An exotic phase of matter has been realized on a quantum processor.
Matter can exist in different forms, or phases, such as liquid water or solid ice. These phases are usually understood under equilibrium conditions, where everything remains stable over time. However, nature also permits much stranger possibilities: phases that appear only when a system is pushed out of equilibrium. A new study published in Nature demonstrates that quantum computers provide a powerful new tool for investigating these unusual states of matter.
In contrast to ordinary phases, non-equilibrium quantum phases are defined by how they change and evolve over time, a type of behavior that cannot be explained by standard equilibrium thermodynamics. A particularly intriguing example arises in Floquet systems (quantum systems that are driven in regular, repeating cycles). This periodic driving can produce entirely new types of order that do not exist under equilibrium conditions, uncovering phenomena far beyond what conventional phases of matter allow.
Using a 58 superconducting qubit quantum processor, the team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Princeton University, and Google Quantum AI realized a Floquet topologically ordered state, a phase that had been theoretically proposed but never before observed. They directly imaged the characteristic directed motions at the edge and developed a novel interferometric algorithm to probe the system’s underlying topological properties. This allowed them to witness the dynamical “transmutation” of exotic particles – a hallmark that has been theoretically predicted for these exotic quantum states.
Quantum computer as a laboratory
“Highly entangled non-equilibrium phases are notoriously hard to simulate with classical computers,” said the first author Melissa Will, PhD student at the Physics Department of the TUM School of Natural Sciences. “Our results show that quantum processors are not just computational devices – they are powerful experimental platforms for discovering and probing entirely new states of matter.”
This work opens the door to a new era of quantum simulation, where quantum computers become laboratories for studying the vast and largely unexplored landscape of out-of-equilibrium quantum matter. The insights gained from these studies could have far-reaching implications, from understanding fundamental physics to designing next-generation quantum technologies.
Reference: “Probing non-equilibrium topological order on a quantum processor” by M. Will, T. A. Cochran, E. Rosenberg, B. Jobst, N. M. Eassa, P. Roushan, M. Knap, A. Gammon-Smith and F. Pollmann, 10 September 2025, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09456-3
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4 Comments
Nature also permits much stranger possibilities: phases that appear only when a system is pushed out of equilibrium.
VERY GOOD.
Symmetries are power, and govern the laws of nature. The laws of nature remain unaltered by human imagination.. For centuries, symmetries have allowed physicists to find underlying connections and fundamental relationships throughout the universe. CP violation is typical pseudoscience. Using statistical errors (governed by the uncertainty principle) to negate natural laws is bound to plunge physics into an inescapable abyss of pseudoscience.
From the perspective of the Quantum Dual Symmetry Model (KDS), this so-called ‘strange new phase of matter’ is not truly new matter, but a manifestation of dual symmetry projected through the hyper-temporal layer. What Google’s quantum processor reveals is not an anomaly, but evidence that even artificial quantum systems reflect the same R→L projection rhythm that governs natural phenomena.
I was somewhere once, probably in a dream, where they made water as strong as steel at room temperature; I was wondering if it would ever happen, but apparently,yes it will someday
What about quantised vibrational energy levels of fundamental mass and fundamental antimass