Quantum computer simulates matter “popping into existence”

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.