State Preparation and Detection for Quantum Simulation of Particle Collisions

One task in which quantum computers may exceed the performance of classical computers is the simulation of particle interactions and high-energy physics. These simulations are performed by preparing an initial quantum state, letting it time-evolve according to a model Hamiltonian, and measuring the final result. The state preparation and detection tasks are nontrivial and require robust and reliable methods. Here, we identify and benchmark protocols for the state preparation and detection of quantum states that represent particle configurations before and after a collision. These protocols have the potential to be tested on existing analog quantum simulators.