Project: Quantum Technologies For LAttice Gauge theories

Acronym	QTFLAG (Reference Number: QuantERA2017-QTFLAG)
Duration	01/04/2018 - 31/08/2021
Project Topic	In the past decades, quantum technologies have been fast developing from proof-of-principle experiments to ready-to-the-market solutions; with applications in many different fields ranging from quantum sensing, metrology, and communication to quantum simulations. Recently, the study of gauge theories has been recognized as an unexpected field of application of quantum technologies. Gauge theories describe some of the most fundamental and intriguing processes occurring in Nature, ranging from the interaction of elementary high energy particles – described by the Standard Model – to condensed matter systems displaying frustration or topological order. Despite being at the heart of our understanding of many fundamental processes, these systems elude most of our investigative approaches in the non-perturbative regime, whenever real-time dynamics, finite fermionic densities and other problems with complex action are involved and the infamous sign problem hinders the effectiveness of Monte Carlo methods. Thus, developing novel approaches without such limitations will pave the way to unprecedented research possibilities and exciting developments. This is the project’s goal: to develop a new quantum-based sign-problem-free experimental and theoretical tools to simulate strongly correlated many-body quantum systems with Abelian and non-Abelian dynamical gauge degrees of freedom and to apply them to the study of lower dimensional gauge theories,ultimately and in the very long run aiming at Quantum Chromodynamics. The project will develop classical simulation methods based on tensor networks, and develop and run quantum software on experimental quantum simulation platforms. The classical and quantum simulation routes are interconnected and each of them will benefit from the other, however, each route can be a standalone tool to reach the goal, increasing the overall project chances of success.This interdisciplinary project can be developed only within a collaborative effort of different groups as it will exploit knowledge from experimental and theoretical branches of quantum optics; atomic,molecular and optical physics; quantum information science; high energy physics and condensed matter. The results of this project will serve as benchmarks for the first generation of quantum simulators and will have far reaching consequences in different fundamental and applied fields of science ranging from materials science and quantum chemistry to astrophysics. From the technological point of view, this research will allow the study and design of novel materials with topological error correcting capabilities, which will play a central role in the quest for building a scalable quantum computer.
Project Results (after finalisation)
Website	visit project website
Network	QuantERA
Call	QuantERA Call 2017

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Saarland University	Coordinator	Germany
2	Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik	Partner	Germany
3	Innsbruck University	Partner	Austria
4	Ghent University	Partner	Belgium
5	Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Istituto Nazionale di Ottica	Partner	Italy
6	Jagiellonian University	Partner	Poland