Scientists using Google’s quantum computer have made a significant advance toward unraveling deeper mysteries of the universe by simulating how particles and invisible ‘strings’ behave in nature. The study, published in the prestigious journal Nature, marks a fundamental step in quantum computing. In the future, researchers may use this approach to gain deeper insights into particle physics and even the nature of space and time. Computational simulations are powerful tools in physics for modeling complex phenomena that are difficult to study directly. While scientists in other fields often build experiments to test hypotheses, in precise domains like string theory or cosmology, direct experiments are impossible, making simulations virtual experiments.

Michael Napp, co-author and professor of collective quantum dynamics at the Technical University of Munich, said, “Our work shows how quantum computers can help us explore the fundamental rules governing our universe.” Pedram Roshan, co-author from Google’s quantum AI department, stated, “Using the quantum processor’s power, we studied the dynamics of a specific type of gauge theories and observed how invisible particles and ‘strings’ connecting them evolve over time.” Tyler Cochran, lead author and graduate student at Princeton University, explained, “By adjusting effective parameters in the model, we can tune the properties of the strings: they may fluctuate wildly, become tightly confined, or even break.” Data from the quantum processor reveal distinctive behaviors of these strings, directly resembling phenomena in high-energy particle physics. Classical computing relies on bits, which are either 0 or 1, processing information step by step and excelling at ordinary calculations.

However, for very complex systems like particle interactions or genetics, computations become very slow or nearly impossible. Quantum computing uses qubits, which exploit quantum superposition, meaning a particle can exist in two states simultaneously. Thus, qubits are not just 0 or 1 but both at once, allowing information to be processed simultaneously rather than sequentially. This gives qubits exponential power: adding a few qubits dramatically increases capacity. For example, a classical computer reads a book page by page, line by line, whereas a quantum computer can read all pages at once. Therefore, quantum computing is ideal for simulations when studying extremely complex phenomena such as the nature of the universe we live in.