Quantum simulation of the Abelian-Higgs lattice gauge theory with ultracold atoms

Abstract

We present a quantum simulation scheme for the Abelian-Higgs lattice gauge\ntheory using ultracold bosonic atoms in optical lattices. The model contains\nboth gauge and Higgs scalar fields, and exhibits interesting phases related to\nconfinement and the Higgs mechanism. The model can be simulated by an atomic\nHamiltonian, by first mapping the local gauge symmetry to an internal symmetry\nof the atomic system, the conservation of hyperfine angular momentum in atomic\ncollisions. By including auxiliary bosons in the simulation, we show how the\nAbelian-Higgs Hamiltonian emerges effectively. We analyze the accuracy of our\nmethod in terms of different experimental parameters, as well as the effect of\nthe finite number of bosons on the quantum simulator. Finally, we propose\npossible experiments for studying the ground state of the system in different\nregimes of the theory, and measuring interesting high energy physics phenomena\nin real time.\n