Analogue Quantum Simulation: A New Instrument for Scientific Understanding

Abstract

In an analogue quantum simulation, an experimentally accessible quantum system is controlled and measured precisely in order to learn about the properties of another quantum system. As such, analogue quantum simulation is a novel tool of scientific inference standing between computation simulation and conventional experiment. In this book we undertake a comprehensive appraisal of the epistemology of analogue quantum simulation. In particular, we consider the types of understanding that analogue quantum simulation can yield. We draw a distinction between analogue quantum computations and analogue quantum emulations and argue that this distinction has important practical consequences on the types of validation an experimenter needs to perform in order to meet their epistemic goal. Our analysis is rooted in the contemporary scientific practice of analogue quantum simulation and draws upon detailed case studies of cold atoms, quantum photonics, and dispersive optical media platforms. Our goal is to provide a new framework for scientists and philosophers alike to understand the epistemic foundations of this exciting new area of scientific practice.