Quantum simulation of many-body dynamics

Abstract

Quantum computers and simulators have the potential to improve our understanding of physics, material science, chemistry, and biology by providing a window into the dynamics of quantum many-body systems that appear in these fields. In addition to growing our knowledge of fundamental science, an increased understanding of these systems could lead to technological innovations in energy, industrial processes, and medicine. There are several different quantum hardware platforms and simulation modalities, however, which can be used to perform quantum simulations of many-body dynamics. This thesis seeks to uncover guidelines to a seemingly simply question: how do we answer useful questions using quantum simulators? Answering this involves learning what are good questions to ask quantum simulators, which questions should be asked to which platforms, and how we should ask each question (digital, analog, or hybrid simulation). We develop intuition for these guidelines by exploring three quantum simulation contexts: Bose-Fermi mixtures, dissipative spin chains, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments.