Replica symmetry breaking in a quantum-optical vector spin glass

ORAL

Abstract

We report the observation of replica symmetry breaking and a spin glass

(SG) phase in a quantum optical system. Spin glasses underpin a wide array of

complex topics, including neural networks and combinatorial optimization. A

network of N=8 ultracold gases with pseudospin degrees of freedom are placed

inside a confocal cavity, which mediates controllable sign-changing interactions

between the 8 network nodes. The network evolves into an ordered phase as the

atoms are pumped through a super-radiant phase transition. We holographically

reconstruct the cavity emission to measure the spin states. Repeated measure-

ments of the spin states produce a Parisi-like distribution, indicating that the

system is in an SG phase. This experimental platform opens new avenues for

the study of driven-dissipative quantum systems, the emergence of glassy states

of matter, and physical optimization approaches.

*We acknowledge support from ARO and NTT.

Publication: arXiv:2311.04216

Presenters

  • David Atri Schuller

    • Stanford University

Authors

  • David Atri Schuller

    • Stanford University
  • Ronen M Kroeze

    • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU Munich)
    • Stanford Univ
  • Brendan Marsh

    • Stanford University
  • Henry Hunt

    • Stanford University
  • Sarang Gopalakrishnan

    • Princeton University
  • Jonathan Keeling

    • University of St. Andrews
    • U. of St. Andrews
  • Yunpeng Ji

    • Stanford University
    • Yale University
  • Benjamin L Lev

    • Stanford University