Superconducting chip shows quantum phase shift across 21 modes

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have observed a simultaneous frequency jump across 21 superconducting resonators, demonstrating a multi-mode dissipative first-order phase transition within a one-dimensional Bose-Hubbard chain. This experiment provides a platform to study quantum phase transitions in systems that lose energy, unlike most theoretical work focused on equilibrium conditions. The work characterizes a phase transition, with switching times measured from a few milliseconds up to 143 seconds. The team reports that these results "open a new window into non-equilibrium quantum many-body physics" and advance the understanding of these transitions using superconducting circuits. A chain of 21 superconducting resonators has demonstrated a synchronized quantum phase transition, where…