Quantum Simulation

Quantum Simulation

Quantum simulation offers a powerful approach to studying strongly chaotic quantum systems in the laboratory. By engineering systems that realize models like SYK and its variants, we can experimentally probe phenomena that echo key features of holographic field theories and black hole physics.

These models exhibit maximal chaos, fast scrambling, and other signatures characteristic of holographic systems. We study how such models can be realized and probed in real quantum hardware, and what they can teach us about the interplay of chaos, thermalization, and holography.

key questions

  • How can we realize holographic model systems in the laboratory?
  • What signatures of holographic physics are accessible to near-term quantum devices?
  • How do we characterize chaotic and holographic features in experimental data?
  • What can quantum simulators teach us about scrambling and thermalization?

Key Publications

  • Realizing Unitary k-designs with a Single Quench

    Y.-N. Zhou, R. Löwenberg, J. Sonner

    arXiv:2511.13829 Preprint (2025)

  • Quantum simulation of the SYK model using time-dependent disorder in optical cavities

    R. Baumgartner, P. Pelliconi, S. Bandyopadhyay, F. Orsi, N. Sauerwein, P. Hauke, J.-P. Brantut, J. Sonner

    arXiv:2411.17802 Preprint (2024)

  • A cavity QED implementation of the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model

    P. Uhrich, S. Bandyopadhyay, N. Sauerwein, J. Sonner, J.-P. Brantut, P. Hauke

    arXiv:2303.11343 Preprint (2023)

  • Digital Quantum Simulation of Minimal AdS/CFT

    L. García-Álvarez, I. L. Egusquiza, L. Lamata, A. del Campo, J. Sonner, E. Solano

    arXiv:1607.08560 Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 040501 (2017)