Work

Many-Body Quantum Catalysts for Transforming Between Phases of Matter

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A catalyst is a substance that enables otherwise impossible transformations between states of a system, without being consumed in the process. In this work, we apply the notion of catalysts to many-body quantum physics. In particular, we construct catalysts that enable transformations between different symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases of matter using symmetric finite-depth quantum circuits. We discover a wide variety of catalysts, including GHZ-like states that spontaneously break the symmetry, gapless states with critical correlations, topological orders with symmetry fractionalization, and spin-glass states. These catalysts are all united under a single framework that has close connections to the theory of quantum anomalies, and we use this connection to put strong constraints on possible pure- and mixed-state catalysts. We also show how the catalyst approach leads to new insights into the structure of certain phases of matter, and to new methods to efficiently prepare SPT phases with long-range interactions or projective measurements.

Source: PRX Quantum

DOI: 10.1103/prxquantum.6.020353

Authors: David T. Stephen, Rahul Nandkishore, Jian-Hao Zhang

Institutions: California Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, Quantinuum (United Kingdom), Quantinuum (United States)

Language: English

Topic: Quantum many-body systems

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,450

Funders: U.S. Department of Energy, Simons Foundation