Quantum teleportation of dynamics and effective interactions between remote systems.

Most protocols for quantum information processing consist of a series of quantum gates, which are applied sequentially. In contrast, interactions between matter and fields, for example, as well as measurements such as homodyne detection of light are typically continuous in time. We show how the ability to perform quantum operations continuously and deterministically can be leveraged for inducing nonlocal dynamics between two separate parties. We introduce a scheme for the engineering of an interaction between two remote systems and present a protocol that induces a dynamics in one of the parties that is controlled by the other one. Both schemes apply to continuous variable systems, run continuously in time, and are based on real-time feedback.

Order parameter for symmetry-protected phases in one dimension.

We introduce an order parameter for symmetry-protected phases in one dimension which allows us to directly identify those phases. The order parameter consists of stringlike operators and swaps, but differs from conventional string order operators in that it only depends on the symmetry but not on the state. We verify our framework through numerical simulations for the SO(3) invariant spin-1 bilinear-biquadratic model which exhibits a dimerized and a Haldane phase, and find that the order parameter not only works very well for the dimerized and the Haldane phase, but it also returns a distinct signature for gapless phases. Finally, we discuss possible ways to measure the order parameter in experiments with cold atoms.

How long can a quantum memory withstand depolarizing noise?

We investigate the possibilities and limitations of passive Hamiltonian protection of a quantum memory against depolarizing noise. Without protection, the lifetime of a single qubit is independent of N, the number of qubits composing the memory. In the presence of a protecting Hamiltonian, the lifetime increases at most logarithmically with N. We construct an explicit time-independent Hamiltonian which saturates this bound, exploiting the noise itself to achieve the protection.

Dynamical creation of a supersolid in asymmetric mixtures of bosons.

We propose a scheme to dynamically create a supersolid state in an optical lattice, using an attractive mixture of mass-imbalanced bosons. Starting from a "molecular" quantum crystal, supersolidity is induced dynamically as an out-of-equilibrium state. When neighboring molecular wave functions overlap, both bosonic species simultaneously exhibit quasicondensation and long-range solid order, which is stabilized by their mass imbalance. Supersolidity appears in a perfect one-dimensional crystal, without the requirement of doping. Our model can be realized in present experiments with bosonic mixtures that feature simple on-site interactions, clearing the path to the observation of supersolidity.

Computational difficulty of finding matrix product ground states.

We determine the computational difficulty of finding ground states of one-dimensional (1D) Hamiltonians, which are known to be matrix product states (MPS). To this end, we construct a class of 1D frustration-free Hamiltonians with unique MPS ground states and a polynomial gap above, for which finding the ground state is at least as hard as factoring. Without the uniqueness of the ground state, the problem becomes NP complete, and thus for these Hamiltonians it cannot even be certified that the ground state has been found. This poses new bounds on convergence proofs for variational methods that use MPS.

Quantum teleportation between light and matter.

Quantum teleportation is an important ingredient in distributed quantum networks, and can also serve as an elementary operation in quantum computers. Teleportation was first demonstrated as a transfer of a quantum state of light onto another light beam; later developments used optical relays and demonstrated entanglement swapping for continuous variables. The teleportation of a quantum state between two single material particles (trapped ions) has now also been achieved. Here we demonstrate teleportation between objects of a different nature--light and matter, which respectively represent 'flying' and 'stationary' media. A quantum state encoded in a light pulse is teleported onto a macroscopic object (an atomic ensemble containing 10 caesium atoms). Deterministic teleportation is achieved for sets of coherent states with mean photon number (n) up to a few hundred. The fidelities are 0.58 +/- 0.02 for n = 20 and 0.60 +/- 0.02 for n = 5--higher than any classical state transfer can possibly achieve. Besides being of fundamental interest, teleportation using a macroscopic atomic ensemble is relevant for the practical implementation of a quantum repeater. An important factor for the implementation of quantum networks is the teleportation distance between transmitter and receiver; this is 0.5 metres in the present experiment. As our experiment uses propagating light to achieve the entanglement of light and atoms required for teleportation, the present approach should be scalable to longer distances.

Tonks-Girardeau gas of ultracold atoms in an optical lattice.

Strongly correlated quantum systems are among the most intriguing and fundamental systems in physics. One such example is the Tonks-Girardeau gas, proposed about 40 years ago, but until now lacking experimental realization; in such a gas, the repulsive interactions between bosonic particles confined to one dimension dominate the physics of the system. In order to minimize their mutual repulsion, the bosons are prevented from occupying the same position in space. This mimics the Pauli exclusion principle for fermions, causing the bosonic particles to exhibit fermionic properties. However, such bosons do not exhibit completely ideal fermionic (or bosonic) quantum behaviour; for example, this is reflected in their characteristic momentum distribution. Here we report the preparation of a Tonks-Girardeau gas of ultracold rubidium atoms held in a two-dimensional optical lattice formed by two orthogonal standing waves. The addition of a third, shallower lattice potential along the long axis of the quantum gases allows us to enter the Tonks-Girardeau regime by increasing the atoms' effective mass and thereby enhancing the role of interactions. We make a theoretical prediction of the momentum distribution based on an approach in which trapped bosons acquire fermionic properties, finding that it agrees closely with the measured distribution.