Dirac particle dynamics of a superconducting circuit

Abstract

The core concept of quantum simulation is the mapping of an inaccessible quantum system onto a controllable one by identifying analogous dynamics. We map the Dirac equation of relativistic quantum mechanics in 3+1 dimensions onto a multi-level superconducting Josephson circuit. Resonant drives determine the particle mass and momentum and the quantum state represents the internal spinor dynamics, which are cast in the language of multi-level quantum optics. The degeneracy of the Dirac spectrum corresponds to a degeneracy of bright/dark states within the system and particle spin and helicity are employed to interpret the multi-level dynamics. We simulate the Schwinger mechanism of electron-positron pair production by introducing an analogous electric field as a doubly degenerate Landau-Zener problem. All proposed measurements can be performed well within typical decoherence times. This work opens a new avenue for experimental study of the Dirac equation and provides a tool for control of complex dynamics in multi-level systems.