Out-of-time-order correlation (OTOC) functions provide a powerful theoretical tool for diagnosing chaos and the scrambling of information in strongly interacting, quantum systems. However, their direct and unambiguous experimental measurement remains an essential challenge. At its core, this challenge arises from the fact that the effects of both decoherence and experimental noise can mimic that of information scrambling, leading to decay of OTOCs. Here, we analyze a quantum teleportation protocol that explicitly enables one to differentiate between scrambling and decoherence. Moreover, we demonstrate that within this protocol, one can extract a precise “noise” parameter which quantitatively captures the nonscrambling-induced decay of OTOCs. Using this parameter, we prove explicit bounds on the true value of the OTOC. Our results open the door to experimentally measuring quantum scrambling with built-in verifiability.

We investigate the quantum Heisenberg model on the pyrochlore lattice for a generic spin $S$ in the presence of nearest-neighbor $J_1$ and second-nearest-neighbor $J_2$ exchange interactions. By employing the pseudofermion functional renormalization group method, we find, for $S=1/2$ and $S=1$, an extended quantum-spin-liquid phase centered around $J_2=0$, which is shown to be robust against the introduction of breathing anisotropy. The effects of temperature, quantum fluctuations, breathing anisotropies, and a $J_2$ coupling on the nature of the scattering profile, and the pinch points, in particular, are studied. For the magnetic phases of the $J_1\text{−}{J}_2$ model, quantum fluctuations are shown to renormalize phase boundaries compared to the classical model and to modify the ordering wave vectors of spiral magnetic states, while no new magnetic orders are stabilized.

A crucial limit to measurement efficiencies of superconducting circuits comes from losses involved when coupling to an external quantum amplifier. Here, we realize a device circumventing this problem by directly embedding an artificial atom, comprised of a transmon qubit, within a flux-pumped Josephson parametric amplifier. This configuration is able to enhance dispersive measurement without exposing the qubit to appreciable excess backaction. Near-optimal backaction is obtained by engineering the circuit to permit high-power operation that reduces information loss to unmonitored channels associated with the amplification and squeezing of quantum noise. By mitigating the effects of off-chip losses downstream, the on-chip gain of this device produces end-to-end measurement efficiencies of up to 80%. Our theoretical model accurately describes the observed interplay of gain and measurement backaction and delineates the parameter space for future improvement. The device is compatible with standard fabrication and measurement techniques and, thus, provides a route for definitive investigations of fundamental quantum effects and quantum control protocols.

We study rough high-dimensional landscapes in which an increasingly stronger preference for a given configuration emerges. Such energy landscapes arise in glass physics and inference. In particular, we focus on random Gaussian functions and on the spiked-tensor model and generalizations. We thoroughly analyze the statistical properties of the corresponding landscapes and characterize the associated geometrical phase transitions. In order to perform our study, we develop a framework based on the Kac-Rice method that allows us to compute the complexity of the landscape, i.e., the logarithm of the typical number of stationary points and their Hessian. This approach generalizes the one used to compute rigorously the annealed complexity of mean-field glass models. We discuss its advantages with respect to previous frameworks, in particular, the thermodynamical replica method, which is shown to lead to partially incorrect predictions.

The Kuramoto model, originally proposed to model the dynamics of many interacting oscillators, has been used and generalized for a wide range of applications involving the collective behavior of large heterogeneous groups of dynamical units whose states are characterized by a scalar angle variable. One such application in which we are interested is the alignment of orientation vectors among members of a swarm. Despite being commonly used for this purpose, the Kuramoto model can only describe swarms in two dimensions, and hence the results obtained do not apply to the often relevant situation of swarms in three dimensions. Partly based on this motivation, as well as on relevance to the classical, mean-field, zero-temperature Heisenberg model with quenched site disorder, in this paper we study the Kuramoto model generalized to $D$ dimensions. We show that in the important case of three dimensions, as well as for any odd number of dimensions, the $D$-dimensional generalized Kuramoto model for heterogeneous units has dynamics that are remarkably different from the dynamics in two dimensions. In particular, for odd $D$ the transition to coherence occurs discontinuously as the interunit coupling constant $K$ is increased through zero, as opposed to the $D=2$ case (and, as we show, also the case of even $D$) for which the transition to coherence occurs continuously as $K$ increases through a positive critical value $K_c$. We also demonstrate the qualitative applicability of our results to related models constructed specifically to capture swarming and flocking dynamics in three dimensions.

On August 17, 2017, the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors observed a low-mass compact binary inspiral. The initial sky localization of the source of the gravitational-wave signal, GW170817, allowed electromagnetic observatories to identify NGC 4993 as the host galaxy. In this work, we improve initial estimates of the binary’s properties, including component masses, spins, and tidal parameters, using the known source location, improved modeling, and recalibrated Virgo data. We extend the range of gravitational-wave frequencies considered down to 23 Hz, compared to 30 Hz in the initial analysis. We also compare results inferred using several signal models, which are more accurate and incorporate additional physical effects as compared to the initial analysis. We improve the localization of the gravitational-wave source to a 90% credible region of $16{\mathrm{deg}}^2$. We find tighter constraints on the masses, spins, and tidal parameters, and continue to find no evidence for nonzero component spins. The component masses are inferred to lie between 1.00 and $1.89{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$ when allowing for large component spins, and to lie between 1.16 and $1.60{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$ (with a total mass ${2.73}_{-0.01}^{+0.04}{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$) when the spins are restricted to be within the range observed in Galactic binary neutron stars. Using a precessing model and allowing for large component spins, we constrain the dimensionless spins of the components to be less than 0.50 for the primary and 0.61 for the secondary. Under minimal assumptions about the nature of the compact objects, our constraints for the tidal deformability parameter $\tilde{\mathrm{\Lambda }}$ are (0,630) when we allow for large component spins, and ${300}_{-230}^{+420}$ (using a 90% highest posterior density interval) when restricting the magnitude of the component spins, ruling out several equation-of-state models at the 90% credible level. Finally, with LIGO and GEO600 data, we use a Bayesian analysis to place upper limits on the amplitude and spectral energy density of a possible postmerger signal.

The Majorana fermion, which is its own antiparticle and obeys non-Abelian statistics, plays a critical role in topological quantum computing. It can be realized as a bound state at zero energy, called a Majorana zero mode (MZM), in the vortex core of a topological superconductor, or at the ends of a nanowire when both superconductivity and strong spin orbital coupling are present. A MZM can be detected as a zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in tunneling spectroscopy. However, in practice, clean and robust MZMs have not been realized in the vortices of a superconductor because of contamination from impurity states or other closely packed Caroli–de Gennes-Matricon (CdGM) states, which hampers further manipulations of MZMs. Here, using scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we show that a ZBCP well separated from the other discrete CdGM states exists ubiquitously in the cores of free vortices in the defect-free regions of $({\mathrm{Li}}_{0.84}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.16})\mathrm{OHFeSe}$, which has a superconducting transition temperature of 42 K. Moreover, a Dirac-cone-type surface state is observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and its topological nature is confirmed by band calculations. The observed ZBCP can naturally be attributed to a MZM arising from the chiral topological surface state of a bulk superconductor. Thus, $({\mathrm{Li}}_{0.84}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{0.16})\mathrm{OHFeSe}$ provides an ideal platform for studying MZMs and topological quantum computing.

We demonstrate single-shot imaging and narrow-line cooling of individual alkaline-earth atoms in optical tweezers; specifically, strontium trapped in $515.2\text{−}\mathrm{nm}$ light. Our approach enables high-fidelity detection of single atoms by imaging photons from the broad singlet transition while cooling on the narrow intercombination line, and we extend this technique to highly uniform two-dimensional tweezer arrays with 121 sites. Cooling during imaging is based on a previously unobserved narrow-line Sisyphus mechanism, which we predict to be applicable in a wide variety of experimental situations. Further, we demonstrate optically resolved sideband cooling of a single atom to near the motional ground state of a tweezer, which is tuned to a magic-trapping configuration achieved by elliptical polarization. Finally, we present calculations, in agreement with our experimental results, that predict a linear-polarization and polarization-independent magic crossing at 520(2) nm and 500.65(50) nm, respectively. Our results pave the way for a wide range of novel experimental avenues based on individually controlled alkaline-earth atoms in tweezers—from fundamental experiments in atomic physics to quantum computing, simulation, and metrology.

Optical tweezers provide a versatile platform for the manipulation and detection of single atoms. Here, we use optical tweezers to demonstrate a set of tools for the microscopic control of atomic strontium, which has two valence electrons. Compared to the single-valence-electron atoms typically used with tweezers, strontium has a more complex internal state structure with a variety of transition wavelengths and linewidths. We report single-atom loading into an array of subwavelength scale optical tweezers and light-shift-free control of a narrow-linewidth optical transition. We use this transition to perform three-dimensional ground-state cooling and to enable high-fidelity nondestructive imaging of single atoms on subwavelength spatial scales. These capabilities, combined with the rich internal structure of strontium, open new possibilities including tweezer-based metrology, new quantum computing architectures, and new paths to low-entropy many-body physics.

A curious feature of organ and organoid morphogenesis is that in certain cases, spatial oscillations in the thickness of the growing “film” are out of phase with the deformation of the slower-growing “substrate,” while in other cases, the oscillations are in phase. The former cannot be explained by elastic bilayer instability, and contradict the notion that there is a universal mechanism by which brains, intestines, teeth, and other organs develop surface wrinkles and folds. Inspired by the microstructure of the embryonic cerebellum, we develop a new model of 2D morphogenesis in which system-spanning elastic fibers endow the organ with a preferred radius, while a separate fiber network resides in the otherwise fluidlike film at the outer edge of the organ and resists thickness gradients thereof. The tendency of the film to uniformly thicken or thin is described via a “growth potential.” Several features of cerebellum, $+\text{blebbistatin}$ organoid, and retinal fovea morphogenesis, including out-of-phase behavior and a film thickness amplitude that is comparable to the radius amplitude, are readily explained by our simple analytical model, as may be an observed scale invariance in the number of folds in the cerebellum. We also study a nonlinear variant of the model, propose further biological and bioinspired applications, and address how our model is and is not unique to the developing nervous system.

In the presence of an externally supported, mean magnetic field, a turbulent, conducting medium, such as plasma, becomes anisotropic. This mean magnetic field, which is separate from the fluctuating, turbulent part of the magnetic field, has considerable effects on the dynamics of the system. In this paper, we examine the dissipation rates for decaying incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence with an increasing Reynolds number and in the presence of a mean magnetic field of varying strength. Proceeding numerically, we find that, as the Reynolds number increases, the dissipation rate asymptotes to a finite value for each magnetic-field strength, confirming the Kármán-Howarth hypothesis as applied to MHD. The asymptotic value of the dimensionless dissipation rate is initially suppressed from the zero-mean-field value by the mean magnetic field but then approaches a constant value for higher values of the mean-field strength. Additionally, for comparison, we perform a set of two-dimensional (2DMHD) and a set of reduced MHD (RMHD) simulations. We find that the RMHD results lie very close to the values corresponding to the high-mean-field limit of the three-dimensional runs while the 2DMHD results admit distinct values far from both the zero-mean-field cases and the high-mean-field limit of the three-dimensional cases. These findings provide firm underpinnings for numerous applications in space and astrophysics wherein von Kármán decay of turbulence is assumed.

Thermodynamics at the nanoscale is known to differ significantly from its familiar macroscopic counterpart: The possibility of state transitions is not determined by free energy alone but by an infinite family of free-energy-like quantities; strong fluctuations (possibly of quantum origin) allow one to extract less work reliably than what is expected from computing the free-energy difference. However, these known results rely crucially on the assumption that the thermal machine is not only exactly preserved in every cycle but also kept uncorrelated from the quantum systems on which it acts. Here, we lift this restriction: We allow the machine to become correlated with the microscopic systems on which it acts while still exactly preserving its own state. Surprisingly, we show that this possibility restores the second law in its original form: Free energy alone determines the possible state transitions, and the corresponding amount of work can be invested or extracted from single systems exactly and without any fluctuations. At the same time, the work reservoir remains uncorrelated from all other systems and parts of the machine. Thus, microscopic machines can increase their efficiency via clever “correlation engineering” in a perfectly cyclic manner, which is achieved by a catalytic system that can sometimes be as small as a single qubit (though some setups require very large catalysts). Our results also solve some open mathematical problems on majorization which may lead to further applications in entanglement theory.

Quantum dots are arguably the best interface between matter spin qubits and flying photonic qubits. Using quantum dot devices to produce joint spin-photonic states requires the electronic spin qubits to be stored for extended times. Therefore, the study of the coherence of spins of various quantum dot confined charge carriers is important both scientifically and technologically. In this study we report on spin-relaxation measurements performed on five different forms of electronic spin qubits confined in the very same quantum dot. In particular, we use all optical techniques to measure the spin relaxation of the confined heavy hole and that of the dark exciton—a long-lived electron-heavy-hole pair with parallel spins. Our measured results for the spin relaxation of the electron, the heavy hole, the dark exciton, the negative and the positive trions, in the absence of externally applied magnetic field, are in agreement with a central spin theory which attributes the dephasing of the carriers’ spin to their hyperfine interactions with the nuclear spins of the atoms forming the quantum dots. We demonstrate that the heavy hole dephases much slower than the electron. We also show, both experimentally and theoretically, that the dark exciton dephases slower than the heavy hole, due to the electron-hole exchange interaction, which partially protects its spin state from dephasing.

Recent work using tools from quantum information theory has shown that for small systems where quantum effects become prevalent, there is not one thermodynamical second law but many. Derivations of these laws assume that an experimenter has very precise control of the system and heat bath. Here we show that these multitude of laws can be saturated using two very simple operations: changing the energy levels of the system and thermalizing over any two system energy levels. Using these two operations, one can distill the optimal amount of work from a system, as well as perform the reverse formation process. What is more, using only these two operations and one ancilla qubit in a thermal state, one can transform any state into any other state allowable by the second laws. We thus have the result that the second laws hold for fine-grained manipulation of system and bath, but can be achieved using very coarse control. This brings the full array of thermal operations towards a regime accessible by experiment, and establishes the physical relevance of these second laws, potentially opening a new direction of studies.

The success of first-principles electronic-structure calculation for predictive modeling in chemistry, solid-state physics, and materials science is constrained by the limitations on simulated length scales and timescales due to the computational cost and its scaling. Techniques based on machine-learning ideas for interpolating the Born-Oppenheimer potential energy surface without explicitly describing electrons have recently shown great promise, but accurately and efficiently fitting the physically relevant space of configurations remains a challenging goal. Here, we present a Gaussian approximation potential for silicon that achieves this milestone, accurately reproducing density-functional-theory reference results for a wide range of observable properties, including crystal, liquid, and amorphous bulk phases, as well as point, line, and plane defects. We demonstrate that this new potential enables calculations such as finite-temperature phase-boundary lines, self-diffusivity in the liquid, formation of the amorphous by slow quench, and dynamic brittle fracture, all of which are very expensive with a first-principles method. We show that the uncertainty quantification inherent to the Gaussian process regression framework gives a qualitative estimate of the potential’s accuracy for a given atomic configuration. The success of this model shows that it is indeed possible to create a useful machine-learning-based interatomic potential that comprehensively describes a material on the atomic scale and serves as a template for the development of such models in the future.

We report complex metamagnetic transitions in single crystals of the new low carrier Kondo antiferromagnet ${\mathrm{YbRh}}_3{\mathrm{Si}}_7$. Electrical transport, magnetization, and specific heat measurements reveal antiferromagnetic order at $T_{\mathrm{N}}=7.5\mathrm{K}$. Neutron diffraction measurements show that the magnetic ground state of ${\mathrm{YbRh}}_3{\mathrm{Si}}_7$ is a collinear antiferromagnet, where the moments are aligned in the $ab$ plane. With such an ordered state, no metamagnetic transitions are expected when a magnetic field is applied along the $c$ axis. It is therefore surprising that high-field magnetization, torque, and resistivity measurements with $H\parallel c$ reveal two metamagnetic transitions at ${\mu }_0{H}_1=6.7\mathrm{T}$ and ${\mu }_0{H}_2=21\mathrm{T}$. When the field is tilted away from the $c$ axis, towards the $ab$ plane, both metamagnetic transitions are shifted to higher fields. The first metamagnetic transition leads to an abrupt increase in the electrical resistivity, while the second transition is accompanied by a dramatic reduction in the electrical resistivity. Thus, the magnetic and electronic degrees of freedom in ${\mathrm{YbRh}}_3{\mathrm{Si}}_7$ are strongly coupled. We discuss the origin of the anomalous metamagnetism and conclude that it is related to competition between crystal electric-field anisotropy and anisotropic exchange interactions.

Capillary condensation is the first-order vapor-to-liquid phase transition taking place in confined geometries. Such heterogeneous nucleation has been well described by thermodynamic laws such as the Kelvin equation, but the equation’s applicability at the nanoscale is still unresolved. Here, we show that the Kelvin equation is valid down to approximately 0.5 nm radius of curvature when the curvature dependence of surface tension is taken into account. By the shear-mode atomic force microscopy, we have measured directly and accurately the critical tip-surface distance (${\mathrm{d}}_{\mathrm{c}}$) at which the water meniscus is capillary condensed in ambient condition; e.g., ${\mathrm{d}}_{\mathrm{c}}\approx 1.2\mathrm{nm}$ at 10% relative humidity. In particular, we can determine the Tolman length, the unique characteristic of the curvature-dependent surface tension, as the single fitting parameter ($\delta =0.21\pm 0.05\mathrm{nm}$). Our results that unify the validity of the Kelvin equation at molecular scale and the characterization of the curvature effect of surface tension may provide a better understanding of general nucleation phenomena in nature, including the role of nanometric aerosols in cloud formation.

Since the discovery of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), the anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) has been thought to be zero when there is no net magnetization. However, the recently found relation between the intrinsic AHE and the Berry curvature predicts other possibilities, such as a large AHC in noncolinear antiferromagnets with no net magnetization but net Berry curvature. Vice versa, the AHE in principle could be tuned to zero, irrespective of a finite magnetization. Here, we experimentally investigate this possibility and demonstrate that the symmetry elements of Heusler magnets can be changed such that the Berry curvature and all the associated properties are switched while leaving the magnetization unaffected. This enables us to tune the AHC from $0{\mathrm{\Omega }}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$ up to $1600{\mathrm{\Omega }}^{-1}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$ with an exceptionally high anomalous Hall angle up to 12%, while keeping the magnetization the same. Our study shows that the AHC can be controlled by selectively changing the Berry curvature distribution, independent of the magnetization.

The dipolar collision between ultracold polar molecules is an important topic both by its own right from the fundamental point of view and for the successful exploration of many-body physics with strong and long-range dipolar interactions. Here, we report the investigation of collisions between ultracold ground-state sodium-rubidium molecules in electric fields with induced electric dipole moments as large as 0.7 D. We observe a stepwise enhancement of losses due to the coupling between different partial waves induced by the increasingly stronger anisotropic dipolar interactions. Varying the temperature of our sample, we find good agreement with theoretical loss rates assuming complex formation as the main loss process. Our results shed new light on the understanding of complex molecular collisions in the presence of strong dipolar interactions and also demonstrate the versatility of modifying molecular interactions with electric fields.

Complex real-world phenomena across a wide range of scales, from aviation and Internet traffic to signal propagation in electronic and gene regulatory circuits, can be efficiently described through dynamic network models. In many such systems, the spectrum of the underlying graph Laplacian plays a key role in controlling the matter or information flow. Spectral graph theory has traditionally prioritized analyzing unweighted networks with specified adjacency properties. Here, we introduce a complementary framework, providing a mathematically rigorous weighted graph construction that exactly realizes any desired spectrum. We illustrate the broad applicability of this approach by showing how designer spectra can be used to control the dynamics of various archetypal physical systems. Specifically, we demonstrate that a strategically placed gap induces generalized chimera states in Kuramoto-type oscillator networks, tunes or suppresses pattern formation in a generic Swift-Hohenberg model, and leads to persistent localization in a discrete Gross-Pitaevskii quantum network. Our approach can be generalized to design continuous band gaps through periodic extensions of finite networks.