Steps Toward Quantum Simulations of Hadronization and Energy-Loss in Dense Matter

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum-computer-friendly framework for simulating hadronization and energy loss in dense matter, demonstrating classical simulations and proposing quantum algorithms for future in-medium particle dynamics studies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel simulation framework for real-time composite particle dynamics in dense matter, including quantum algorithms for state preparation and resource estimation.

Findings

Classical simulations of heavy-hadron propagation reveal energy loss mechanisms.

Entanglement dynamics are sensitive to lattice artifacts.

Proposed quantum circuits enable efficient ground state preparation for future quantum simulations.

Abstract

A framework for simulating the real-time dynamics of composite particles in a simple model of dense matter that is amenable to quantum computers is developed. As a demonstration, we perform classical simulations of heavy-hadrons propagating through a dense medium in the Schwinger model. Measurements of the time-dependent energy and charge density are used to identify mechanisms responsible for energy loss and hadron production (hadronization). A study of entanglement dynamics highlights the importance of quantum coherence between the particles that make up the dense medium. Throughout this work, care is taken to isolate, and remove, phenomena that arise solely from a finite lattice spacing. It is found that signatures of entanglement are more sensitive to lattice artifacts than other observables. Toward quantum simulations, we present an efficient method and the corresponding quantum circuits for preparing ground states in the presence of heavy mesons. These circuits are used to estimate the resources required to simulate in-medium energy loss and hadronization in the Schwinger model using quantum computers.