Quantum Simulation of the Bosonic Creutz Ladder with a Parametric Cavity

There has been a growing interest in realizing quantum simulators for physical systems where perturbative methods are ineffective. The scalability and flexibility of circuit quantum electrodynamics make it a promising platform for implementing various types of simulators, including lattice models of strongly coupled field theories. Here, we use a multimode superconducting parametric cavity as a hardware-efficient analog quantum simulator, realizing a lattice in synthetic dimensions with complex hopping interactions. The coupling graph, i.e., the realized model, can be programmed in situ. The complex-valued hopping interaction further allows us to simulate, for instance, gauge potentials and topological models. As a demonstration, we simulate a plaquette of the bosonic Creutz ladder. We characterize the lattice with scattering measurements, reconstructing the experimental Hamiltonian and observing important precursors of topological features including nonreciprocal transport and Aharonov-Bohm caging. This platform can be easily extended to larger lattices and different models involving other interactions.

Automated summary

There is a growing interest in realizing quantum simulators for physical systems where perturbative methods are ineffective. The scalability and flexibility of circuit quantum electrodynamics make it a promising platform for implementing various types of simulators. A multimode superconducting parametric cavity is used as a hardware-efficient analog quantum simulator to realize a lattice in synthetic dimensions with complex hopping interactions, allowing simulation of gauge potentials and topological models. The platform can be easily extended to larger lattices and different models involving other interactions.