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Google's quantum processor helps create never-before-seen state of matter
13 Sep 2025

Physicists have made a major breakthrough by creating and observing a Floquet topologically ordered state, an exotic phase of matter that was only theorized before.

This was achieved using a 58-qubit quantum computer developed by Google's Quantum AI in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Princeton University.

The team used rhythmic driving in these quantum systems to directly image particle edge motions and observe exotic particles transform in real time.

Understanding non-equilibrium quantum phases
Quantum exploration

Unlike conventional phases of matter, non-equilibrium quantum phases are defined by their time-evolving and dynamical properties.

These states can't be captured by traditional equilibrium thermodynamics.

Floquet systems, which are periodically driven in time, give rise to entirely new forms of order that can't exist under any equilibrium conditions.

This reveals phenomena beyond the reach of conventional phases of matter, making them a rich class for exploration.

Imaging exotic particles' dynamical 'transmutation'
Quantum simulation

The team from TUM, Princeton University, and Google Quantum AI used a 58 superconducting qubit quantum processor to realize the Floquet topologically ordered state.

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 exotic particles' dynamical "transmutation," a hallmark theoretically predicted for these exotic quantum states.

Quantum processors as experimental platforms
New era

Melissa Will, a PhD student at TUM's Physics Department, emphasized the significance of their findings.

She said, "Highly entangled non-equilibrium phases are notoriously hard to simulate with classical computers."

Will added that their results show quantum processors are not just computational devices but also powerful experimental platforms for discovering and probing entirely new states of matter.

This work marks a new era in quantum simulation where quantum computers become laboratories for studying out-of-equilibrium quantum matter.