del Campo group
University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Tracked papers
- 55 (2009–2026)
Topics
The most frequent field-map topics among the PI' tracked papers.
- Shortcuts to adiabaticity 30
- Speed limits 18
- Many-body 16
- Cold atoms 7
- Thermodynamics 7
- VQA & QAOA 6
- Open systems 5
- Propagation 4
Recent papers
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Counterdiabatic Quantum Circuits
Abstract
Counterdiabatic driving provides a universal route to fast quantum control, but its standard formulation presupposes a Hamiltonian generator. We develop a Hamiltonian-free theory of the adiabatic gauge potential (AGP) for parameter-dependent unitary operators $U_λ$. Exact and regularized versions of the AGP follow from a Hermitian, banded linear system at a cost comparable to the Lanczos construction in the Hermitian case, requiring neither diagonalization nor a matrix logarithm. We demonstrate rapid convergence of the truncated Krylov approximation for the kicked top and for an integrable brickwork circuit built from unitary $\check{R}$ matrices, a setting in which no local effective Hamiltonian is available. Our results extend shortcuts to adiabaticity, and AGP-based diagnostics of chaos, to Floquet systems and quantum circuits.
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Shortcuts to Adiabaticity for non-Hermitian systems in Krylov Space
Abstract
Shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) reproduce adiabatic dynamics in finite time, but their counterdiabatic implementation relies on the adiabatic gauge potential (AGP), which is difficult to compute and implement in many-body systems and whose extension to open and non-Hermitian settings has remained largely model-specific. Here, we develop a general, diagonalization-free framework for engineering STA in non-Hermitian systems by representing the AGP in Krylov space. Starting from an integral representation of the counterdiabatic control, we recast the AGP as a nested-commutator series with controlled locality and generate the associated Krylov basis using the bi-Lanczos and Arnoldi algorithms. This reduces the exact or truncated AGP to a sparse tridiagonal or upper-Hessenberg matrix equation that generalizes the Hermitian construction. We demonstrate the method on a decaying two-level atom, where it recovers the exact drive and signals the exceptional point; on the interacting Hatano-Nelson model, where truncated controls rapidly suppress nonadiabatic excitations; and on a PT-symmetric Heisenberg chain, whose AGP norm detects the PT-symmetry-breaking transition. Throughout, the expansion converges with only a small fraction of the full Krylov space, offering a practical route to fast, accurate control of many-body non-Hermitian systems.
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Krylov Dynamics and Operator Growth in Time-Dependent Systems via Lie Algebras
Abstract
We study quantum dynamics generated by time-dependent Hamiltonians in Krylov space, the minimal subspace in which the evolution takes place. We establish a direct link between dynamics in the time-dependent Krylov subspace and the underlying Lie-algebraic structure of the Hamiltonian. We develop a general framework in which the dynamics in the time-dependent Krylov subspace is generated by ladder operators of the associated Lie algebra. In particular, we identify the minimal conditions under which the exact time-dependent Krylov dynamics is naturally determined by the interaction-picture Hamiltonian and governed by an embedded $\mathfrak{sl}(2,\mathbb{C})$ subalgebra. We further show that an exact single-exponential representation of the time-evolution operator gives rise to a distinct time-independent Krylov dynamics in a unitarily related basis, from which the exact time-dependent Krylov dynamics can nevertheless be recovered. We also extend the framework to the oscillator algebra as the simplest extension of the nilpotent Heisenberg--Weyl algebra, and provide further examples, including the translated and dilated harmonic oscillator, systems governed by closed Virasoro subalgebras, a spin in a rotating magnetic field, and higher-dimensional generalizations for multi-level systems. In addition, we introduce a new quantum speed limit to the complexity growth rate generated by a time-dependent generator and show that, for evolutions governed by a Lie algebra, it retains the same functional form as in the time-independent case. Remarkably, saturation of this bound is strongly affected by temporal driving and persists only when the Hamiltonian commutes with itself at different times. These results establish a unified framework for characterizing operator growth and Krylov complexity in time-dependent quantum systems with underlying Lie-algebraic structures.
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Shortcuts to Adiabaticity via Adaptive Quantum Zeno Measurements
Abstract
We consider the quantum Zeno dynamics arising from monitoring a time-dependent projector. Starting from a stroboscopic measurement protocol, it is shown that the effective Hamiltonian for Zeno dynamics involves a nonadiabatic geometric connection that takes the form of the Kato-Avron Hamiltonian for parallel transport, stirring the evolution within the time-dependent Zeno subspace. The latter reduces to counterdiabatic driving when projective measurements are performed in the instantaneous energy eigenbasis of the quantum system. The effective Zeno Hamiltonian can also be derived in the context of continuous quantum measurements of a time-dependent observable and the non-Hermitian evolution with a complex absorbing potential varying in time. Our results thus provide a unified framework for realizing shortcuts to adiabaticity via adaptive quantum Zeno measurements.
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Noise-Assisted Feedback Control of Open Quantum Systems for Ground State Properties
Abstract
Intrinsic noise in pre-fault-tolerant quantum devices poses a major challenge to the reliable realization of unitary dynamics in quantum algorithms and simulations. To address this, we present a method for simulating open quantum system dynamics on a quantum computer, including negative dissipation rates in the Gorini-Kossakowski-Sudarshan-Lindblad (GKSL) master equation. Our approach lies beyond the standard Markovian approximation, enabling the controlled study of non-Markovian processes within a quantum simulation framework. Using this method, we develop a quantum algorithm for calculating ground-state properties that exploits feedback-controlled, noise-assisted dynamics. In this scheme, Lyapunov-based feedback steers the system toward a target virtual state under engineered noise conditions. This framework offers a promising strategy for harnessing current quantum hardware and advancing robust control protocols based on open system dynamics.
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Quantum Transition Rates in Arbitrary Physical Processes
Abstract
We introduce a framework for computing time-dependent quantum transition rates (QTRs) that describe the pace of evolution of a quantum state from a given subspace to a target subspace. QTRs are expressed in terms of flux-flux correlators and are shown to obey two complementary quantum speed limits. Our framework readily accommodates the generalization of Hamiltonian dynamics to arbitrary open quantum evolution, including quantum measurements. We illustrate how QTRs can be controlled by counterdiabatic driving.
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Universal Defect Statistics in Counterdiabatic Quantum Critical Dynamics
Abstract
Counterdiabatic driving (CD) provides a framework for suppressing excitations in nonadiabatic processes. Exact CD protocols require nonlocal control fields, and CD approximations with tailored locality are needed for their implementation. However, the performance of local CD schemes remains poorly understood. Here, we develop an analytically tractable local CD expansion scheme and establish a universal scaling theory governing the defect statistics after crossing a quantum phase transition as a function of the CD locality order. Our predictions are tested on the transverse field Ising model and long-range Kitaev models. Our results provide an analytical framework for evaluating the effectiveness of local CD protocols in quantum state preparation, control, and optimization.
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Digitized counterdiabatic quantum critical dynamics
Abstract
We experimentally demonstrate that a digitized counterdiabatic quantum protocol reduces the number of topological defects created during a fast quench across a quantum phase transition. To show this, we perform quantum simulations of one- and two-dimensional transverse-field Ising models driven from the paramagnetic to the ferromagnetic phase. We utilize superconducting cloud-based quantum processors with up to 156 qubits. Our data reveal that the digitized counterdiabatic protocol reduces defect formation by up to 48% in the fast-quench regime -- an improvement hard to achieve through digitized quantum annealing under current noise levels. The experimental results closely match theoretical and numerical predictions at short evolution times, before deviating at longer times due to hardware noise. In one dimension, we derive an analytic solution for the defect number distribution in the fast-quench limit. For two-dimensional geometries, where analytical solutions are unknown and numerical simulations are challenging, we use advanced matrix-product-state methods. Our findings indicate a practical way to control the topological defect formation during fast quenches and highlight the utility of counterdiabatic protocols for quantum optimization and quantum simulation in material design on current quantum processors.
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Fighting Exponentially Small Gaps by Counterdiabatic Driving
Abstract
We investigate the efficiency of approximate counterdiabatic driving (CD) in accelerating adiabatic passage through exponentially small gaps. First, we analyze a minimal spin-glass bottleneck model that is analytically tractable and exhibits both an exponentially small gap at the transition point and a change in the ground state that involves a macroscopic rearrangement of spins. Using the variational Floquet-Krylov expansion to construct CD terms, we find that while the formation of excitations is significantly suppressed, achieving a fully adiabatic evolution remains challenging. Extending our investigation to realistic NP-hard spin-glass problems -- specifically, the $3$-regular \textsc{Max Cut} and $3$-\textsc{XORSAT} -- we find again that local CD expansions lead to negligible improvements in the final ground state fidelity. These results highlight the limited impact of local CD methods in overcoming the bottlenecks associated with first-order quantum phase transitions. To address this limitation, we propose an alternative method, termed quantum brachistochrone counterdiabatic driving (QBCD), which employs the approximate full CD connecting the ground state and the first excited state at a single parameter value close to the critical point. In the minimal spin-glass model, QBCD enables exponentially faster adiabatic evolution than the local strategies. To alleviate the challenges of its experimental and classical implementation for realistic \textsc{NP}-hard problems, we exponentially reduce the non-locality of the QBCD Hamiltonian by sparsifying its matrix elements to the density of the local expansions. Despite this drastic simplification, sparsified QBCD maintains finite ground-state fidelity at driving times exponentially shorter than in local strategies and counterdiabatic optimized local driving (COLD).
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Lyapunov Controlled Counterdiabatic Quantum Optimization
Abstract
We introduce a quantum algorithm integrating counterdiabatic (CD) protocols with quantum Lyapunov control (QLC) to tackle combinatorial optimization problems. This approach offers versatility, allowing implementation as either a digital-analog or purely digital algorithm based on selected control strategies. By examining spin-glass Hamiltonians, we illustrate how the algorithm can explore alternative paths to enhance solution outcomes compared to conventional CD techniques. This method reduces the dependence on extensive higher-order CD terms and classical optimization techniques, rendering it more suitable for existing quantum computing platforms. The combination of digital compression via CD protocols and the adaptable nature of QLC methods positions this approach as a promising candidate for near-term quantum computing.