OxfordTwo trapped ions formed a loop that reproduced the Aharonov–Bohm effect.
Gauge theories underpin the Standard Model, and classical computers scale badly on them in higher dimensions.
Electronic states encode the gauge fields, vibrations encode matter, and entangled qubits store the flux a moving particle feels.
Earlier experiments stayed mostly one-dimensional, where loops cannot form and flux effects cannot appear.
Larger grids, where quasiparticles called visons arise, remain unsimulated in this experiment.
How each outlet framed it
- Phys.org
- explains the Aharonov-Bohm effect as the reason 2D Z₂ gauge theory matters, since magnetic flux cannot appear in 1D simulations
Sources: Phys.org