In a landmark quantum computing experiment, a collaboration between Google Quantum AI, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), and Princeton University has for the first time observed an exotic, non-equilibrium phase of quantum matter.
The breakthrough was achieved using Google’s quantum AI chip, Willow, and is deepening scientific debates about the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, pushing quantum computers further into true experimental science.
The research team successfully created and observed a “Floquet-topologically ordered state” on Willow’s 58-qubit processor. This non-equilibrium quantum phase emerges only when a system experiences a time-periodic Hamiltonian, with its governing laws repeating in a cyclical pattern. Researchers had theorized this exotic phase for years but never directly observed it until now
According to Melissa Will, a PhD student at TUM and lead author of the study published in Nature, “Our results show that quantum processors are not just computational devices; they are powerful experimental platforms for discovering and probing entirely new states of matter”.
The team used interferometric algorithms to investigate Willow’s topological structure and witnessed the “dynamical transmutation of exotic particles … from a parallel universe,” a signature behavior of such driven quantum systems.
The Willow chip first garnered significant attention in December 2024 for solving a benchmark problem in under five minutes, a task that would take a powerful classical supercomputer an estimated 10 septillion years to complete. This astonishing speed reignited theoretical whispers about the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics.
Proponents of the MWI, including physicist David Deutsch, suggest that quantum computations may be occurring across multiple “parallel universes” simultaneously, a concept Google Quantum AI founder Hartmut Neven lent credence to in a blog post.
While the new experiment does not offer proof of parallel universes, its success in probing exotic matter reinforces the idea that quantum hardware is a unique laboratory for exploring physics beyond what classical equilibrium systems can demonstrate.
The findings, detailed in Nature on September 10, open a new era of quantum simulation. Scientists will next aim to reliably control and scale these non-equilibrium phases, potentially leading to real-world applications in materials science, quantum sensing, and novel computing paradigms.