A

Topological prethermal strong zero modes on superconducting processors

Nature, vol. 645, pp. 626–632

Abstract

Abstract Symmetry-protected topological phases 1–4 cannot be described by any local order parameter and are beyond the conventional symmetry-breaking model 5 . They are characterized by topological boundary modes that remain stable under symmetry respecting perturbations 1–4,6–8 . In clean, gapped systems without disorder, the stability of these edge modes is restricted to the zero-temperature manifold; at finite temperatures, interactions with mobile thermal excitations lead to their decay 9–11 . Here we report the observation of a distinct type of topological edge mode 12–14 , which is protected by emergent symmetries and persists across the entire spectrum, in an array of 100 programmable superconducting qubits. Through digital quantum simulation of a one-dimensional disorder-free stabilizer Hamiltonian, we observe robust long-lived topological edge modes over up to 30 cycles for a wide range of initial states. We show that the interaction between these edge modes and bulk excitations can be suppressed by dimerizing the stabilizer strength, leading to an emergent U(1) × U(1) symmetry in the prethermal regime of the system. Furthermore, we exploit these topological edge modes as logical qubits and prepare a logical Bell state, which exhibits persistent coherence, despite the system being disorder-free and at finite temperature. Our results establish a viable digital simulation approach 15–18 to experimentally study topological matter at finite temperature and demonstrate a potential route to construct long-lived, robust boundary qubits in disorder-free systems.

Authors 43

  1. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  2. Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute · Tsinghua University

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Quantum Information, IIIS, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, China

  3. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  4. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  5. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  6. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  7. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  8. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  9. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  10. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  11. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  12. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  13. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  14. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  15. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  16. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  17. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  18. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  19. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  20. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  21. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  22. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China. hhwang@zju.edu.cn

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. hhwang@zju.edu.cn

  23. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  24. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  25. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  26. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  27. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  28. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  29. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  30. Leiden University · Tsinghua University

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Quantum Information, IIIS, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands

  31. Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, China

  32. Tsinghua University

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Quantum Information, IIIS, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China

  33. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  34. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  35. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  36. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

  37. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China. qguo@zju.edu.cn

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. qguo@zju.edu.cn

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China

  38. Harvard University · Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    ITAMP, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA, USA

  39. Harvard University · University of Cambridge

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    TCM Group, Cavendish Laboratory, Ray Dolby Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

  40. Iowa State University · Ames National Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Ames National Laboratory, Ames, IA, USA

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

  41. Harvard University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

  42. Zhejiang University

    Affiliation as printed

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China. hhwang@zju.edu.cn

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    School of Physics, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Micro-nano Quantum Chips and Quantum Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. hhwang@zju.edu.cn

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China

  43. Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute · Tsinghua University

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Quantum Information, IIIS, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. dldeng@tsinghua.edu.cn

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China. dldeng@tsinghua.edu.cn

    Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, China. dldeng@tsinghua.edu.cn

    Center for Quantum Information, IIIS, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China

    Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute, Shanghai, China

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References 60