We review the status of the QED calculations for the muonium \(2S_{1/2}-2P_{3/2}\) energy interval and provide the updated theoretical value of 9874.357(1)\({\,{\textrm{MHz}}\,}\). Additionally, we present a model for probing Lorentz-violating coefficients within the Standard Model Extension framework using the fine structure measurement in the presence and absence of a weak external magnetic field, enabling novel tests of CPT and Lorentz symmetry. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we estimate that a precision of \(\sim {10\,\mathrm{\text {k}\text {Hz}}}\) on the isolated \(2S_{1/2}, F=1 - 2P_{3/2}, F=1\) transition could be achievable employing Ramsey’s separate oscillatory fields (SOF) technique. Collecting the required statistics will become feasible with the upcoming High-Intensity Muon Beam (HiMB) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland. These advancements will enable precise tests of radiative QED corrections and nuclear self-energy contributions, while also providing tests of new physics and sensitivity to unconstrained coefficients for Lorentz violation within the Standard Model Extension framework.

Quantum error mitigation (EM) is a family of hybrid quantum-classical methods for eliminating or reducing the effect of noise and decoherence on quantum algorithms run on quantum hardware, without applying quantum error correction (EC). While EM has many benefits compared to EC, specifically that it requires no (or little) qubit overhead, this benefit comes with a painful price: EM seems to necessitate an overhead in quantum run time which grows as a (mild) exponent. Accordingly, recent results show that EM alone cannot enable exponential quantum advantages (QAs), for an average variant of the expectation value estimation problem. These works raised concerns regarding the role of EM in the road map towards QAs. We aim to demystify the discussion and provide a clear picture of the role of EM in achieving QAs, both in the near and long term. We first propose a clear distinction between finite QA and asymptotic QA, which is crucial to the understanding of the question, and present the notion of circuit volume boost, which we claim is an adequate way to quantify the benefits of EM. Using these notions, we can argue straightforwardly that EM is expected to have a significant role in achieving QAs. Specifically, that EM is likely to be the first error reduction method for useful finite QAs, before EC; that the first such QAs are expected to be achieved using EM in the very near future; and that EM is expected to maintain its important role in quantum computation even when EC will be routinely used - for as long as high-quality qubits remain a scarce resource.

Free-electron laser (FEL) is a powerful tool that provides high-brightness radiation across a wide range of frequencies up to the x-ray spectrum. However, the large size and high cost of FEL facilities have limited their accessibility and widespread adoption. To address this challenge, researchers have explored the possibility of replicating FEL physics using lasers instead of magnetic undulators, but practical implementation has remained unattainable. This study proposes a laser-driven approach for generating high-brightness x-ray radiation. Similar to FELs, the method relies on collective coherent emission, where electrons are bunched through highly nonlinear interactions with the laser and their own radiation. This process enables high-gain undulation, a phenomenon previously exclusive to FEL facilities. We establish the fundamental scaling laws of high-gain laser undulation, identifying the upper limits of radiation peak power and brightness determined by Coulomb repulsion and quantum recoil. Promising operational regimes are highlighted, including extreme ultraviolet and soft x rays (water window) using advanced electron and laser sources, with potential extension to hard x rays through low-gain laser undulation in an oscillator configuration. These findings contribute to the ongoing pursuit of compact sources of high-brightness radiation, paving the way for more accessible and versatile x-ray sources. On the fundamental side, they open previously inaccessible regimes of strong-field electrodynamics, offering new opportunities to explore quantum phenomena in extreme conditions.

Over the past century, continuous advancements in electron microscopy have enabled the synthesis, control, and characterization of high-quality free-electron beams. These probes carry an evanescent electromagnetic field that can drive localized excitations and provide high-resolution information on material structures and their optical responses, currently reaching the sub-{\aa}ngstr\"om and few-meV regime. Moreover, combining free electrons with pulsed light sources in ultrafast electron microscopy adds temporal resolution in the sub-femtosecond range while offering enhanced control of the electron wave function. Beyond their exceptional capabilities for time-resolved spectromicroscopy, free electrons are emerging as powerful tools in quantum nanophotonics, on par with photons in their ability to carry and transfer quantum information, create entanglement within and with a specimen, and reveal previously inaccessible details on nanoscale quantum phenomena. This Roadmap outlines the current state of this rapidly evolving field, highlights key challenges and opportunities, and discusses future directions through a collection of topical sections prepared by leading experts.

We present magneto-optical studies of a self-assembled semiconductor quantum dot in neutral and positively charged states. The diamagnetic shifts and Zeeman splitting of many well-identified optical transitions are precisely measured. Remarkably, a pronounced negative diamagnetic shift is observed for spectral lines resulting from a doubly positively charged excitonic complex. We use the Hartree-Fock approximation for describing the direct Coulomb and exchange interactions between the quantum dot confined carriers in various configurations. A simple harmonic potential model, which we extend to capture the influence of an externally applied magnetic field in Faraday configuration, is then used to quantitatively account for all the measured diamagnetic shifts. We show that the negative shift is due to the change in the hole-hole exchange interaction energy induced by the magnetic field. Using this model and the measured shifts we extract the dielectric constant of the quantum dot material and get a decent estimate of the quantum dot dimensions. Further, the measured Zeeman splitting of the various spectral lines are also explained by a simple model using algebraic sums and differences of the $g$ factors of the confined charge carriers in their respective first and second discrete energy levels. Finally, the obtained values of the electronic $g$ factor and that of the dielectric constant are independently used to determine the effective composition $(x)$ of the ternary ${\mathrm{In}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{As}$ quantum dot. Both agree to within the experimental uncertainties.

Ultrafast science studies the dynamics of electrons in matter with extreme temporal precision, typically in the attosecond and femtosecond time domain. Recent experimental and theoretical progress has put metal-insulator-metal (MIM) tunneling nanojunctions in the spotlight of ultrafast science. Waveform-controlled laser fields can induce ultrafast currents in these junctions, opening the door to petahertz electronic operation and attosecond-scale scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Inspired by our strong-field model for attosecond tunneling microscopy [Boyang Ma and Michael Kr\"uger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 236901 (2024)], here we generalize our model to MIM nanojunctions. We introduce several refinements and corrections, accounting for the image potential inside the gap and boundary effects. Moreover, we also find that the Keldysh parameter alone is insufficient for describing the physics in thin MIM nanojunctions. We introduce a new parameter $\zeta$ that accounts for the effects of the limited size of the junction and provide several interpretations of the parameter that shed new light on the complex physics in the light-driven junction. Most strikingly, we find that for $\zeta > 1$ photon-assisted tunneling is dominating the ultrafast electron transport across the junction, regardless of the value of the Keldysh parameter. Here one or more photons are absorbed and the electron undergoes static tunneling through the barrier. $\zeta < 1$ is required for a regime in which the laser field and the Keldysh parameter dominate the transport. We also discuss the three-step model of electron transport across the nanojunction in the adiabatic regime, the energy cutoff of the transported electrons and the carrier-envelope phase control of the net current. Our theory model provides a rich toolbox for understanding and predicting the physics of ultrafast MIM nanojunctions.

Strong optical nonlinearities are key to a range of technologies, particularly in the generation of photonic quantum states. The strongest nonlinearity in hot atomic vapors originates from electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), which, while effective, often lacks tunability and suffers from significant losses due to atomic absorption. We propose and demonstrate an N-level EIT scheme, created by an optical frequency comb that excites a warm rubidium vapor. The massive number of comb lines simultaneously drive numerous transitions that interfere constructively to induce a giant and highly tunable cross-Kerr optical nonlinearity. The obtained third-order nonlinearity values range from $1.2 \times 10^{-7}$ to $7.7 \times 10^{-7}$ $m^2 V^{-2}$. Above and beyond that, the collective N-level interference can be optimized by phase shaping the comb lines using a spectral phase mask. Each nonlinearity value can then be tuned over a wide range, from 40\% to 250\% of the initial strength. We utilize the nonlinearity to demonstrate squeezing by self polarization rotation of CW signals that co-propagate with the pump and are tuned to one of the EIT transparent regions. Homodyne measurements reveal a quadrature squeezing level of 3.5 dB at a detuning of 640 MHz. When tuned closer to an atomic resonance, the nonlinearity is significantly enhanced while maintaining low losses, resulting in the generation of non-Gaussian cubic phase states. These states exhibit negative regions in their Wigner functions, a hallmark of quantum behavior. Consequently, N-level EIT enables the direct generation of photonic quantum states without requiring postselection.

We consider two-dimensional periodically driven systems of fermions with particle-hole symmetry. Such systems support non-trivial topological phases, including ones that cannot be realized in equilibrium. We show that a space-time defect in the driving Hamiltonian, dubbed a “time vortex,” can bind π Majorana modes. A time vortex is a point in space around which the phase lag of the Hamiltonian changes by a multiple of 2π. We demonstrate this behavior on a periodically driven version of Kitaev’s honeycomb spin model, where \({{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}\) fluxes and time vortices can realize any combination of 0 and π Majorana modes. We show that a time vortex can be created using Clifford gates, simplifying its realization in near-term quantum simulators.

A Muon (Synchrotron) Ion Collider (MuSIC) can be the successor to the Electron-Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory, as well as the ideal demonstrator facility for a future multi-TeV Muon Collider. Besides its rich nuclear physics and Standard Model particle physics programs, in this work we show that the MuSIC with a TeV-scale muon beam offers also a unique opportunity to probe New Physics. In particular, the relevant searches have the potential to surpass current experimental limits and explore new regimes of the parameter space for a variety of Beyond the Standard Model scenarios including: lepton-flavor violating leptoquarks, muonphilic vector boson interactions, axion-like particles coupling to photons, and heavy sterile neutrinos. Depending on the particular case, the sensitivity of the searches in the MuSIC may span a wide range of energy scales, namely from sub-GeV particles to the few TeV New Physics mediators. Our analysis demonstrates that the MuSIC can strike a powerful chord in the search for New Physics, thanks to unique combination of features that amplify its capabilities.

Quantum nanophotonics merges the precision of nanoscale light manipulation with the capabilities of quantum technologies, offering a pathway for enhanced light-matter interaction and compact realization of quantum devices. Here, we show how a recently-demonstrated nonlinear nanophotonic process can be employed to selectively create photonic high-dimensional quantum states (qudits). We utilize the nonlinearity on the surface of the nanophotonic device to dress, through the polarization of the pump field, the near-field modes carrying angular momentum and their superpositions. We then use this approach for the realization of a multilevel quantum key distribution protocol, which doubles the key rate compared to standard schemes. This idea is an important step towards experimental realizations of quantum state generation and manipulation through nonlinearity within nanophotonic platforms, and enables new capabilities for on-chip quantum devices.