Quantum Simulation / Analog Quantum Computing

Universality is a powerful tool in physics where very different systems can be described by the same underlying theory. Perhaps nowhere is this more extreme than the universality embodied by the unitary Fermi gas, which allows neutron stars to be simulated by cold atoms. Neutron stars – the hot remnants of exploding supernova – contain the highest density of matter in the universe, at the cusp of collapsing into a black hole. The neutrons in the crust are though to form a quantum superfluid whose properties are responsible for some puzzling observations called pulsar glitches.

Numerical simulation of compressible turbulence in a unitary Fermi gas on a 1003 cubic lattice. A perturbed interleaved vortex–anti-vortex lattice decays through quantum turbulence through the crossing and reconnection of vortices. Compressible systems also permit wave turbulence through sound waves, the interplay of these mechanisms will be one of the topics discussed in this program. This type of superfluid can be studied in cold atom experiments, but is a good model for the dilute neutron superfluid in the crust of neutron stars. One idea of quantum simulation is to use cold-atom experiments as analog quantum computers to validate these models for quantum dynamics neutron stars where experiments are impossible. For details see: Wlazlowski et. al, “Characterizing the cascade of energy in fermionic quantum turbulence: Pushing the limits of high-performance computing”, PNAS Nexus 3, p. 160 (2024).