Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2025

Isotopic Effect in Double Proton Transfer Process of Porphycene Investigated by Enhanced QM/MM Method
Published on: July 19, 2019
Observation of quantum strong Mpemba effect
Jie Zhang1,2,3, Gang Xia1, Chun-Wang Wu1,2,3
1Institute for Quantum Science and Technology, College of Science, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China.
Abstract:
An ancient and counterintuitive phenomenon known as the Mpemba effect (water can cool faster when initially heated up) showcases the critical role of initial conditions in relaxation processes. How to realize and utilize this effect for speeding up relaxation is an important but challenging task in purely quantum system till now. Here, we experimentally study the strong Mpemba effect in a single trapped ion system in which an exponentially accelerated relaxation in time is observed by preparing an optimal quantum initial state with no excitation of the slowest decaying mode. Also, we demonstrate that the condition of realizing such effect coincides with the Liouvillian exceptional point, featuring the coalescence of both the eigenvalues and the eigenmodes of the systems. Our work provides an efficient strategy to engineer the dynamics of open quantum system, and suggests a link unexplored yet between the Mpemba effect and the non-Hermitian physics.
Related Concept Videos
The de Broglie Wavelength
Magnetic Moment of an Electron
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy: Organic Radicals
Paramagnetism
The Pauli Exclusion Principle

