Researchers have remotely observed the effects of anomalous tunneling in a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC), marking the first peer-reviewed scientific result produced through Infleqtion’s cloud-based Oqtant experimental platform. The study, led by Ippei Danshita of Kindai University and Daichi Kagamihara of Chuo University, demonstrates how theoretical physicists can use internet-accessible quantum laboratories to test predictions without constructing and operating an advanced experimental apparatus themselves.
The experiment focused on a counterintuitive form of wave transmission known as anomalous tunneling. In ordinary quantum tunneling, a particle can cross a potential barrier even when its energy is lower than the barrier height. However, the probability of transmission generally decreases as the particle’s energy becomes smaller. In a Bose–Einstein condensate, which is an ultracold gas whose atoms occupy a shared quantum state, collective excitations can behave very differently. At sufficiently low energy, sound-like waves traveling through the condensate may pass through a barrier with a transmission probability approaching one, even when the barrier is relatively high.
This unusual behavior was predicted decades ago in theoretical studies of Bose–Einstein condensates, but observing its consequences experimentally requires precise control over ultracold atoms, laser fields, magnetic fields, trapping potentials and imaging systems. Such equipment is normally available only in specialized laboratories staffed by experimental physicists with extensive technical expertise. The Kindai–Chuo team instead used Oqtant, a remotely accessible platform operated by Infleqtion, to manipulate and measure a condensate hosted in a laboratory in the United States.
A BEC is formed when a dilute atomic gas is cooled to temperatures below 100 nanokelvin, only a fraction above absolute zero. At these temperatures, the atoms lose much of their individual thermal motion and begin to act collectively as a single macroscopic matter wave. The condensate can be shaped using laser light and magnetic fields, while its density and motion can be recorded with optical imaging. This makes it possible to investigate quantum phenomena on a scale that is more directly accessible than the behavior of individual particles.
The researchers first performed theoretical calculations describing the motion of a condensate placed in a double-well potential. In this configuration, two low-energy regions are separated by a controllable barrier, allowing the condensate to oscillate between the wells. The calculations predicted that the oscillation period would be strongly affected by anomalous tunneling. In physical terms, the condensate’s collective wave would interact with the barrier in a way that differs from the behavior expected for a conventional massive particle, modifying the dynamics of the entire system.
The team then programmed and operated the Oqtant apparatus remotely to create the double-well environment and observe the condensate’s motion. By tracking the population transfer between the two wells, they measured the period of the resulting oscillations. The measured values agreed closely with the theoretical predictions, providing experimental evidence that anomalous tunneling influences collective excitations in the condensate. Rather than detecting transmission through a barrier alone, the researchers identified its impact on the time-dependent behavior of a many-body quantum system.
The result is important because anomalous tunneling is not believed to be limited to ultracold atomic gases. More recent theoretical work suggests that related behavior can arise in other systems with suitable collective properties, including magnetic materials. In those materials, the relevant excitations may be spin waves or other collective modes rather than sound waves in an atomic condensate. The observation therefore provides experimental support for a phenomenon that may belong to a broader class of universal wave behaviors across different forms of matter.
The study also highlights a potentially transformative change in how physics is conducted. Cloud-based platforms have already allowed researchers to access quantum computers operated by companies such as IBM and Google. Oqtant extends a similar model to quantum matter experiments, enabling users to submit experimental sequences, adjust parameters and receive measurements from a highly specialized apparatus over the internet. For theoretical physicists, this can shorten the path between a mathematical prediction and its experimental test, reducing the need to find a separate laboratory and establish a long-term collaboration before an experiment can begin.
Danshita said that theoretical predictions cannot become scientific discoveries without experimental verification, while Kagamihara emphasized that remotely accessible systems could make it faster and more flexible to test previously unverified ideas. Infleqtion’s Noah Fitch described the work as an example of how quantum research can be accessed from anywhere, rather than requiring every research group to own a complete experimental facility. The paper, published in Communications Physics on July 31, 2026, suggests that cloud laboratories may become an important addition to conventional research infrastructure, giving more scientists the opportunity to explore quantum phenomena that were once out of reach.
Subject of Research: Anomalous tunneling and collective excitations in Bose–Einstein condensates studied through a cloud-based experimental platform.
Article Title: Observation of the influence of anomalous tunneling on collective excitations via a cloud experiment platform for Bose-Einstein condensates
News Publication Date: 31 July 2026
Web References: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42005-026-02720-6
References: Kagamihara, D., Kazuta, H., Wu, Y., Fitch, N. J. and Danshita, I. “Observation of the influence of anomalous tunneling on collective excitations via a cloud experiment platform for Bose-Einstein condensates.” Communications Physics.
Image Credits: Noah Fitch/Infleqtion
Keywords
Bose–Einstein condensate, anomalous tunneling, quantum physics, quantum matter, ultracold atoms, collective excitations, quantum simulation, cloud laboratory, remote experiments, theoretical physics, experimental physics, Infleqtion, Oqtant, quantum mechanics, Communications Physics
