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A research team led by Prof. Lin Yiheng from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), collaborating with Prof. Yuan Haidong from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, succeeded in generating multipartite quantum entangled states across two, three, and five modes using controlled dissipation as a resource. Their study is in Science Advances.

Multimode entanglement is a key resource in quantum computation, communication, simulation, and sensing. One of the major challenges in achieving stable and scalable multimode entanglement lies in the inherent susceptibility of quantum systems to environmental noise—a phenomenon known as dissipation. To mitigate dissipative effects, conventional preparation methods often require isolating the system from its surroundings.

Recent theoretical and experimental works have revealed an innovative perspective: when properly engineered, dissipation can be transformed into a resource for generating specific quantum states—known as dissipation engineering. However, previous related experiments were confined to single-mode and two-mode quantum systems, and significant challenges remain in the experimental realization of entangled states across multimode bosonic systems.

In this study, through precise laser control of a trapped ion chain, the researchers engineered coupling between dissipative spins and vibrational modes, enabling programmable control over specific dissipation processes. This approach made the highly entangled target quantum state the sole steady state of the system, while driving other states to spontaneously evolve toward it, exhibiting an "autonomous stabilization" feature. This significantly enhances the practicality and applicability of the technique.

Ultimately, the research team prepared two-, three-, and five-mode squeezed entangled states from initial thermal states, achieving a fidelity exceeding 84%. The generated states were comprehensively characterized. The genuine multipartite entanglement was verified by measuring quantum correlations between modes and applying the van Loock–Furusawa inseparability criteria.

Taking advantage of precise control over the coupling between multiple motional modes and the internal state of ions, the system could be scaled to accommodate a larger number of ions and motional modes.

This study demonstrated the unique potential of trapped-ion system for quantum information processing in continuous-variable systems. Dissipation engineering approach in this study exhibits strong universality and holds potential for application in diverse physical platforms such as superconducting cavities, atomic ensembles, and nanomechanics.

As quantum technology advances toward engineering maturity and systematic integration, dissipative-based entanglement generation methods will provide strong support for building stable quantum information processing systems. It will play a critical role in quantum computation and multi-parameter estimation.