Out of Nothing

Quantum annealer simulates false vacuum decay

04 February 2025

The formation of the universe after the Big Bang is the subject of ongoing research. A team of scientists from Jülich Supercomputing Centre at Forschungszentrum Jülich, the University of Leeds and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria has now succeeded in gaining important insights into false vacuum decay, a process related to the formation of the universe and the behaviour of particles on the smallest scales. The calculations were carried out with a quantum annealer that is connected to a classical supercomputer at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. Using a combination of calculations on the supercomputer and the quantum annealer, scientists were able to understand the phenomenon of false vacuum decay. The results have been published in the journal Nature Physics.

Aus dem Nichts: Quantenannealer simuliert Zerfall des falschen Vakuums
Quantum annealer has simulated the fundamental process of false vacuum decay, opening the window to the understanding of interactions between true vacuum bubbles.
Professor Zlatko Papic (Image created using Povray)

There are still many unanswered questions in the study of the universe. One of them is the decay of the "false vacuum". Almost 50 years ago, the theoretical physicist Sydney Coleman postulated that our universe might be in a metastable state - the universe appears stable, but is about to enter the so-called "true vacuum". In this case, we would currently be in a false vacuum that has residual energy and, like all physical systems, is trying to minimise its energy and reach a stable ground state.

" This phenomenon is comparable to a rollercoaster that has several valleys along its trajectory but only one ‘true’ lowest state, at ground level," explains Dr Jean-Yves Desaules from ISTA. " If that is indeed the case, quantum mechanics would allow the Universe to eventually tunnel to the lowest energy state or the ‘true’ vacuum and that process would result in a cataclysmic global event.”

The decay process would proceed as follows: At any given time, so-called "bubbles" of the real vacuum form in the background of the false vacuum and interact with each other. At some point, a much larger bubble could then form, which would spread at the speed of light and destroy everything in its path.

However, other theories assume that the false vacuum reached its ground state shortly after the Big Bang and that we are already in a true vacuum.

From idea to realisation

First author Dr Jaka Vodeb from Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich had the idea of using the advantages of a quantum annealer to simulate the decay of the false vacuum. “Quantum computers today are still very limited in their capabilities; however, I believe that certain very specific applications of already existing hardware already offer quantum advantage,” explains Jaka Vodeb. Quantum advantage refers to a situation where a quantum computer can solve a problem faster or more efficiently than any classical computer. “It is only a matter of asking the right question and using the right type of device to answer it,” he continues.

Vodeb quickly realized that his efforts would require collaboration, so he asked Professor Zlatko Papic from the University of Leeds and Dr Jean-Yves Desaules from ISTA for support. Papic and Desaules brought expertise in theoretical quantum physics and numerical emulation, complementing Vodeb’s work on the quantum annealer.

" We are trying to develop systems where we can carry out simple experiments to study these sorts of things. The time scales for these processes happening in the universe are huge, but using the annealer allows us to observe them in real time, so we can actually see what's happening.," says Professor Zlatko Papic from the University of Leeds. " This exciting work, which merges cutting-edge quantum simulation with deep theoretical physics, shows how close we are to solving some of the universe’s biggest mysteries."

Wide range of applications

All calculations were carried out with the quantum annealer from the company D-Wave, which is integrated into the Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum computing JUNIQ.
Forschungszentrum Jülich / Sascha Kreklau

The quantum annealer was used to solve a quantum mechanical many-body system. Such a system describes the properties of many interacting particles. Unlike classical computers, which struggle to simulate such processes due to the exponential growth of variables in many-body quantum systems, quantum annealers naturally model these phenomena through their qubit-based architecture. The true vacuum bubbles, which spread throughout the system and interact with each other, are naturally represented on the annealer as a group of qubits with the same value (for example, 0) compared to the false vacuum bubbles (for example, 1). However, the qubits were typically never in a pure 0 or 1 state, but in a superposition state that tended towards 0 or 1, depending on the nature of the bubble.

The researchers were able to create a metastable false vacuum state and observe the processes taking place in a precise and controlled manner. “Combining my results from the annealer and their expertise, we were able to completely understand how the bubbles of the true vacuum form and how they interact,” Vodeb explains. “This study represents a new step forward in understanding such complex dynamics and showcases the power of combining specialized quantum hardware with interdisciplinary expertise.”

In addition to its significance for cosmology, the study also has implications for further developments in quantum computing. The results are groundbreaking for future technologies that could fundamentally change areas such as cryptography, materials research and energy-saving computing.

Infrastructure for quantum computing

JUNIQ, the Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum computing, was founded at the JSC in autumn 2019 and provides researchers with Europe-wide, open access to various quantum systems. In addition to D-Wave, the offer also includes powerful quantum emulators with which researchers can simulate quantum computers on classical supercomputers. JUNIQ also incorporates experimental systems and prototypes, such as those developed in the pioneering QSolid and OpenSuperQPlus research projects. In November 2024, Forschungszentrum Jülich also received a quantum simulator from the company Pasqal, which will be integrated into the JSC supercomputer infrastructure under the European project HPCQS and made available to European users via JUNIQ. Like JSC's supercomputers, the quantum computers are used through a peer-review process.In addition, JSC experts provide user support, service and training and develop algorithms and prototype applications for the systems together with other researchers.. In this context, the modular supercomputing architecture developed by JSC together with industrial partners offers ideal conditions for coupling quantum computers with classical supercomputers and thus enabling hybrid computing.

Original Publication

Vodeb, J., Desaules, JY., Hallam, A. et al. Stirring the false vacuum via interacting quantized bubbles on a 5,564-qubit quantum annealer. Nat. Phys. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02765-w

>>> University of Leeds press release: Quantum machine offers peek into “dance” of cosmic bubbles

Contact

Dr. Jaka Vodeb

Postdoctoral researcher in the Quantum Information Processing Group

  • Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS)
  • Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC)
Building 16.4 /
Room 308A
+49 2461/61-6503
E-Mail
  • Institute for Advanced Simulation (IAS)
  • Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC)
Building 16.3 /
Room R 340
+49 2461/61-2524
E-Mail

Media Contact

Dr. Irina Heese

Communication and Outreach Quantum Computing

    Building 15.3 /
    Room 3028b
    +49 2461/61-85847
    E-Mail

    Further Information

    Jülich Supercomputing Centre am Forschungszentrum Jülich

    The Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich provides researchers in Germany and Europe with computing time on supercomputers of the highest performance class and operates JUNIQ, a European quantum computing infrastructure for science and industry. JSC scientists combine outstanding expertise in the fields of high-performance computing, quantum computing and artificial intelligence, develop reliable, transparent AI tools and basic models, and are highly sought-after experts in science and industry.

    JSC is embedded in Forschungszentrum Jülich, a member of the Helmholtz Association, which employs 7,400 people and conducts interdisciplinary research for a digitized society, a climate-friendly energy system, and sustainable economic activity. Research in the natural, life, and technical sciences focuses on the areas of information, energy, and bioeconomics.

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    University of Leeds

    The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 40,000 students from about 140 different countries. We are renowned globally for the quality of our teaching and research.

    We are a values-driven university, and we harness our expertise in research and education to help shape a better future for humanity, working through collaboration to tackle inequalities, achieve societal impact and drive change.

    The University is a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, and is a major partner in the Alan Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes

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    Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)

    The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is a PhD-granting research institution located in Klosterneuburg, 18 km from the center of Vienna, Austria. ISTA employs professors on a tenure-track model, post-doctoral researchers, and PhD students. The Graduate School of ISTA offers fully funded PhD positions to highly qualified candidates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in biology, mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, and related areas. While dedicated to the principle of curiosity-driven research, ISTA aims to deliver scientific findings to society through technological transfer and science education. The President of the Institute is Martin Hetzer, a renowned molecular biologist, and former Senior Vice President at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, USA.

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    Last Modified: 12.02.2025