String breaking mechanism in a lattice Schwinger model simulator

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Liu, Ying, Zhang, Wei-Yong, Zhu, Zi-Hang, He, Ming-Gen, Yuan, Zhen-Sheng, Pan, Jian-Wei
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Liu, Ying
Zhang, Wei-Yong
Zhu, Zi-Hang
He, Ming-Gen
Yuan, Zhen-Sheng
Pan, Jian-Wei
author_facet Liu, Ying
Zhang, Wei-Yong
Zhu, Zi-Hang
He, Ming-Gen
Yuan, Zhen-Sheng
Pan, Jian-Wei
contents String breaking is a fundamental concept in gauge theories, describing the decay of a flux string connecting two charges through the production of particle-antiparticle pairs. This phenomenon is particularly important in particle physics, notably in Quantum Chromodynamics, and plays a crucial role in condensed matter physics. However, achieving a theoretical understanding of this non-perturbative effect is challenging, as conventional numerical approaches often fall short and require substantial computational resources. On the experimental side, studying these effects necessitates advanced setups, such as high-energy colliders, which makes direct observation difficult. Here, we report an experimental investigation of the string breaking mechanism in a one-dimensional U(1) lattice gauge theory using an optical lattice quantum simulator. By deterministically preparing initial states of varying lengths with fixed charges at each end, and adiabatically tuning the mass and string tension, we observed in situ microscopic confined phases that exhibit either string or brokenstring states. Further analysis reveals that string breaking occurs under a resonance condition, leading to the creation of new particle-antiparticle pairs. These findings offer compelling evidence of string breaking and provide valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of lattice gauge theories. Our work underscores the potential of optical lattices as controllable quantum simulators, enabling the exploration of complex gauge theories and their associated phenomena.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_15443
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle String breaking mechanism in a lattice Schwinger model simulator
Liu, Ying
Zhang, Wei-Yong
Zhu, Zi-Hang
He, Ming-Gen
Yuan, Zhen-Sheng
Pan, Jian-Wei
Quantum Gases
Quantum Physics
String breaking is a fundamental concept in gauge theories, describing the decay of a flux string connecting two charges through the production of particle-antiparticle pairs. This phenomenon is particularly important in particle physics, notably in Quantum Chromodynamics, and plays a crucial role in condensed matter physics. However, achieving a theoretical understanding of this non-perturbative effect is challenging, as conventional numerical approaches often fall short and require substantial computational resources. On the experimental side, studying these effects necessitates advanced setups, such as high-energy colliders, which makes direct observation difficult. Here, we report an experimental investigation of the string breaking mechanism in a one-dimensional U(1) lattice gauge theory using an optical lattice quantum simulator. By deterministically preparing initial states of varying lengths with fixed charges at each end, and adiabatically tuning the mass and string tension, we observed in situ microscopic confined phases that exhibit either string or brokenstring states. Further analysis reveals that string breaking occurs under a resonance condition, leading to the creation of new particle-antiparticle pairs. These findings offer compelling evidence of string breaking and provide valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of lattice gauge theories. Our work underscores the potential of optical lattices as controllable quantum simulators, enabling the exploration of complex gauge theories and their associated phenomena.
title String breaking mechanism in a lattice Schwinger model simulator
topic Quantum Gases
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.15443