Quantum Phase Transition and Universal Dynamics in the Rabi Model

Optimality and Noise Resilience of Critical Quantum Sensing

We compare critical quantum sensing to passive quantum strategies to perform frequency estimation, in the case of single-mode quadratic Hamiltonians. We show that, while in the unitary case both strategies achieve precision scaling quadratic with the number of photons, in the presence of dissipation this is true only for critical strategies. We also establish that working at the exceptional point or beyond threshold provides suboptimal performance. This critical enhancement is due to the emergence of a transient regime in the open critical dynamics, and is invariant to temperature changes. When considering both time and system size as resources, for both strategies the precision scales linearly with the product of the total time and the number of photons, in accordance with fundamental bounds. However, we show that critical protocols outperform optimal passive strategies if preparation and measurement times are not negligible. Our results are applicable to a broad variety of critical sensors whose phenomenology can be reduced to that of a single-mode quadratic Hamiltonian, including systems described by finite-component and fully connected models.

Nonreciprocal Superradiant Phase Transitions and Multicriticality in a Cavity QED System

We demonstrate the emergence of nonreciprocal superradiant phase transitions and novel multicriticality in a cavity quantum electrodynamics system, where a two-level atom interacts with two counterpropagating modes of a whispering-gallery-mode microcavity. The cavity rotates at a certain angular velocity and is directionally squeezed by a unidirectional parametric pumping χ^{(2)} nonlinearity. The combination of cavity rotation and directional squeezing leads to nonreciprocal first- and second-order superradiant phase transitions. These transitions do not require ultrastrong atom-field couplings and can be easily controlled by the external pump field. Through a full quantum description of the system Hamiltonian, we identify two types of multicritical points in the phase diagram, both of which exhibit controllable nonreciprocity. These results open a new door for all-optical manipulation of superradiant transitions and multicritical behaviors in light-matter systems, with potential applications in engineering various integrated nonreciprocal quantum devices.

Fast Quantum State Preparation and Bath Dynamics Using Non-Gaussian Variational Ansatz and Quantum Optimal Control

Fast preparation of quantum many-body states is essential for myriad quantum algorithms and metrological applications. Here, we develop a new pathway for fast, nonadiabatic preparation of quantum many-body states that combines quantum optimal control with a variational Ansatz based on non-Gaussian states. We demonstrate our approach on the spin-boson model, a single spin interacting with the bath. We use a multipolaron Ansatz to prepare near-critical ground states. For one mode, we achieve a reduction in infidelity of up to ≈60 (≈10) times compared to linear (optimized local adiabatic) ramps; for many modes, we achieve a reduction in infidelity of up to ≈5 times compared to nonadiabatic linear ramps. Further, we show that the typical control quantity, the leakage from the variational manifold, provides only a loose bound on the state's fidelity. Instead, in analogy to the bond dimension of matrix product states, we suggest a controlled convergence criterion based on the number of polarons. Finally, motivated by the possibility of realizations in trapped ions, we study the dynamics of a system with bath properties going beyond the paradigm of (sub- and/or super-) Ohmic couplings.

Realizing Synthetic Dimensions and Artificial Magnetic Flux in a Trapped-Ion Quantum Simulator

Synthetic dimension is a potent tool in quantum simulation of topological phases of matter. Here we propose and demonstrate a scheme to simulate an anisotropic Harper-Hofstadter model with controllable magnetic flux on a two-leg ladder using the spin and motional states of a single trapped ion. We verify the successful simulation of this model by comparing the measured dynamics with theoretical predictions under various coupling strength and magnetic flux, and we observe the chiral motion of wave packets on the ladder as evidence of the topological chiral edge modes. We develop a quench path to adiabatically prepare the ground states for varying magnetic flux and coupling strength, and we measure the chiral current on the ladder for the prepared ground states, which allows us to probe the quantum phase transition between the Meissner phase and the vortex phase. Our work demonstrates the trapped ion as a powerful quantum simulation platform for topological quantum matter.

Quantum Phase Transitions in Optomechanical Systems

In this Letter, we investigate the ground state properties of an optomechanical system consisting of a coupled cavity and mechanical modes. An exact solution is given when the ratio η between the cavity and mechanical frequencies tends to infinity. This solution reveals a coherent photon occupation in the ground state by breaking continuous or discrete symmetries, exhibiting an equilibrium quantum phase transition (QPT). In the U(1)-broken phase, an unstable Goldstone mode can be excited. In the model featuring Z_{2} symmetry, we discover the mutually (in the finite η) or unidirectionally (in η→∞) dependent relation between the squeezed vacuum of the cavity and mechanical modes. In particular, when the cavity is driven by a squeezed field along the required squeezing parameter, it enables modifying the region of Z_{2}-broken phase and significantly reducing the coupling strength to reach QPTs. Furthermore, by coupling atoms to the cavity mode, the hybrid system can undergo a QPT at a hybrid critical point, which is cooperatively determined by the optomechanical and light-atom systems. These results suggest that this optomechanical system complements other phase transition models for exploring novel critical phenomena.

Unique Steady-State Squeezing in a Driven Quantum Rabi Model

Squeezing is essential to many quantum technologies and our understanding of quantum physics. Here, we show a novel type of steady-state squeezing that can be generated in the closed and open quantum Rabi as well as Dicke model. To this end, we eliminate the spin dynamics which effectively leads to an abstract harmonic oscillator whose eigenstates are squeezed with respect to the noninteracting harmonic oscillator. By driving the system, we generate squeezing which has the unique property of time-independent uncertainties and squeezed dynamics. Such squeezing might find applications in continuous backaction evading measurements and should already be observable in optomechanical systems and Coulomb crystals.

Quantum Phase Transitions in a Generalized Dicke Model

We investigate a generalized Dicke model by introducing two interacting spin ensembles coupled with a single-mode bosonic field. Apart from the normal to superradiant phase transition induced by the strong spin-boson coupling, interactions between the two spin ensembles enrich the phase diagram by introducing ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases. The mean-field approach reveals a phase diagram comprising three phases: paramagnetic-normal phase, ferromagnetic-superradiant phase, and antiferromagnetic-normal phase. Ferromagnetic spin-spin interaction can significantly reduce the required spin-boson coupling strength to observe the superradiant phase, where the macroscopic excitation of the bosonic field occurs. Conversely, antiferromagnetic spin-spin interaction can strongly suppress the superradiant phase. To examine higher-order quantum effects beyond the mean-field contribution, we utilize the Holstein-Primakoff transformation, which converts the generalized Dicke model into three coupled harmonic oscillators in the thermodynamic limit. Near the critical point, we observe the close of the energy gap between the ground and the first excited states, the divergence of entanglement entropy and quantum fluctuation in certain quadrature. These observations further confirm the quantum phase transition and offer additional insights into critical behaviors.

Observation of a Superradiant Phase Transition with Emergent Cat States

Superradiant phase transitions (SPTs) are important for understanding light-matter interactions at the quantum level, and play a central role in criticality-enhanced quantum sensing. So far, SPTs have been observed in driven-dissipative systems, but the emergent light fields did not show any nonclassical characteristic due to the presence of strong dissipation. Here we report an experimental demonstration of the SPT featuring the emergence of a highly nonclassical photonic field, realized with a resonator coupled to a superconducting qubit, implementing the quantum Rabi model. We fully characterize the light-matter state by Wigner matrix tomography. The measured matrix elements exhibit quantum interference intrinsic of a photonic mesoscopic superposition, and reveal light-matter entanglement.

Approximate Autonomous Quantum Error Correction with Reinforcement Learning

Autonomous quantum error correction (AQEC) protects logical qubits by engineered dissipation and thus circumvents the necessity of frequent, error-prone measurement-feedback loops. Bosonic code spaces, where single-photon loss represents the dominant source of error, are promising candidates for AQEC due to their flexibility and controllability. While existing proposals have demonstrated the in-principle feasibility of AQEC with bosonic code spaces, these schemes are typically based on the exact implementation of the Knill-Laflamme conditions and thus require the realization of Hamiltonian distances d≥2. Implementing such Hamiltonian distances requires multiple nonlinear interactions and control fields, rendering these schemes experimentally challenging. Here, we propose a bosonic code for approximate AQEC by relaxing the Knill-Laflamme conditions. Using reinforcement learning (RL), we identify the optimal bosonic set of code words (denoted here by RL code), which, surprisingly, is composed of the Fock states |2⟩ and |4⟩. As we show, the RL code, despite its approximate nature, successfully suppresses single-photon loss, reducing it to an effective dephasing process that well surpasses the break-even threshold. It may thus provide a valuable building block toward full error protection. The error-correcting Hamiltonian, which includes ancilla systems that emulate the engineered dissipation, is entirely based on the Hamiltonian distance d=1, significantly reducing model complexity. Single-qubit gates are implemented in the RL code with a maximum distance d_{g}=2.

Probing the symmetry breaking of a light-matter system by an ancillary qubit

Hybrid quantum systems in the ultrastrong, and even more in the deep-strong, coupling regimes can exhibit exotic physical phenomena and promise new applications in quantum technologies. In these nonperturbative regimes, a qubit-resonator system has an entangled quantum vacuum with a nonzero average photon number in the resonator, where the photons are virtual and cannot be directly detected. The vacuum field, however, is able to induce the symmetry breaking of a dispersively coupled probe qubit. We experimentally observe the parity symmetry breaking of an ancillary Xmon artificial atom induced by the field of a lumped-element superconducting resonator deep-strongly coupled with a flux qubit. This result opens a way to experimentally explore the novel quantum-vacuum effects emerging in the deep-strong coupling regime.

Signatures of Dissipation Driven Quantum Phase Transition in Rabi Model

By using the worldline Monte Carlo technique, matrix product state, and a variational approach à la Feynman, we investigate the equilibrium properties and relaxation features of the dissipative quantum Rabi model, where a two level system is coupled to a linear harmonic oscillator embedded in a viscous fluid. We show that, in the Ohmic regime, a Beretzinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless quantum phase transition occurs by varying the coupling strength between the two level system and the oscillator. This is a nonperturbative result, occurring even for extremely low dissipation magnitude. By using state-of-the-art theoretical methods, we unveil the features of the relaxation towards the thermodynamic equilibrium, pointing out the signatures of quantum phase transition both in the time and frequency domains. We prove that, for low and moderate values of the dissipation, the quantum phase transition occurs in the deep strong coupling regime. We propose to realize this model by coupling a flux qubit and a damped LC oscillator.

Symmetry breaking and competition effect in phase transitions

This study is started from a photon-magnon model with a competition effect of the level attraction and repulsion, its Hermiticity is mainly decided by a phase-dependent and asymmetric coupling factor, namelyφ = 0 for Hermitian andϕ=πfor non-Hermitian. Then an extensional study predicts the quantum critical behaviors using an Hermitian and even no-Hermitian photon-spins model with an additional second-order drive. The numerical results firstly indicate that this coupling phaseφcan function the protective effect on quantum phase transitions (QPTs), and the new tricritical points can not only be modulated by this nonlinear drive, but also be influenced by the dissipation and the collective decoherence. Secondly, this competition effect can also induce a reversal of the value of order parameters between the positive and negative. This study can also bring more important results of QPTs toward the issue of symmetry breaking and non-Hermiticity.

A Quantum-Classical Model of Brain Dynamics

The study of the human psyche has elucidated a bipartite structure of logic reflecting the quantum-classical nature of the world. Accordingly, we posited an approach toward studying the brain by means of the quantum-classical dynamics of a mixed Weyl symbol. The mixed Weyl symbol can be used to describe brain processes at the microscopic level and, when averaged over an appropriate ensemble, can provide a link to the results of measurements made at the meso and macro scale. Within this approach, quantum variables (such as, for example, nuclear and electron spins, dipole momenta of particles or molecules, tunneling degrees of freedom, and so on) can be represented by spinors, whereas the electromagnetic fields and phonon modes can be treated either classically or semi-classically in phase space by also considering quantum zero-point fluctuations. Quantum zero-point effects can be incorporated into numerical simulations by controlling the temperature of each field mode via coupling to a dedicated Nosé-Hoover chain thermostat. The temperature of each thermostat was chosen in order to reproduce quantum statistics in the canonical ensemble. In this first paper, we introduce a general quantum-classical Hamiltonian model that can be tailored to study physical processes at the interface between the quantum and the classical world in the brain. While the approach is discussed in detail, numerical calculations are not reported in the present paper, but they are planned for future work. Our theory of brain dynamics subsumes some compatible aspects of three well-known quantum approaches to brain dynamics, namely the electromagnetic field theory approach, the orchestrated objective reduction theory, and the dissipative quantum model of the brain. All three models are reviewed.

Theory of Dynamical Phase Transitions in Quantum Systems with Symmetry-Breaking Eigenstates

We present a theory for the two kinds of dynamical quantum phase transitions, termed DPT-I and DPT-II, based on a minimal set of symmetry assumptions. In the special case of collective systems with infinite-range interactions, both are triggered by excited-state quantum phase transitions. For quenches below the critical energy, the existence of an additional conserved charge, identifying the corresponding phase, allows for a nonzero value of the dynamical order parameter characterizing DPTs-I, and precludes the main mechanism giving rise to nonanalyticities in the return probability, trademark of DPTs-II. We propose a statistical ensemble describing the long-time averages of order parameters in DPTs-I, and provide a theoretical proof for the incompatibility of the main mechanism for DPTs-II with the presence of this additional conserved charge. Our results are numerically illustrated in the fully connected transverse-field Ising model, which exhibits both kinds of dynamical phase transitions. Finally, we discuss the applicability of our theory to systems with finite-range interactions, where the phenomenology of excited-state quantum phase transitions is absent. We illustrate our findings by means of numerical calculations with experimentally relevant initial states.

Squeezing and Overcoming the Heisenberg Scaling with Spin-Orbit Coupled Quantum Gases

We predict that exploiting spin-orbit coupling in a harmonically trapped spinor quantum gas can lead to scaling of the optimal measurement precision beyond the Heisenberg scaling. We show that quadratic scaling with the number of atoms can be facilitated via squeezed center-of-mass excitations of the atomic motion using 1D spin-orbit coupled fermions or strongly interacting bosons (Tonks-Girardeau gas). Based on predictions derived from analytic calculations of the corresponding quantum Fisher information, we then introduce a protocol which overcomes the Heisenberg scaling (and limit) with the help of a tailored excited and entangled many-body state of a noninteracting Bose-Einstein condensate. We identify corresponding optimal measurements and argue that even finite temperature as a source of decoherence is, in principle, rather favorable for the obtainable precision scaling.

Quantum Rabi dynamics of trapped atoms far in the deep strong coupling regime

The coupling of a two-level system with an electromagnetic field, whose fully quantized version is the quantum Rabi model, is among the central topics of quantum physics. When the coupling strength becomes large enough that the field mode frequency is reached, the deep strong coupling regime is approached, and excitations can be created from the vacuum. Here we demonstrate a periodic variant of the quantum Rabi model in which the two-level system is encoded in the Bloch band structure of cold rubidium atoms in optical potentials. With this method we achieve a Rabi coupling strength of 6.5 times the field mode frequency, which is far in the deep strong coupling regime, and observe a subcycle timescale raise in bosonic field mode excitations. In a measurement recorded in the basis of the coupling term of the quantum Rabi Hamiltonian, a freezing of dynamics is revealed for small frequency splittings of the two-level system, as expected when the coupling term dominates over all other energy scales, and a revival for larger splittings. Our work demonstrates a route to realize quantum-engineering applications in yet unexplored parameter regimes.

Quantum Phase Transitions for an Integrable Quantum Rabi-like Model with Two Interacting Qubits

A two-interacting-qubit quantum Rabi-like model with vanishing transverse fields on the qubit pair is studied. Independently of the coupling regime, this model can be exactly and unitarily reduced to two independent single-spin quantum Rabi models, where the spin-spin coupling plays the role of the transverse field. This transformation and the analytical treatment of the single-spin quantum Rabi model provide the key to prove the integrability of our model. The existence of different first-order quantum phase transitions, characterized by discontinuous two-spin magnetization, mean photon number, and concurrence, is brought to light.

Superradiant Quantum Phase Transition for an Exactly Solvable Two-Qubit Spin-Boson Model

A spin-boson-like model with two interacting qubits is analysed. The model turns out to be exactly solvable since it is characterized by the exchange symmetry between the two spins. The explicit expressions of eigenstates and eigenenergies make it possible to analytically unveil the occurrence of first-order quantum phase transitions. The latter are physically relevant since they are characterized by abrupt changes in the two-spin subsystem concurrence, in the net spin magnetization and in the mean photon number.

Understanding the Quantum Rabi Ring Using Analogies to Quantum Magnetism

We map a quantum Rabi ring, consisting of N cavities arranged in a ring geometry, into an effective magnetic model containing the XY exchange and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions. The analog of the latter is induced by an artificial magnetic field, which modulates photon hopping between nearest-neighbor cavities with a phase. This mapping facilitates the description and understanding of the different phases in the quantum optical model through simple arguments of competing magnetic interactions. For the square geometry (N=4) the rich phase diagram exhibits three superradiant phases denoted as ferro-superradiant, antiferro-superradiant, and chiral superradiant. In particular, the DM interaction is responsible for the chiral phase in which the energetically degenerate configurations of the order parameters are similar to the in-plane magnetizations of skyrmions with different helicities. The antiferro-superradiant phase is suppressed in the triangle geometry (N=3) as geometric frustration contributes to stabilize the chiral phase even for small values of the DM interaction. The chiral phases for odd and even N show a different scaling behavior close to the phase transition. The equivalent behavior on both systems opens the possibility of simulating chiral magnetism in a few-body quantum optical platform, as well as understanding one system using the insights gained from the other.

Critical Quantum Metrology in the Non-Linear Quantum Rabi Model

The quantum Rabi model (QRM) with linear coupling between light mode and qubit exhibits the analog of a second-order phase transition for vanishing mode frequency which allows for criticality-enhanced quantum metrology in a few-body system. We show that the QRM including a nonlinear coupling term exhibits much higher measurement precisions due to its first-order-like phase transition at finite frequency, avoiding the detrimental slowing-down effect close to the critical point of the linear QRM. When a bias term is added to the Hamiltonian, the system can be used as a fluxmeter or magnetometer if implemented in circuit QED platforms.

Classical Simulation and Theory of Quantum Annealing in a Thermal Environment

We study quantum annealing in the quantum Ising model coupled to a thermal environment. When the speed of quantum annealing is sufficiently slow, the system evolves following the instantaneous thermal equilibrium. This quasistatic and isothermal evolution, however, fails near the end of annealing because the relaxation time grows infinitely, therefore yielding excess energy from the thermal equilibrium. We develop a phenomenological theory based on this picture and derive a scaling relation of the excess energy after annealing. The theoretical results are numerically confirmed using a novel non-Markovian method that we recently proposed based on a path-integral representation of the reduced density matrix and the infinite time evolving block decimation. In addition, we discuss crossovers from weak to strong coupling as well as from the adiabatic to quasistatic regime, and propose experiments on the D-Wave quantum annealer.

Frustrated Superradiant Phase Transition

Frustration occurs when a system cannot find a lowest-energy configuration due to conflicting constraints. We show that a frustrated superradiant phase transition occurs when the ground-state superradiance of cavity fields due to local light-matter interactions cannot simultaneously minimize the positive photon hopping energies. We solve the Dicke trimer model on a triangle motif with both negative and positive hopping energies and show that the latter results in a sixfold degenerate ground-state manifold in which the translational symmetry is spontaneously broken. In the frustrated superradiant phase, we find that two sets of diverging time and fluctuation scales coexist, one governed by the mean-field critical exponent and another by a novel critical exponent. The latter is associated with the fluctuation in the difference of local order parameters and gives rise to site-dependent photon number critical exponents, which may serve as an experimental probe for the frustrated superradiant phase. We provide a qualitative explanation for the emergence of unconventional critical scalings and demonstrate that they are generic properties of the frustrated superradiant phase at the hand of a one-dimensional Dicke lattice with an odd number of sites. The mechanism for the frustrated superradiant phase transition discovered here applies to any lattice geometries where the antiferromagnetic ordering of neighboring sites are incompatible and therefore our work paves the way toward the exploration of frustrated phases of coupled light and matter.

Experimental quantum simulation of superradiant phase transition beyond no-go theorem via antisqueezing

The superradiant phase transition in thermal equilibrium is a fundamental concept bridging statistical physics and electrodynamics, which has never been observed in real physical systems since the first proposal in the 1970s. The existence of this phase transition in cavity quantum electrodynamics systems is still subject of ongoing debates due to the no-go theorem induced by the so-called A² term. Moreover, experimental conditions to study this phase transition are hard to achieve with current accessible technology. Based on the platform of nuclear magnetic resonance, here we experimentally simulate the occurrence of an equilibrium superradiant phase transition beyond no-go theorem by introducing the antisqueezing effect. The mechanism relies on that the antisqueezing effect recovers the singularity of the ground state via exponentially enhancing the zero point fluctuation of system. The strongly entangled and squeezed Schrödinger cat states of spins are achieved experimentally in the superradiant phase, which may play an important role in fundamental tests of quantum theory and implementations of quantum metrology.

Quantum simulation allows to investigate otherwise inaccessible physical scenarios. Here, the authors simulate a quantum Rabi model using nuclear spins, including the A2 term and an anti-squeezing term, which allows them to see signatures of a superradiant phase transition in the simulated system.

Inverted harmonic oscillator dynamics of the nonequilibrium phase transition in the Dicke model

We show how the dynamics of the Dicke model after a quench from the ground-state configuration of the normal phase into the superradiant phase can be described for a limited time by a simple inverted harmonic oscillator model and that this limited time approaches infinity in the thermodynamic limit. Although we specifically discuss the Dicke model, the presented mechanism can also be used to describe dynamical quantum phase transitions in other systems and presents an opportunity for simulations of physical phenomena associated with an inverted harmonic oscillator.

Enhanced Parameter Estimation with Periodically Driven Quantum Probe

I propose a quantum metrology protocol for measuring frequencies and weak forces based on a periodic modulating quantum Jahn–Teller system composed of a single spin and two bosonic modes. I show that, in the first order of the frequency drive, the time-independent effective Hamiltonian describes spin-dependent interaction between the two bosonic modes. In the limit of high-frequency drive and low bosonic frequency, the quantum Jahn–Teller system exhibits critical behavior which can be used for high-precision quantum estimation. A major advantage of the scheme is the robustness of the system against spin decoherence, which allows it to perform parameter estimation with measurement time not limited by spin dephasing.

Constant of Motion Identifying Excited-State Quantum Phases

We propose that a broad class of excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) gives rise to two different excited-state quantum phases. These phases are identified by means of an operator C[over ^], which is a constant of motion in only one of them. Hence, the ESQPT critical energy splits the spectrum into one phase where the equilibrium expectation values of physical observables crucially depend on this constant of motion and another phase where the energy is the only relevant thermodynamic magnitude. The trademark feature of this operator is that it has two different eigenvalues ±1, and, therefore, it acts as a discrete symmetry in the first of these two phases. This scenario is observed in systems with and without an additional discrete symmetry; in the first case, C[over ^] explains the change from degenerate doublets to nondegenerate eigenlevels upon crossing the critical line. We present stringent numerical evidence in the Rabi and Dicke models, suggesting that this result is exact in the thermodynamic limit, with finite-size corrections that decrease as a power law.

Quantum Phases in a Quantum Rabi Triangle

The interplay of interactions, symmetries, and gauge fields usually leads to intriguing quantum many-body phases. To explore the nature of emerging phases, we study a quantum Rabi triangle system as an elementary building block for synthesizing an artificial magnetic field. We develop an analytical approach to study the rich phase diagram and the associated quantum criticality. Of particular interest is the emergence of a chiral-coherent phase, which breaks both the Z_{2} and the chiral symmetry. In this chiral phase, photons flow unidirectionally and the chirality can be tuned by the artificial gauge field, exhibiting a signature of broken time-reversal symmetry. The finite-frequency scaling analysis further confirms the associated phase transition to be in the universality class of the Dicke model. This model can simulate a broad range of physical phenomena of light-matter coupling systems, and may have an application in future developments of various quantum information technologies.

Dynamical quantum phase transitions in the spin-boson model

We study dynamical quantum phase transitions in a 2-qubit system interacting with a transverse field and a quantized bosonic environment in the context of open quantum systems. By applying the stochastic Schrödinger equation approach, the model with a spin-boson type of coupling can be solved numerically. It is observed that the dynamics of the rate function of the Loschmidt echo in a 2-qubit system within a finite size of Hilbert space exhibit nonanalyticity when the direction of the transverse field coupled to the system is under a sudden quench. Moreover, we demonstrate that the memory time of the environment and the coupling strength between the system and the transverse field can jointly impact the dynamics of the rate function. We also supply a semi-classical explanation to bridge the dynamical quantum phase transitions in many-body systems and the non-Markovian dynamics of open quantum systems.

Work statistics and symmetry breaking in an excited-state quantum phase transition

We examine how the presence of an excited-state quantum phase transition manifests in the dynamics of a many-body system subject to a sudden quench. Focusing on the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model initialized in the ground state of the ferromagnetic phase, we demonstrate that the work probability distribution displays non-Gaussian behavior for quenches in the vicinity of the excited-state critical point. Furthermore, we show that the entropy of the diagonal ensemble is highly susceptible to critical regions, making it a robust and practical indicator of the associated spectral characteristics. We assess the role that symmetry breaking has on the ensuing dynamics, highlighting that its effect is only present for quenches beyond the critical point. Finally, we show that similar features persist when the system is initialized in an excited state and briefly explore the behavior for initial states in the paramagnetic phase.

Observation of a quantum phase transition in the quantum Rabi model with a single trapped ion

Quantum phase transitions (QPTs) are usually associated with many-body systems in the thermodynamic limit when their ground states show abrupt changes at zero temperature with variation of a parameter in the Hamiltonian. Recently it has been realized that a QPT can also occur in a system composed of only a two-level atom and a single-mode bosonic field, described by the quantum Rabi model (QRM). Here we report an experimental demonstration of a QPT in the QRM using a ¹⁷¹Yb⁺ ion in a Paul trap. We measure the spin-up state population and the average phonon number of the ion as two order parameters and observe clear evidence of the phase transition via adiabatic tuning of the coupling between the ion and its spatial motion. An experimental probe of the phase transition in a fundamental quantum optics model without imposing the thermodynamic limit opens up a window for controlled study of QPTs and quantum critical phenomena.

Quantum phase transition occurs in many-body systems with abrupt changes in the ground state around zero temperature. Here the authors report signatures of quantum phase transition in single trapped ion that can be described using quantum Rabi model.

Dynamic Framework for Criticality-Enhanced Quantum Sensing

Quantum criticality, as a fascinating quantum phenomenon, may provide significant advantages for quantum sensing. Here we propose a dynamic framework for quantum sensing with a family of Hamiltonians that undergo quantum phase transitions (QPTs). By giving the formalism of the quantum Fisher information (QFI) for quantum sensing based on critical quantum dynamics, we demonstrate its divergent feature when approaching the critical point. We illustrate the basic principle and the details of experimental implementation using quantum Rabi model. The framework is applicable to a variety of examples and does not rely on the stringent requirement for particular state preparation or adiabatic evolution. It is expected to provide a route towards the implementation of criticality-enhanced quantum sensing.

Chiral Waveguide Optomechanics: First Order Quantum Phase Transitions with Z_{3} Symmetry Breaking

We present a direct mapping between the quantum optomechanical problem of the atoms harmonically trapped in the vicinity of a chiral waveguide and a generalized quantum Rabi model, and we discuss the analogy between the self-organization of atomic chains in photonic structures and Dicke-like quantum phase transitions in the ultrastrong coupling regime. We extend the class of the superradiant phase transitions for the systems possessing Z_{3} rather than parity Z_{2} symmetry and demonstrate the emergence of the multicomponent Schrödinger-cat ground states in these systems.

An anomaly in quantum phases induced by borders

The stationary behavior of a quantum system is determined by its Hamiltonian and its boundary conditions. All quantum phase transitions (QPT) reported previously were induced by changing the Hamiltonian. In a circular spin model with Heisenberg XY interactions and no magnetic field, we observe an anomaly in quantum phases caused by a qualitative change of the boundary condition. The unexpected anomaly features an infinite number of single-particle levels, in the same pattern as the single-photon-triggered quantum phase transition in the Rabi model.

Finite-Component Multicriticality at the Superradiant Quantum Phase Transition

We demonstrate the existence of finite-component multicriticality in a qubit-boson model where biased qubits collectively coupled to a single-mode bosonic field. The interplay between biases and boson-qubit coupling produces a rich phase diagram which shows multiple superradiant phases and phase boundaries of different orders. In particular, multiple phases become indistinguishable in appropriate bias configurations, which is the signature of multicriticality. A series of universality classes characterizing these multicritical points are identified. Moreover, we present a trapped-ion realization with the potential to explore multicritical phenomena experimentally using a small number of ions. The results open a novel way to probe multicritical universality classes in experiments.

Nonequilibrium Criticality in Quench Dynamics of Long-Range Spin Models

Long-range interacting spin systems are ubiquitous in physics and exhibit a variety of ground-state disorder-to-order phase transitions. We consider a prototype of infinite-range interacting models known as the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model describing the collective interaction of N spins and investigate the dynamical properties of fluctuations and correlations after a sudden quench of the Hamiltonian. Specifically, we focus on critical quenches, where the initial state and/or the postquench Hamiltonian are critical. Depending on the type of quench, we identify three distinct behaviors where both the short-time dynamics and the stationary state at long times are effectively thermal, quantum, and genuinely nonequilibrium, characterized by distinct universality classes and static and dynamical critical exponents. These behaviors can be identified by an infrared effective temperature that is finite, zero, and infinite (the latter scaling with the system size as N^{1/3}), respectively. The quench dynamics is studied through a combination of exact numerics and analytical calculations utilizing the nonequilibrium Keldysh field theory. Our results are amenable to realization in experiments with trapped-ion experiments where long-range interactions naturally arise.

Full Counting Statistics of Topological Defects after Crossing a Phase Transition

We consider the number distribution of topological defects resulting from the finite-time crossing of a continuous phase transition and identify signatures of universality beyond the mean value, predicted by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. Statistics of defects follows a binomial distribution with N Bernouilli trials associated with the probability of forming a topological defect at the locations where multiple domains merge. All cumulants of the distribution are predicted to exhibit a common universal power-law scaling with the quench time in which the transition is crossed. Knowledge of the distribution is used to discuss the onset of adiabatic dynamics and bound rare events associated with large deviations.

Universal Anti-Kibble-Zurek Scaling in Fully Connected Systems

We investigate the quench dynamics of an open quantum system involving a quantum phase transition. In the isolated case, the quench dynamics involving the phase transition exhibits a number of scaling relations with the quench rate as predicted by the celebrated Kibble-Zurek mechanism. In contact with an environment however, these scaling laws break down and one may observe an anti-Kibble-Zurek behavior: slower ramps lead to less adiabatic dynamics, increasing thus nonadiabatic effects with the quench time. In contrast to previous works, we show here that such anti-Kibble-Zurek scaling can acquire a universal form in the sense that it is determined by the equilibrium critical exponents of the phase transition, provided the excited states of the system exhibit singular behavior, as observed in fully connected models. This demonstrates novel universal scaling laws granted by a system-environment interaction in a critical system. We illustrate these findings in two fully connected models, namely, the quantum Rabi and the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick models. In addition, we discuss the impact of nonlinear ramps and finite-size systems.

In- and out-of-equilibrium quantum metrology with mean-field quantum criticality

We study the influence that collective transition phenomena have on quantum metrological protocols. The single spherical quantum spin (SQS) serves as stereotypical toy model that allows analytical insights on a mean-field level. First, we focus on equilibrium quantum criticality in the SQS and obtain the quantum Fisher information analytically, which is associated with the minimum lower bound for the precision of estimation of the parameter driving the phase transition. We compare it with the Fisher information for a specific experimental scenario where photon-counting-like measurements are employed. We find how quantum criticality and squeezing are useful resources in the metrological scenario. Second, we obtain the quantum Fisher information for the out-of-equilibrium transition in the dissipative nonequilibrium steady state and investigate how the presence of dissipation affects the parameter estimation. In this scenario, it is known that the critical point is shifted by an amount which depends on the dissipation rate. This is used here to design high precision protocols for a whole range of the transition-driving parameter in the ordered phase. In fact, for certain values of the parameter being estimated, dissipation may be used to obtain higher precision when compared to the equilibrium scenario.

Critical Quantum Metrology with a Finite-Component Quantum Phase Transition

Physical systems close to a quantum phase transition exhibit a divergent susceptibility, suggesting that an arbitrarily high precision may be achieved by exploiting quantum critical systems as probes to estimate a physical parameter. However, such an improvement in sensitivity is counterbalanced by the closing of the energy gap, which implies a critical slowing down and an inevitable growth of the protocol duration. Here, we design different metrological protocols that exploit the superradiant phase transition of the quantum Rabi model, a finite-component system composed of a single two-level atom interacting with a single bosonic mode. We show that, in spite of the critical slowing down, critical quantum optical probes can achieve a quantum-enhanced time scaling of the sensitivity in frequency-estimation protocols.

Squeezed Light Induced Symmetry Breaking Superradiant Phase Transition

We theoretically investigate the quantum phase transition in the collective systems of qubits in a high quality cavity, where the cavity field is squeezed via the optical parametric amplification process. We show that the squeezed light induced symmetry breaking can result in quantum phase transition without the ultrastrong coupling requirement. Using the standard mean field theory, we derive the condition of the quantum phase transition. Surprisingly, we show that there exists a tricritical point where the first- and second-order phase transitions meet. With specific atom-cavity coupling strengths, both the first- and second-order phase transition can be controlled by the nonlinear gain coefficient, which is sensitive to the pump field. These features also lead to an optical switching from the normal phase to the superradiant phase by just increasing the pump field intensity. The signature of these phase transitions can be observed by detecting the phase space Wigner function distribution with different profiles controlled by the squeezed light intensity. Such superradiant phase transition can be implemented in various quantum systems, including atoms, quantum dots, and ions in optical cavities as well as the circuit quantum electrodynamics system.

Universal Spectral Features of Ultrastrongly Coupled Systems

We identify universal properties of the low-energy subspace of a wide class of quantum optical models in the ultrastrong coupling limit, where the coupling strength dominates over all other energy scales in the system. We show that the symmetry of the light-matter interaction is at the origin of a twofold degeneracy in the spectrum. We prove analytically this result for bounded Hamiltonians and extend it to a class of models with unbounded operators. As a consequence, we show that the emergence of superradiant phases previously investigated in the context of critical phenomena, is a general property of the ultrastrong coupling limit. The set of models we consider encompasses different scenarios of possible interplay between critical behavior and superradiance.

The mixed quantum Rabi model

The analytical exact solutions to the mixed quantum Rabi model (QRM) including both one- and two-photon terms are found by using Bogoliubov operators. Transcendental functions in terms of 4 × 4 determinants responsible for the exact solutions are derived. These so-called G-functions with pole structures can be reduced to the previous ones in the unmixed QRMs. The zeros of G-functions reproduce completely the regular spectra. The exceptional eigenvalues can also be obtained by another transcendental function. From the pole structure, we can derive two energy limits when the two-photon coupling strength tends to the collapse point. All energy levels only collapse to the lower one, which diverges negatively. The level crossings in the unmixed QRMs are relaxed to avoided crossings in the present mixed QRM due to absence of parity symmetry. In the weak two-photon coupling regime, the mixed QRM is equivalent to an one-photon QRM with an effective positive bias, suppressed photon frequency and enhanced one-photon coupling, which may pave a highly efficient and economic way to access the deep-strong one-photon coupling regime.

Light propagation in inhomogeneous media, coupled quantum harmonic oscillators and phase transitions

This contribution has two main purposes. First, using classical optics we show how to model two coupled quantum harmonic oscillators and two interacting quantized fields. Second, we present classical analogs of coupled harmonic oscillators that correspond to anisotropic quadratic graded indexed media in a rotated reference frame, and we use operator techniques, common to quantum mechanics, to solve the propagation of light through a particular type of graded indexed medium. Additionally, we show that the system presents phase transitions.

Probing Quantum Criticality and Symmetry Breaking at the Microscopic Level

We report on an experimental study of the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model of quantum spins interacting at infinite range in a transverse magnetic field, which exhibits a ferromagnetic phase transition in the thermodynamic limit. We use dysprosium atoms of electronic spin J=8, subjected to a quadratic Zeeman light shift, to simulate 2J=16 interacting spins 1/2. We probe the system microscopically using single magnetic sublevel resolution, giving access to the spin projection parity, which is the collective observable characterizing the underlying Z_{2} symmetry. We measure the thermodynamic properties and dynamical response of the system, and we study the quantum critical behavior around the transition point. In the ferromagnetic phase, we achieve coherent tunneling between symmetry-broken states, and we test the link between symmetry breaking and the appearance of a finite order parameter.

The Kibble-Zurek mechanism at exceptional points

Exceptional points (EPs) are ubiquitous in non-Hermitian systems, and represent the complex counterpart of critical points. By driving a system through a critical point at finite rate induces defects, described by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, which finds applications in diverse fields of physics. Here we generalize this to a ramp across an EP. We find that adiabatic time evolution brings the system into an eigenstate of the final non-Hermitian Hamiltonian and demonstrate that for a variety of drives through an EP, the defect density scales as τ^{−(d + z)ν/(zν + 1)} in terms of the usual critical exponents and 1/τ the speed of the drive. Defect production is suppressed compared to the conventional Hermitian case as the defect state can decay back to the ground state close to the EP. We provide a physical picture for the studied dynamics through a mapping onto a Lindblad master equation with an additionally imposed continuous measurement.

Universal non-equilibrium behaviour can emerge in physical systems when they are driven through a parameter regime where their energy gap closes. Dóra et al. show that the Kibble-Zurek scaling associated with exceptional points in non-Hermitian systems is distinct from the conventional Hermitian result.

Dynamical Critical Scaling of Long-Range Interacting Quantum Magnets

Slow quenches of the magnetic field across the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition of spin systems produce heat. In systems with short-range interactions the heat exhibits universal power-law scaling as a function of the quench rate, known as Kibble-Zurek scaling. In this work we analyze slow quenches of the magnetic field in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model, which describes fully connected quantum spins. We analytically determine the quantum contribution to the residual heat as a function of the quench rate δ by means of a Holstein-Primakoff expansion about the mean-field value. Unlike in the case of short-range interactions, scaling laws in the LMG model are only found for a ramp starting or ending at the critical point. If instead the ramp is symmetric, as in the typical Kibble-Zurek scenario, then the number of excitations exhibits a crossover behavior as a function of δ and tends to a constant in the thermodynamic limit. Previous, and seemingly contradictory, theoretical studies are identified as specific limits of this dynamics. Our results can be tested on several experimental platforms, including quantum gases and trapped ions.

Single-photon-induced two qubits excitation without breaking parity symmetry

We investigate theoretically the model of two "qubits" system (one qubit having an auxiliary level) interacting with a single-mode resonator in the ultrastrong coupling regime. We show that a single photon could simultaneously excite two qubits without breaking the parity symmetry of system by properly encoding the excited states of qubits. The optimal parameter regime for achieving high probability approaching one is identified in the case of ignoring the system dissipation. Moreover, using experimentally feasible parameters, we also analyze the dissipation dynamics of the system, and present the realization of two-qubit excitation induced by single-photon. This work offers an alternative approach to realize the single-photon-induced two qubits excitation, which should advance the development of single-photon quantum technologies and have potential applications in quantum information science.

Spin-Mechanical Scheme with Color Centers in Hexagonal Boron Nitride Membranes

Recently observed quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) membranes have a potential for achieving high accessibility and controllability thanks to the lower spatial dimension. Moreover, these objects naturally have a high sensitivity to vibrations of the hosting membrane due to its low mass density and high elasticity modulus. Here, we propose and analyze a spin-mechanical system based on color centers in a suspended hBN mechanical resonator. Through group theoretical analyses and ab initio calculation of the electronic and spin properties of such a system, we identify a spin doublet ground state and demonstrate that a spin-motion interaction can be engineered, which enables ground-state cooling of the mechanical resonator. We also present a toolbox for initialization, rotation, and readout of the defect spin qubit. As a result, the proposed setup presents the possibility for studying a wide range of physics. To illustrate its assets, we show that a fast and noise-resilient preparation of a multicomponent cat state and a squeezed state of the mechanical resonator is possible; the latter is achieved by realizing the extremely detuned, ultrastrong coupling regime of the Rabi model, where a phonon superradiant phase transition is expected to occur.

Universal Scaling and Critical Exponents of the Anisotropic Quantum Rabi Model

We investigate the quantum phase transition of the anisotropic quantum Rabi model, in which the rotating and counterrotating terms are allowed to have different coupling strengths. The model interpolates between two known limits with distinct universal properties. Through a combination of analytic and numerical approaches, we extract the phase diagram, scaling functions, and critical exponents, which determine the universality class at finite anisotropy (identical to the isotropic limit). We also reveal other interesting features, including a superradiance-induced freezing of the effective mass and discontinuous scaling functions in the Jaynes-Cummings limit. Our findings are extended to the few-body quantum phase transitions with N>1 spins, where we expose the same effective parameters, scaling properties, and phase diagram. Thus, a stronger form of universality is established, valid from N=1 up to the thermodynamic limit.