Programmable quantum simulation of anharmonic dynamics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a programmable quantum simulator using trapped ions to emulate anharmonic bosonic dynamics, including tunneling and potential asymmetry, advancing quantum simulation capabilities.

Contribution

It introduces a method to simulate arbitrary anharmonic dynamics in CV-DV quantum systems using a bosonic-quantum-signal-processing approach in a trapped-ion platform.

Findings

Successful simulation of tunneling in double-well potentials

Ability to control and tune potential asymmetry

Observation of coherent anharmonic dynamics

Abstract

Continuous-variable-discrete-variable (CV-DV) quantum simulators offer a natural route to simulating bosonic dynamics relevant to many branches of physics and chemistry. However, programmable simulation of arbitrary dynamics is an outstanding challenge. In particular, simulating anharmonic dynamics, which is ubiquitous across the physical sciences, is challenging due to the highly harmonic nature of oscillators used in CV-DV simulators. Here, we experimentally demonstrate programmable CV-DV quantum simulation of anharmonic dynamics in a range of double-well potentials, implemented in a trapped-ion system. We synthesise the time-evolution operators using a bosonic-quantum-signal-processing subroutine, which allows the potential to be tuned between experiments by controlling classical experimental parameters. We observe coherent dynamics in various double-well potentials, where a wavepacket tunnels through the potential barrier, and we suppress this effect by programmatically introducing asymmetry.