Researchers led by the Duke Quantum Center (DQC) have used a quantum simulator to observe string breaking dynamics connected to particle antiparticle formation, marking one of the earliest demonstrations of its kind in quantum physics. The work, published September 23 in Nature Physics, shows how trapped ion quantum computers could become powerful tools for exploring some of the deepest questions in fundamental physics. The experiment simulated a process known as string breaking, in which two connected building blocks of matter are pulled apart until so much energy accumulates that new particles can effectively "pop into existence" when the connection breaks.
"Quantum computer simulations provide the best platform to investigate complex questions like matter formation, short of having witnessed the Big Bang itself," said Christopher Monroe, the Gilhuly Family Presidential Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at Duke, who led this research. "These findings signal a marked development in the quantum science field and open new avenues for us to understand string-breaking dynamics." The study was carried out by an international collaboration that included researchers from the University of Maryland (UMD), Oxford University, California Institute of Technology, Cornell University and KU Leuven. The findings appear alongside two other recently published studies from separate teams that reproduced similar physics using different types of quantum computing hardware.
Why Quarks Cannot Simply Be Pulled Apart Quarks are among the most fundamental known building blocks of matter. They are found inside particles such as protons and neutrons and are roughly a billion times smaller than an atom. Scientists cannot currently observe isolated quarks directly because quarks normally remain tightly bound together.
One way to picture this is to imagine two tiny charged particles connected by a tightly stretched string. The farther apart they are pulled, the more energy is stored in the connection between them. Eventually, enough energy can accumulate to create additional charged particles.
This is possible because mass and energy are related through Einstein's famous equation E=mc2. Rather than ending with one separated pair, the original connection breaks and new particle pairs form. Such processes require enormous amounts of energy and normally occur only under extreme conditions, such as those created inside the Large Hadron Collider or those believed to have existed shortly after the Big Bang.
Recreating String Breaking in a Quantum Machine In the new experiment, the Duke-led team reproduced analogous string breaking behavior using a trapped-ion quantum platform. Quantum simulators are especially useful for this kind of work because researchers can precisely control them and program them to imitate physical processes that occur at atomic and subatomic scales. "Working at the intersection of quantum simulation and high-energy physics is incredibly exciting," said Arinjoy De, first author on the paper, former PhD student in Monroe's lab and now production machine lead at QuEra Computing.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
