Caltech Team Uses Quantum Simulator to Probe Universal Rules of Quantum Matter

Caltech researchers used a neutral-atom quantum simulator to directly measure energy spectra predicted by two conformal field theories for the first time, experimentally confirming decades-old theoretical predictions. The team trapped chains of up to 35 strontium atoms with optical tweezers and used many-body modulation spectroscopy to measure energy levels associated with the Ising and tricritical Ising models. Researchers plan to extend the technique to larger, two-dimensional quantum systems, including regimes where theoretical predictions are incomplete and classical computers may be unable to calculate the results. Image: This AI image shows a chain of strontium atoms (orange), each held in an optical tweezer (blue cones). The chain sits within a modulated laser field. The evenly spaced lines above represent the…