Catenaa, Friday, November 21, 2025- Researchers have created scalable quantum circuits on IBM’s quantum computers that simulate matter under extreme conditions, offering new insight into the fundamental forces and origins of the universe.
The work models particle collisions and nuclear interactions that classical supercomputers cannot solve efficiently.
The team focused on the strong interactions that govern quarks and gluons inside atomic nuclei. They first tested scalable circuits on small systems using classical computers, then extended the approach to over 100 qubits on IBM’s processors.
These circuits accurately prepared vacuum states and simulated hadron pulses, reproducing key features of nuclear physics.
Scalable circuits allow the modeling of matter at ultra-high densities, simulating beams of hadrons, and exploring the dynamics of fundamental particles.
Researchers aim to address unresolved questions, including why matter dominates over antimatter and how supernovae form heavy elements.
The simulations used a combination of classical pretests, qubit scaling, and algorithmic improvements to systematically improve accuracy.
Results from the quantum computers determined vacuum properties with percent-level precision and tracked hadron propagation over time.
The approach represents the largest digital quantum simulation to date and demonstrates the practical potential of quantum simulations in extreme physical regimes.
This research was supported by the US Department of Energy, the Quantum Science Center, and the University of Washington’s computational resources. It also leveraged IBM Quantum services to execute complex simulations previously beyond classical limits.
Scientists anticipate that evolving scalable quantum circuits could eventually outperform classical computing in modeling highly dynamic or dense particle systems.
The breakthrough may help reveal the mechanisms that govern the universe at its most fundamental level, potentially answering long-standing questions in particle physics and cosmology.
