Overview

Quantum computers are expected to exceed the capacity of classical computers and to revolutionize several aspects of computation especially for the simulation of quantum systems. We propose to develop new methods for using quantum computers to study aspects of the evolution of strongly interacting particles in collisions, the quantum behavior of gravitational systems and the emergence of space-time which are beyond the reach of classical computing.  

Our goal is to design the building blocks of universal quantum computers relevant for these problems and develop algorithms which scale reasonably with the size of the system. The research will take place by exploring individual models, starting with systems in low dimensions and moving up in dimension as we progress. The scientists involved come from different communities (strong interactions, quantum gravity and quantum information) and will work together to achieve these goals. This should contribute to our understanding of fundamental interactions and improve our ability to deal with complex computational problems. It should  have long-term beneficial effects for the society. The project involves analytical methods (design of quantum algorithms, estimations of scaling with size) and computational methods (coding of the tensor calculations, determinantal Monte Carlo and numerical methods to study quantum chaos).  

In addition we will explore the possibility of using existing experimental setups or developing new ones, with for instance, cold atoms or trapped ions, to quantum simulate lattice models relevant in the context of high energy physics. This approach has been successful in the context of condensed matter physics and it will be adapted to deal with problems such as real time evolution in High Energy Physics. This effort will be conducted in coordination with Department of Energy National Laboratories.