We perform an extended numerical search for practical fermion-to-qubit encodings with error-correcting properties. Ideally, encodings should strike a balance between a number of the seemingly incompatible attributes, such as having a high minimum distance, low-weight fermionic logical operators, a small qubit to fermionic mode ratio and a simple qubit connectivity graph including ancilla qubits for the measurement of stabilizers. Our strategy consists of a three-step procedure in which we: First generate encodings with code distances up to $d\le 4$ by a brute-force enumeration technique; subsequently, we use these encodings as starting points and apply Clifford deformations to them which allows us to identify higher-distance codes with $d\le 7$; finally, we optimize the hardware connectivity graphs of resulting encodings in terms of the graph thickness and the number of connections per qubit. We report multiple promising high-distance encodings which significantly improve the weights of stabilizers and logical operators compared to previously reported alternatives.

We present a Floquet framework for controlling topological features of a one-dimensional optical lattice system with dual-mode resonant driving, in which both the amplitude and phase of the lattice potential are modulated simultaneously. We investigate a three-band model consisting of the three lowest orbitals and elucidate the formation of a crosslinked two-leg ladder through an indirect interband coupling via an off-resonant band. We numerically demonstrate the emergence of topologically nontrivial bands within the driven system, and a topological charge pumping phenomenon with cyclic parameter changes in the dual-mode resonant driving. Finally, we show that the band topology in the driven three-band system is protected by parity-time reversal symmetry.

In waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) systems, noninteracting quantum entities can be coupled through the vacuum field of the waveguide, leading to both coherent and dissipative interactions. We systematically demonstrate that the reflection spectrum is clear and direct in representing the collective interaction using the mirror reflection properties of semi-infinite waveguides. Due to the destructive interference with its mirror image, the emitter is decoupled from the waveguide, suppressing the decay so that the reflection spectrum shows an anticrossing phenomenon induced by coherent interaction. Moreover, the reflection spectrum of an anti-parity-time symmetric Hamiltonian caused by dissipative coupling exhibits an unconventional splitting characterized by level attraction transitioning at exceptional points. Our findings highlight the significance of exploring non-Hermitian effects in waveguide quantum systems, offering potential applications in quantum networks reliant on long-distance interactions.

Performing interferometry in an optical lattice formed by standing waves of light offers potential advantages over its free-space equivalents since the atoms can be confined and manipulated by the optical potential. We demonstrate such an interferometer in a one-dimensional lattice and show the ability to control the atoms by imaging and reconstructing the wave function at many stages during its cycle. An acceleration signal is applied, and the resulting performance is seen to be close to the optimum possible for the time-space area enclosed according to quantum theory. Our methodology of machine design enables the sensor to be reconfigurable on the fly, and when scaled up, offers the potential to make state-of-the art inertial and gravitational sensors that will have a wide range of potential applications.

Since quantum spatial searches on networks have a strong network dependence, the question arises whether the universal perspective exists in this quantum algorithm for various networks. Here, we propose a universal scaling hypothesis of the quantum spatial search on complex networks such as small-world and scale-free networks. The average path length, a key quantity in the complex network science, is useful to expose this universal feature, where the collapse plot can be generated for the optimal time, the maximal finding probability, and the optimal hopping parameter. Based on the path integral method, we also clarify that the probability amplitude in the continuous-time quantum walk can be determined by the path length distribution.

Analog quantum simulation is an essential routine for quantum computing and plays a crucial role in studying quantum many-body physics. Typically, the quantum evolution of an analog simulator is largely determined by its physical characteristics, lacking the precise control or versatility of quantum gates. This limitation poses challenges in extracting physical properties on analog quantum simulators, an essential step of quantum simulations. To address this issue, we introduce the Hamiltonian shadow protocol, which uses a single quench Hamiltonian for estimating arbitrary state properties, eliminating the need for ancillary systems and random unitaries. Additionally, we derive the sample complexity of this protocol and show that it performs comparably to the classical shadow protocol. The Hamiltonian shadow protocol does not require sophisticated control and can be applied to a wide range of analog quantum simulators. We demonstrate its utility through numerical demonstrations with Rydberg atom arrays under realistic parameter settings. The new protocol significantly broadens the application of randomized measurements for analog quantum simulators without precise control and ancillary systems.

$\mathrm{InBi}\left(001\right)$ is formed epitaxially on $\mathrm{InAs}\left(111\right)$-A by depositing Bi onto an In-rich surface. Angle-resolved photoemission measurements reveal topological electronic surface states, close to the $\overline{\mathrm{M}}$ high symmetry point. This demonstrates a heteroepitaxial system entirely in the III–V family with topological electronic properties. InBi shows coexistence of Bi and In surface terminations, in contradiction with other III–V materials. For the Bi termination, the study gives a consistent physical picture of the topological surface electronic structure of $\mathrm{InBi}\left(001\right)$ terminated by a Bi bilayer rather than a surface formed by splitting to a Bi monolayer termination. Theoretical calculations based on relativistic density functional theory and the one-step model of photoemission clarify the relationship between the $\mathrm{InBi}\left(001\right)$ surface termination and the topological surface states, supporting a predominant role of the Bi bilayer termination. Furthermore, a tight-binding model based on this Bi bilayer termination with only Bi–Bi hopping terms, and no Bi–In interaction, gives a deeper insight into the spin texture.

New sources of parity and time-reversal violation are predicted by well motivated extensions of the Standard Model and can be effectively probed by precision spectroscopy of atoms and molecules. Chiral molecules have distinguished enantiomers which are related by parity transformation. Thus they are promising candidates to search for parity violation at molecular scales, which has yet to be observed. In this work, we show that precision spectroscopy of the hyperfine structure of chiral molecules is sensitive to new physics sources of parity and time-reversal violation. In particular, such a study can be sensitive to regions unexplored by terrestrial experiments of a new chiral spin-1 particle that couples to nucleons. We explore the potential to hunt for time-reversal violation in chiral molecules and show that it can be a complementary measurement to other probes. We assess the feasibility of such hyperfine metrology and project the sensitivity in ${\text{CHDBrI}}^{+}$.

In the area of superconducting spintronics, spin-triplet supercurrents in half-metallic ferromagnets (HMFs) could yield dissipationless spin transport over large distances and high current density. Promising among the HMFs is the perovskite oxide ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{0.3}{\mathrm{MnO}}_3$ (LSMO), and recent studies in combination with the high-$T_c$ superconductor ${\mathrm{YBa}}_2{\mathrm{Cu}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_7$, or the conventional superconductor NbTi, showed long-range effects. Here we focus on two issues that as yet have received less attention: the value of the critical current in the HMF in the limit of a very small electrode distance (20 nm) and the nature of the spin-triplet generator. We use lateral junctions shaped as a bar, square, and disk, and find high supercurrent densities of the order of ${10}^{11}$ A/${\mathrm{m}}^2$, pointing to an efficient triplet generation mechanism. This is surprising in the sense that no magnetic inhomogeneity is purposely built in, as is done in conventional metal triplet junctions. Furthermore, from the magnetic field dependence of the critical current interference patterns, we find a uniform supercurrent distribution in bar-shaped devices, but one more constricted to the rim in disk devices, which is an expected consequence of the geometry. We also analyze the temperature dependence of the critical current and find the quadratic dependence that was predicted in the limit of small junction lengths. From studying the NbTi/LSMO interface with scanning electron transmission microscopy, we conclude that the magnetic inhomogeneity required for triplet generation resides in the LSMO layer adjacent to the interface.

Continuous variable encoding of quantum information requires the deterministic generation of highly correlated quantum states of light in the form of quantum networks, which, in turn, necessitates the controlled generation of a large number of squeezed modes. In this paper, we present an experimental source of multimode squeezed states of light at telecommunication wavelengths. Generation at such wavelengths is especially important as it can enable quantum information processing, communication, and sensing beyond the laboratory scale. We use a single-pass spontaneous parametric down-conversion process in a nonlinear waveguide pumped with the second harmonic of a femtosecond laser. Our measurements reveal significant squeezing in more than 21 frequency modes, with a maximum squeezing value exceeding 2.5 dB. We demonstrate multiparty entanglement by measuring the state's covariance matrix. Finally, we show the source reconfigurability by preparing few-node cluster states and measure their nullifier squeezing level. These results pave the way for a scalable implementation of continuous variable quantum information protocols at telecommunication wavelengths, particularly for multiparty, entanglement-based quantum communications. Moreover, the source is compatible with additional pulse-by-pulse multiplexing, which can be utilized to construct the necessary three-dimensional entangled structures for quantum computing protocols.

Among vortex structures identified so far in superfluid ${}^3\mathrm{He}\text{−}\mathrm{B}$, the most common are the A-phase-core and double-core vortices. According to earlier numerical calculations, the double-core vortex is energetically favored nearly everywhere in the $p\text{−}T$ phase diagram. Nevertheless, in experiments, the A-phase-core vortex has been observed down to temperatures of $0.6T_{\mathrm{c}}$ at high pressures. We use the Ginzburg-Landau formalism to calculate the energies of the two vortex structures in the experimentally relevant magnetic field as well as the energy barrier for the transition between the two structures. Assigning vanishing barrier as the boundary of the metastability region of the A-phase-core vortex, we reproduce the experimentally measured vortex phase diagram and provide an explanation for the reappearance of the double-core vortex near the critical temperature $T_{\mathrm{c}}$ at low pressures: the difference in Zeeman energy between the two vortex structures becomes relatively more important close to $T_{\mathrm{c}}$, and the A-phase-core vortex becomes unstable. In contrast to the equilibrium vortex structures, we suggest that the vortex nucleation process favors the A-phase-core vortex over the double-core vortex. Our approach can be used to analyze competition between different vortex structures in other unconventional superfluids and superconductors.

We employ ab initio electronic-structure calculations to investigate the charge-density waves and periodic lattice distortions in bilayer $2\mathrm{H}\text{−}{\mathrm{NbSe}}_2$. We demonstrate that the vertical stacking can give rise to a variety of patterns that may lower the symmetry of the charge-density waves exhibited separately by the two composing $1\mathrm{H}\text{−}{\mathrm{NbSe}}_2$ monolayers. The general tendency to a spontaneous symmetry breaking observed in the ground state and the first excited states is shown to originate from a non-negligible interlayer coupling. Simulated images for scanning tunneling microscopy as well as geometric structure factors show signatures of the different stacking orders. This may not only be useful to reinterpret past experiments on surfaces and thin films, but it may also be exploited to devise ad hoc experiments for the investigation of the stacking order in $2\mathrm{H}\text{−}{\mathrm{NbSe}}_2$. We anticipate that our analysis not only applies to the $2\mathrm{H}\text{−}{\mathrm{NbSe}}_2$, but is also relevant for thin films and bulk, whose smallest centrosymmetric component is indeed the bilayer. Finally, our results illustrate clearly that the vertical stacking is not only important for 1T structures, as exemplified by the metal-to-insulator transition observed in $1\mathrm{T}\text{−}{\mathrm{TaS}}_2$, but seems to be a general feature of metallic layered transition metal dichalcogenides as well.

Equilibrium rate theories play a crucial role in understanding rare, reactive events. However, they are inapplicable to a range of irreversible processes in systems driven far from thermodynamic equilibrium like active and biological matter. Here we develop an efficient numerical method to compute the rate constant of rare nonequilibrium events in the weak-noise limit based on an instanton approximation to the stochastic path integral and illustrate its wide range of application. We demonstrate excellent agreement of the instanton rates with numerically exact results for a particle under a nonconservative force. We also study phase transitions in an active field theory. We elucidate how activity alters the stability of the two phases and their rates of interconversion in a manner that can be well described by modifying classical nucleation theory.

We apply quantum homomorphic encryption (QHE) schemes suitable for circuits with a polynomial number of $T+T^{†}$ gates to Grover's algorithm, performing a simulation in Qiskit of a Grover circuit that contains three qubits. The $T+T^{†}$-gate complexity of Grover's algorithm is also analyzed in order to show that any Grover circuit can be evaluated homomorphically in an efficient manner. We discuss how to apply these QHE schemes to allow for the efficient homomorphic evaluation of any Grover circuit composed of $n$ qubits using $n-2$ extra ancilla qubits. We also show how the homomorphic evaluation of the special case where there is only one marked item can be implemented using an algorithm that makes the decryption process more efficient compared with the standard Grover algorithm.

We investigate the topological phases and corresponding edge states in silicene with fixed intrinsic and extrinsic Rashba spin-orbit couplings. The results show that silicene can exhibit four distinct topological phases, such as two types of valley-polarized quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) and two types of QAHE that can be effectively controlled by the exchange field and electric field. In addition, these topological phases only correspond to the valley edge states distributed at the boundary of silicene. In particular, when the off-resonant circularly polarized (ORCP) light is further considered, silicene can host richer topological phases that are characterized by the Chern numbers from $C=-3$ to $C=3$, where the corresponding mixed edge states—where the valley and nonvalley edge states could coexist—can remarkably appear. More interestingly, the special higher Chern numbers $C=\pm 3$ determine two valley edge states and one nonvalley edge state, with the right-moving or left-moving direction. These peculiar edge states are attributed to the ORCP light destroying the collapse of the Dirac cones that the valley edge states bridge. Additionally, silicene can experience multiple edge-state transitions for identical Chern numbers $C=\pm 2$ between the valley edge state, nonvalley edge state, and two types of mixed edge state, under the ORCP light. This work may provide a platform and point of view for investigating other forms of topological edge state and is beneficial for designing multifunctional topological devices.

Metamaterials are composite structures whose extraordinary properties arise from a mesoscale organization of their constituents. Here, we introduce a different material class—viscosity metafluids. Specifically, we demonstrate that we can rapidly drive large viscosity oscillations in shear-thickened fluids using acoustic perturbations with kHz to MHz frequencies. Because the timescale for these oscillations can be orders of magnitude smaller than the timescales associated with the global material flow, we can construct metafluids whose resulting time-averaged viscosity is a composite of the thickened, high-viscosity and dethickened, low-viscosity states. We show that viscosity metafluids can be used to engineer a variety of unique properties including zero, infinite, and negative viscosities. The high degree of control over the resulting viscosity, the ease with which they can be accessed, and the variety of exotic properties achievable make viscosity metafluids attractive for uses in technologies ranging from coatings to cloaking to 3D printing.

We report the first absolute frequency measurements for the $5s5p^3{P}_0\to 5s6d^3{D}_1$ transition at 394 nm for all the stable strontium isotopes by utilizing repumping induced spectroscopy in a magneto-optical trap. Absolute transition frequency is measured to be 760524409251(25) kHz for ${}^{88}\mathrm{Sr}$. With reference to ${}^{88}\mathrm{Sr}$, the isotope shifts are measured to be 91052(35), 54600(33), and 51641(28) kHz for ${}^{84}\mathrm{Sr}, {}^{86}\mathrm{Sr}$, and ${}^{87}\mathrm{Sr}$, respectively. We calculate the hyperfine constants A and B for the fermionic isotope ${}^{87}\mathrm{Sr}$ at kHz level. Furthermore, we perform King plot analysis by combining isotope shifts on the 689-nm transition to our data.