Gluon string breaking is simulated using trapped ions
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Researchers in the United States have simulated the process of string breaking in particle physics using a trapped ion quantum computer. The findings align with previous results obtained through neutral atom quantum simulators and superconducting quantum computers. This suggests that traditional models of string breaking may require slight modifications.
The strong interaction, responsible for binding quarks within hadrons like protons and neutrons, becomes stronger as particles are pulled apart. In quark-glueon plasma, quarks and antiquarks appear free, but when isolated, the energy in the gluon field can grow indefinitely, eventually creating new quark-antiquark pairs and forming hadrons. This phenomenon, known as string breaking, was first proposed in 1951 by Nobel laureate Julian Schwinger.
Recent advancements in quantum computing have enabled researchers to model this elusive process. In 2025, Google Research and colleagues used their Sycamore processor with superconducting qubits to perform simplified string breaking calculations. Similarly, researchers at the University of Innsbruck, Harvard, and QuEra utilized lasers to model quark interactions as rubidium atoms, gaining insight into string breaking dynamics.
Now, Duke University's Christopher Monroe and his team, along with collaborators from Belgium, have achieved comparable results using trapped ions instead of neutral atoms. They modeled quarks as "domain walls" – regions with adjacent ions of opposite spins. By initializing the system with these domain walls and applying the Hamiltonian, they observed an increase in the number of domain walls, indicating the creation of additional particles.
Monroe's team applied an external magnetic field to simulate the increasing energy in the gluon field as a quark is pulled away. Once the magnetic field exceeded a certain threshold, the researchers observed the creation of more particles. These findings suggest modifications to existing string breaking theories, particularly that string breaking may initiate at the edges, where the coupling to the quantum vacuum reduces the energetic cost of new particle creation, before propagating inward.
Further advancements in qubit technology may enable researchers to study string formation during particle collisions. Quantum computing pioneer Boris Blinov of the University of Washington in Seattle notes the significance of this work, emphasizing its potential to outperform classical analogues in simulating quantum chromodynamics and gauge theories.
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