Topological prethermal strong zero modes on superconducting processors.

ABSTRACT: Symmetry-protected topological phases^1-4 cannot be described by any local order parameter and are beyond the conventional symmetry-breaking model⁵. They are characterized by topological boundary modes that remain stable under symmetry respecting perturbations^1-4,6-8. In clean, gapped systems without disorder, the stability of these edge modes is restricted to the zero-temperature manifold; at finite temperatures, interactions with mobile thermal excitations lead to their decay^9-11. Here we report the observation of a distinct type of topological edge mode^12-14, which is protected by emergent symmetries and persists across the entire spectrum, in an array of 100 programmable superconducting qubits. Through digital quantum simulation of

SUBMITTER: Jin F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12443636 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature