Configurable photonic simulator for quantum field dynamics

TL;DR

The paper introduces the Optical Time Algorithm (OTA), a flexible optical circuit framework that enables efficient simulation of diverse quantum field dynamics, including relativistic and non-relativistic theories, on a single configurable setup.

Contribution

It presents OTA as a unifying, adaptable optical approach that separates time from Hamiltonian structure, allowing simulation of various quantum fields without redesigning the experimental setup.

Findings

Able to simulate quantum correlations spreading in space and time.

Effective on systems with 10 to 20 modes, suitable for experimental realization.

Supports a wide range of theories with different coupling ranges and spacetime geometries.

Abstract

Quantum field simulators provide unique opportunities for investigating the dynamics of quantum fields through tabletop experiments. A primary drawback of standard encoding schemes is their rigidity: altering the theory, its coupling geometry, metric structure, or simulation time typically requires redesigning the experimental setup, which imposes strong constraints on the types of dynamics and theories that can be simulated. Here, we introduce the Optical Time Algorithm (OTA) as a unifying framework, enabling the efficient simulation of large classes of free quantum field dynamics using a single optical circuit design that separates the time from the Hamiltonian's structure. By modifying the parameters of the optical elements, our method allows us to engineer timescales, coupling graphs, spacetime metrics, and boundary conditions, thereby facilitating the implementation of relativistic and non-relativistic, real- and complex-valued, short- and long-range quantum field theories on both flat and curved spacetimes. We exploit the OTA's configurability to investigate the spreading of quantum correlations in space and time for theories with continuously varying coupling ranges. Relevant features predicted by quantum field theory can be observed on systems of $10$ to $20$ modes, which paves the ground for experimental implementations.