Quantum simulation of far-from-equilibrium gauge theories

Gauge theories (GT) are the staple of the Standard Model, and their far-from-equilibrium dynamics opens a window into the most fundamental questions of high-energy physics (HEP) and the nature of equilibration in isolated quantum many-body systems.

However, this dynamics is often highly nonperturbative and difficult to probe using classical methods due to entanglement buildup.

Through quantum advantage and tunability, quantum simulators (QS) emerge as a particularly suitable venue to solve this problem.QuSiGauge hinges on developing an overarching framework composed of two main interconnected pillars: a technological one focused on designing robust tunable experimentally feasible QS of GT, and a phenomenological one concerned with a rigorous formulation of far-from-equilibrium quantum criticality and equilibration in isolated many-body models.

The project will focus on the quantum simulation of (non-)Abelian GT, qudit quantum computing for HEP, non-ergodic dynamics of GT, and extracting far-from-equilibrium quantum critical exponents from dynamical phase transitions in GT.

The approach is organized such that it provides both basic intuition and formal understanding, while emphasizing quantitative predictions accessible to state-of-the-art and near-term QS.QuSiGauge will pave at least two solid paths to uncover new physics: (1) It will provide a toolbox for probing engineered exotic GT and gauge-noninvariant dynamics not easily accessible to particle colliders, yielding tunable platforms for investigating the equilibration of controlled isolated many-body models. (2) It will advance QS towards the holy grail of making them a reliable complementary venue for exploring collider-relevant physics.

QuSiGauge will be of immediate impact to current cold-atom and ion-trap experiments, which are approaching quantum advantage, and will reach far beyond its immediate field, eliciting strong connections between condensed matter, HEP, and quantum simulation/computing.