Tetraquarks and Quantum Computing

STFC：William Parrott：ST/S505390/1欧洲核子研究中心的大型强子对撞机(LHC)可能是有史以来最著名的物理实验，也是最令人兴奋的实验之一，它继续突破我们知识的界限，质疑我们对宇宙运行方式的认知。但我们对那里探测到的粒子了解得有多好呢？在大型强子对撞机上看到的大多数由夸克组成的粒子都有一个广为人知的理论解释，即具有标准夸克和/或反夸克含量的简单介子和重子。这些都证实了我们认为自己对宇宙的了解，但似乎也有一些粒子不符合这个盒子。最近一些令人兴奋的新粒子的迹象引发了这样的问题：我们的理论框架中可以存在哪些类型的粒子，对于那些可以存在的粒子，我们预计它们的质量是多少。对于一些称为四夸克的非标准粒子，有一些新的证据表明它们的存在可能与我们目前的理论一致，也有一些证据表明它们可能在大型强子对撞机上被探测到。为了确认这些新粒子的可能性，需要一个更清晰的理论图景，这意味着更精确地确定它们的质量。这就是我们打算计算的，使用改进的方法来更好地了解一组特定的可能的四夸克的结合如何依赖于它们所包含的夸克的质量。对粒子物理界来说，这种粒子的明确发现将是极其令人兴奋的，而改进的理论计算将有助于实验者寻找它们。物理学的另一个令人兴奋的前沿是新的、更好的计算机的发展。计算机已经成为日常生活的一个巨大部分，计算能力自其诞生以来已经大大增加，但我们希望执行更复杂的任务，并以更快的速度完成任务。我们制造一台经典计算机的能力是有限的，所以我们必须寻找其他选择。最令人兴奋的选择是所谓的量子计算机，它还处于开发的早期阶段。量子计算机有朝一日成为现实的可能性越来越大，因此我们考虑如何使用它们是很重要的。对于计算上极具挑战性的领域，如夸克物理，它们可能是真正的游戏规则改变者。由于量子计算机的工作方式与现有计算机截然不同，我们需要开发工具来利用它们。这个项目将通过建立夸克物理中可能的计算的原型来装备我在这一领域的工作。我的项目将结合这两个物理学的前沿领域，计算四夸克的质量，并致力于在未来使用量子计算机进行类似的计算。除了突破物理学的界限，这个项目还将帮助我发展自己的个人技能。我将能够把我的计算技术知识带到四夸克计算的新挑战中，并从我的加拿大东道主那里了解到量子计算工作中一个全新的研究领域。

STFC: William Parrott: ST/S505390/1The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, possibly the most famous physics experiment ever, and certainly one of the most exciting, continues to push the boundaries of our knowledge, and questions our perceived notions of the workings of the universe. But how well do we understand the particles that are detected there? Most particles made of quarks that are seen at the LHC have a well-understood theoretical explanation, being simple mesons and baryons with a standard quark and/or antiquark content. These confirm what we think we know about the universe, but there also seem to be particles that do not fit into this box. Recent hints of exciting new particles have prompted questions about what kinds of particles can exist within our theoretical framework, and for those that can, what masses we would expect them to have. For some non-standard particles, called tetraquarks, there is some emerging evidence that their existnce may be consistent with our current theories, and also some evidence of their possible detection at the LHC. In order to confirm the possibility of these new particles, a much clearer theoretical picture is needed and that means more precise determination of their mass. This is what we intend to calculate, using improved methods to obtain a better picture of how the binding of a particular set of possible tetraquarks depends on the masses of the quarks they contain. The unambiguous discovery of such a particle would be extremely exciting for the world of particle physics, and improved theory calculations will help the experimentalists searching for them. Another exciting frontier of physics is the development of new and better computers. Computers have become a huge part of everyday life and computing power has increased vastly since their inception, but we want to carry out ever more complicated tasks and do so ever more quickly. There is a limit to how powerful we can make a classical computer, so we must look for other options. The most exciting option, which is in the early stages of development, is the so-called quantum computer. It is looking increasingly likely that quantum computers will one day be a reality, and so it is important that we have thought through how to use them. They could be a real game-changer for computationally very challenging fields such as that of quark physics. Because quantum computers work in a very different way to existing computers, we need to develop the tools to make use of them. This project will equip me to work in this area by setting up a prototype of a possible calculation in quark physics. My project will combine these two cutting-edge areas of physics, calculating the masses of tetraquarks, as well as working towards the use of quantum computers to carry out similar calculations in future. As well as pushing the boundaries of physics, the project will help the development of my own personal skills. I will be able to bring my knowledge of computational techniques to a new challenge in the tetraquark calculation, as well as learn from my Canadian hosts about a whole new area of research in the quantum computing work.