Mapping the future of quantum simulators at Trieste
The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste (Italy) hosted the workshop titled “The Quantum Simulators of the Future: From Dynamical Gauge Fields to Lattice Gauge Theories” from February 20th to 22nd, 2024. The meeting was co-organized by the Dynamite project. 62 people attended the workshop which aimed to explore and analyze the next generation of quantum simulators and their potential to increase our understanding of complex physical phenomena.
Dynamite Workshop Ignites Quantum Simulator Advancements in Trieste
The 3-day-meeting delved on novel quantum simulators of statistical gauge fields, dynamical lattices and lattice gauge theory. The discussions pivoted around topics such as analog and digital quantum simulation of gauge theories, tensor network methods in lattice gauge theories and cold-atom simulators for gauge fields.
The workshop featured a total of 26 talks. Nine of them were invited talks, including those that several members of the Dynamite project team offered. These members included Monika Aidelsburger (LMU), Phillip Hauke (University of Trento), Markus Oberthaler (ETHZ), Jakub Zakrzewski (Jagiellonian University), and Emanuele Tirrito (ICTP). Additionally, a poster session took place on Tuesday afternoon, showcasing a total of 15 posters.
In preparation for the invited talks, a conscious decision was made to combine seasoned scientists with exceptional group leaders who were in the earlier stages of establishing their groups. Notably, they all put in significant effort to prepare didactic talks about their research, which subsequently served as excellent introductions to the related contributed talks that followed each session. Furthermore, throughout the day, there was a deliberate attempt to alternate between experimental and theoretical talks, effectively showcasing the exciting momentum that this field is currently experiencing, according to Javier Argüello, an ICFO researcher and organizer of the workshop.
Dynamite Project Workshop: A Resounding Success in Advancing Quantum Simulation
Argüello further recalls that “the call for papers was remarkably successful, and we received a larger number of contributed talks than we could actually accommodate in the program. Therefore, to make the selections, we not only strived to balance the different topics and groups, but also to include scientists at various stages of their careers. Ultimately, this approach allowed more junior researchers to have a platform to share their work directly in front of the experts in the field.”
In conclusion, the workshop not only fostered collaboration and discussion, but also centered on how to harness the potential power of these technologies to build the next generation of quantum simulators. These advanced tools, in turn, could unlock a deeper understanding of and provide solutions to challenging problems in contemporary science, ranging from quantum many-body dynamics to the design of novel materials.
The workshop organizing committee comprised Maciej Lewenstein, Leticia Tarruell, and Javier Argüello, from ICFO; Tilman Esslinger from ETH-Zurich; Jakub Zakrzewski from JZ Jagiellonian University, and Marcello Dalmonte from ICTP, who served as the local organizer, ensuring the smooth running of the event. All of them are members of the Dynamite team.
According to Dynamite project coordinator, Maciej Lewenstein, the event was extremely successful. Three things contributed to this success. The scientific level was outstanding, and all the speakers were at least excellent. The organization of the event by ICTP with the help of Marcello and the ICFO team was perfect. The atmosphere was uniquely joyful and creative. Finally, the weather and environment were great!!!”.
This project was funded within the QuantERA II Programme that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101017733
