Non-Abelian gauge theories on quantum computers - from encoding physical degrees of freedom to observing real-time dynamics

by Indrakshi Raychowdhury

Tuesday 1 Sept 2026, 13:30 → 15:30 Europe/Zurich

4/2-037 - TH meeting room (CERN)

Real-time dynamics in non-Abelian gauge theories remain a central challenge for both classical computation and near-term quantum hardware. In this talk, I will introduce the Loop-String-Hadron (LSH) framework, which uses manifestly gauge-invariant and local degrees of freedom as the natural dynamical variables. Following a brief introduction to this LSH framework, it explains why it provides a practical route to hardware-native, gauge-respecting simulations of non-Abelian lattice gauge theories. In the latter part of the talk, I'll talk about a recent quantum experiment in which we observe SU(2) hadron dynamics on a 60-site lattice towards the continuum limit of the theory, as well as results from tensor network calculations for 128 site lattice using the loop-string-hadron framework. Finally, I'll mention the ongoing effort to develop and apply the LSH framework for quantum simulation of QCD.