Quantum computing applied to nuclear and neutrino physics (Denis Lacroix, IJCLab)

par Denis LACROIX (Institut de Physique Nucléaire)

lundi 16 févr. 2026, 14:00 → 16:00 Europe/Paris

amphi Charpak

Quantum computing applied to nuclear and neutrino physics  

 

Denis Lacroix

Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab, 91405 Orsay, France

 

Fig 1: schematic illustration of a few many-body systems that are currently used for pilot application of quantum computers (adapted from [1])

 

Abstract

 

Quantum technologies and associated quantum algorithms are disruptive technologies that might surpass current classical computer limitations in the coming years. We have recently initiated a long-term project to explore the use of quantum computers and quantum information in nuclear physics, neutrinos, and related many-body problems [1,2]. Atomic nuclei are complex many-body systems with a number of constituents ranging from very few to several hundred. Among the difficult aspects, nuclei are self-bound systems that require treating a continuum of wave functions in Hilbert space. For these reasons, the exact treatment of these systems on classical computers, starting from the interaction, is still restricted to a few percent of the nuclear chart. Inspired by strategies used in classical computing, several novel approaches have been proposed to obtain the ground or low-lying states in many-body systems. Illustrations of recent applications of quantum computers for nuclear physics problems will be made.  I will also discuss the possibility of treating High-Energy Physics problems on quantum computers. I will focus on neutrino flavor oscillation, a problem for which we recently ran simulations using more than 100 qubits on IBM quantum hardware.

References:

[1] Quantum computing with and for many-body physics, Ayral, P. Besserve,

D. Lacroix and E. A. Ruiz Guzman, Eur. J. Phys. A. 59, 227 (2023), arXiv:2303.04850 [Review]

[2] Symmetry breaking/symmetry preserving circuits and symmetry restoration on quantum computers: A quantum many-body perspective, D. lacroix, E. A. Ruiz Guzman and P. Siwach,  Eur. Phys. J. A 59, 3 (2023). arXiv:2208.11567 [Review]

[3] Quantum Computing for High-Energy Physics: State of the Art and Challenges. Summary of the QC4HEP Working Group, A. Di Meglio et al, PRX Quantum 5, 037001 (2024)  , arxiv:2307.03236. [White paper]

[4] O. Kiss, I. Tavernelli, F. Tacchino, D. Lacroix, A. Roggero, Neutrino thermalization via randomization on a quantum processor,  arxiv:2510.24841