Trapped ion quantum simulator applied to chemistry: obtaining the ground state of a hydrogen atom.

• Grant number: 23/04657-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): June 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Principal Investigator: Celso Jorge Villas-Bôas
• Grantee: Matheus da Silva Fonseca
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Since a quantum computer was first idealized by Richard Feynman in 1982, quantum computing researches became presents in industry and academy, mainly in the last years. Owing many possibles applications, one of great interest to areas such as chemistry, pharmacy and material science are quantum simulations. Theses consist in simulating a system of interest (simulated system), which is difficult to control and prepair, using a system easier to work with (simulated system), by mapping the features of the former in the later.There are many ways to perform such simulations, each having their own goals. At this work we intend that the undergraduate study the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE), an algorithm which has shown great efficiency in computing the ground state of atoms and molecules. We are going to use this method to obtain the ground state energy of hydrogen atom. We will be able to test the obtained results experimentally by using a trapped ions platform of Prof. Dr. Thomas Monz group, from University of Innsbruck and IBM quantum computers, of free acess.In the end, we expect this work to be the foundation to our group apply the VQE in more complex system.