Digital quantum simulation of cosmological particle creation with IBM quantum computers

Abstract We use digital quantum computing to simulate the creation of particles in a dynamic spacetime. We consider a system consisting of a minimally coupled massive quantum scalar field in a spacetime undergoing homogeneous and isotropic expansion, transitioning from one stationary state to anothe...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marco D. Maceda, Carlos Sabín
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87015-6
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Summary:Abstract We use digital quantum computing to simulate the creation of particles in a dynamic spacetime. We consider a system consisting of a minimally coupled massive quantum scalar field in a spacetime undergoing homogeneous and isotropic expansion, transitioning from one stationary state to another through a brief inflationary period. We simulate two vibration modes, positive and negative for a given field momentum, by devising a quantum circuit that implements the time evolution. With this circuit, we study the number of particles created after the universe expands at a given rate, both by simulating the circuit and by actual experimental implementation on IBM quantum computers, consisting of hundreds of quantum gates. We find that state-of-the-art error mitigation techniques are useful to improve the estimation of the number of particles and the fidelity of the state.
ISSN:2045-2322