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Nature Communications

Nonreciprocal quantum synchronization

Deng-Gao Lai, Adam Miranowicz, Franco Nori

Published Sep 26, 2025• 13 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Nonreciprocal physics is garnering enormous attention in both classical and quantum resource fields. Surprisingly, previous demonstrations have not explored nonreciprocal quantum synchronization of phonons, one of the most obvious examples of nonreciprocal quantum resources. Here we fill this gap to demonstrate the possibility of nonreciprocal quantum synchronization, revealing its counterintuitive robustness against random fabrication imperfections and thermal noise of practical devices. Specifically, phonons are synchronized in a chosen direction of light (magnetic field) but unsynchronized in the other, yielding a unique nonreciprocity of quantum synchronization. This happens by harnessing the synergy of the Sagnac and magnon-Kerr effects, leading to an opposite Sagnac-Fizeau shift and an exceptional magnon-Kerr-induced transition. Unlike previous proposals naturally restricted to the low-imperfection regime, our approach beats this limitation, owing to the magnon-Kerr-induced improvement in the resonator resilience. The study lays the foundation for generating fragile-to-robust nonreciprocal quantum resources. Nonreciprocal quantum effects can unlock unique quantum resources but unidirectional quantum synchronization has been overlooked. Here authors demonstrate robust one-way quantum synchronization of phonons, overcoming imperfections and noise via combined Sagnac and magnon Kerr effects.

DOI
10.1038/s41467-025-63408-z

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Nonreciprocal physics is garnering enormous attention in both classical and quantum resource fields. Surprisingly, previous demonstrations have not explored nonreciprocal quantum synchronization of phonons, one of the most obvious examples of nonreciprocal quantum resources. Here we fill this gap to demonstrate the possibility of nonreciprocal quantum synchronization, revealing its counterintuitive robustness against random fabrication imperfections and thermal noise of practical devices. Specifically, phonons are synchronized in a chosen direction of light (magnetic field) but unsynchronized in the other, yielding a unique nonreciprocity of quantum synchronization. This happens by harnessing the synergy of the Sagnac and magnon-Kerr effects, leading to an opposite Sagnac-Fizeau shift and an exceptional magnon-Kerr-induced transition. Unlike previous proposals naturally restricted to the low-imperfection regime, our approach beats this limitation, owing to the magnon-Kerr-induced improvement in the resonator resilience. The study lays the foundation for generating fragile-to-robust nonreciprocal quantum resources. Nonreciprocal quantum effects can unlock unique quantum resources but unidirectional quantum synchronization has been overlooked. Here authors demonstrate robust one-way quantum synchronization of phonons, overcoming imperfections and noise via combined Sagnac and magnon Kerr effects.
Cavity magnomechanics has shown great potential in studying macroscopic quantum effects, especially for quantum entanglement, which is a key resource for quantum information science. Here we propose to realize magnon mediated nonreciprocal photon-phonon entanglement, which exhibits asymmetry when opposite magnetic or driving fields are respectively applied to the magnons with the Kerr effect or the photons with the Sagnac effect. We find that the mean magnon number can selectively exhibit nonreciprocal linear or nonlinear (bistable) behavior with the strength of the strong driving field on the cavity. Assisted by this driving field, the magnon-phonon coupling is greatly enhanced, leading to the nonreciprocal photon-phonon entanglement via the swapping interaction between the magnons and photons. This nonreciprocal entanglement can be significantly enhanced with the magnon Kerr and Sagnac effects. Given the available parameters, the nonreciprocal photon-phonon entanglement can be preserved at $\ensuremath{\approx}3$ K, showing remarkable resilience against the bath temperature. The result reveals that our paper holds promise in developing various nonreciprocal devices with both the magnon Kerr and Sagnac effects in cavity magnomechanics.
We propose how to achieve nonreciprocal quantum entanglement of light and motion and reveal its counterintuitive robustness against random losses. We find that by splitting the counterpropagating lights of a spinning resonator via the Sagnac effect, photons and phonons can be entangled strongly in a chosen direction but fully uncorrelated in the other. This makes it possible both to realize quantum nonreciprocity even in the absence of any classical nonreciprocity and also to achieve significant entanglement revival against backscattering losses in practical devices. Our work provides a way to protect and engineer quantum resources by utilizing diverse nonreciprocal devices, for building noise-tolerant quantum processors, realizing chiral networks, and backaction-immune quantum sensors.
Abstract Microwave–optical entanglement is essential for efficient quantum communication, secure information transfer, and integrating microwave and optical quantum systems to advance hybrid quantum technologies. In this work, we demonstrate how the magnon Kerr effect can be harnessed to generate and control nonreciprocal entanglement in cavity optomagnomechanics (COMM). This effect induces magnon frequency shifts and introduces pair-magnon interactions, both of which are tunable through the magnetic field direction, enabling nonreciprocal behavior. By adjusting system parameters such as magnon frequency detuning, we show that magnon–phonon, microwave–optical photon–photon, and optical photon–magnon entanglement can be nonreciprocally enhanced and rendered more robust against thermal noise. Additionally, the nonreciprocity of entanglement can be selectively controlled, and ideal nonreciprocal entanglement is achievable. This work paves the way for designing nonreciprocal quantum devices across the microwave and optical regimes, leveraging the unique properties of the magnon Kerr effect in COMM.
Cavity optomechanics, a promising platform to investigate macroscopic quantum effects, has been widely used to study nonreciprocal entanglement with the Sagnac effect. Here, we propose an alternative way to realize nonreciprocal entanglement among magnons, photons, and phonons in a hybrid cavity-magnon optomechanics, where the magnon Kerr effect is used. We show that the Kerr effect gives rise to a magnon frequency shift and an additional two-magnon effect. Both of them can be tuned from positive to negative via tuning the magnetic field direction, leading to nonreciprocity. By tuning system parameters such as magnon frequency detuning or the coefficient of the two-magnon effect, bipartite and tripartite entanglements can be nonreciprocally enhanced. By further studying the defined bidirectional contrast ratio, we find that nonreciprocity in our system can be switched on and off, and can be engineered by the bath temperature. Our proposal not only provides a potential path to demonstrate nonreciprocal entanglement with the magnon Kerr effect, but also opens a direction to engineer and design diverse nonreciprocal devices in hybrid cavity-magnon optomechanics with nonlinear effects.
ABSTRACT We propose a scheme for realizing nonreciprocal photon–phonon entanglement in a hybrid cavity magnomechanical system, where the Barnett effect and the Sagnac effect are used. By changing the rotation direction of the cavity field and the direction of the bias magnetic field or the direction of rotation of the YIG sphere, we can induce an opposite Sagnac–Fizeau frequency shift on the cavity and a Barnett frequency shift of the magnon mode, which lead to nonreciprocity. Our results indicate that through selecting appropriate parameters, such as frequency detuning or magnomechanical coupling strength or bath temperature, the nonreciprocity of photon–phonon entanglements in this system can be correspondingly manipulated (such as switched off or on). And through combining the Barnett effect with the Sagnac effect, the entanglement nonreciprocity can be significantly enhanced. We find that nonreciprocal entanglement exhibits excellent tolerance to elevated bath temperature. Our paper provides a promising approach for engineering various nonreciprocal devices with the Barnett and the Sagnac effects.
Cavity-magnon systems, combining magnons and photons, offer a versatile platform for studying quantum entanglement and advancing quantum information science. In this work, we propose a scheme for generating nonreciprocal magnon-magnon entanglement in a hybrid system consisting of two yttrium iron garnet spheres coupled to a spinning whispering-gallery-mode cavity. By leveraging the magnon Kerr nonlinearity and the Sagnac effect arising from the cavity rotation, we show that the entanglement can be substantially enhanced, and the resulting entanglement exhibits pronounced nonreciprocal characteristics. Furthermore, our scheme demonstrates that the entanglement remains robust against thermal noise and persists at bath temperatures up to 100 mK. This work underscores the potential of spinning cavity-magnon systems as a versatile platform for realizing nonreciprocal quantum devices and facilitating the development of quantum technologies.