In a groundbreaking advancement at the intersection of quantum computing and non-equilibrium physics, researchers have harnessed the capabilities of a 78-qubit superconducting processor to unravel the mysteries of prethermalization dynamics induced by random multipolar driving protocols. This innovative experimental study has brought to light persistent prethermal plateaus and drastically suppressed heating rates, phenomena that until now were primarily theoretical or confined to simpler, low-dimensional systems. The exquisite stability and precision of the implemented multipolar random driving (n-RMD) sequences have allowed the team to access previously elusive regimes of high-frequency drives, revealing an algebraic scaling relationship in the heating timescales marked by (T^{2n+1}), a hallmark of this universally emergent behavior.
Central to this investigation is the nature of heating in many-body quantum systems subject to external drives that are not strictly periodic—a scenario that defies traditional Floquet theory frameworks. Conventional wisdom has held that periodically driven systems invariably absorb energy until reaching featureless infinite-temperature states, erasing any interesting quantum correlations. However, the introduction of temporal randomness in driving protocols, meticulously controlled in the experimental setup, challenges this premise, fostering conditions where energy absorption is strongly suppressed. This discovery underscores the expansive potential to exploit intricate driving schemes to stabilize non-equilibrium phases of matter otherwise inaccessible through conventional methodologies.
The experiment’s core strength lies in its ability to perform quantum state tomography (QST) to monitor subsystem entanglement entropy as a real-time probe of dynamical evolution. Entanglement, the enigmatic quantum correlation bridging distinct physical regions, plays a pivotal role in characterizing thermalization and heating processes. The researchers detail how the initially coherent and spatially non-uniform entanglement distribution evolves throughout the prethermal plateau, exhibiting coherent oscillations within selected subsystems. Such spatial heterogeneity and oscillatory behavior provide critical insights into the microscopic mechanisms underpinning entanglement generation and its subsequent propagation, especially in two-dimensional architectures where geometric constraints produce rich, nuanced dynamics.
As time progresses, a notable transition emerges from subsystems exhibiting area-law entanglement scaling—typical of low-entropy or localized states—toward volume-law scaling that characterizes fully thermalized, entropy-saturated many-body states. The advent of heating catalyzes this crossover, accelerating entanglement growth and heralding a departure from the prethermal regime to eventual infinite-temperature equilibration. This dynamic enables a detailed mapping of quantum thermalization in regimes where classical computational techniques fail, affirming the unique role of superconducting processors as powerful platforms for simulating and exploring complex quantum many-body phenomena.
Beyond immediate experimental findings, the study lays a fertile groundwork for future inquiries into the deep complexities governing driven quantum systems. Variations in initial state preparation and spatially heterogeneous energy absorption patterns remain open questions, promising to uncover richer physics. Moreover, the delicate interplay between random driving and phenomena like many-body localization or emergent topological order calls for further theoretical and experimental scrutiny, potentially unveiling novel stabilization mechanisms for exotic quantum phases under temporal disorder.
This research also pushes the frontier in identifying prethermalization mechanisms within a broader class of non-periodic or aperiodic drives, expanding the theoretical landscape and providing a robust experimental benchmark. The universality of these heating suppression effects—demonstrated beyond the particular superconducting platform used—foreshadows their applicability across other quantum simulation architectures, including trapped ions, cold atoms, or photonic systems. Such versatility heralds a new era in the control and engineering of quantum states out of equilibrium.
Intriguingly, the n-RMD protocol’s capacity to balance temporal randomness with controlled energy input offers a blueprint for designing drive sequences that optimize system coherence and minimize deleterious heating. By carefully tailoring drive order and frequency, quintessential physical traits such as prolonged prethermal lifetimes become accessible, facilitating intricate quantum phenomena explorations while maintaining experimental feasibility. These insights could be instrumental in advancing quantum information processing techniques, error correction paradigms, and quantum state manipulation strategies.
At the same time, the success in experimentally realizing system sizes marked by tens of qubits in two-dimensional arrays alleviates historic scalability bottlenecks, bringing quantum simulators into uncharted territories of many-body physics. The comprehensive characterization of entanglement dynamics across spatial and temporal domains paves new paths for benchmarking quantum devices and refining theoretical models. This is particularly impactful since understanding heating and thermalization in complex systems constitutes a fundamental challenge of condensed matter physics and quantum statistical mechanics.
Moreover, the direct observation of prethermalization plateaus and their algebraic lifetimes provides a robust platform to dissect dynamical phase transitions governed by competing timescales and energy scales intrinsic to driven systems. This is a pivotal step toward controlling nonequilibrium steady states, with implications spanning from quantum thermodynamics to material science. Additionally, the work vividly illustrates the profound synergy between experimental advancements in superconducting quantum technology and conceptual progress in dynamical quantum control.
By pushing the envelope of high-fidelity control and measurement capabilities, this study demonstrates that elaborate temporal randomness can be engineered, not as a source of decoherence, but as a lever to unlock new quantum phases with prolonged stability. Such a paradigmatic shift inspires optimism for realizing complex quantum devices capable of robust functionality despite environmental noise and intrinsic drive imperfections.
Finally, this experimental tour de force reaffirms the transformative potential of quantum processors, transcending their primary role in computation to become unparalleled tools for probing fundamental physics. As the quantum community seeks to harness quantum mechanical principles for next-generation technologies, the ability to finely tune dynamical properties will be indispensable. The insights gleaned from this research thus not only deepen our understanding of quantum matter under nonequilibrium conditions but also chart a course for innovative approaches to quantum control in the years to come.
Subject of Research:
Non-equilibrium dynamics and prethermalization in two-dimensional interacting quantum systems driven by random multipolar protocols, explored through quantum state tomography on a 78-qubit superconducting processor.
Article Title:
Prethermalization by random multipolar driving on a 78-qubit processor.
Article References:
Liu, ZH., Liu, Y., Liang, GH. et al. Prethermalization by random multipolar driving on a 78-qubit processor. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09977-x
Image Credits:
AI Generated
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09977-x
Tags: 78-qubit superconducting processorenergy absorption in quantum systemsexperimental study of quantum correlationsFloquet theory limitationsheating rates in quantum computinghigh-frequency drives in quantum systemsmany-body quantum systemsnon-equilibrium physicsprethermalization dynamicsrandom multipolar driving protocolsstability in quantum computing systemstemporal randomness in quantum protocols
