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SS19 – Abstract
Philipp Hauke
(ITP Heidelberg)
9.5.2019
Cold-atom quantum simulation of gauge theories (PRETALK for students at 15:30 h)
A major obstacle to understanding quantum many-body problems is the difficulty of treating them on classical computers. In 1982, Feynman proposed as an alternative to solve these problems by experiment, using precisely controlled quantum devices. Much progress has been made to realize these so-called quantum simulators especially in the context of condensed-matter problems. Considerably less mature, however, is quantum simulation of high-energy models, especially gauge theories. Here, I will outline steps towards quantum simulations of gauge theories of practical relevance. In the pretalk, I will discuss ways to realize lattice gauge theories in cold atom systems. In the main talk, I will highlight physical phenomena that can become accessible in this way, such as an analogue to the Schwinger mechanism of quantum electrodynamics or a novel dynamical topological transition. Finally, I will discuss the major challenge of certifying the reliability of the quantum simulation, with special focus on gauge invariance.
