Tapping into Permutation Symmetry for Improved Detection of k-Symmetric Extensions.

Symmetric extensions are essential in quantum mechanics, providing a lens through which to investigate the correlations of entangled quantum systems and to address challenges like the quantum marginal problem. Though semi-definite programming (SDP) is a recognized method for handling symmetric extensions, it struggles with computational constraints, especially due to the large real parameters in generalized qudit systems. In this study, we introduce an approach that adeptly leverages permutation symmetry. By fine-tuning the SDP problem for detecting k-symmetric extensions, our method markedly diminishes the searching space dimensionality and trims the number of parameters essential for positive-definiteness tests. This leads to an algorithmic enhancement, reducing the complexity from O(d2k) to O(kd2) in the qudit k-symmetric extension scenario. Additionally, our approach streamlines the process of verifying the positive definiteness of the results. These advancements pave the way for deeper insights into quantum correlations, highlighting potential avenues for refined research and innovations in quantum information theory.

Experimental Realization of a Quantum Refrigerator Driven by Indefinite Causal Orders.

Indefinite causal order (ICO) is playing a key role in recent quantum technologies. Here, we experimentally study quantum thermodynamics driven by ICO on nuclear spins using the nuclear magnetic resonance system. We realize the ICO of two thermalizing channels to exhibit how the mechanism works, and show that the working substance can be cooled or heated albeit it undergoes thermal contacts with reservoirs of the same temperature. Moreover, we construct a single cycle of the ICO refrigerator based on the Maxwell's demon mechanism, and evaluate its performance by measuring the work consumption and the heat energy extracted from the low-temperature reservoir. Unlike classical refrigerators in which the coefficient of performance (COP) is perversely higher the closer the temperature of the high-temperature and low-temperature reservoirs are to each other, the ICO refrigerator's COP is always bounded to small values due to the nonunit success probability in projecting the ancillary qubit to the preferable subspace. To enhance the COP, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a general framework based on the density matrix exponentiation (DME) approach, as an extension to the ICO refrigeration. The COP is observed to be enhanced by more than 3 times with the DME approach. Our Letter demonstrates a new way for nonclassical heat exchange, and paves the way towards construction of quantum refrigerators on a quantum system.

Quantum Phases of Three-Dimensional Chiral Topological Insulators on a Spin Quantum Simulator.

The detection of topological phases of matter has become a central issue in recent years. Conventionally, the realization of a specific topological phase in condensed matter physics relies on probing the underlying surface band dispersion or quantum transport signature of a real material, which may be imperfect or even absent. On the other hand, quantum simulation offers an alternative approach to directly measure the topological invariant on a universal quantum computer. However, experimentally demonstrating high-dimensional topological phases remains a challenge due to the technical limitations of current experimental platforms. Here, we investigate the three-dimensional topological insulators in the AIII (chiral unitary) symmetry class, which yet lack experimental realization. Using the nuclear magnetic resonance system, we experimentally demonstrate their topological properties, where a dynamical quenching approach is adopted and the dynamical bulk-boundary correspondence in the momentum space is observed. As a result, the topological invariants are measured with high precision on the band-inversion surface, exhibiting robustness to the decoherence effect. Our Letter paves the way toward the quantum simulation of topological phases of matter in higher dimensions and more complex systems through controllable quantum phases transitions.