The emergence of parity-time (PT) symmetry has greatly enriched our study of symmetry-enabled non-Hermitian physics, but the realization of quantum PT symmetry faces an intrinsic issue of unavoidable symmetry-breaking Langevin noises. Here we construct a quantum pseudo-anti-PT (pseudo-APT) symmetry in a two-mode bosonic system without involving Langevin noises. We show that the spontaneous pseudo-APT symmetry breaking leads to an exceptional point, across which there is a transition between different types of quantum squeezing dynamics; i.e., the squeezing factor increases exponentially (oscillates periodically) with time in the pseudo-APT-symmetric (broken) region. Such dramatic changes of squeezing factors and quantum dynamics near the exceptional point are utilized for ultraprecision quantum sensing. These exotic quantum phenomena and sensing applications can be experimentally observed in two physical systems: spontaneous wave mixing nonlinear optics and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. Our Letter offers a physical platform for investigating exciting APT symmetry physics in the quantum realm, paving the way for exploring fundamental quantum non-Hermitian effects and their quantum technological applications.
The emergence of parity-time (PT) symmetry has greatly enriched our study of symmetry-enabled non-Hermitian physics, but the realization of quantum PT symmetry faces an intrinsic issue of unavoidable symmetry-breaking Langevin noises. Here we construct a quantum pseudo-anti-PT (pseudo-APT) symmetry in a two-mode bosonic system without involving Langevin noises. We show that the spontaneous pseudo-APT symmetry breaking leads to an exceptional point, across which there is a transition between different types of quantum squeezing dynamics; i.e., the squeezing factor increases exponentially (oscillates periodically) with time in the pseudo-APT-symmetric (broken) region. Such dramatic changes of squeezing factors and quantum dynamics near the exceptional point are utilized for ultraprecision quantum sensing. These exotic quantum phenomena and sensing applications can be experimentally observed in two physical systems: spontaneous wave mixing nonlinear optics and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates. Our Letter offers a physical platform for investigating exciting APT symmetry physics in the quantum realm, paving the way for exploring fundamental quantum non-Hermitian effects and their quantum technological applications.
Abstract Over the past decade, parity‐time (PT) symmetry and anti‐PT (APT) symmetry in various physical systems have been extensively studied, leading to significant experimental and theoretical advancements. However, physical systems that simultaneously exhibit both PT and APT symmetry have not yet been explored. This study constructs a phase‐sensitive non‐Hermitian wave mixing model that inherently possesses single‐mode APT symmetry. By tuning the phase of the pump field, this model simultaneously exhibits two‐mode quadrature PT symmetry. Moreover, the APT phase transition is accompanied by the emergence of quantum entanglement from absence to presence. This remarkable quantum effect, quantum entanglement is surprisingly linked to APT symmetry phase transition, which distinguishes itself from classical physics. This work investigates the relationship between two‐mode quantum entanglement and the pump field phase, providing insights into the generation and evolution of entanglement in the nonlinear system. This provides a new perspective on quantum information processing.
Exceptional-point (EP) sensing has attracted considerable interest because of its anomalous response scaling. However, recent studies have shown that the enhanced response near an EP is inevitably accompanied by amplified quantum noise, fundamentally limiting the achievable signalto-noise ratio (SNR). Here, we propose a fundamentally different route toward non-Hermitian quantum sensing based on symmetry-protected noise suppression rather than response amplification. We develop a fully quantum continuous-variable model that unifies parity-time (PT) and anti-paritytime(APT) symmetries within a single framework. Exploiting the incompatibility between these two symmetries, we uncover a non-Hermitian Dirac eigenspectrum and reveal a hidden symmetryprotected phase transition embedded in the Hamiltonian spectrum. Remarkably, this hidden phasetransition simultaneously constitutes a symmetry-protected vacuum-noise fixed point, where collective three-mode quadratures exhibit suppressed quantum fluctuations despite the absence of any anomalous spectral response. As a consequence, quantum sensing is enhanced through the suppression of excess quantum noise while maintaining a finite response sensitivity, establishing a sensing mechanism fundamentally different from conventional EP-based approaches. These results reveal an unexpected connection between hidden symmetry, quantum fluctuations, and non-Hermitian quantum metrology, and establish noise suppression as an alternative paradigm for non-Hermitian quantum sensing.
Quantum Langevin noise makes the observation of quantum-optical parity-time (PT) symmetry in an open system with both gain and loss elusive. Here, we challenge this problem by exploiting twin beams produced from a nonlinear parametric process, one undergoing phase-sensitive linear quantum amplification (PSA) and the other engaging balanced loss merely. Unlike previous studies involving phase-insensitive linear quantum amplification (PIA), our PSA-loss scheme enables only one pair of quadratures to evolve PT-symmetrically with variances transiting from periodic oscillations to exponential growths when crossing an exceptional point (EP), while tailors the conjugate pair with PT-adjusted quadrature squeezing. We further investigate such asymmetric PT-quadrature squeezing for quantum sensing by evaluating the quantum Cramer–Rao bound with distinct features beyond existing protocols. The proposed quadrature PT sheds new light on continuous-variable based quantum information and technology.
We investigate higher-order exceptional points and quantum squeezing of exciton polaritons in a pseudo-Hermitian semiconductor optomechanical system. We show that a third-order exceptional point (EP3) can emerge from the tripartite coupling among photons, excitons, and phonons under pseudo-Hermitian conditions. A pronounced two-mode quantum squeezing of exciton polaritons is revealed, and we demonstrate that this squeezing is significantly enhanced in the vicinity of the EP3. Furthermore, we find that in the PT-symmetric phase, the squeezing dynamics produce a frequency comb of exciton polaritons, whereas the squeezing remains constant over time in the PT-symmetry broken phase and exactly at the EP3. The sudden change in quantum squeezing dynamics can be used to probe the phase transition and the EP3. Our work opens a pathway to manipulate quantum squeezing in semiconductor optomechanical platforms, offering potential advantages for quantum sensing and metrology.
Abstract Non-Hermitian parity-time ( PT P T ) and anti-parity-time ( APT APT )-symmetric systems exhibit novel quantum properties and have attracted increasing interest. Although many counterintuitive phenomena in PT P T - and APT APT -symmetric systems were previously studied, coherence flow has been rarely investigated. Here, we experimentally demonstrate single-qubit coherence flow in PT P T - and APT APT -symmetric systems using an optical setup. In the symmetry unbroken regime, we observe different periodic oscillations of coherence. Particularly, we observe two complete coherence backflows in one period in the PT P T -symmetric system, while only one backflow in the APT APT -symmetric system. Moreover, in the symmetry broken regime, we observe the phenomenon of stable value of coherence flow. We derive the analytic proofs of these phenomena and show that most experimental data agree with theoretical results within one standard deviation. This work opens avenues for future study on the dynamics of coherence in PT P T - and APT APT -symmetric systems.
Abstract While gain-loss-coupled photonic platforms have achieved significant success in studying classical parity-time (PT) symmetry, they encounter challenges in demonstrating pure quantum effects due to incompatible operator transformations and Langevin noise. Here, we present compelling evidence that a non-Hermitian (NH) twin-beam system, undergoing phase-sensitive amplification and balanced loss, not only enables observing the usual eigenvalue-associated PT phase transition but also exhibits distinctive features absent in classical NH or traditional Hermitian quantum scenarios, encompassing quadrature PT symmetry, anomalous loss-induced quadrature squeezing, and classical-to-quantum (C2Q) transitions in noise fluctuations. Furthermore, our proposed bipartite open system promises optimal sensing for various quantum observable measurements, showcasing an improved signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity, constrained by quantum Cramér–Rao bound or Fisher information. These findings deepen the comprehension of authentic quantum optical PT symmetry involving both gain and loss, addressing contentious issues and illuminating new facets of the subject.