Scientists watch new particles pop into existence on a trapped-ion quantum simulator

[UltraShane86]

SciTechDaily reports on a striking physics result from the Duke Quantum Center, led by trapped-ion pioneer Christopher Monroe, with researchers from Maryland, Oxford, Caltech, Cornell and KU Leuven. Using a quantum simulator built from 13 trapped ions, the team recreated a process called string breaking. The work is published in Nature Physics under the title String-breaking dynamics in a quantum simulator

String breaking comes from the physics of quarks, the particles inside protons and neutrons. Quarks are held together by the strong force, which acts a bit like a string between them. If you pull them far enough apart, the energy stored in that string becomes so large that it turns into new particle and antiparticle pairs, rather than letting the quarks escape. It is the kind of thing that happens in particle colliders like the Large Hadron Collider, or in the extreme conditions just after the Big Bang. Physicists call this confinement

The team used laser beams to control interactions between the ions so that they behaved like a simplified model of this process. They could then watch the string stretch and break, with new particles effectively popping into existence in the simulation. The results were checked against classical computer calculations and are among the first quantum simulations of string breaking related to particle formation. That is a remarkable thing to watch, even in a model

Monroe said quantum computer simulations provide the best platform to investigate questions like how matter forms, short of having witnessed the Big Bang itself. Co-author Arinjoy De said simulating quark confinement and string breaking in a controlled lab opens new paths for experimental investigation. This is the same story we keep seeing with quantum simulators, from the Caltech energy ladder result to this one, producing real science before full quantum computers arrive

Thirteen ions is a small system, and the model is simplified compared with real quantum chromodynamics. But this kind of problem is very hard for classical computers as systems grow, so it is exactly where quantum simulators should shine. Does anyone here follow particle physics? And how long before simulations like this tell us something colliders cannot? Still, every big simulation starts small

Scientists Watch New Particles "Pop Into Existence" on a Quantum Computerscitechdaily.com

[StringTheory51]

Christopher Monroe is one of the founders of trapped-ion quantum computing, and he co-founded IonQ. His group producing results like this is no surprise. Trapped ions are slow but very precise, which suits simulations where accuracy matters more than speed

[Thomas75]

Colliders will still be needed for a long time. Simulations test theories, but nature has the final say

The two approaches should complement each other rather than compete. CERN is not going anywhere

[Niamh]

Checking against classical calculations is important at this size. Thirteen ions can still be simulated classically, so this is a proof that the method works

The interesting part comes when systems are too big for classical computers to check. Scaling up is the next step. Twenty or thirty ions would already strain classical methods

[Brittle Ronan]

Six universities across three countries on one paper shows how collaborative this field is. No single lab has all the expertise needed

That openness is one of the best things about fundamental physics. Long may that continue. Science works best when it is shared

[Mason_22]

Simplified models are where physics always starts. Nobody expects a full simulation of the strong force yet. Getting the basic behaviour right is the first step towards harder versions. The Ising model was a toy once too

[Hyperdrive71]

Short of having witnessed the Big Bang is a great quote. Physicists do love a dramatic line