The art of quantum simulation enables the study of inaccessible phenomena
Enrique Solano (Lima, 1964) has just published 'Quantum Simulation of Dirac's Equation,' an article in the prestigious Nature magazine. Solano directed this project together with a group formed by R. Gerritsma, G. Kirchmair, F. Zähringer, R. Blatt and C.F.Roosof at the Insbruck Institute of Physics (Austria). In spite of the fact that the area of simulation opens a world of 'never before explored' possibilities, that enable the study of 'inaccessible phenomena' and the knowledge of new material properties, Solano knows that there's something he'll never be able to quantify: his curiosity. "It's infinite," he confirms.
International experts have described your work as "a very important step in the field of Physics." How did you receive the news?
We were pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction that our work received from the international scientific community. Nature magazine doesn't normally publish final results that close debates, rather those that open new lines of investigation. Even so, one of the conditions for an article being accepted is its originality and significant impact, i.e. that it brings new knowledge to the scientific community in a significant manner, so it's extremely satisfying that they classified our investigation as a 'success.' However, being sceptical is part of a scientist's job description so I try not to place too much faith in praise and to rely more on constant self-criticism. My team and I are not satisfied with making the first step - we aim to give much more.
What is 'Quantum Simulation of Dirac's Equation' about?
Our theoretical and experimental work has united fields that have, to date, been apparently incompatible: the quantum physics of relativism of the 1930's - a golden age in physics, and the quantum optics of the most advanced form of quantum technology. Using the technique of atom confinement - where these are caught and immobilized using lasers, we managed to make one physical system simulate the quantum behaviour of another. Specifically, we managed to make a confined atom acquire a similar dynamic to that of a relative quantum particle that moves at a speed similar to that of light, and which, due to technical limitations, we have never been able to observe. Quantum simulation is like a theatre in which the every day natural life that we cannot access is represented. How can you chase an electron that travels at speeds close to that of light, and check whether it oscillates or describes a straight line? Quantum simulation of that dynamic allows us to access a similar physics that we can manipulate and control.
And what is Dirac's equation?
In 1928, Nobel prize winner Paul Dirac, one of the most important 20th century physicists, put forward a dynamic equation that satisfactorily unified the demands of quantum physics and special relativity for the first time. As a consequence, a couple of years later, German physicist Erwin Schrödinger predicted that particles that move at high speed don't move in a straight line, rather in a helicoidal manner. This oscillation is known as Zwitterbewegung, which means 'vibrational movement' in German. Schrödinger discovered that the amplitude of this movement is smaller than the nucleus of an atom and that its frequency is millions of times greater than that of visible light, and so there is no technology that exists today that is capable of measuring it. In time, 'Zitterbewegung' became fixed as a textbook theoretical lucubration that no-one has been able to, or has dared to, measure. This inaccessibility was what sparked my curiosity and this challenge led me to study the possible quantum simulation of Dirac's equation and his predictions. I performed the theoretical work with a multi-disciplinary German and Spanish team. After this profound technical and theoretical study, I suggested that my Innsbruck colleagues collaborate with us in the Basque Country, in order to take our quantum simulation models of Dirac's equation to their advanced laboratories.
What applications does quantum simulation have for every day life?
Quantum simulation enables us to reproduce physical effects and to know the properties of materials that are not only unknown, but that are also technically impossible to know. Imagine that we want to re-design a material by adding another proton to each molecule. Well, this cannot be undertaken lightly. We are talking about trillions of atoms. We would need a huge investment and many years of research. So therefore, we would use quantum simulation, which allows us to use much cheaper prototypes to achieve very powerful results, for example to find out that the addition of another proton to the material would result in it changing colour, or would make it harmful to the skin. In addition, in the next few years simulations of much greater complexity are foreseen and that will produce results that we've never seen before.
What role do computers play?
Many conventional simulations use computers, but these are limited. Even if we used all of the memory of all of the computers in the world, we would not have enough, for example, to calculate a complex evolution of 100 atoms. In spite of our extreme pride in our technology, conventional computers are incapable of solving a large part of the important problems in physics.
As Nobel prize winner for physics Richard Feynman said "let us allow Nature to calculate what we are unable to calculate." Personally, I would love to fulfil Feynman's dream and my ambition is to study and see quantum simulations of chemical or nuclear reactions achieved, including for genetic and biological behaviour.
Since May 2008, you have been the Ikerbasque researcher at the UPV/EHU (University of the Basque Country) Faculty of Science and Technology in the Chemistry / Physics department. What attracted you to the Basque Country?
The Basque Country has important researchers, but it still does not have the critical mass necessary to turn us into a centre of global scientific importance. In this sense, great political and economic efforts have been made to support and grow the scientific community thanks to the formation of new elite research groups. There are numerous financial support programmes for research projects that are similar to those in countries where technology and research are much more advanced. Since my arrival at UPV/EHU, we have won several European projects and we are now pioneers in Spain in Quantum Information and Quantum Microwave Technology and Quantum bit Superconductors. Ikerbasque made me an interesting offer to become part of a supported independent research group, an offer that I was delighted to accept. The Ikerbasque Foundation uses international evaluation standards and provides all the facilities for developing research freely with the decided support of the UPV/EHU. In countries where the academic system is very established, you can hardly change anything as the lines of investigation are very entrenched. Here it is different. Our opinion matters and that is reassuring. Also, I like challenges. Frustration does not come from a lack of resources or good intentions, but from our own intellectual limitations and these are the only common enemies we have. I do not like things that are ‘ready-cooked,’ probably because I grew up in a place where everything costs too much and where talent is not enough.
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