Dawn of quantum simulators.

A full-fledged quantum computer could one day solve complex scientific problems in chemistry, materials science, and physics. In the current noisy intermediate-scale quantum era (1), moderately sized, imperfect quantum processors are the most advanced hardware available for quantum computing. These devices involve control of individual degrees of freedom such as superconducting qubits (quantum bits) or arrays of atoms. Progress in noisy intermediate-scale quantum platforms has led to exploration of many fundamental effects in modern physics. For example, a wide range of nonequilibrium quantum phases of matter that exist in dynamic, time-evolving systems has been observed. Many-body localization in which disorder prevents a quantum system from reaching a thermal equilibrium has been demonstrated (2). In addition, time crystalline behavior—a phase of matter that breaks time-translation symmetry and oscillates indefinitely without energy input—has been confirmed in quantum processors (3). These validate quantum devices and identify key limitations for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]