Surace, Federica Maria

DOE OSTI2024

Scalable, ab initio protocol for quantum simulating SU($N$)×U(1) Lattice Gauge Theories

We propose a protocol for the scalable quantum simulation of SU(N)×U(1) lattice gauge theories with alkaline-earth like atoms in optical lattices in both one- and two-dimensional systems. The protocol exploits the combination of naturally occurring SU(N) pseudo-spin symmetry and strong inter-orbital interactions that is unique to such atomic species. A detailed ab initio study of the microscopic dynamics shows how gauge invariance emerges in an accessible parameter regime, and allows us to identify the main challenges in the simulation of such theories. We provide quantitative results about the requirements in terms of experimental stability in relation to observing gauge invariant dynamics, a key element for a deeper analysis on the functioning of such class of theories in both quantum simulators and computers.

Physics↗

DOE OSTI2024

Robustness and Eventual Slow Decay of Bound States of Interacting Microwave Photons in the Google Quantum AI Experiment

Integrable models are characterized by the existence of stable excitations that can propagate indefinitely without decaying. This includes multimagnon bound states in the celebrated 𝑋⁢𝑋⁢𝑍 spin-chain model and its integrable Floquet counterpart. A recent Google Quantum AI experiment [A. Morvan et al., Nature 612, 240 (2022)] realizing the Floquet model has demonstrated the persistence of such collective excitations even when the integrability is broken: this observation is at odds with the expectation of ergodic dynamics in generic nonintegrable systems. Here, we study the spectrum of the model realized in the experiment using exact diagonalization and physical arguments. We find that isolated bands corresponding to the descendants of the exact bound states of the integrable model are clearly observable in the spectrum for a large range of system sizes. However, our numerical analysis of the localization properties of the eigenstates suggests that the bound states become unstable in the thermodynamic limit. A perturbative estimate of the decay rate agrees with the prediction of an eventual instability for large system sizes.

Exact diagonalization↗