In this work, by exploiting for the first time a previously overlooked constraint for the distribution of entanglement in three-qubit systems, we reveal a new genuine tripartite entanglement measure, which is related to the area of a so-called concurrence triangle. It is compared with other existing measures and is found superior to previous attempts for different reasons. A specific example is illustrated to show that two tripartite entanglement measures can be inequivalent due to the high dimensionality of the Hilbert space. The properties of the triangle measure make it a candidate in potential quantum tasks and available to be used in any multiparty entanglement problems.

We present a stochastic quantum computing algorithm that can prepare any eigenvector of a quantum Hamiltonian within a selected energy interval $[E-\epsilon ,E+\epsilon ]$. In order to reduce the spectral weight of all other eigenvectors by a suppression factor $\delta$, the required computational effort scales as $O[|\log \delta |/(p\epsilon )]$, where $p$ is the squared overlap of the initial state with the target eigenvector. The method, which we call the rodeo algorithm, uses auxiliary qubits to control the time evolution of the Hamiltonian minus some tunable parameter $E$. With each auxiliary qubit measurement, the amplitudes of the eigenvectors are multiplied by a stochastic factor that depends on the proximity of their energy to $E$. In this manner, we converge to the target eigenvector with exponential accuracy in the number of measurements. In addition to preparing eigenvectors, the method can also compute the full spectrum of the Hamiltonian. We illustrate the performance with several examples. For energy eigenvalue determination with error $\epsilon$, the computational scaling is $O[(\log \epsilon {)}^2/(p\epsilon )]$. For eigenstate preparation, the computational scaling is $O(\log \mathrm{\Delta }/p)$, where $\mathrm{\Delta }$ is the magnitude of the orthogonal component of the residual vector. The speed for eigenstate preparation is exponentially faster than that for phase estimation or adiabatic evolution.

The phenomenon of entanglement marks one of the furthest departures from classical physics and is indispensable for quantum information processing. Despite its fundamental importance, the distribution of entanglement over long distances through photons is unfortunately hindered by unavoidable decoherence effects. Entanglement distillation is a means of restoring the quality of such diluted entanglement by concentrating it into a pair of qubits. Conventionally, this would be done by distributing multiple photon pairs and distilling the entanglement into a single pair. Here, we turn around this paradigm by utilizing pairs of single photons entangled in multiple degrees of freedom. Specifically, we make use of the polarization and the energy-time domain of photons, both of which are extensively field tested. We experimentally chart the domain of distillable states and achieve relative fidelity gains up to 13.8%. Compared to the two-copy scheme, the distillation rate of our single-copy scheme is several orders of magnitude higher, paving the way towards high-capacity and noise-resilient quantum networks.

We introduce tensor-network stabilizer codes which come with a natural tensor-network decoder. These codes can correspond to any geometry, but, as a special case, we generalize holographic codes beyond those constructed from perfect or block-perfect isometries, and we give an example that corresponds to neither. Using the tensor-network decoder, we find a threshold of 18.8% for this code under depolarizing noise. We show that, for holographic codes, the exact tensor-network decoder (with no bond-dimension truncation) has polynomial complexity in the number of physical qubits, even for locally correlated noise, making this the first efficient decoder for holographic codes against Pauli noise and, also, a rare example of a decoder that is both efficient and exact.

Gravitational waves from a source moving relative to us can suffer from special-relativistic effects such as aberration. The required velocities for these to be significant are on the order of $1000\mathrm{km}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. This value corresponds to the velocity dispersion that one finds in clusters of galaxies. Hence, we expect a large number of gravitational-wave sources to have such effects imprinted in their signals. In particular, the signal from a moving source will have its higher modes excited, i.e., (3,3) and beyond. We derive expressions describing this effect and study its measurability for the specific case of a circular, nonspinning extreme-mass-ratio inspiral. We find that the excitation of higher modes by a peculiar velocity of $1000\mathrm{km}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ is detectable for such inspirals with signal-to-noise ratios of $\gtrsim 20$. Using a Fisher matrix analysis, we show that the velocity of the source can be measured to a precision of just a few percent for a signal-to-noise ratio of 100. If the motion of the source is ignored, parameter estimates could be biased, e.g., the estimated masses of the components through a Doppler shift. Conversely, by including this effect in waveform models, we could measure the velocity dispersion of clusters of galaxies at distances inaccessible to light.

We extend the definition of asymptotic multiparticle states of the $S$-matrix beyond the tensor products of one-particle states. We identify new quantum numbers called pairwise helicities, or $q_{ij}$, associated with asymptotically separated pairs of particles. We first treat all single particles and particle pairs independently, allowing us to generalize the Wigner construction, and ultimately projecting onto the physical states. Our states reduce to tensor product states for vanishing $q_{ij}$, while for vanishing spins they reproduce Zwanziger’s scalar dyon states. This construction yields the correct asymptotic states for the scattering of electric and magnetic charges, with pairwise helicity identified as $q_{ij}=e_i{g}_j-e_j{g}_i$.

We show that the widely used relaxation time approximation to the relativistic Boltzmann equation contains basic flaws, being incompatible with micro- and macroscopic conservation laws if the relaxation time depends on energy or general matching conditions are applied. We propose a new approximation that fixes such fundamental issues and maintains the basic properties of the linearized Boltzmann collision operator. We show how this correction affects transport coefficients, such as the bulk viscosity and particle diffusion.

A measurement of dielectron production in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13\mathrm{TeV}$, recorded with the ALICE detector at the CERN LHC, is presented in this Letter. The data set was recorded with a reduced magnetic solenoid field. This enables the investigation of a kinematic domain at low dielectron (ee) invariant mass $m_{\mathrm{ee}}$ and pair transverse momentum $p_{T,\mathrm{ee}}$ that was previously inaccessible at the LHC. The cross section for dielectron production is studied as a function of $m_{\mathrm{ee}}$, $p_{T,\mathrm{ee}}$, and event multiplicity $\mathrm{d}{N}_{\mathrm{ch}}/\mathrm{d}\eta$. The expected dielectron rate from hadron decays, called hadronic cocktail, utilizes a parametrization of the measured $\eta /{\pi }^0$ ratio in pp and proton-nucleus collisions, assuming that this ratio shows no strong dependence on collision energy at low transverse momentum. Comparison of the measured dielectron yield to the hadronic cocktail at $0.15<m_{\mathrm{ee}}<0.6\mathrm{GeV}/c^2$ and for $p_{T,\mathrm{ee}}<0.4\mathrm{GeV}/c$ indicates an enhancement of soft dielectrons, reminiscent of the “anomalous” soft-photon and soft-dilepton excess in hadron-hadron collisions reported by several experiments under different experimental conditions. The enhancement factor over the hadronic cocktail amounts to $1.61\pm 0.13(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.17(\text{syst},\text{data})\pm 0.34(\text{syst},\text{cocktail})$ in the ALICE acceptance. Acceptance-corrected excess spectra in $m_{\mathrm{ee}}$ and $p_{T,\mathrm{ee}}$ are extracted and compared with calculations of dielectron production from hadronic bremsstrahlung and thermal radiation within a hadronic many-body approach.

We present a method that may allow an estimate of the value of the speed of sound as well as its logarithmic derivative with respect to the baryon number density in matter created in heavy-ion collisions. To this end, we use well-known observables: cumulants of the baryon number distribution. In analyses aimed at uncovering the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter, cumulants gather considerable attention as their qualitative behavior along the explored range of collision energies is expected to aid in detecting the QCD critical point. We show that the cumulants may also reveal the behavior of the speed of sound in the temperature and baryon chemical potential plane. We demonstrate the applicability of such estimates within two models of nuclear matter and explore what might be understood from known experimental data.

We investigate droplet formation in three-component ultracold bosons. In particular, we identify the formation of a Borromean droplet, where only the ternary bosons can form a self-bound droplet while any binary subsystems cannot, as the first example of Borromean binding due to a collective many-body effect. Its formation is facilitated by an additional attractive force induced by the density fluctuation of a third component, which enlarges the mean-field collapse region in comparison to the binary case and renders the formation of a Borromean droplet after incorporating the repulsive force from quantum fluctuations. Outside the Borromean regime, we demonstrate an interesting phenomenon of droplet phase separation due to the competition between ternary and binary droplets. We further show that the transition between different droplets and gas phase can be conveniently tuned by boson numbers and interaction strengths. The study reveals the rich physics of a quantum droplet in three-component boson mixtures and sheds light on the more intriguing many-body bound state formed in multicomponent systems.

Scattering immune propagation of light in topological photonic systems may revolutionize the design of integrated photonic circuits for information processing and communications. In optics, various photonic topological circuits have been developed, which were based on classical emulation of either quantum spin Hall effect or quantum valley Hall effect. On the other hand, the combination of both the valley and spin degrees of freedom can lead to a new kind of topological transport phenomenon, dubbed spin-valley Hall effect (SVHE), which can further expand the number of topologically protected edge channels and would be useful for information multiplexing. However, it is challenging to realize SVHE in most known material platforms, due to the requirement of breaking both the (pseudo)fermionic time-reversal ($T$) and parity symmetries ($P$) individually, but leaving the combined symmetry $S\equiv TP$ intact. Here, we propose an experimentally feasible platform to realize SVHE for light, based on coupled ring resonators mediated by optical Kerr nonlinearity. Thanks to the inherent flexibility of cross-mode modulation, the coupling between the probe light can be engineered in a controllable way such that spin-dependent staggered sublattice potential emerges in the effective Hamiltonian. With delicate yet experimentally feasible pump conditions, we show the existence of spin-valley Hall-induced topological edge states. We further demonstrate that both degrees of freedom, i.e., spin and valley, can be manipulated simultaneously in a reconfigurable manner to realize spin-valley photonics, doubling the degrees of freedom for enhancing the information capacity in optical communication systems.

Pendant drops suspended on the underside of a wet substrate are known to accumulate fluid from the surrounding thin liquid film, a process that often results in dripping. The growth of such drops is hastened by their ability to translate over an otherwise uniform horizontal film. Here we show that this scenario is surprisingly reversed when the substrate is slightly tilted ($\approx 2°$); drops become too fast to grow and shrink over the course of their motion. Combining experiments and numerical simulations, we rationalize the transition between the conventional growth regime and the previously unknown decay regime we report. Using an analytical treatment of the Landau-Levich meniscus that connects the drop to the film, we quantitatively predict the drop dynamics in the two flow regimes and the value of the critical inclination angle where the transition between them occurs.

The classical $B1(\mathrm{NaCl})\leftrightarrow B2(\mathrm{CsCl})$ transitions have been considered as a model for general structural phase transformations, and resolving corresponding phase transition mechanisms under high strain rate shock compression is critical to a fundamental understanding of phase transition dynamics. Here, we use subnanosecond synchrotron x-ray diffraction to visualize the lattice response of single-crystal KCl to planar shock compression. Complete $B1\text{−}B2$ orientation relations are revealed for KCl under shock compression along ${⟨100⟩}_{B1}$ and ${⟨110⟩}_{B1}$; the orientation relations and transition mechanisms are anisotropic and can be described with the standard and modified Watanabe-Tokonami-Morimoto model, respectively, both involving interlayer sliding and intralayer ion rearrangement. The current study also establishes a paradigm for investigating solid-solid phase transitions under dynamic extremes with ultrafast synchrotron x-ray diffraction.

The formation of gas-filled bubbles on the surface of van der Waals crystals provides an ideal platform whereby the interplay of the elastic parameters and interlayer forces can be suitably investigated. Here, we combine experimental and numerical efforts to study the morphology of the bubbles at equilibrium and highlight unexpected behaviors that contrast with the common assumptions. We exploit such observations to develop an accurate analytical model to describe the shape and strain of the bubbles and exploit it to measure the adhesion energy between a variety of van der Waals crystals, showing sizable material-dependent trends.