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Quantum computing universal thermalization dynamics in a (2 + 1)D Lattice Gauge Theory

Niklas Mueller, Tian-Yi Wang, O. Katz, Z. Davoudi, Marko Cetina

Nature Communications, 2024

41 citations

Abstract

Simulating non-equilibrium phenomena in strongly-interacting quantum many-body systems, including thermalization, is a promising application of near-term and future quantum computation. By performing experiments on a digital quantum computer consisting of fully-connected optically-controlled trapped ions, we study the role of entanglement in the thermalization dynamics of a Z2 lattice gauge theory in 2+1 spacetime dimensions. Using randomized-measurement protocols, we efficiently learn a classical approximation of non-equilibrium states that yields the gap-ratio distribution and the spectral form factor of the entanglement Hamiltonian. These observables exhibit universal early-time signals for quantum chaos, a prerequisite for thermalization. Our work, therefore, establishes quantum computers as robust tools for studying universal features of thermalization in complex many-body systems, including in gauge theories. Probing quantum many-body systems while undergoing thermalisation is challenging, especially when looking for signatures of ergodicity and quantum chaos. Here, the authors study a lattice gauge theory in 2+1 dimensions using a trapped-ion-based universal digital quantum computer, unveiling the role of entanglement in the thermalization dynamics.

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