Quantum simulation of the t-J model

zComputer simulation of a many-particle quantum system is bound to reach the inevitable limits of its ability as the system size increases. The primary reason for this is that the memory size used in a classical simulator grows polynomially whereas the Hilbert space of the quantum system does so exponentially. Replacing the classical simulator by a quantum simulator would be an effective method of surmounting this obstacle. The prevailing techniques for simulating quantum systems on a quantum computer have been developed for purposes of computing numerical algorithms designed to obtain approximate physical quantities of interest. The method suggested here requires no numerical algorithms; it is a direct isomorphic translation between a quantum simulator and the quantum system to be simulated. In the quantum simulator, physical parameters of the system, which are the fixed parameters of the simulated quantum system, are under the control of the experimenter. A method of simulating a model for high-temperature superconducting oxides, the t-J model, by optical control, as an example of such a quantum simulation, is presented. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.