QII-TAQS: Chip-Scale Quantum Emulators Based on Polaritonic Lattices

量子模拟器（emulators）是利用一个可控量子系统来模拟计算复杂和实验难以接近的问题。这样的模拟器是一种特定于任务的设备，它模仿感兴趣的系统的物理行为，这些系统在计算上难以建模或在实验上难以实现。不同的模拟器平台，如光学晶格中的冷原子、量子纳米结构、超导电路和金刚石中的缺陷，已经被提出并部分实现。根据这项研究计划，该团队将采用一种独特的方法，基于半轻半物质准粒子（又名激子-极化子）作为“可编程量子物质”平台来实现芯片级量子模拟器。具体来说，研究人员将使用有机分子系统结合光捕获结构来模拟准晶体中从磁性到电子传输的系统。这种架构依赖于光子学和固态物理学的最新进展，也可以用来解决从蛋白质折叠和神经网络到金融市场动态的各种计算棘手问题。该项目将帮助在量子技术的广泛领域培养一批研究生、本科生和博士后。该项目还将受益于强有力的国际伙伴关系。外展工作将侧重于开发一门高中课程，介绍量子技术的概念，并举办旨在使公众了解量子技术的公共活动。量子模拟器利用相互作用自由度的控制来模拟在经典计算机无法达到的多体系统中产生的物质的复杂量子相。通过这个研究项目，该团队的目标是开发一个基于激子-极化子（强耦合半光半物质准粒子）晶格的芯片级量子模拟器平台。这个模拟量子模拟的平台将利用晶格中的激子-极化子凝聚体，这是更广泛的原子晶格方法的替代方案。由于它们的混合特性，光子组件赋予系统小质量、相干性和设计势能景观的能力，而物质组件提供必要的非线性和可按需控制的相互作用。该研究计划将在有机分子系统中使用激子作为材料成分，它具有独特的优势，如提高操作温度，可调性，以及通过分子设计来设计光学特性的可能性。通过对光子带结构的精心设计，可以实现具有复杂带结构的极化子晶格。此外，激子极化凝聚体本质上是一个驱动耗散系统，为模拟和揭示非平衡量子秩序提供了理想的平台。具体的项目目标包括演示具有受控相互作用的激子极化子凝聚晶格，以模拟：(i)一维极化子晶格中的铁磁性和反铁磁性，（ii）准周期晶格中无序保护的非平衡量子顺序，以及（iii）具有工程手性对称性的二维晶格中的拓扑保护状态。本项目由量子飞跃大创意计划和国际科学与工程办公室共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Quantum simulators (emulators) are used to simulate computationally complex and experimentally inaccessible problems using a controllable quantum system. Such a simulator is a task-specific device that mimics the physical behavior of a system of interest that is computationally hard to model or experimentally difficult to realize. Different platforms for simulators, such as cold atoms in an optical lattice, quantum nanostructures, superconducting circuits, and defects in diamond, have been proposed and some partially realized. Under this research program the team will take a distinct approach based on half-light half-matter quasiparticles (a.k.a. exciton-polaritons) as a "programmable quantum matter" platform to realize chip-scale quantum emulators. Specifically, the researchers will use organic molecular systems combined with light-trapping structures to simulate systems ranging from magnetism to electron transport in quasicrystals. This architecture, which relies on the latest advances in photonics and solid-states physics, can also be leveraged to solve diverse computationally intractable problems from protein folding and neural networks to the dynamics of financial markets. The program will help train a cadre of graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral associates in the broad area of quantum technologies. The program will also benefit from strong international partnerships. Outreach efforts will focus on developing a high school curriculum to introduce concepts of quantum technologies and public events targeted at making the public aware of quantum technologies. Quantum emulators leverage the control of interacting degrees of freedom to simulate complex quantum phases of matter arising in many-body systems that are outside the reach of classical computers. Through this research program the team aims to develop a chip-scale quantum emulator platform based on lattices of exciton-polaritons (strongly coupled half-light half-matter quasiparticles). This platform for analog quantum emulation will exploit exciton-polariton condensates in lattices, an alternative to more widespread atom-lattice approaches. Owing to their hybrid character, the photon component lends the system small mass, coherence, and ability to engineer the potential energy landscape, while the matter component provides the necessary nonlinearity and interactions that can be controlled on demand. The research program will use excitons in organic molecular systems as the material component, which presents unique advantages such as elevated operational temperature, tunability, and the possibility to engineer the optical properties through molecular design. Through careful engineering of the photonic band structure, polariton lattices with complex band-structures will be realized. Additionally, exciton polariton condensates, being intrinsically a driven dissipative system, present an ideal platform to emulate and uncover out-of-equilibrium quantum orders. Specific program goals include the demonstration of exciton polariton condensate lattices with controlled interactions to simulate: (i) ferromagnetism and anti-ferromagnetism in a one-dimensional polariton lattice, (ii) disorder protected non-equilibrium quantum orders in quasiperiodic lattices, and (iii) topologically protected states in two-dimensional lattices with engineered chiral symmetries.This project is jointly funded by the Quantum Leap Big Idea Program and the Office of International Science and Engineering.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.