The Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid (TLL) concept is believed to generically describe the strongly correlated physics of one-dimensional systems at low temperatures. A hallmark signature in 1D conductors is the quantum phase transition between metallic and insulating states induced by a single impurity. However, this transition impedes experimental explorations of real-world TLLs. Furthermore, its theoretical treatment, explaining the universal energy rescaling of the conductance at low temperatures, has so far been achieved exactly only for specific interaction strengths. Quantum simulation can provide a powerful workaround. Here, a hybrid metal-semiconductor dissipative quantum circuit is shown to implement the analogue of a TLL of adjustable electronic interactions comprising a single, fully tunable scattering impurity. Measurements reveal the renormalization group “beta function” for the conductance that completely determines the TLL universal crossover to an insulating state upon cooling. Moreover, the characteristic scaling energy locating at a given temperature the position within this conductance renormalization flow is established over nine decades versus circuit parameters, and the out-of-equilibrium regime is explored. With the quantum-simulator quality demonstrated from the precise parameter-free validation of existing and novel TLL predictions, quantum simulation is achieved in a strong sense, by elucidating interaction regimes which resist theoretical solutions.

We propose a theoretical framework for the study of spreading processes in structured metapopulations, with heterogeneous agents, subjected to different recurrent mobility patterns. We propose to represent the heterogeneity in the composition of the metapopulations as layers in a multiplex network, where nodes would correspond to geographical areas and layers account for the mobility patterns of agents of the same class. We analyze classical epidemic models within this framework and obtain an excellent agreement with extensive Monte Carlo simulations. This agreement allows us to derive analytical expressions of the epidemic threshold and to face the challenge of characterizing a real multiplex metapopulation, the city of Medellín in Colombia, where different recurrent mobility patterns are observed depending on the socioeconomic class of the agents. Our framework allows us to unveil the geographical location of those patches that trigger the epidemic state at the critical point. A careful exploration reveals that social mixing between classes and mobility crucially determines these critical patches and, more importantly, it can produce abrupt changes of the critical properties of the epidemic onset.

X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) made available a new regime of x-ray intensities, revolutionizing the ultrafast structure determination and laying the foundations of the novel field of nonlinear x-ray optics. Although earlier studies revealed nanoplasma formation when an XFEL pulse interacts with any nanometer-scale matter, the formation process itself has never been decrypted and its timescale was unknown. Here we show that time-resolved ion yield measurements combined with a near-infrared laser probe reveal a surprisingly ultrafast population ($\sim 12\mathrm{fs}$), followed by a slower depopulation ($\sim 250\mathrm{fs}$) of highly excited states of atomic fragments generated in the process of XFEL-induced nanoplasma formation. Inelastic scattering of Auger electrons and interatomic Coulombic decay are suggested as the mechanisms populating and depopulating, respectively, these excited states. The observed response occurs within the typical x-ray pulse durations and affects x-ray scattering, thus providing key information on the foundations of x-ray imaging with XFELs.

We present a fundamentally new approach to laboratory acoustic and seismic wave experimentation that enables full immersion of a physical wave propagation experiment within a virtual numerical environment. Using a recent theory of immersive boundary conditions that relies on measurements made on an inner closed surface of sensors, the output of numerous closely spaced sources around the physical domain is continuously varied in time and space. This allows waves to seamlessly propagate back and forth between both domains, without being affected by reflections at the boundaries between both domains, which enables us to virtually expand the size of the physical laboratory and operate at much lower frequencies than previously possible (sonic frequencies as low as 1 kHz). While immersive boundary conditions have been rigorously tested numerically, here we present the first proof of concept for their physical implementation with experimental results from a one-dimensional sound wave tube. These experiments demonstrate the performance and capabilities of immersive boundary conditions in canceling boundary reflections and accounting for long-range interactions with a virtual domain outside the physical experiment. Moreover, we introduce a unique high-performance acquisition, computation, and control system that will enable the real-time implementation of immersive boundary conditions in three dimensions. The system is capable of extrapolating wave fields recorded on 800 simultaneous inputs to 800 simultaneous outputs, through arbitrarily complex virtual background media with an extremely low total system latency of $200\mu \mathrm{s}$. The laboratory allows studying a variety of long-standing problems and poorly understood aspects of wave physics and imaging. Moreover, such real-time immersive experimentation opens up exciting possibilities for the future of laboratory acoustic and seismic experiments and for fields such as active acoustic cloaking and holography.

Knitting is not only a mere art and craft hobby but also a thousand-year-old technology. Unlike weaving, it can produce loose yet extremely stretchable fabrics with almost vanishing rigidity, a desirable property exhibited by hardly any bulk material. It also enables the engineering of arbitrarily shaped two- and three-dimensional objects with tunable mechanical response. In contrast with the extensive body of related empirical knowledge and despite a growing industrial interest, the physical ingredients underlying these intriguing mechanical properties remain poorly understood. To make some progress in this direction, we study a model tricot made of a single elastic thread knitted into a common pattern called stockinette. On the one hand, we experimentally investigate its tensile response and measure local displacements of the stitches during deformation. On the other hand, we derive a first-principle mechanical model for the displacement field based on the yarn-bending energy, the conservation of its total length, and the topological constraints on the constitutive stitches. Our model solves both the shape and mechanical response of the knit and agrees quantitatively with our measurements. This study thus provides a fundamental framework for the understanding of knitted fabrics, paving the way to thread-based smart materials.

We explore the dynamics of artificial one- and two-dimensional Ising-like quantum antiferromagnets with different lattice geometries by using a Rydberg quantum simulator of up to 36 spins in which we dynamically tune the parameters of the Hamiltonian. We observe, in a region in parameter space, the onset of antiferromagnetic (AF) ordering, albeit with only finite-range correlations. We study systematically the influence of the ramp speeds on the correlations and their growth in time. We observe a delay in their buildup associated to the finite speed of propagation of correlations in a system with short-range interactions. We obtain a good agreement between experimental data and numerical simulations, taking into account experimental imperfections measured at the single-particle level. Finally, we develop an analytical model, based on a short-time expansion of the evolution operator, which captures the observed spatial structure of the correlations, and their buildup in time.

Simulating the real-time evolution of quantum spin systems far out of equilibrium poses a major theoretical challenge, especially in more than one dimension. We experimentally explore quench dynamics in a two-dimensional Ising spin system with transverse and longitudinal fields. We realize the system with a near unit-occupancy atomic array of over 200 atoms obtained by loading a spin-polarized band insulator of fermionic lithium into an optical lattice and induce short-range interactions by direct excitation to a low-lying Rydberg state. Using site-resolved microscopy, we probe antiferromagnetic correlations in the system after a sudden quench from a paramagnetic state and compare our measurements to numerical calculations using state-of-the-art techniques. We achieve many-body states with longer-range antiferromagnetic correlations by implementing a near-adiabatic quench of the longitudinal field and study the buildup of correlations as we vary the rate with which we change the field.

Isolated quantum many-body systems with integrable dynamics generically do not thermalize when taken far from equilibrium. As one perturbs such systems away from the integrable point, thermalization sets in, but the nature of the crossover from integrable to thermalizing behavior is an unresolved and actively discussed question. We explore this question by studying the dynamics of the momentum distribution function in a dipolar quantum Newton’s cradle consisting of highly magnetic dysprosium atoms. This is accomplished by creating the first one-dimensional Bose gas with strong magnetic dipole-dipole interactions. These interactions provide tunability of both the strength of the integrability-breaking perturbation and the nature of the near-integrable dynamics. We provide the first experimental evidence that thermalization close to a strongly interacting integrable point occurs in two steps: prethermalization followed by near-exponential thermalization. Exact numerical calculations on a two-rung lattice model yield a similar two-timescale process, suggesting that this is generic in strongly interacting near-integrable models. Moreover, the measured thermalization rate is consistent with a parameter-free theoretical estimate, based on identifying the types of collisions that dominate thermalization. By providing tunability between regimes of integrable and nonintegrable dynamics, our work sheds light on the mechanisms by which isolated quantum many-body systems thermalize and on the temporal structure of the onset of thermalization.

We study the dynamics of a supersonically expanding, ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate both experimentally and theoretically. The expansion redshifts long-wavelength excitations, as in an expanding universe. After expansion, energy in the radial mode leads to the production of bulk topological excitations—solitons and vortices—driving the production of a large number of azimuthal phonons and, at late times, causing stochastic persistent currents. These complex nonlinear dynamics, fueled by the energy stored coherently in one mode, are reminiscent of a type of “preheating” that may have taken place at the end of inflation.

The collective plasmonic modes of a metal comprise a simple pattern of oscillating charge density that yields enhanced light-matter interaction. Here we unveil that beneath this familiar facade plasmons possess a hidden internal structure that fundamentally alters its dynamics. In particular, we find that metals with nonzero Hall conductivity host plasmons with an intricate current density configuration that sharply departs from that of ordinary zero Hall conductivity metals. This nontrivial internal structure dramatically enriches the dynamics of plasmon propagation, enabling plasmon wave packets to acquire geometric phases as they scatter. At boundaries, these phases accumulate allowing plasmon waves that reflect off to experience a nonreciprocal parallel shift. This plasmon Hall shift, tunable by Hall conductivity as well as plasmon wavelength, displaces the incident and reflected plasmon trajectories and can be readily probed by near-field photonics techniques. Anomalous plasmon geometric phases dramatically enrich the nanophotonics toolbox, and yield radical new means for directing plasmonic beams.

Roughly every 2–10 min, a pair of stellar-mass black holes merge somewhere in the Universe. A small fraction of these mergers are detected as individually resolvable gravitational-wave events by advanced detectors such as LIGO and Virgo. The rest contribute to a stochastic background. We derive the statistically optimal search strategy (producing minimum credible intervals) for a background of unresolved binaries. Our method applies Bayesian parameter estimation to all available data. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that the search is both “safe” and effective: it is not fooled by instrumental artifacts such as glitches and it recovers simulated stochastic signals without bias. Given realistic assumptions, we estimate that the search can detect the binary black hole background with about 1 day of design sensitivity data versus $\approx 40$ months using the traditional cross-correlation search. This framework independently constrains the merger rate and black hole mass distribution, breaking a degeneracy present in the cross-correlation approach. The search provides a unified framework for population studies of compact binaries, which is cast in terms of hyperparameter estimation. We discuss a number of extensions and generalizations, including application to other sources (such as binary neutron stars and continuous-wave sources), simultaneous estimation of a continuous Gaussian background, and applications to pulsar timing.

How are granular details of stochastic growth and division of individual cells reflected in smooth deterministic growth of population numbers? We provide an integrated, multiscale perspective of microbial growth dynamics by formulating a data-validated theoretical framework that accounts for observables at both single-cell and population scales. We derive exact analytical complete time-dependent solutions to cell-age distributions and population growth rates as functionals of the underlying interdivision time distributions, for symmetric and asymmetric cell division. These results provide insights into the surprising implications of stochastic single-cell dynamics for population growth. Using our results for asymmetric division, we deduce the time to transition from the reproductively quiescent (swarmer) to the replication-competent (stalked) stage of the Caulobacter crescentus life cycle. Remarkably, population numbers can spontaneously oscillate with time. We elucidate the physics leading to these population oscillations. For C. crescentus cells, we show that a simple measurement of the population growth rate, for a given growth condition, is sufficient to characterize the condition-specific cellular unit of time and, thus, yields the mean (single-cell) growth and division timescales, fluctuations in cell division times, the cell-age distribution, and the quiescence timescale.

Single-photon detection is an essential component in many experiments in quantum optics, but it remains challenging in the microwave domain. We realize a quantum nondemolition detector for propagating microwave photons and characterize its performance using a single-photon source. To this aim, we implement a cavity-assisted conditional phase gate between the incoming photon and a superconducting artificial atom. By reading out the state of this atom in a single shot, we reach an external (internal) photon-detection fidelity of 50% (71%), limited by transmission efficiency between the source and the detector (75%) and the coherence properties of the qubit. By characterizing the coherence and average number of photons in the field reflected off the detector, we demonstrate its quantum nondemolition nature. We envisage applications in generating heralded remote entanglement between qubits and for realizing logic gates between propagating microwave photons.

The possibility to achieve entirely frictionless, i.e., superlubric, sliding between solids holds enormous potential for the operation of mechanical devices. At small length scales, where mechanical contacts are well defined, Aubry predicted a transition from a superlubric to a pinned state when the mechanical load is increased. Evidence for this intriguing Aubry transition (AT), which should occur in one dimension (1D) and at zero temperature, was recently obtained in few-atom chains. Here, we experimentally and theoretically demonstrate the occurrence of the AT in an extended two-dimensional (2D) system at room temperature using a colloidal monolayer on an optical lattice. Unlike the continuous nature of the AT in 1D, we observe a first-order transition in 2D leading to a coexistence regime of pinned and unpinned areas. Our data demonstrate that the original concept of Aubry not only survives in 2D but is relevant for the design of nanoscopic machines and devices at ambient temperature.

Many important chemical and biochemical processes in the condensed phase are notoriously difficult to simulate numerically. Often, this difficulty arises from the complexity of simulating dynamics resulting from coupling to structured, mesoscopic baths, for which no separation of time scales exists and statistical treatments fail. A prime example of such a process is vibrationally assisted charge or energy transfer. A quantum simulator, capable of implementing a realistic model of the system of interest, could provide insight into these processes in regimes where numerical treatments fail. We take a first step towards modeling such transfer processes using an ion-trap quantum simulator. By implementing a minimal model, we observe vibrationally assisted energy transport between the electronic states of a donor and an acceptor ion augmented by coupling the donor ion to its vibration. We tune our simulator into several parameter regimes and, in particular, investigate the transfer dynamics in the nonperturbative regime often found in biochemical situations.

Anyons are exotic quasiparticles with fractional charge that can emerge as fundamental excitations of strongly interacting topological quantum phases of matter. Unlike ordinary fermions and bosons, they may obey non-Abelian statistics—a property that would help realize fault-tolerant quantum computation. Non-Abelian anyons have long been predicted to occur in the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) phases that form in two-dimensional electron gases in the presence of a large magnetic field, such as the $\nu =5/2$ FQH state. However, direct experimental evidence of anyons and tests that can distinguish between Abelian and non-Abelian quantum ground states with such excitations have remained elusive. Here, we propose a new experimental approach to directly visualize the structure of interacting electronic states of FQH states with the STM. Our theoretical calculations show how spectroscopy mapping with the STM near individual impurity defects can be used to image fractional statistics in FQH states, identifying unique signatures in such measurements that can distinguish different proposed ground states. The presence of locally trapped anyons should leave distinct signatures in STM spectroscopic maps, and enables a new approach to directly detect—and perhaps ultimately manipulate—these exotic quasiparticles.

Harnessing the full power of nascent quantum processors requires the efficient management of a limited number of quantum bits with finite coherent lifetimes. Hybrid algorithms, such as the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE), leverage classical resources to reduce the required number of quantum gates. Experimental demonstrations of VQE have resulted in calculation of Hamiltonian ground states, and a new theoretical approach based on a quantum subspace expansion (QSE) has outlined a procedure for determining excited states that are central to dynamical processes. We use a superconducting-qubit-based processor to apply the QSE approach to the ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ molecule, extracting both ground and excited states without the need for auxiliary qubits or additional minimization. Further, we show that this extended protocol can mitigate the effects of incoherent errors, potentially enabling larger-scale quantum simulations without the need for complex error-correction techniques.

The dynamics of energetic particles in strong electromagnetic fields can be heavily influenced by the energy loss arising from the emission of radiation during acceleration, known as radiation reaction. When interacting with a high-energy electron beam, today’s lasers are sufficiently intense to explore the transition between the classical and quantum radiation reaction regimes. We present evidence of radiation reaction in the collision of an ultrarelativistic electron beam generated by laser-wakefield acceleration ($ϵ>500\mathrm{MeV}$) with an intense laser pulse ($a_0>10$). We measure an energy loss in the postcollision electron spectrum that is correlated with the detected signal of hard photons ($\gamma$ rays), consistent with a quantum description of radiation reaction. The generated $\gamma$ rays have the highest energies yet reported from an all-optical inverse Compton scattering scheme, with critical energy ${ϵ}_{\mathrm{crit}}>30\mathrm{MeV}$.

Optical cavity QED provides a platform with which to explore quantum many-body physics in driven-dissipative systems. Single-mode cavities provide strong, infinite-range photon-mediated interactions among intracavity atoms. However, these global all-to-all couplings are limiting from the perspective of exploring quantum many-body physics beyond the mean-field approximation. The present work demonstrates that local couplings can be created using multimode cavity QED. This is established through measurements of the threshold of a superradiant, self-organization phase transition versus atomic position. Specifically, we experimentally show that the interference of near-degenerate cavity modes leads to both a strong and tunable-range interaction between Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) trapped within the cavity. We exploit the symmetry of a confocal cavity to measure the interaction between real BECs and their virtual images without unwanted contributions arising from the merger of real BECs. Atom-atom coupling may be tuned from short range to long range. This capability paves the way toward future explorations of exotic, strongly correlated systems such as quantum liquid crystals and driven-dissipative spin glasses.

We present the first experimental observation of accelerating beams in curved space. More specifically, we demonstrate, experimentally and theoretically, shape-preserving accelerating beams propagating on spherical surfaces: closed-form solutions of the wave equation manifesting nongeodesic self-similar evolution. Unlike accelerating beams in flat space, these wave packets change their acceleration trajectory due to the interplay between interference effects and the space curvature, and they focus and defocus periodically due to the spatial curvature of the medium in which they propagate.