@article {3413, title = {Observation of a finite-energy phase transition in a one-dimensional quantum simulator}, year = {2023}, month = {10/30/2023}, abstract = {

One of the most striking many-body phenomena in nature is the sudden change of macroscopic properties as the temperature or energy reaches a critical value. Such equilibrium transitions have been predicted and observed in two and three spatial dimensions, but have long been thought not to exist in one-dimensional (1D) systems. Fifty years ago, Dyson and Thouless pointed out that a phase transition in 1D can occur in the presence of long-range interactions, but an experimental realization has so far not been achieved due to the requirement to both prepare equilibrium states and realize sufficiently long-range interactions. Here we report on the first experimental demonstration of a finite-energy phase transition in 1D. We use the simple observation that finite-energy states can be prepared by time-evolving product initial states and letting them thermalize under the dynamics of a many-body Hamiltonian. By preparing initial states with different energies in a 1D trapped-ion quantum simulator, we study the finite-energy phase diagram of a long-range interacting quantum system. We observe a ferromagnetic equilibrium phase transition as well as a crossover from a low-energy polarized paramagnet to a high-energy unpolarized paramagnet in a system of up to 23 spins, in excellent agreement with numerical simulations. Our work demonstrates the ability of quantum simulators to realize and study previously inaccessible phases at finite energy density.

}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.19869}, author = {Alexander Schuckert and Or Katz and Lei Feng and Eleanor Crane and Arinjoy De and Mohammad Hafezi and Alexey V. Gorshkov and Christopher Monroe} } @article {2908, title = {Interactive Protocols for Classically-Verifiable Quantum Advantage}, year = {2021}, month = {12/9/2021}, abstract = {

Achieving quantum computational advantage requires solving a classically intractable problem on a quantum device. Natural proposals rely upon the intrinsic hardness of classically simulating quantum mechanics; however, verifying the output is itself classically intractable. On the other hand, certain quantum algorithms (e.g. prime factorization via Shor\&$\#$39;s algorithm) are efficiently verifiable, but require more resources than what is available on near-term devices. One way to bridge the gap between verifiability and implementation is to use \"interactions\" between a prover and a verifier. By leveraging cryptographic functions, such protocols enable the classical verifier to enforce consistency in a quantum prover\&$\#$39;s responses across multiple rounds of interaction. In this work, we demonstrate the first implementation of an interactive quantum advantage protocol, using an ion trap quantum computer. We execute two complementary protocols -- one based upon the learning with errors problem and another where the cryptographic construction implements a computational Bell test. To perform multiple rounds of interaction, we implement mid-circuit measurements on a subset of trapped ion qubits, with subsequent coherent evolution. For both protocols, the performance exceeds the asymptotic bound for classical behavior; maintaining this fidelity at scale would conclusively demonstrate verifiable quantum advantage.

}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.05156}, author = {Daiwei Zhu and Gregory D. Kahanamoku-Meyer and Laura Lewis and Crystal Noel and Or Katz and Bahaa Harraz and Qingfeng Wang and Andrew Risinger and Lei Feng and Debopriyo Biswas and Laird Egan and Alexandru Gheorghiu and Yunseong Nam and Thomas Vidick and Umesh Vazirani and Norman Y. Yao and Marko Cetina and Christopher Monroe} } @article {2768, title = {Observation of a prethermal discrete time crystal}, year = {2021}, month = {2/2/2021}, abstract = {

The conventional framework for defining and understanding phases of matter requires thermodynamic equilibrium. Extensions to non-equilibrium systems have led to surprising insights into the nature of many-body thermalization and the discovery of novel phases of matter, often catalyzed by driving the system periodically. The inherent heating from such Floquet drives can be tempered by including strong disorder in the system, but this can also mask the generality of non-equilibrium phases. In this work, we utilize a trapped-ion quantum simulator to observe signatures of a non-equilibrium driven phase without disorder: the prethermal discrete time crystal (PDTC). Here, many-body heating is suppressed not by disorder-induced many-body localization, but instead via high-frequency driving, leading to an expansive time window where non-equilibrium phases can emerge. We observe a number of key features that distinguish the PDTC from its many-body-localized disordered counterpart, such as the drive-frequency control of its lifetime and the dependence of time-crystalline order on the energy density of the initial state. Floquet prethermalization is thus presented as a general strategy for creating, stabilizing and studying intrinsically out-of-equilibrium phases of matter.

}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.01695}, author = {Antonis Kyprianidis and Francisco Machado and William Morong and Patrick Becker and Kate S. Collins and Dominic V. Else and Lei Feng and Paul W. Hess and Chetan Nayak and Guido Pagano and Norman Y. Yao and Christopher Monroe} }