Quantum Simulators for Fundamental Physics
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of Astronomy
Abstract
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Publications
Jenkins A
(2024)
Generalized cold-atom simulators for vacuum decay
in Physical Review A
Jenkins A
(2024)
Analog vacuum decay from vacuum initial conditions
in Physical Review D
Kouvatsos N
(2024)
Unbiased estimation of gravitational-wave anisotropies from noisy data
in Physical Review D
| Description | Gavin Boyle Fellowship in Cosmology |
| Amount | £274,315 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 09/2029 |
| Description | UKRI Stephen Hawking Fellowship |
| Amount | £404,719 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/U536684/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2025 |
| End | 03/2028 |
| Description | Bilateral partnership with Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics |
| Organisation | Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Exchange of ideas and theoretical insights; expertise in cosmology, numerical methods, and analogue quantum simulation |
| Collaborator Contribution | Exchange of ideas and theoretical insights; expertise in nonperturbative field theory and early-Universe physics |
| Impact | The work published in Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.D 109 (2024) 2, 023506, included significant contributions from Matthew Johnson (Perimeter Institute), who co-authored the paper. The work published in Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.A 110 (2024) 3, L031301, was initiated at the QSimFP Workshop hosted at the Perimeter Institute in June 2023, and strongly benefitted from discussions held at that workshop. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with Cambridge cold-atom experimental group |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Department | Cavendish Laboratory |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Theoretical developments and numerical modelling for the early-Universe quantum simulator being built by Zoran Hadzibabic's research group as part of the QSimFP consortium. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Technical and conceptual insights that have driven progress in theory and numerical modelling; regular feedback on experimental developments which has set the priorities for the theory work. |
| Impact | The work published in Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.A 110 (2024) 3, L031301, was a direct consequence of discussions with the Cavendish experimental group, and was co-authored with Zoran Hadzibabic. The work published in Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.D 109 (2024) 2, 023506, was also strongly influenced by and benefitted from discussions with the Cavendish group. The collaboration is truly multi-disciplinary, combining experts in cold-atom experiments and quantum many-body physics with experts in cosmology, numerical simulations, and early-Universe theory. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with Newcastle University |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| PI Contribution | Exchange of ideas and theoretical insights; expertise in cosmology, numerical methods, and analogue quantum simulation |
| Collaborator Contribution | Exchange of ideas and theoretical insights; expertise in cold-atom theory, high-energy physics, and analogue quantum simulation |
| Impact | The work published in Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.A 110 (2024) 3, L031301, was carried out in close collaboration with the Newcastle group, and was co-authored with Ian Moss and Thomas Billam. The earlier work Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.D 109 (2024) 2, 023506, also strongly benefitted from discussion and interaction with the Newcastle group. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Title | lattice-fvd |
| Description | Software suite for real-time semiclassical lattice simulations of relativistic scalar fields and cold-atom quantum analogues. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2025 |
| Impact | Simulations carried out with this codebase have led to significant progress in developing quantum analogues of false vacuum decay, and have underpinned the work published in Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.A 110 (2024) 3, L031301, and Jenkins et al., Phys.Rev.D 109 (2024) 2, 023506. |
| Description | 4th EuCAPT Symposium, CERN -- May 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited keynote conference presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Article on research in Quanta Magazine |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Research on quantum simulator analogues of the early universe featured in Quanta magazine (a Pulitzer-prizewinning science communication magazine). Audience for this online magazine is reported to be ~5 million. Note this activity directly relates to the original full award and discusses outcomes from it, even though the portion that was moved to Cambridge because of my institutional move is dated starting later. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-study-how-our-universe-might-have-bubbled-up-in-the-multiv... |
| Description | British Applied Mathematics Colloquium (BAMC) -- April 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited conference presentation on QSimFP research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Cambridge-LMU Meeting -- October 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited conference talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Early Universe from Home -- February 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited online conference presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Interview and scientific consulting for New Scientist cover article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview and scientific consulting for New Scientist cover article "The quantum experiment that could help find evidence of the multiverse" (published Oct 2023). Note this activity directly relates to the original full award and discusses outcomes from it, even though the portion that was moved to Cambridge because of my institutional move is dated starting later. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26034600-700-the-quantum-experiment-that-could-help-find-evid... |
| Description | Joint seminar, LMU Cosmology and MPI Quantum Optics, Munich -- January 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Majorana-Raychaudhuri Seminar -- September 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited online seminar presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Royal Institution Discourse Lecture "Decoding the Universe" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited Royal Institution Discourse lecture, ~400 live audience, ~2000 online audience, ~54,000 views of youtube recording |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x7BAOi5noU |
| Description | Specialist contributor to Franco-German network Arte 42 - The Answer To Almost Everything, episode on the Multiverse |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Specialist contributor/presenter on Franco-German network Arte 42 - The Answer To Almost Everything, episode on the Multiverse. Prof. Hiranya Peiris participated in a German/French TV show called "42" about the multiverse, which included a discussion of using analogue experiments to probe the predictions of the eternal inflation multiverse. The episode featured simulations of analogue false vacuum decay created by postdoc Alex Jenkins within the QSimFP team. The episode reached over 5 million viewers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/109816-011-A/leben-wir-im-multiversum/ |
| Description | UCL Cosmology/Extragalactic Seminar -- October 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | University of Cambridge General Relativity Seminar -- December 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | University of Nottingham Particle Cosmology Seminar -- November 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | University of Padova Cosmology Journal Club -- November 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited online seminar presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | University of Sussex Theoretical Particle Physics Seminar -- February 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Workshop on "Cold atoms and molecules for fundamental physics", Cambridge -- July 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited conference talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |