Many-particle quantum systems pose a large number of fundamental open questions, such as high-temperature superconductivity or quark confinement. The reason is that such systems are hard to solve on classical computers, because the quantum mechanical vectorspace describing them grows exponentially with the number of constituents. In 1982, Feynman proposed an alternative approach to tackle such problems, namely to encode them in specifically engineered experimental systems that themselves are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, a concept now termed "quantum simulation". With their high degree of precision and controllability, current experimental platforms such as cold atomic gases, trapped ions, or superconducting qubits, are perfectly suited for this purpose.
In this project, we aim at identifying difficult problems and interesting phenomena that are worthy targets of quantum simulations, and how they can be realized in realistic experiments. Currently, we are especially interested in quantum transport and thermalization, strongly-correlated phases of matter, and lattice gauge theories.
Quantum simulation of lattice gauge theories using Wilson fermions
T. V. Zache, F. Hebenstreit, F. Jendrzejewski, M. K. Oberthaler, J. Berges, P. Hauke
Real-time dynamics of lattice gauge theories with a few-qubit quantum computer
E. A. Martinez, C. A. Muschik, P. Schindler, D. Nigg, A. Erhard, M. Heyl, P. Hauke, M. Dalmonte, T. Monz, P. Zoller, R. Blatt
Nature 534, 516-519 (2016), arXiv:1605.04570
Many-body localization in a quantum simulator with programmable random disorder
Jacob Smith, Aaron Lee, Philip Richerme, Brian Neyenhuis, Paul W. Hess, Philipp Hauke, Markus Heyl, David A. Huse, Christopher Monroe
Nature Physics 12, 907-911 (2016), arXiv:1508.07026
Can One Trust Quantum Simulators?
Philipp Hauke, Fernando M. Cucchietti, Luca Tagliacozzo, Ivan Deutsch, Maciej Lewenstein
Rep. Prog. Phys. 75, 082401 (2012), arXiv:1109.6457
