Oxford physicists achieve first-ever 'quadsqueezing' quantum effect using single trapped ion

University of Oxford researchers demonstrated quadsqueezing — a fourth-order quantum effect never before realized experimentally — using a hybrid oscillator-spin system with a single trapped ion. The team also demonstrated squeezing and trisqueezing in the same platform, switching between interaction types by adjusting force frequencies, phases, and strengths. Published in Nature Physics on May 1, 2026 (DOI: 10.1038/s41567-026-03222-6), the work makes previously unreachable quantum effects experimentally accessible and provides a new way to engineer quantum interactions for quantum simulation, sensing, and computing. Lead author Dr. Oana Băzăvan described using non-commuting interactions (typically a nuisance) as a resource to generate stronger quantum interactions.