# Particle pair creation by inflation of quantum vacuum fluctuations in an ion trap

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates an experimental analog of cosmological particle creation using trapped ions, creating phonon pairs from quantum vacuum fluctuations to explore early universe phenomena and quantum information applications.

## Contribution

It introduces a method to simulate particle pair creation during inflation with trapped ions, linking cosmology and quantum information science.

## Key findings

- Successful creation of phonon pairs from vacuum fluctuations
- Preparation of entangled motional states in ions
- Potential for optimizing quantum simulation of cosmological processes

## Abstract

The creation of matter and structure in our universe is currently described by an intricate interplay of quantum field theory and general relativity. Signatures of this process during an early inflationary period can be observed, while direct tests remain out of reach. Here, we study an experimental analog of the process based on trapped atomic ions. We create pairs of phonons by tearing apart quantum vacuum fluctuations. Thereby, we prepare ions in an entangled state of motion. Controlling timescales and the coupling to environments should permit optimizing efficiencies while keeping the effect robust via established tools in quantum information processing (QIP). This might also permit to cross-fertilize between concepts in cosmology and applications of QIP, such as, quantum metrology, experimental quantum simulations and quantum computing.