We study the Efimov states in highly mass-imbalanced three-body systems composed of two identical heavy atoms and one light atom, focusing on the Er-Er-Li and Dy-Dy-Li cold-atom mixtures with strong dipole-dipole interactions between the heavy atoms. By solving the Born-Oppenheimer equation for varying $s$-wave scattering lengths between the heavy and light atoms, we demonstrate for both bosonic and fermionic systems that the Efimov spectra and hence the three-body parameters are universal even with the dipole interaction comparable in strength to the van der Waals interaction. While the bosonic systems exhibit Efimov states only in the $M_z=0$ channel, the fermionic systems show a characteristic doublet of the Efimov states in the $M_z=0$ and $M_z=\pm 1$ channels due to the interplay of finite angular momentum and the anisotropy of the dipole interaction. Both numerical results and analytical formulas obtained with the first-order perturbation show that the ratio of the three-body parameters between these two fermionic channels exhibits universality, particularly well in the limit of large mass imbalance. Leveraging this universality, we provide quantitative predictions for the values and ratios of the three-body parameters for experimentally relevant Er-Li and Dy-Li isotopes.

Flat bands in twisted materials have attracted considerable attention due to the emergence of correlated phases that can be associated with the non-Wannier-representable nature of its single-particle states. Specifically, these bands can exhibit a class of topology that can be nullified by the addition of trivial bands, termed fragile topology, which has required an expansion of prior classification schemes. However, existing approaches for predicting fragile topology rely on momentum-space methods, e.g., Wilson loops, presenting a fundamental challenge for using fragile topology as a predictor of correlated phases in aperiodic systems, such as incommensurate twist angles in moiré materials. Here, we develop a ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ energy-resolved topological marker for classifying fragile phases using a system’s position-space description, enabling the direct classification of finite, disordered, and aperiodic materials. By translating the physical symmetries protecting the system’s fragile topological phase into matrix symmetries of the system’s Hamiltonian and position operators, we use matrix homotopy to construct our topological marker while simultaneously yielding a quantitative measure of topological robustness. We demonstrate our framework’s effectiveness in both a low-energy tight-binding model and a continuum photonic crystal model of $C_2\mathcal{T}$-symmetric systems, and find that fragile topology can both persist under strong disorder and even exhibit disorder-induced reentrant phase transitions. Our photonic crystal results also demonstrate the robustness of fragile topology, and the applicability of our approach, to heterostructures lacking a bulk spectral gap. Overall, our framework serves as an efficient tool for elucidating fragile topology, offering guidance for the prediction and discovery of correlated phases in both crystalline and aperiodic materials.

We explore a two-dimensional Hubbard model adapted to host altermagnetic states. Utilizing Hartree-Fock (HF) and dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT), we uncover that the magnetic solutions of this model feature Dirac points in their spectrum. HF predicts a gap opening at a critical interaction strength, a result corroborated by DMFT calculations at zero temperature. However, at finite temperature and high interaction strengths, Dirac points re-emerge at high energies in the spectral function, even if they are absent in the noninteracting and HF-predicted band structures. Analytical arguments reveal that this phenomenon arises near Mott insulating solutions from the frequency dependence of the self-energy, a behavior not captured by static mean-field theory. We identify distinctive dynamical signatures of correlated altermagnetic states in the spin-resolved optical conductivity, notably a double-peak structure likely linked to high-energy Dirac conelike bands. Moreover, the spin-resolved response exhibits spin-selective activation at different photon energies, pointing to potential applications in spin-dependent optical control. We also propose perturbations to the model that can induce a topological gap in the spectrum, leading to a transition from topologically trivial to nontrivial states by varying doping, interaction strength, and temperature.

The use of high-dimensional systems for quantum communication opens interesting perspectives, such as increased information capacity and noise resilience. In this context, it is crucial to certify that a given quantum channel can reliably transmit high-dimensional quantum information. Here we develop efficient methods for the characterization of high-dimensional quantum channels. We first present a notion of dimensionality of quantum channels and develop efficient certification methods for this quantity. We consider a simple prepare-and-measure setup and provide witnesses for both a fully and a partially trusted scenario. In turn, we apply these methods to a photonic experiment and certify dimensionalities up to 59 for a commercial graded-index multimode optical fiber. Moreover, we present extensive numerical simulations of the experiment, providing an accurate noise model for the fiber and exploring the potential of more sophisticated witnesses. Our work demonstrates the efficient characterization of high-dimensional quantum channels, a key ingredient for future quantum communication technologies.

Complex biological systems should often reconcile conflicting selection pressures. In systems based on molecular recognition, molecules must specifically identify certain partners while excluding others. Here, we study how such selection pressures shape the evolution of the self-incompatibility system in plants. This system inhibits self-fertilization using specific molecular recognition between proteins, expressed in the plant female and male reproductive organs. We study the impact of these opposing selection pressures on the amino acid frequencies in these proteins’ recognition domain. We build on a theoretical framework enabling promiscuous recognition between proteins, as found empirically, and employ stochastic simulations to study their evolution. We find that selection exerts asymmetric responses of amino acid frequencies, affecting female proteins considerably, but hardly the male. Using large deviations theory, we well approximate the simulated frequencies and find agreement with genomic data. Our work offers a general theoretical framework to study the impact of multiple selection pressures, applicable to additional biological systems.

The chiral magnetic effect (CME)—a macroscopic manifestation of the quantum chiral anomaly—induces currents along magnetic field lines, facilitating mutual conversion between chiral asymmetry and magnetic helicity. Although the finite electron mass suppresses chiral asymmetry through spin-flip processes, we demonstrate that the CME effectively shapes magnetar field evolution. Magnetic helicity acts as a persistent internal source of chiral asymmetry, which mediates the redistribution of magnetic energy across spatial scales, without requiring an external energy source. Our three-dimensional magnetothermal simulations of the neutron star crust reveal a mechanism that significantly reconfigures the magnetic field inherited at birth, amplifying both toroidal and poloidal large-scale dipolar components (crucial for spin-down) to strengths of $>{10}^{14}$ G within just a century, at the expense of small-scale structures. This astrophysical application of the CME, distinct and complementary to conventional hydrodynamic dynamo models, offers an innovative framework for understanding magnetar field dynamics and provides a transformative solution to the origin of their exceptionally strong, large-scale fields.

When an electric field of light with a frequency of $\mathrm{\Omega }$ is applied to a solid, Floquet states, consisting of sidebands with an interval of $\hslash \mathrm{\Omega }$ around an electronic state, are expected to be formed. However, only a few studies have experimentally detected such sidebands. Here, we apply mid-infrared pump near-infrared reflection probe spectroscopy to a one-dimensional Mott insulator, bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene-difluorotetracyanoquinodimethane $\left(\mathrm{ET}\text{−}{\mathrm{F}}_2\mathrm{TCNQ}\right)$, to detect the transient change in reflectivity $R$, $\mathrm{\Delta }R/R$, due to the formation of excitonic Floquet states. Analyses, considering both odd- and even-parity excitons, demonstrate that the $\mathrm{\Delta }R/R$ spectrum reflects the formation of the first-order Floquet sidebands of excitons, and its spectral shape strongly depends on the widths of excitonic states. The experimental and analytical approach reported here is effective in demonstrating excitonic Floquet states in various solids.

Radiative and nonradiative resonant couplings between defects are ubiquitous phenomena in photonic devices used in classical and quantum information technology applications. In this work, we present a first-principles approach to enable quantitative predictions of the energy transfer between defects in photonic cavities, beyond the dipole-dipole approximation and including the many-body nature of the electronic states. As an example, we discuss the energy transfer from a dipolelike emitter to an $F$ center in MgO in a spherical cavity. We show that the cavity can be used to controllably enhance or suppress specific spin-flip and spin-conserving transitions. Specifically, we predict that an ∼10–100 enhancement in the resonant energy transfer rate can be gained in the case of the $F$ center in MgO at ∼10 nm distances from a dipolar source, using rather moderate cavity with quality factor $Q$ ∼ 400. We also show that a similar suppression in the transfer rate can be achieved by off-tuning the cavity resonance relative to the emitter transition energy. The framework presented here is general and readily applicable to a wide range of devices where localized emitters are embedded in microspheres, core-shell nanoparticles, and dielectric Mie resonators. Hence, our approach paves the way to predict how to control energy transfer in quantum memories and in ultrahigh-density optical memories, and in a variety of quantum information platforms.

We develop a theory of heat transport in nonchiral transmission lines (TLs) of quantum Hall edge channels coupled to Ohmic contacts that accounts for a dynamical accumulation of charge in the reservoirs. As a consequence, heat transport is driven by charge fluctuations in the heat Coulomb blockade regime. This framework challenges conventional paradigms by revealing a giant heat flux effect—a significant amplification in heat transport arising from nontrivial fluctuation-dissipation relations. Through a Langevin-based approach, we derive the effective noise power in the chiral currents, which underlies this enhanced heat flux. Our findings predict clear experimental signatures unique to nonchiral TLs, as well as provide insights into finite-frequency effects, showing crossovers to more conventional diffusive behavior. This work offers a perspective on feedback mechanisms in quasi-one-dimensional heat transport with implications for dissipation control in low-dimensional quantum systems.

We propose a framework to study the spatiotemporal evolution of liquid-liquid phase separation of weak polyelectrolytes in ionic solutions. Unlike strong polyelectrolytes, which carry a fixed charge, the charge state of weak polyelectrolytes is modulated by the electrochemical environment through protonation and deprotonation processes. Leveraging numerical simulations and analysis, our work reveals how solution acidity (pH) influences the formation, interactions, and structural properties of phase-separated coacervates. We find that pH gradients can be maintained across coacervate interfaces, resulting in a clear distinction in the electrochemical properties within and outside the coacervate. By regulating the charge state of weak polyelectrolytes, pH gradients interact and modulate the electric double layer forming at coacervate interfaces, eventually determining how they interact. Further linear and nonlinear analyses of stationary localized solutions reveal a rich spectrum of behaviors that significantly distinguish weak from strong polyelectrolytes. Overall, our results demonstrate the importance of charge regulation on phase-separating solutions of charge-bearing molecules and the possibility of harnessing charge-regulated mechanisms to control coacervates and shape their stability and spatial organization.

We present a quantum algorithmic framework for simulating linear, anti-Hermitian (lossless) wave equations in heterogeneous, anisotropic, and time-independent media. This framework encompasses a broad class of wave equations, including the acoustic wave equation, Maxwell’s equations, and the elastic wave equation. Our formulation is compatible with standard numerical discretization schemes and allows for the efficient implementation of multiple practically relevant time- and space-dependent sources. Furthermore, we demonstrate that subspace energies can be extracted and wave fields compared through an $l_2$ loss function, achieving optimal precision scaling with the number of samples taken. Additionally, we introduce techniques for incorporating boundary conditions and linear constraints that preserve the anti-Hermitian nature of the equations. Leveraging the Hamiltonian simulation algorithm, our framework achieves a quartic speedup over classical solvers in three-dimensional simulations, under conditions of sufficiently global measurements and compactly supported sources and initial conditions. This quartic speedup is optimal for time-domain solutions, as the Hamiltonian of the discretized wave equations has local couplings. In summary, our framework provides a versatile approach for simulating wave equations on quantum computers, offering substantial speedups over state-of-the-art classical methods.

We report on the experimental study of the spectrum of plasma excitations in a plasmonic crystal fabricated from the two-dimensional electron system in an AlGaAs/GaAs semiconductor heterostructure. We perform a comprehensive research on the mode frequency and relaxation as a function of the gate width across different plasmonic crystal periods. Importantly, we develop an analytical approach that accurately describes the behavior of plasma excitations in plasmonic crystals, providing insights into the fundamental physics of plasmonic systems.

High-harmonic generation (HHG) and quantum optics are historically two distant fields of science. HHG as a central technique to generate attosecond pulses via atoms, molecules, or solids has been mostly treated as a classical source of light. Entanglement and squeezing of HHG light would open fascinating perspectives in quantum technology, with the emergence of a field of basic and applied research: attosecond quantum optics. Here, we measure entanglement in a tripartite solid-state HHG system through the violation of a Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. Displaced squeezing is experimentally observed and supported by numerical simulations with excellent agreement to the data. The Schmidt number is estimated, which indicates a low-dimensional multimode structure for each harmonic, an important property for most quantum technologies. At the applied level, the semiconductor HHG source is scalable, integrable, operates at room temperature with compact lasers, and thus represents a useful and exploitable resource in quantum photonics.