The variational quantum eigensolver (or VQE) uses the variational principle to compute the ground state energy of a Hamiltonian, a problem that is central to quantum chemistry and condensed matter physics. Conventional computing methods are constrained in their accuracy due to the computational limits. The VQE may be used to model complex wavefunctions in polynomial time, making it one of the most promising near-term applications for quantum computing. Finding a path to navigate the relevant literature has rapidly become an overwhelming task, with many methods promising to improve different parts of the algorithm. Despite strong theoretical underpinnings suggesting excellent scaling of individual VQE components, studies have pointed out that their various pre-factors could be too large to reach a quantum computing advantage over conventional methods. This review aims to provide an overview of the progress that has been made on the different parts of the algorithm. All the different components of the algorithm are reviewed in detail including representation of Hamiltonians and wavefunctions on a quantum computer, the optimization process, the post-processing mitigation of errors, and best practices are suggested. We identify four main areas of future research:(1) optimal measurement schemes for reduction of circuit repetitions; (2) large scale parallelization across many quantum computers;(3) ways to overcome the potential appearance of vanishing gradients in the optimization process, and how the number of iterations required for the optimization scales with system size; (4) the extent to which VQE suffers for quantum noise, and whether this noise can be mitigated. The answers to these open research questions will determine the routes for the VQE to achieve quantum advantage as the quantum computing hardware scales up and as the noise levels are reduced.

Recently, the generating function has been proposed as an alternative reduction method. This method has been tested at the one-loop level, including the tensor reduction and propagators with higher powers. In this work, we initiate the study of the method for higher loops by focusing on the sunset diagram, which is the simplest nontrivial two-loop integral. By employing PV reduction equations together with syzygy equations, we construct a complete system of differential equations. Through series expansion, we derive a complete set of recurrence relations, which can efficiently reduce any high-rank tensor structure.

Neural quantum states (NQS) have gained prominence in variational quantum Monte Carlo methods in approximating ground-state wavefunctions. Despite their success, they face limitations in optimization, scalability, and expressivity in addressing certain problems. In this work, we propose a quantum-neural hybrid framework that combines parameterized quantum circuits with neural networks to model quantum many-body wavefunctions. This approach combines the efficient sampling and optimization capabilities of autoregressive neural networks with the enhanced expressivity provided by quantum circuits. Numerical simulations demonstrate the scalability and accuracy of the hybrid ansatz in spin systems and quantum chemistry problems. Our results reveal that the hybrid method achieves notably lower relative energy compared to standalone NQS. These findings underscore the potential of quantum-neural hybrid methods for tackling challenging problems in quantum many-body simulations.

We study double copy relations for loop integrands in gauge theories and gravity based on their constructions from single cuts, which are in turn obtained from forward limits of lower-loop cases. While such a construction from forward limits has been realized for loop integrands in gauge theories, we demonstrate its extension to gravity by reconstructing one-loop gravity integrands from forward limits of trees. Under mild symmetry assumptions on tree-level kinematic numerators (and their forward limits), our method directly leads to double copy relations for one-loop integrands: these include the field-theoretic Kawai-Lewellen-Tye (KLT) relations, whose kernel is the inverse of a matrix with rank $(n{-}1)!$ formed by those in bi-adjoint $\phi^3$ theory, and the Bern-Carrasco-Johansson (BCJ) double copy relations with crossing-symmetric kinematic numerators (we provide local and crossing-symmetric Yang-Mills BCJ numerators for $n=3,4,5$ explicitly). By exploiting the "universal expansion" for one-loop integrands in generic gauge theories, we also obtain an analogous expansion for gravity (including supergravity theories).

ABACUS (Atomic-orbital Based Ab-initio Computation at USTC) is an open-source software for first-principles electronic structure calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. It mainly features density functional theory (DFT) and is compatible with both plane-wave basis sets and numerical atomic orbital basis sets. ABACUS serves as a platform that facilitates the integration of various electronic structure methods, such as Kohn-Sham DFT, stochastic DFT, orbital-free DFT, and real-time time-dependent DFT, etc. In addition, with the aid of high-performance computing, ABACUS is designed to perform efficiently and provide massive amounts of first-principles data for generating general-purpose machine learning potentials, such as DPA models. Furthermore, ABACUS serves as an electronic structure platform that interfaces with several AI-assisted algorithms and packages, such as DeePKS-kit, DeePMD, DP-GEN, DeepH, DeePTB, etc.

We propose a non-collinear spin-constrained method that generates training data for deep-learning-based magnetic model, which provides a powerful tool for studying complex magnetic phenomena at the atomic scale. First, we propose a projection method for atomic magnetic moments by applying a radial truncation to the numerical atomic orbitals. We then implement a Lagrange multiplier method that can yield the magnetic torques of atoms by constraining the magnitude and direction of atomic magnetic moments. The method is implemented in ABACUS with both plane wave basis and numerical atomic orbital basis. We benchmark the iron (Fe) systems with the new method and analyze differences from calculations with the plane wave basis and numerical atomic orbitals basis in describing magnetic energy barriers. Based on more than 30,000 first-principles data with the information of magnetic torque, we train a deep-learning-based magnetic model DeePSPIN for the Fe system. By utilizing the model in large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we successfully predict Curie temperatures of $\alpha$-Fe close to experimental values.

The reliability of artificial intelligence hinges on the integrity of its training data, a foundation often compromised by noise and corruption. Here, through a comparative study of classical and quantum neural networks on both classical and quantum data, we reveal a fundamental difference in their response to data corruption. We find that classical models exhibit brittle memorization, leading to a failure in generalization. In contrast, quantum models demonstrate remarkable resilience, which is underscored by a phase transition-like response to increasing label noise, revealing a critical point beyond which the model's performance changes qualitatively. We further establish and investigate the field of quantum machine unlearning, the process of efficiently forcing a trained model to forget corrupting influences. We show that the brittle nature of the classical model forms rigid, stubborn memories of erroneous data, making efficient unlearning challenging, while the quantum model is significantly more amenable to efficient forgetting with approximate unlearning methods. Our findings establish that quantum machine learning can possess a dual advantage of intrinsic resilience and efficient adaptability, providing a promising paradigm for the trustworthy and robust artificial intelligence of the future.

Composite local operators are central to effective field theories (EFTs), as they define interaction vertices in effective Lagrangians and play a fundamental role in investigating the structure of quantum field theories. The contribution of high-dimensional operators in the Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT) grows increasingly important as experimental precision improves at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and in future colliders. However, the number of operators increases very rapidly with dimension, making it extremely challenging to identify their complete set. In our previous work \cite{Jin:2020pwh}, we proposed a systematic method for generating gluonic operators using primitive operators. In this paper, we introduce a graphical representation of gluonic operators and, based on this representation, present a method to systematically construct primitive operators. Using this method, we derive primitive operators corresponding to gluonic operators of length 2 to length 7 in $D$-dimensions.

Nuclear power plants are prominent examples of heat-to-work conversion systems, and optimizing their thermodynamic performance offers significant potential for enhancing energy efficiency. With a development history of less than a century, optimization trends in nuclear power plants indicate that classical thermodynamics alone may be insufficient, particularly when maximizing output power rather than efficiency becomes the primary focus. This paper re-examines nuclear power plant thermodynamic cycles through the lens of finite-time thermodynamics, an approach specifically developed to address the practical requirement of enhancing power output. Beginning with the simpler Brayton cycle without phase transitions, we obtain the famous Curzon-Ahlborn formula for efficiency at maximum power. Subsequently we analyze the more complex Rankine cycle, which incorporates phase transitions. By explicitly considering the working fluid undergoing phase transitions within the cycle, we uncover the inherent trade-off between output power and efficiency. Additionally, we demonstrate that both the maximum attainable power and efficiency increase as latent heat rises. These findings shall provide insights and methodologies for future thermodynamic optimization of nuclear power plants and other Rankine-type cycle systems.

Magic states are essential yet resource-intensive components for realizing universal fault-tolerant quantum computation. Preparing magic states within emerging quantum low-density parity-check (qLDPC) codes poses additional challenges, due to the complex encoding structures. Here, we introduce a generic and scalable method for magic state injection into arbitrarily selected logical qubits encoded using qLDPC codes. Our approach, based on parallelized code surgery, supports the injection from either physical qubits or low-distance logical qubits. For qLDPC code families with asymptotically constant encoding rates, the method achieves injection into $\Theta(k)$ logical qubits -- where $k$ denotes the logical qubit number of the code -- with only constant qubit overhead and a time complexity of $\tilde{O}(d^2)$, where $d$ is the code distance. A central contribution of this work is a rigorous proof that errors affecting the injected magic states remain independent throughout the procedure. This independence ensures the resilience of logical qubits against interactions with noisy ancillae and preserves the presumption of subsequent magic state distillation protocols. We further support our theoretical results with numerical validation through circuit-level simulations. These findings advance the feasibility of scalable, fault-tolerant universal quantum computing using qLDPC codes, offering a pathway to significantly reduced qubit resource requirements in magic state injection.

We propose an approach for quantum amplitude estimation (QAE) designed to enhance computational efficiency while minimizing the reliance on quantum resources. Our method leverages quantum computers to generate a sequence of signals, from which the quantum amplitude is inferred through classical post-processing techniques. Unlike traditional methods that use quantum phase estimation (QPE), which requires numerous controlled unitary operations and the quantum Fourier transform, our method avoids these complex and resource-demanding steps. By integrating quantum computing with classical post-processing techniques, our method significantly reduces the need for quantum gates and qubits, thus optimizing the utilization of quantum hardware. We present numerical simulations to validate the effectiveness of our method and provide a comprehensive analysis of its computational complexity and error. This hybrid strategy not only improves the practicality of QAE but also broadens its applicability in quantum computing.

Quantum machine learning is among the most exciting potential applications of quantum computing. However, the vulnerability of quantum information to environmental noises and the consequent high cost for realizing fault tolerance has impeded the quantum models from learning complex datasets. Here, we introduce AdaBoost.Q, a quantum adaptation of the classical adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) algorithm designed to enhance learning capabilities of quantum classifiers. Based on the probabilistic nature of quantum measurement, the algorithm improves the prediction accuracy by refining the attention mechanism during the adaptive training and combination of quantum classifiers. We experimentally demonstrate the versatility of our approach on a programmable superconducting processor, where we observe notable performance enhancements across various quantum machine learning models, including quantum neural networks and quantum convolutional neural networks. With AdaBoost.Q, we achieve an accuracy above 86% for a ten-class classification task over 10,000 test samples, and an accuracy of 100% for a quantum feature recognition task over 1,564 test samples. Our results demonstrate a foundational tool for advancing quantum machine learning towards practical applications, which has broad applicability to both the current noisy and the future fault-tolerant quantum devices.

We study the dynamics of ring ferrodark solitons (FDSs) in a homogeneous quasi-two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). In contrast to the usual expanding dynamics of ring dark solitons in a homogeneous system, the ring FDS radius exhibits self-sustained oscillations accompanied by the nematic tensor breathing at the magnetization-vanishing ring FDS core. When the ring radius greatly exceeds the FDS width, motion is nearly elastic, and we derive the ring-radius equation of motion (EOM) which admits exact solutions. This equation can be recast into a form analogous to the inviscid Rayleigh-Plesset equation governing spherical bubble dynamics in classical fluids, but with anomalous terms. At the ring FDS core, the nematic tensor motion is parameterized by a single parameter that connects the two types of FDSs monotonically. Beyond the hydrodynamics regime, density and spin wave emissions become significant and cause energy loss, shrinking the ring FDS radius oscillation; below a threshold, collapses occur followed by the ring FDS annihilation. In the zero quadratic Zeeman energy limit, the ring radius and eigenvalues of the nematic tensor become stationary, while oscillations of the nematic tensor components, driven by the ring curvature, persist at the core. Excellent agreements are found between analytical predictions and numerical simulations.

Quantum metrology employs entanglement to enhance measurement precision. The focus and progress so far have primarily centered on estimating a single parameter. In diverse application scenarios, the estimation of more than one single parameter is often required. Joint estimation of multiple parameters can benefit from additional advantages for further enhanced precision. Here we report quantum-enhanced measurement of simultaneous spin rotations around two orthogonal axes, making use of spin-nematic squeezing in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. Aided by the $F=2$ atomic ground hyperfine manifold coupled to the nematic-squeezed $F=1$ states as an auxiliary field through a sequence of microwave (MW) pulses, simultaneous measurement of multiple spin-1 observables is demonstrated, reaching an enhancement of 3.3 to 6.3 decibels (dB) beyond the classical limit over a wide range of rotation angles. Our work realizes the first enhanced multi-parameter estimation using entangled massive particles as a probe. The techniques developed and the protocols implemented also highlight the application of two-mode squeezed vacuum states in quantum-enhanced sensing of noncommuting spin rotations simultaneously.

Due to the diverse functionalities of different thermal machines, their optimization relies on a case-by-case basis, lacking unified results. In this work, we propose a general approach to determine power-efficiency trade-off relation (PETOR) for any thermal machine. For cases where cycle (of duration $\tau$) irreversibility satisfies the typical $1/\tau$-scaling, we provide a unified PETOR which is applicable to heat engines, refrigerators, heat exchangers and heat pumps. It is shown that, some typical PETORs, such as those for low-dissipation Carnot cycles (including heat engine and refrigerator cycles) and the steady-state heat engines operating between finite-sized reservoirs are naturally recovered.