Quantum computing universal thermalization dynamics in a (2 + 1)D Lattice Gauge Theory.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40593494.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-60177-7 and PMC identifier 12219459.
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Abstract
Simulating non-equilibrium phenomena in strongly-interacting quantum many-body systems, including thermalization, is a promising application of near-term and future quantum computation. By performing experiments on a digital quantum computer consisting of fully-connected optically-controlled trapped ions, we study the role of entanglement in the thermalization dynamics of a Z<sub>2</sub> lattice gauge theory in 2+1 spacetime dimensions. Using randomized-measurement protocols, we efficiently learn a classical approximation of non-equilibrium states that yields the gap-ratio distribution and the spectral form factor of the entanglement Hamiltonian. These observables exhibit universal early-time signals for quantum chaos, a prerequisite for thermalization. Our work, therefore, establishes quantum computers as robust tools for studying universal features of thermalization in complex many-body systems, including in gauge theories.