Multi‐Party Semi‐Quantum Key Distribution Protocol With Four‐Particle Cluster States

The application of semi‐quantum conception can provide unconditional secure communication for communicators without quantum capabilities. A semi‐quantum key distribution (SQKD) protocol based on four‐particle cluster states is put forward, which can achieve key distribution among one quantum party and two classical parties simultaneously. Furthermore, this protocol can be expanded to the χ‐party ( $\chi >3$) communication scheme. Compared with the existing multi‐party SQKD protocol, the proposed protocol and the extended one own more excellent time efficiency and qubit efficiency. The security of the proposed SQKD protocol under ideal circumstances is validated while the key rate under non‐ideal conditions is calculated.     

p‐Wave Superfluid Phases of Fermi Molecules in a Bilayer Lattice Array

The superfluid $\mathbf{p}=p_x+{\mathit{ip}}_y$ phases in an ultracold gas of dipolar Fermi molecules lying in two parallel square lattices in 2D are investigated. As shown by a two‐body study, dipole moments oriented in opposite directions in each layer are the key ingredients in our mean‐field analysis from which unconventional superfluidity is predicted. The $T=0$ phase diagram summarizes our findings: stable and metastable superfluid phases appear as a function of both, the dipole–dipole interaction coupling parameter and filling factor. A first‐order phase transition, and thus a mixture of superfluid phases at different densities, is revealed from the coexistence curves in the metastable region. The model predicts that these superfluid phases can be observed experimentally at 10 nK in molecules of NaK confined in optical lattices of size $a=532$ nm. Other routes to reach higher temperatures require the use of subwavelength confinement technique .     

Measurement of the Ratio between g‐Factors of the Ground States of 87Rb and 85Rb

The ratio between the Landé g‐factors of the ${}^{87}$Rb $F=2$ and ${}^{85}$Rb $F=3$ ground‐state hyperfine levels is experimentally measured to be $g_F(87)/g_F(85)=1.4988586(1)$, consistent with previous measurements. The g‐factor ratio is determined by comparing the Larmor frequencies of overlapping ensembles of ${}^{87}$Rb and ${}^{85}$Rb atoms contained within an evacuated, antirelaxation‐coated vapor cell. The atomic spins are polarized via synchronous optical pumping and the Larmor frequencies are measured by off‐resonant probing using optical rotation of linearly polarized light. The accuracy of this measurement of $g_F(87)/g_F(85)$ exceeds that of previous measurements by a factor of ≈50 and is sensitive to effects related to quantum electrodynamics.     

Theory of the Lamb Shift in Hydrogen and Light Hydrogen‐Like Ions

Theoretical calculations of the Lamb shift provide the basis required for the determination of the Rydberg constant from spectroscopic measurements in hydrogen. The recent high‐precision determination of the proton charge radius drastically reduces the uncertainty in the hydrogen Lamb shift originating from the proton size. As a result, the dominant theoretical uncertainty now comes from the two‐ and three‐loop QED effects, which calls for further advances in their calculations. The present status of theoretical calculations of the Lamb shift in hydrogen and light hydrogen‐like ions with the nuclear charge number up to $Z=5$ is reviewed. Theoretical errors due to various effects are critically examined and estimated.     

The Linear Optical Unambiguous Discrimination of Hyperentangled Bell States Assisted by Time Bin

A linear optical unambiguous discrimination of hyperentangled Bell states is proposed for two‐photon systems entangled in both the polarization and momentum degrees of freedom (DOFs) assisted by time bin. This unambiguous discrimination scheme can completely identify 16 orthogonal hyperentangled Bell states using only linear optical elements, where the function of the auxiliary entangled Bell state is replaced by time bin. Moreover, the possibility of extending this scheme for distinguishing hyperentangled Bell states in n DOFs is discussed, and it shows that $2^{n+k+1}$ hyperentangled Bell states in n ( $n\ge 2$) DOFs can be distinguished with k ( $k<n$) auxiliary entangled states of additional DOFs by introducing a time delay, which decreases the auxiliary entanglement resource required for unambiguous discrimination of hyperentangled Bell state. Therefore, this scheme provides a new way for distinguishing hyperentangled states with current technology, which will extend the application of discrimination of hyperentangled states via linear optics to other quantum information protocols besides hyperdense coding schemes in the future.     

Atom‐Interferometry Measurement of the Fine Structure Constant

Using an atom interferometer to measure the quotient of the reduced Planck's constant and the mass of a cesium‐133 atom $?/m_{\mathrm{Cs}}$, the most accurate measurement of the fine structure constant $\alpha =1/137.035999046(27)$ is recorded, at an accuracy of 0.20 parts per billion (ppb). Using multiphoton interactions (Bragg diffraction and Bloch oscillations), the largest phase (12 million radians) of any Ramsey–Bordé interferometer and controlled systematic effects at a level of 0.12 ppb are demonstrated. Comparing the Penning trap measurements with the Standard Model prediction of the electron gyromagnetic anomaly $a_e$ based on the α measurement, a 2.5 $\sigma$ tension is observed, rejecting dark photons as the reason for the unexplained part of the muon's gyromagnetic moment discrepancy at a 99% confidence level according to frequentist statistics. Implications for dark‐sector candidates (e.g., scalar and pseudoscalar bosons, vector bosons, and axial‐vector bosons) may be a sign of physics beyond the Standard Model. A future upgrade of the cesium fountain atom interferometer is also proposed to increase the accuracy of $?/m_{\mathrm{Cs}}$ by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude, which would help resolve the tension.     

Quantum Simulation of Tunable Neuron Activation

The activation of the neuron is simulated by a quantum circuit. When the circuit is deep enough, the output qubit is deterministically in the state $|1⟩$ if the probability of the input qubit in the designated state is larger than the threshold value. Conversely, the output qubit is deterministically in the state $|0⟩$ if the probability is smaller than the threshold value. The threshold value is adjustable. When the depth of the circuit is limited, the nonlinear relations between the input and the output can also be realized.     

High-Fidelity and Low-Cost Hyperparallel Quantum Gates for Photon Systems via Λ-Type Systems

Quantum gates designed with minimized resources overhead have a crucial role in quantum information processing. Here, based on the degrees of freedom (DoFs) of photons and Λ-type atom systems, two high-fidelity and low-cost protocols are presented for realizing polarization-spatial hyperparallel controlled-not (CNOT) and Toffoli gates on photon systems with only two and four two-qubit polarization–polarization swap (P-P-SWAP) gates in each DoF, respectively. Moreover, the quantum gates can be extended feasibly to construct 2m-target-qubit hyperparallel CNOT and 2n-control-qubit Toffoli gates required only 4m and 4n P-P-SWAP gates on $(m+1)$- and $(n+1)$-photon systems, respectively, which dramatically lower the costs and bridge the divide between the theoretical lower bounds and the current optimal syntheses for the photonic quantum computing. Further, the unique auxiliary atom of these quantum gates can be regarded as a temporary quantum memory that requires no initialization and measurement, and is reused within the coherence time, as the state of the atom remains unchanged after the hyperparallel quantum computing.     

Statistical Interaction Description of Pauli Crystals in 2D Systems of Harmonically Confined Fermions

It is conjectured that the Pauli exclusion principle alone may be responsible for a particular geometric arrangement of confined systems of identical fermions even when there is no interaction between them. These geometric structures, called Pauli crystals, are predicted for a two‐dimensional (2D) system of free fermions under harmonic confinement. In this work, the possibility of this outcome is pursued and a theoretical model is considered that may capture both qualitatively and quantitatively, the key features of the abovementioned setup. The results for $N=3$ and 6 particles show that the minimum energy configuration corresponds to and is in good quantitative agreement with the reported values of Pauli crystals seen in single‐shot imaging data obtained via the configuration density technique. Numerical results for larger systems of $N=15$ and 30 particles show that the crystalline configurations observed are not the same as the classical Wigner crystal structures that emerge should the confined charged particles interact with a Coulomb potential. An important question floated is whether such crystalline structures do really exist in a quantum system or whether they are artifacts of the methods used to analyze them.     

High‐Resolution Hydrogen Spectroscopy and The Proton Radius Puzzle

High resolution spectroscopy of the hydrogen atom takes on particular importance in the new SI, as it allows to accurately determine fundamental constants, such as the Rydberg constant and the proton charge radius. Recently, the second most precisely measured transition frequency in hydrogen, $1S?3S$, is obtained by our group. In the context of the Proton Radius Puzzle, this result calls for further investigation.     

Transmission in Graphene through Tilted Barrier in Laser Field

The transmission of Dirac fermions in graphene through a tilted barrier potential in the presence of a laser field of frequency ω is studied. By using Floquet theory, the Dirac equation is solved and then the energy spectrum is obtained. The boundary conditions together with the transfer matrix method allow to determine the transmission probabilities corresponding to all energy bands $E+l\hslash \omega$ $(l=0,\pm 1,\text{…})$. By limiting to the central band $l=0$ and the two first side bands $l=\pm 1$, it is shown that the transmissions are strongly affected by the laser field and barrier. Indeed, it is found that the Klein effect is still present, a variety of oscillations are inside the barrier, and there is essentially no transmission across all bands.     

Spin Transport over Huge Distances in a Magnetized 2D Electron System

Experimental results on the properties of a recently discovered new collective state, the magnetofermionic condensate, are summarized herein. Condensation occurs in a fermionic system, a quantum Hall insulator (filling factor ν = 2), as a result of the formation of a dense ensemble of long‐lived spin cyclotron magnetoexcitons, composite bosons. At temperatures below 1 K, the exciton ensemble exhibits a sharp enhancement in its response to an external electromagnetic field due to the formation of a super‐absorbing state that interacts coherently with the electromagnetic field. Simultaneously, the electrons below the Fermi level rearrange to form a new non‐equilibrium radiative recombination channel. The condensate shows a sharp decrease in viscosity and the ability to spread over macroscopically large distances, on the order of a millimeter, at a speed of $\approx {10}^3\text{cm}{\text{s}}^{?1}$. Due to this rapid long‐distance spin transfer, new opportunities in the field of spintronics have been opened up.     

Quasi‐Freestanding Graphene on SiC(0001) by Ar‐Mediated Intercalation of Antimony: A Route Toward Intercalation of High‐Vapor‐Pressure Elements

A novel strategy for the intercalation of antimony (Sb) under the $\text{(6}\sqrt{\mathrm{3}}\times \mathrm{6}\sqrt{\mathrm{3}})R\text{30}$° reconstruction, also known as buffer layer, on SiC(0001) is reported. Using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, low‐energy electron diffraction, and angle‐resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, it is demonstrated that, while the intercalation of the volatile Sb is not possible by annealing the Sb‐coated buffer layer in ultrahigh vacuum, it can be achieved by annealing the sample in an atmosphere of Ar, which suppresses Sb desorption. The intercalation leads to a decoupling of the buffer layer from the SiC(0001) surface and the formation of quasi‐freestanding graphene. The intercalation process paves the way for future studies of the formation of quasi‐freestanding graphene by intercalation of high‐vapor‐pressure elements, which are not accessible by previously known intercalation techniques, and thus provides new avenues for the manipulation of epitaxial graphene on SiC.     

Optimal Quantum Violations of n-Locality Inequalities with Conditional Dependence on Inputs

Bell experiment in a network gives rise to a form of quantum nonlocality which is conceptually different from traditional multipartite Bell nonlocality. In this work, the star-network configuration involving arbitrary n independent sources and $(n+1)$ parties, including n edge parties and one central party is considered. Each of the n edge parties shares a physical system with the central party. Each edge party receives $2^{m-1}$ number of inputs, and the central party receives an arbitrary m number of inputs. The conditional dependence on the inputs of each edge party is imposed so that the local probabilities satisfy a set of constraints. A family of generalized n-locality inequalities is proposed in the arbitrary input scenario by imposing the set of constraints on inputs. The optimal quantum violation of the inequalities is derived by using an elegant sum-of-squares approach without specifying the dimension of the quantum system. Notably, the optimal quantum value is achieved only when the set of linear constraints on inputs is satisfied, which, in turn, self-tests the observables required for each edge party. It shows that while conditional dependence on inputs significantly reduces the n-local bound of the inequalities, the optimal quantum violation remains invariant. It argues that this implies a more robust test of network non-locality, which can be revealed for smaller visibility parameters of the corresponding state. Further, the network nonlocality is characterized and examine its correspondence with suitably derived standard Bell nonlocality.     

Phase Diagrams of Periodically Driven Spin–Orbit Coupled 87Rb and 23Na Bose–Einstein Condensates

The phase boundaries of periodically driven spin–orbit coupled BECs with effective two‐body interactions are analytically calculated by using variational method. The phase diagrams of periodically driven ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ and ${}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ systems present distinguished features from undriven systems, respectively. For the ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ BECs, the critical density $n_c$ (density at quantum tricritical point) will be dramatically reduced in some parameter regions, and the prospect of observing this intriguing quantum tricritical point is greatly enlarged. Moreover, a series of quantum tricritical points emerge quasi‐periodically when increasing the Raman coupling strength with fixed ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ density. In the ${}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ BECs, two hyperfine states of ${}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ atoms can be miscible within the suitable regions of driving parameter space. As a result, ${}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ systems will stay in the stripe phase with small Raman frequency at typical density, which expands the region of stripe phase in the phase diagram. In addition, an absence of quantum tricritical point in such ${}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ system is observed, which is very unlike ${}^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ systems.     

Tangent Fermions: Dirac or Majorana Fermions on a Lattice Without Fermion Doubling

Methods to discretize the Hamiltonian of a topological insulator or topological superconductor, without giving up on the topological protection of the massless excitations (respectively, Dirac fermions or Majorana fermions) are reviewed. The method of tangent fermions, pioneered by Richard Stacey, is singled out as being uniquely suited for this purpose. Tangent fermions propagate on a $2+1$ dimensional space-time lattice with a tangent dispersion: ${\tan }^2(\mathit{\epsilon }/2)={\tan }^2(k_x/2)+{\tan }^2(k_y/2)$ in dimensionless units. They avoid the fermion doubling lattice artefact that will spoil the topological protection, while preserving the fundamental symmetries of the Dirac Hamiltonian. Although the discretized Hamiltonian is nonlocal, as required by the fermion-doubling no-go theorem, it is possible to transform the wave equation into a generalized eigenproblem that is local in space and time. Applications that are discussed include Klein tunneling of Dirac fermions through a potential barrier, the absence of localization by disorder, the anomalous quantum Hall effect in a magnetic field, and the thermal metal of Majorana fermions.     

Phantom Cosmological Model with Observational Constraints in f(Q)$f(Q)$ Gravity

In this paper, the cosmological model of the Universe has been presented in $f(Q)$ gravity and the parameters are constrained from the cosmological data sets. At the beginning, a well motivated form of $f(Q)=\alpha +\beta Q^n$ has been employed, where α, β, and n are model parameters. The Hubble parameter is obtained in redshift with some algebraic manipulation from the considered form of $f(Q)$. Then it is parameterized with the recent $\text{Hubble}$ data and $\text{Pantheon}+\text{SHOES}$ data using Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis. The obtained model parameter values are validated with the baryon acoustic oscillation data set. A parametrization of the cosmographic parameters shows the early deceleration and late time acceleration with the transition at $z_{\mathrm{t}}\approx 0.75$. The $Om(z)$ diagnostics gives positive slope which shows that the model is in the phantom phase. Also the current age of the Universe has been obtained as, $t_0=13.85\text{Gyrs}$. Based on the present analysis, it indicates that the $f(Q)$ gravity may provide an alternative to dark energy for addressing the current cosmic acceleration.     

Physical Dimensions/Units and Universal Constants: Their Invariance in Special and General Relativity

The theory of physical dimensions and units in physics is outlined. This includes a discussion of the universal applicability and superiority of quantity equations. The International System of Units (SI) is one example thereof. By analyzing mechanics and electrodynamics, it naturally leads one, besides the dimensions of length and time, to the fundamental units of action $\mathfrak{h}$, electric charge q, and magnetic flux ?. Also, $q\times ?=\text{action}$ and $q/?=1/\text{resistance}$ are known. These results of classical physics suggests to look into the corresponding quantum aspects of q and ? (and also of $\mathfrak{h}$): The electric charge occurs exclusively in elementary charges e, whereas the magnetic flux can have any value; in specific situations, however, in superconductors of type II at very low temperatures, ? appears quantized in the form of fluxons (Abrikosov vortices). And $\mathfrak{h}$ leads, of course, to the Planck quantum h. Thus, one is directed to superconductivity and, because of the resistance, to the quantum Hall effect. In this way, the Josephson and the quantum Hall effects come into focus quite naturally. One goal is to determine the behavior of the fundamental constants in special and in general relativity.     

Realization of Z2 Topological Metal in Single-Crystalline Nickel Deficient NiV2Se4

Temperature-dependent electronic and magnetic properties are reported for nickel-deficient NiV₂Se₄. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction shows it to crystallize in the monoclinic Cr₃S₄ structure type with space group $I2/m$ and vacancies on the Ni site, resulting in the composition Ni_0.85V₂Se₄ in agreement with our electron-probe microanalysis. Structural distortions are not observed down to 1.5 K. Nevertheless, the electrical resistivity shows metallic behavior with a broad anomaly around 150–200 K that is also observed in the heat capacity data. This anomaly indicates a change of state of the material below 150 K. It is believed that this anomaly could be due to spin fluctuations or charge-density-wave fluctuations, where the lack of long-range order is caused by vacancies at the Ni site of Ni_0.85V₂Se₄. The non-linear temperature dependence of the resistivity as well as an enhanced value of the Sommerfeld coefficient $\gamma =104.0(1)$ mJ mol⁻¹ K⁻² suggest strong electron–electron correlations in this material. First-principles calculations performed for NiV₂Se₄, which are also applicable to Ni_0.85V₂Se₄, classify this material as a topological metal with $Z_2=(1;110)$ and coexisting electron and hole pockets at the Fermi level. The phonon spectrum lacks any soft phonon mode, consistent with the absence of periodic lattice distortion in the present experiments.