Quantum simulators allow to explore static and dynamical properties of otherwise intractable quantum many-body systems. In many instances, however, it is the read-out that limits such quantum simulations. In this work, we introduce a new paradigm of experimental read-out exploiting coherent non-interacting dynamics in order to extract otherwise inaccessible observables. Specifically, we present a novel tomographic recovery method allowing to indirectly measure second moments of relative density fluctuations in one-dimensional superfluids which until now eluded direct measurements. We achieve this by relating second moments of relative phase fluctuations which are measured at different evolution times through known dynamical equations arising from unitary non-interacting multi-mode dynamics. Applying methods from signal processing we reconstruct the full matrix of second moments, including the relative density fluctuations. We employ the method to investigate equilibrium states, the dynamics of phonon occupation numbers and even to predict recurrences. The method opens a new window for quantum simulations with one-dimensional superfluids, enabling a deeper analysis of their equilibration and thermalization dynamics.
This "Perspectives" paper gives a brief overview of the recent developments with quantum-gas microscopes and how they can be used to build the next generation of cold-atom quantum simulators.
We propose a scalable analog quantum simulator for quantum electrodynamics (QED) in two spatial dimensions. The setup for the U(1) lattice gauge field theory employs inter-species spin-changing collisions in an ultra-cold atomic mixture trapped in an optical lattice. Building on the previous one-dimensional implementation scheme of Ref. [1] we engineer spatial plaquette terms for magnetic fields, thus solving a major obstacle towards experimental realizations of realistic gauge theories in higher dimensions. We apply our approach to pure gauge theory and discuss how the phenomenon of confineme…
Engineering long-range interactions in cold-atom quantum simulators can lead to exotic quantum many-body behavior. Fermionic atoms in ultracold atomic mixtures can act as mediators, giving rise to long-range RKKY-type interactions characterized by the dimensionality and density of the fermionic gas. Here, we propose several tuning knobs, accessible in current experimental platforms, that allow to further control the range and shape of the mediated interactions, extending the existing quantum simulation toolbox. In particular, we include an additional optical lattice for the fermionic mediator,…
Scalable cold-atom quantum simulator of a $3+1$D U$(1)$ lattice gauge theory with dynamical matter
Università di Torino（都灵大学）；Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics（马克斯·普朗克量子光学研究所）；Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST)（慕尼黑量子科学与技术中心）；Massachusetts Institute of Technology（麻省理工学院）；Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学）；Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich（慕尼黑大学）；Kyung Hee University（庆熙大学）
TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich（慕尼黑工业大学自然科学学院）；IQM Quantum Computers（IQM量子计算机公司）；Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Copenhagen（哥本哈根大学数学科学系）
An important step in quantum simulation is to measure the many-body correlations of the simulated model. For a practical quantum simulator composed of finite number of qubits and cavities, in contrast to ideal many-body systems in the thermodynamic limit, a measurement device can generate strong backaction on the simulator, which could prevent the accurate readout of the correlation functions. Here we calculate the readout of a detector coupled to an analog quantum simulator. We show that reliable characterization of the many-body correlations in the simulator can be achieved when the coupling…
Towards $2+1$D quantum electrodynamics on a cold-atom quantum simulator
Università di Padova（帕多瓦大学）；Padua Quantum Technologies Research Center, Università degli Studi di Padova（帕多瓦量子技术研究中心，帕多瓦大学）；Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Sezione di Padova（意大利国家核物理研究所（INFN），帕多瓦分部）；Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics（马克斯·普朗克量子光学研究所）；Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich（慕尼黑路德维希-马克西米利安大学）；Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST)（慕尼黑量子科学与技术中心）；University of Trento（特伦托大学）；INFN-TIFPA, Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications（INFN-TIFPA，特伦托基础物理与应用研究所）；Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学）
We propose an analog quantum simulator for simulating real time dynamics of $(1+1)$-d non-Abelian gauge theory well within the existing capacity of ultracold atom experiments. The scheme calls for the realization of a two-state ultracold fermionic system in a 1-dimensional bipartite lattice, and the observation of subsequent tunneling dynamics. Being based on novel loop string hadron formalism of SU(2) lattice gauge theory, this simulation technique is completely SU(2) invariant and simulates accurate dynamics of physical phenomena such as string breaking and/or pair production. The scheme is …
Using quantum systems to efficiently solve quantum chemistry problems is one of the long-sought applications of near-future quantum technologies. In a recent work, ultra-cold fermionic atoms have been proposed for these purposes by showing us how to simulate in an analog way the quantum chemistry Hamiltonian projected in a lattice basis set. Here, we continue exploring this path and go beyond these first results in several ways. First, we numerically benchmark the working conditions of the analog simulator, and find less demanding experimental setups where chemistry-like behaviour in three-dim…
Quantum fields in a cold atomic simulator: relaxation and phase locking in tunnel-coupled 1D bosonic quasi-condensates
Budapest University of Technology and Economics（布达佩斯技术与经济大学）；HUN-REN-BME-BCE Quantum Technology Research Group, Institute of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics（匈牙利研究网络-布达佩斯技术与经济大学-布达佩斯理工大学量子技术研究组，物理研究所）；BME-MTA Momentum Statistical Field Theory Research Group, Institute of Physics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics（布达佩斯理工大学-匈牙利科学院动量统计场论研究组，物理研究所）
The topological $θ$-angle in gauge theories engenders a series of fundamental phenomena, including violations of charge-parity (CP) symmetry, dynamical topological transitions, and confinement--deconfinement transitions. At the same time, it poses major challenges for theoretical studies, as it implies a sign problem in numerical simulations. Analog quantum simulators open the promising prospect of treating quantum many-body systems with such topological terms, but, contrary to their digital counterparts, they have not yet demonstrated the capacity to control the $θ$-angle. Here, we demonstrat…
We describe a quantum simulator for the Hubbard--Holstein model (HHM), comprising two dressed Rydberg atom species held in a monolayer by independent painted potentials, predicting that boson-mediated preformed pairing, and Berezinskii--Kosterlitz--Thouless (BKT) transition temperatures are experimentally accessible. The HHM is important for modeling the essential physics of unconventional superconductors. Experimentally realizable quantum simulators for HHMs are needed: (1) since HHMs are difficult to solve numerically and analytically, (2) to explore how competition between electron-phonon i…
Experimental verification of the area law of mutual information in a quantum field simulator
Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology, Atominstitut, TU Wien（维也纳量子科学与技术中心，原子研究所，维也纳工业大学）；Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics（马克斯·普朗克量子光学研究所）；Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology (MCQST)（慕尼黑量子科学与技术中心）；Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems, Freie Universität Berlin（达勒姆复杂量子系统中心，柏林自由大学）；Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, ENS-Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Collége de France（卡斯特尔布罗塞尔实验室，巴黎高等师范学院-巴黎文理研究大学，法国国家科学研究中心，索邦大学，法兰西学院）；Instituto de Telecomunicações（葡萄牙电信研究所）；Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa（里斯本理工大学，里斯本大学）
We propose to simulate dynamical phases of a BCS superconductor using an ensemble of cold atoms trapped in an optical cavity. Effective Cooper pairs are encoded via internal states of the atoms and attractive interactions are realized via the exchange of virtual photons between atoms coupled to a common cavity mode. Control of the interaction strength combined with a tunable dispersion relation of the effective Cooper pairs allows exploration of the full dynamical phase diagram of the BCS model, as a function of system parameters and the prepared initial state. Our proposal paves the way for t…
We investigate formation and condensation of fermion pairs in cold-atom quantum simulators for extended Hubbard models ($UV$ models) with body-centered-cubic (BCC) optical lattices in the dilute limit, predicting small and light pairs. Pair mass, radius, and binding conditions are calculated, and used to compute transition temperatures. We predict that: (a) local pairs form in BCC optical lattices and binding energies can be large; (b) for particular cases where onsite $U$ and intersite $V$ are attractive with similar size, pairs are both small and light; and (c) pairs of $^6$Li atoms Bose--Ei…
Classical simulation of quantum computers will continue to play an essential role in the progress of quantum information science, both for numerical studies of quantum algorithms and for modeling noise and errors. Here we introduce the latest release of Intel Quantum Simulator (IQS), formerly known as qHiPSTER. The high-performance computing (HPC) capability of the software allows users to leverage the available hardware resources provided by supercomputers, as well as available public cloud computing infrastructure. To take advantage of the latter platform, together with the distributed simul…
Despite the pristine abilities of analog quantum simulators to study quantum dynamics, possibilities to detect currents are sparse. Here, we propose a flexible non-invasive technique to measure currents in quantum many-body systems by weakly coupling the system to an ancilla, followed by a measurement of the ancilla population. We numerically benchmark the scheme at the example of interacting bosons in a Harper-Hofstadter optical-lattice ladder, and discuss potential experimental error sources. The highly flexible protocol can be used with both hard-core and soft-core bosons as well as fermion…
This paper reviews the physics of quantum disorder in relation with a series of experiments using laser-cooled atoms exposed to "kicks" of a standing wave, realizing a paradigmatic model of quantum chaos, the kicked rotor. This dynamical system can be mapped onto a tight-binding Hamiltonian with pseudo-disorder, formally equivalent to the Anderson model of quantum disorder, with quantum chaos playing the role of disorder. This provides a very good quantum simulator for the Anderson physics.
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of constructing a large-scale storage-ring-type ion-trap system capable of storing, cooling, and controlling a large number of ions as a platform for scalable quantum computing (QC) and quantum simulations (QS). In such a trap, the ions form a crystalline beam moving along a circular path with a constant velocity determined by the frequency and intensity of the cooling lasers. In this paper we consider a large leap forward in terms of the number of qubits, from fewer than 100 available in state-of-the-art linear ion-trap devices today to…
Cold atomic gases have provided us with a great number of opportunities for studying various physical systems under controlled conditions that are seldom offered in other fields. We are thus at the point where one can truly do quantum simulation of models that are relevant for instance in condensed-matter or high-energy physics, i.e. we are on the verge of a 'cool' quantum simulator as envisioned by Feynman. One of the avenues under exploration is the physics of one-dimensional systems. Until recently this was mostly in the many-body limit but now experiments can be performed with controllable…
Controllable, coherent many-body systems can provide insights into the fundamental properties of quantum matter, enable the realization of new quantum phases and could ultimately lead to computational systems that outperform existing computers based on classical approaches. Here we demonstrate a method for creating controlled many-body quantum matter that combines deterministically prepared, reconfigurable arrays of individually trapped cold atoms with strong, coherent interactions enabled by excitation to Rydberg states. We realize a programmable Ising-type quantum spin model with tunable int…
The most recent manifestation of cold Rydberg atom quantum simulators that employs tailored optical tweezer arrays enables the study of many-body dynamics under so-called facilitation conditions. We show how the facilitation mechanism yields a Hilbert space structure in which the many-body states organize into synthetic lattices, which feature in general one or several flat bands and may support immobile localized states. We focus our discussion on the case of a ladder lattice geometry for which we analyze in particular the influence of disorder generated by the uncertainty of the atomic posit…
We theoretically study the propagation of light through a cold atomic medium, where the effects of motion, laser intensity, atomic density, and polarization can all modify the properties of the scattered light. We present two different microscopic models: the "coherent dipole model" and the "random walk model", both suitable for modeling recent experimental work done in large atomic arrays in the low light intensity regime. We use them to compute relevant observables such as the linewidth, peak intensity and line center of the emitted light. We further develop generalized models that explicitl…
Topological order is now being established as a central criterion for characterizing and classifying ground states of condensed matter systems and complements categorizations based on symmetries. Fractional quantum Hall systems and quantum spin liquids are receiving substantial interest because of their intriguing quantum correlations, their exotic excitations and prospects for protecting stored quantum information against errors. Here we show that the Hamiltonian of the central model of this class of systems, the Toric Code, can be directly implemented as an analog quantum simulator in lattic…
We show that ultra-cold atoms with synthetic spin-orbit coupling in Raman lattices can be used as versatile quantum simulators to explore the connections between correlated Chern insulators and strongly-coupled four-Fermi field theories related to the Gross-Neveu model in (2+1) dimensions. Exploiting this multidisciplinary perspective, we identify a large-$N$ quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect in absence of any external magnetic field, and use it to delimit regions in parameter space where these correlated topological phases appear, the boundaries of which are controlled by strongly-coupled f…
