Researchers develop algorithms to design quantum systems with specific properties — opening a path to quantum materials by design

Physicists have created computational methods that solve a longstanding problem in quantum thermodynamics: how to build a quantum system (defined by its energy and conserved properties) with minimum energy subject to constraints. The work demonstrates these algorithms on real quantum systems, including error-correcting quantum codes, suggesting they could be used to design new quantum materials and encode information more efficiently.

For decades, quantum engineers have had to guess and test their way toward useful quantum states. This work provides a direct computational path: specify what you want the quantum system to do (conserve certain properties, minimize energy), and the algorithm designs the Hamiltonian that produces it. That matters because quantum materials are expensive and time-consuming to synthesize — if you can design them computationally first and validate the design before building, you reduce false starts. The authors also show these methods work on stabilizer codes, the mathematical structures that underpin quantum error correction, suggesting a practical application in building more robust quantum computers.