Experimental quantum simulation of fermion-antifermion scattering via boson exchange in a trapped ion

Xiang Zhang, Kuan Zhang, Yangchao Shen, Shuaining Zhang, Jing-Ning Zhang (), Man-Hong Yung, Jorge Casanova, Julen S. Pedernales, Lucas Lamata, Enrique Solano and Kihwan Kim ()
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Xiang Zhang: Tsinghua University
Kuan Zhang: Tsinghua University
Yangchao Shen: Tsinghua University
Shuaining Zhang: Tsinghua University
Jing-Ning Zhang: Tsinghua University
Man-Hong Yung: Tsinghua University
Jorge Casanova: Universität Ulm
Julen S. Pedernales: University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU
Lucas Lamata: University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU
Enrique Solano: University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU
Kihwan Kim: Tsinghua University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Quantum field theories describe a variety of fundamental phenomena in physics. However, their study often involves cumbersome numerical simulations. Quantum simulators, on the other hand, may outperform classical computational capacities due to their potential scalability. Here we report an experimental realization of a quantum simulation of fermion–antifermion scattering mediated by bosonic modes, using a multilevel trapped ion, which is a simplified model of fermion scattering in both perturbative and non-perturbative quantum electrodynamics. The simulated model exhibits prototypical features in quantum field theory including particle pair creation and annihilation, as well as self-energy interactions. These are experimentally observed by manipulating four internal levels of a 171Yb+ trapped ion, where we encode the fermionic modes, and two motional degrees of freedom that simulate the bosonic modes. Our experiment establishes an avenue towards the efficient implementation of field modes, which may prove useful in studies of quantum field theories including non-perturbative regimes.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02507-y

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