State preparation for quantum simulations of scattering in quantum field theories

The simulation of scattering between particles in a quantum field theory is needed to deepen our understanding of dynamics in non-integrable systems, and particle production in high-energy collisions. In this talk I will introduce a new technique for efficiently preparing the initial state of a scattering simulation (a wavepacket) on a quantum computer. This method reduces the task of wavepacket preparation to finding a quantum circuit that minimizes the energy subject to a set of constraints. This procedure is demonstrated in multiple one-dimensional lattice quantum field theories, and the circuits are used to simulate scattering on a quantum computer.