Simulating quantum field theories with light

Jena-Ulm collaboration proposes optical quantum simulation of quantum field theories

Mapping between a discretized quantum field theory and an integrated photonic circuit

Image: Prof. Dr. Martin Gärttner
Mapping between a discretized quantum field theory and an integrated photonic circuit

Published:

Integrated photonic chips are programmable multi-mode interferometers, which serve as a highly configurable platform for realizing the time evolution of non-interacting bosonic quantum systems purely with light. We develop an algorithm for decomposing the time evolution of free scalar quantum field theories into such optical circuits. The main advantage of this algorithm is that for simulating different evolution times, only one element of the circuit, namely one layer of phase shifters, has to be adapted while the rest of the photonic circuit can stay the same. Our proposal – published in PRX Quantum – makes cosmological phenomena, modeled by scalar fields on curved space-time backgrounds, and potentially even minimal models of quantum gravity, directly observable in table-top quantum optics experiments.

Link to paper: https://journals.aps.org/prxquantum/abstract/10.1103/8z9p-tygzExternal link