Some phases of matter cannot be described using the conventional framework of symmetry breaking and exhibit a so-called quantum order. One type of quantum order, known as topological order, is ...

Phases of matter are the basic states that matter can take—like water that can occur in a liquid or ice phase. Traditionally, these phases are defined under equilibrium conditions, where the system is ...

A team led by physicist Jian-Wei Pan has engineered a driven, higher-order nonequilibrium topological phase on a programmable superconducting-qubit array called Zuchongzhi 2.0, producing spatially ...