Cold-atom quantum simulators of gauge theories

Understand

Gauge theories represent a fundamental framework underlying modern physics, constituting the basis of the Standard Model and also providing useful descriptions of various phenomena in condensed matter.

• Realizing gauge theories on accessible and tunable tabletop quantum devices offers the possibility to study their dynamics from first principles time evolution and to probe their exotic physics, including that generated by deviations from gauge invariance, which is not possible, e.g., in dedicated particle colliders.
• Not only do cold-atom quantum simulators hold the potential to provide new insights into outstanding high-energy and nuclear-physics questions, they also provide a versatile tool for the exploration of topological phases and ergodicity-breaking mechanisms relevant to low-energy many-body physics.
• In recent years, cold-atom quantum simulators have demonstrated impressive progress in the large-scale implementation of $1+1$D Abelian gauge theories.