We provide general sufficient conditions for the efficient classical simulation of quantum-optics experiments that involve inputting states to a quantum process and making measurements at the output. The first condition is based on the negativity of phase-space quasiprobability distributions (PQDs) of the output state of the process and the output measurements; the second one is based on the negativity of PQDs of the input states, the output measurements, and the transition function associated with the process. We show that these conditions provide useful practical tools for investigating the effects of imperfections in implementations of boson sampling. In particular, we apply our formalism to boson-sampling experiments that use single-photon or spontaneous-parametric-down-conversion sources and on-off photodetectors. Considering simple models for loss and noise, we show that above some threshold for the probability of random counts in the photodetectors, these boson-sampling experiments are classically simulatable. We identify mode mismatching as the major source of error contributing to random counts and suggest that this is the chief challenge for implementations of boson sampling of interesting size.

Accurate values for polarization discontinuities between pyroelectric materials are critical for understanding and designing the electronic properties of heterostructures. For wurtzite materials, the zincblende structure has been used in the literature as a reference to determine the effective spontaneous polarization constants. We show that, because the zincblende structure has a nonzero formal polarization, this method results in a spurious contribution to the spontaneous polarization differences between materials. In addition, we address the correct choice of “improper” versus “proper” piezoelectric constants. For the technologically important III-nitride materials GaN, AlN, and InN, we determine polarization discontinuities using a consistent reference based on the layered hexagonal structure and the correct choice of piezoelectric constants, and discuss the results in light of available experimental data.

Lattice models of fermions, bosons, and spins have long served to elucidate the essential physics of quantum phase transitions in a variety of systems. Generalizing such models to incorporate driving and dissipation has opened new vistas to investigate nonequilibrium phenomena and dissipative phase transitions in interacting many-body systems. We present a framework for the treatment of such open quantum lattices based on a resummation scheme for the Lindblad perturbation series. Employing a convenient diagrammatic representation, we utilize this method to obtain relevant observables for the open Jaynes-Cummings lattice, a model of special interest for open-system quantum simulation. We demonstrate that the resummation framework allows us to reliably predict observables for both finite and infinite Jaynes-Cummings lattices with different lattice geometries. The resummation of the Lindblad perturbation series can thus serve as a valuable tool in validating open quantum simulators, such as circuit-QED lattices, currently being investigated experimentally.

Whether by virtue of being prepared in a slowly relaxing, high-free energy initial condition, or because they are constantly dissipating energy absorbed from a strong external drive, many systems subject to thermal fluctuations are not expected to behave in the way they would at thermal equilibrium. Rather, the probability of finding such a system in a given microscopic arrangement may deviate strongly from the Boltzmann distribution, raising the question of whether thermodynamics still has anything to tell us about which arrangements are the most likely to be observed. In this work, we build on past results governing nonequilibrium thermodynamics and define a generalized Helmholtz free energy that exactly delineates the various factors that quantitatively contribute to the relative probabilities of different outcomes in far-from-equilibrium stochastic dynamics. By applying this expression to the analysis of two examples—namely, a particle hopping in an oscillating energy landscape and a population composed of two types of exponentially growing self-replicators—we illustrate a simple relationship between outcome-likelihood and dissipative history. In closing, we discuss the possible relevance of such a thermodynamic principle for our understanding of self-organization in complex systems, paying particular attention to a possible analogy to the way evolutionary adaptations emerge in living things.

Understanding x-ray radiation damage is a crucial issue for both medical applications of x rays and x-ray free-electron-laser (XFEL) science aimed at molecular imaging. Decrypting the charge and fragmentation dynamics of nucleobases, the smallest units of a macro-biomolecule, contributes to a bottom-up understanding of the damage via cascades of phenomena following x-ray exposure. We investigate experimentally and by numerical simulations the ultrafast radiation damage induced on a nucleobase analogue (5-iodouracil) by an ultrashort (10 fs) high-intensity radiation pulse generated by XFEL at SPring-8 Angstrom Compact free electron Laser (SACLA). The present study elucidates a plausible underlying radiosensitizing mechanism of 5-iodouracil. This mechanism is independent of the exact composition of 5-iodouracil and thus relevant to other such radiosensitizers. Furthermore, we found that despite a rapid increase of the net molecular charge in the presence of iodine, and of the ultrafast release of hydrogen, the other atoms are almost frozen within the 10-fs duration of the exposure. This validates single-shot molecular imaging as a consistent approach, provided the radiation pulse used is brief enough.

Nanoporous supercapacitors are an important player in the field of energy storage that fill the gap between dielectric capacitors and batteries. The key challenge in the development of supercapacitors is the perceived trade-off between capacitance and power delivery. Current efforts to boost the capacitance of nanoporous supercapacitors focus on reducing the pore size so that they can only accommodate a single layer of ions. However, this tight packing compromises the charging dynamics and hence power density. We show via an analytical theory and Monte Carlo simulations that charging is sensitively dependent on the affinity of ions to the pores, and that high capacitances can be obtained for ionophobic pores of widths significantly larger than the ion diameter. Our theory also predicts that charging can be hysteretic with a significant energy loss per cycle for intermediate ionophilicities. We use these observations to explore the parameter regimes in which a capacitance-power-hysteresis trilemma may be avoided.

The magnetic surfaces of modern stellarators are characterized by complex, carefully optimized shaping and exhibit locally compressed regions of strong turbulence drive. Massively parallel computer simulations of plasma turbulence reveal, however, that stellarators also possess two intrinsic mechanisms to mitigate the effect of this drive. In the regime where the length scale of the turbulence is very small compared to the equilibrium scale set by the variation of the magnetic field, the strongest fluctuations form narrow bandlike structures on the magnetic surfaces. Thanks to this localization, the average transport through the surface is significantly smaller than that predicted at locations of peak turbulence. This feature results in a numerically observed upshift of the onset of turbulence on the surface towards higher ion temperature gradients as compared with the prediction from the most unstable regions. In a second regime lacking scale separation, the localization is lost and the fluctuations spread out on the magnetic surface. Nonetheless, stabilization persists through the suppression of the large eddies (relative to the equilibrium scale), leading to a reduced stiffness for the heat flux dependence on the ion temperature gradient. These fundamental differences with tokamak turbulence are exemplified for the QUASAR stellarator [G. H. Neilson et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 42, 489 (2014)].

Nematicity and magnetism are two key features in Fe-based superconductors, and their interplay is one of the most important unsolved problems. In FeSe, the magnetic order is absent below the structural transition temperature $T_{\mathrm{str}}=90\mathrm{K}$, in stark contrast to the fact that the magnetism emerges slightly below $T_{\mathrm{str}}$ in other families. To understand such amazing material dependence, we investigate the spin-fluctuation-mediated orbital order ($n_{xz}\ne n_{yz}$) by focusing on the orbital-spin interplay driven by the strong-coupling effect, called the vertex correction. This orbital-spin interplay is very strong in FeSe because of the small ratio between the Hund’s and Coulomb interactions ($\overline{J}/\overline{U}$) and large $d_{xz}$, $d_{yz}$-orbital weight at the Fermi level. For this reason, in the FeSe model, the orbital order is established irrespective of the fact that the spin fluctuations are very weak, so the magnetism is absent below $T_{\mathrm{str}}$. In contrast, in the LaFeAsO model, the magnetic order appears just below $T_{\mathrm{str}}$ both experimentally and theoretically. Thus, the orbital-spin interplay due to the vertex correction is the key ingredient in understanding the rich phase diagram with nematicity and magnetism in Fe-based superconductors in a unified way.

The attempt to gain a theoretical understanding of the concept of time in quantum mechanics has triggered significant progress towards the search for faster and more efficient quantum technologies. One of such advances consists in the interpretation of the time-energy uncertainty relations as lower bounds for the minimal evolution time between two distinguishable states of a quantum system, also known as quantum speed limits. We investigate how the nonuniqueness of a bona fide measure of distinguishability defined on the quantum-state space affects the quantum speed limits and can be exploited in order to derive improved bounds. Specifically, we establish an infinite family of quantum speed limits valid for unitary and nonunitary evolutions, based on an elegant information geometric formalism. Our work unifies and generalizes existing results on quantum speed limits and provides instances of novel bounds that are tighter than any established one based on the conventional quantum Fisher information. We illustrate our findings with relevant examples, demonstrating the importance of choosing different information metrics for open system dynamics, as well as clarifying the roles of classical populations versus quantum coherences, in the determination and saturation of the speed limits. Our results can find applications in the optimization and control of quantum technologies such as quantum computation and metrology, and might provide new insights in fundamental investigations of quantum thermodynamics.

We report on a detailed experimental investigation of the equation of state (EoS) of the three-dimensional Fermi-Hubbard model (FHM) in its generalized $\mathrm{SU}(N)$-symmetric form, using a degenerate ytterbium gas in an optical lattice. In its more common spin-$1/2$ form, the FHM is a central model of condensed-matter physics. The generalization to $N>2$ was first used to describe multi-orbital materials and is expected to exhibit novel many-body phases in a complex phase diagram. By realizing and locally probing the $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ FHM with ultracold atoms, we obtain model-free access to thermodynamic quantities. The measurement of the EoS and the local compressibility allows us to characterize the crossover from a compressible metal to an incompressible Mott insulator. We reach specific entropies above Néel order but below that of uncorrelated spins. Having access to the EoS of such a system represents an important step towards probing predicted novel $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ phases.

The direct transition from an insulator to a superconductor (SC) in Fermi systems is a problem of long-standing interest, which necessarily goes beyond the standard BCS paradigm of superconductivity as a Fermi surface instability. We introduce here a simple, translationally invariant lattice fermion model that undergoes a SC-insulator transition (SIT) and elucidate its properties using analytical methods and quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We show that there is a fermionic band insulator to bosonic insulator crossover in the insulating phase and a BCS-to-BEC crossover in the SC. The SIT is always found to be from a bosonic insulator to a BEC-like SC, with an energy gap for fermions that remains finite across the SIT. The energy scales that go critical at the SIT are the gap to pair excitations in the insulator and the superfluid stiffness in the SC. In addition to giving insight into important questions about the SIT in solid-state systems, our model should be experimentally realizable using ultracold fermions in optical lattices.

Real-life quantum computers are inevitably affected by intrinsic noise resulting in dissipative nonunitary dynamics realized by these devices. We consider an open-system quantum annealing algorithm optimized for such a realistic analog quantum device which takes advantage of noise-induced thermalization and relies on incoherent quantum tunneling at finite temperature. We theoretically analyze the performance of this algorithm considering a $p$-spin model that allows for a mean-field quasiclassical solution and, at the same time, demonstrates the first-order phase transition and exponential degeneracy of states, typical characteristics of spin glasses. We demonstrate that finite-temperature effects introduced by the noise are particularly important for the dynamics in the presence of the exponential degeneracy of metastable states. We determine the optimal regime of the open-system quantum annealing algorithm for this model and find that it can outperform simulated annealing in a range of parameters. Large-scale multiqubit quantum tunneling is instrumental for the quantum speedup in this model, which is possible because of the unusual nonmonotonous temperature dependence of the quantum-tunneling action in this model, where the most efficient transition rate corresponds to zero temperature. This model calculation is the first analytically tractable example where open-system quantum annealing algorithm outperforms simulated annealing, which can, in principle, be realized using an analog quantum computer.

The formation of bound states involving multiple particles underlies many interesting quantum physical phenomena, such as Efimov physics or superconductivity. In this work, we show the existence of an infinite number of such states for some boson impurity models. They describe free bosons coupled to an impurity and include some of the most representative models in quantum optics. We also propose a family of wave functions to describe the bound states and verify that it accurately characterizes all parameter regimes by comparing its predictions with exact numerical calculations for a one-dimensional tight-binding Hamiltonian. For that model, we also analyze the nature of the bound states by studying the scaling relations of physical quantities, such as the ground-state energy and localization length, and find a nonanalytical behavior as a function of the coupling strength. Finally, we discuss how to test our theoretical predictions in experimental platforms, such as photonic crystal structures and cold atoms in optical lattices.

Coherent scattering of light from ultracold atoms involves an exchange of energy and momentum introducing a wealth of nonlinear dynamical phenomena. As a prominent example, particles can spontaneously form stationary periodic configurations that simultaneously maximize the light scattering and minimize the atomic potential energy in the emerging optical lattice. Such self-ordering effects resulting in periodic lattices via bimodal symmetry breaking have been experimentally observed with cold gases and Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) inside an optical resonator. Here, we study a new regime of periodic pattern formation for an atomic BEC in free space, driven by far off-resonant counterpropagating and noninterfering lasers of orthogonal polarization. In contrast to previous works, no spatial light modes are preselected by any boundary conditions and the transition from homogeneous to periodic order amounts to a crystallization of both light and ultracold atoms breaking a continuous translational symmetry. In the crystallized state the BEC acquires a phase similar to a supersolid with an emergent intrinsic length scale whereas the light field forms an optical lattice allowing phononic excitations via collective backscattering, which are gapped due to the infinte-range interactions. The system we study constitutes a novel configuration allowing the simulation of synthetic solid-state systems with ultracold atoms including long-range phonon dynamics.

The low-temperature unitary Bose gas is a fundamental paradigm in few-body and many-body physics, attracting wide theoretical and experimental interest. Here, we present experiments performed with unitary ${}^{133}\mathrm{Cs}$ and ${}^7\mathrm{Li}$ atoms in two different setups, which enable quantitative comparison of the three-body recombination rate in the low-temperature domain. We develop a theoretical model that describes the dynamic competition between two-body evaporation and three-body recombination in a harmonically trapped unitary atomic gas above the condensation temperature. We identify a universal “magic” trap depth where, within some parameter range, evaporative cooling is balanced by recombination heating and the gas temperature stays constant. Our model is developed for the usual three-dimensional evaporation regime as well as the two-dimensional evaporation case, and it fully supports our experimental findings. Combined ${}^{133}\mathrm{Cs}$ and ${}^7\mathrm{Li}$ experimental data allow investigations of loss dynamics over 2 orders of magnitude in temperature and 4 orders of magnitude in three-body loss rate. We confirm the $1/T^2$ temperature universality law. In particular, we measure, for the first time, the Efimov inelasticity parameter ${\eta }_{*}=0.098(7)$ for the 47.8-G $d$-wave Feshbach resonance in ${}^{133}\mathrm{Cs}$. Our result supports the universal loss dynamics of trapped unitary Bose gases up to a single parameter ${\eta }_{*}$.

In monolayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides, the light helicity (${\sigma }^{+}$ or ${\sigma }^{-}$) is locked to the valley degree of freedom, leading to the possibility of optical initialization of distinct valley populations. However, an extremely rapid valley pseudospin relaxation (at the time scale of picoseconds) occurring for optically bright (electric-dipole active) excitons imposes some limitations on the development of opto-valleytronics. Here, we show that valley pseudospin relaxation of excitons can be significantly suppressed in a ${\mathrm{WSe}}_2$ monolayer, a direct-gap two-dimensional semiconductor with the exciton ground state being optically dark. We demonstrate that the already inefficient relaxation of the exciton pseudospin in such a system can be suppressed even further by the application of a tiny magnetic field of about 100 mT. Time-resolved spectroscopy reveals the pseudospin dynamics to be a two-step relaxation process. An initial decay of the pseudospin occurs at the level of dark excitons on a time scale of 100 ps, which is tunable with a magnetic field. This decay is followed by even longer decay ($>1\mathrm{ns}$), once the dark excitons form more complex pseudo-particles allowing for their radiative recombination. Our findings of slow valley pseudospin relaxation easily manipulated by the magnetic field open new prospects for engineering the dynamics of the valley pseudospin in transition metal dichalcogenides.

High-level brain function, such as memory, classification, or reasoning, can be realized by means of recurrent networks of simplified model neurons. Analog neuromorphic hardware constitutes a fast and energy-efficient substrate for the implementation of such neural computing architectures in technical applications and neuroscientific research. The functional performance of neural networks is often critically dependent on the level of correlations in the neural activity. In finite networks, correlations are typically inevitable due to shared presynaptic input. Recent theoretical studies have shown that inhibitory feedback, abundant in biological neural networks, can actively suppress these shared-input correlations and thereby enable neurons to fire nearly independently. For networks of spiking neurons, the decorrelating effect of inhibitory feedback has so far been explicitly demonstrated only for homogeneous networks of neurons with linear subthreshold dynamics. Theory, however, suggests that the effect is a general phenomenon, present in any system with sufficient inhibitory feedback, irrespective of the details of the network structure or the neuronal and synaptic properties. Here, we investigate the effect of network heterogeneity on correlations in sparse, random networks of inhibitory neurons with nonlinear, conductance-based synapses. Emulations of these networks on the analog neuromorphic-hardware system Spikey allow us to test the efficiency of decorrelation by inhibitory feedback in the presence of hardware-specific heterogeneities. The configurability of the hardware substrate enables us to modulate the extent of heterogeneity in a systematic manner. We selectively study the effects of shared input and recurrent connections on correlations in membrane potentials and spike trains. Our results confirm that shared-input correlations are actively suppressed by inhibitory feedback also in highly heterogeneous networks exhibiting broad, heavy-tailed firing-rate distributions. In line with former studies, cell heterogeneities reduce shared-input correlations. Overall, however, correlations in the recurrent system can increase with the level of heterogeneity as a consequence of diminished effective negative feedback.

Under static conditions, a system satisfying detailed balance generically relaxes to an equilibrium state in which there are no currents. To generate persistent currents, either detailed balance must be broken or the system must be driven in a time-dependent manner. A stationary system that violates detailed balance evolves to a nonequilibrium steady state (NESS) characterized by fixed currents. Conversely, a system that satisfies instantaneous detailed balance but is driven by the time-periodic variation of external parameters—also known as a stochastic pump (SP)—reaches a periodic state with nonvanishing currents. In both cases, these currents are maintained at the cost of entropy production. Are these two paradigmatic scenarios effectively equivalent? For discrete-state systems, we establish a mapping between nonequilibrium stationary states and stochastic pumps. Given a NESS characterized by a particular set of stationary probabilities, currents, and entropy production rates, we show how to construct a SP with exactly the same (time-averaged) values. The mapping works in the opposite direction as well. These results establish a proof of principle: They show that stochastic pumps are able to mimic the behavior of nonequilibrium steady states, and vice versa, within the theoretical framework of discrete-state stochastic thermodynamics. Nonequilibrium steady states and stochastic pumps are often used to model, respectively, biomolecular motors driven by chemical reactions and artificial molecular machines steered by the variation of external, macroscopic parameters. Our results loosely suggest that anything a biomolecular machine can do, an artificial molecular machine can do equally well. We illustrate this principle by showing that kinetic proofreading, a NESS mechanism that explains the low error rates in biochemical reactions, can be effectively mimicked by a constrained periodic driving.

We present a study of the collisional relaxation of ion velocities in a strongly coupled, ultracold neutral plasma on short time scales compared to the inverse collision rate. The measured average velocity of a tagged population of ions is shown to be equivalent to the ion-velocity autocorrelation function. We thus gain access to fundamental aspects of the single-particle dynamics in strongly coupled plasmas and to the ion self-diffusion constant under conditions where experimental measurements have been lacking. Nonexponential decay towards equilibrium of the average velocity heralds non-Markovian dynamics that are not predicted by traditional descriptions of weakly coupled plasmas. This demonstrates the utility of ultracold neutral plasmas for studying the effects of strong coupling on collisional processes, which is of interest for dense laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.

Despite significant progress in resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) experiments on cuprates at the Cu $L$-edge, a theoretical understanding of the cross section remains incomplete in terms of elementary excitations and the connection to both charge and spin structure factors. Here, we use state-of-the-art, unbiased numerical calculations to study the low-energy excitations probed by RIXS in the Hubbard model, relevant to the cuprates. The results highlight the importance of scattering geometry, in particular, both the incident and scattered x-ray photon polarization, and they demonstrate that on a qualitative level the RIXS spectral shape in the cross-polarized channel approximates that of the spin dynamical structure factor. However, in the parallel-polarized channel, the complexity of the RIXS process beyond a simple two-particle response complicates the analysis and demonstrates that approximations and expansions that attempt to relate RIXS to less complex correlation functions cannot reproduce the full diversity of RIXS spectral features.