From classical to quantum simulations of the dynamics of the chiral anomaly

• Applicant: Adrien Florio, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 545261797

Our current best, experimentally verified description of the fundamental properties of Nature is based on Quantum Field Theories (QFT). The success of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics in describing the microscopic world is stunning. Yet, many aspects of the Universe still elude us, from the composition of dark matter to the origin of the asymmetry between matter and antimatter (baryogenesis). Answers can be sought in modifications of the SM. They can also be sought within, as many of its inner workings remain mysterious. One such instance is the dynamics of strongly interacting systems. For example, when prepared adequately, massless fermions exhibit the exotic property of spontaneously forming electric currents parallel to magnetic fields. This phenomenon of ``anomalous transport" is expected to play a role both in the evolution of the early universe and within the quark-gluon plasma, the high-temperature phase of the strong force. Yet, despite its importance, its full impact on the dynamics of the SM is not entirely studied. I propose to fill in this gap. I aim at ``Understanding the effect of anomalous transport on the dynamics of topology-changing processes in the Standard Model of Particle Physics, as well as the appropriate full quantum description of the real-time dynamics of topology-changing processes." To fulfill this aim, I will conduct two main projects: Project 1 will deploy state-of-the-art classical numerical simulations to understand the interplay of the Abelian and non-Abelian chiral anomaly dynamics in the ``semiclassical" limit, bringing our understanding of the problem to the edge of currently available theoretical methods. Project 2 will use my expertise in quantum simulations and related techniques to study the full-fledged dynamics of field-theoretic topological processes happening in real-time in one and two spatial dimensions. This is particularly timely as the perspective of efficient quantum computations promises fundamental breakthroughs in understanding the dynamics of fields. I expect the interface to quantum computations to be particularly fruitful. Carrying research along these two directions will allow my group to make concrete predictions relevant to the phenomenology and the dynamics of the SM and conceptual progress on understanding topology in real-time. The results of Project 1 can shift our understanding of the dynamics of the early universe. Project 2 will provide new insights into the real-time, quantum dynamics of topology in field theory. It can also lead to algorithmic breakthroughs for the quantum simulations of field theories, bringing the field closer to a new era of ``quantum advantage", where quantum computers provide a net efficiency gain over classical ones.

• DFG Programme: Emmy Noether Independent Junior Research Groups