A versatile quantum simulator for coupled oscillators using a 1D chain of atoms trapped near an optical nanofiber

Abstract

The transversely confined propagating light modes of a nano-photonic optical waveguide or nanofiber can mediate effectively infinite-range forces. We show that for a linear chain of particles trapped within the waveguide's evanescent field, transverse illumination with a suitable set of laser frequencies should allow the implementation of a coupled-oscillator quantum simulator with time-dependent and widely controllable all-to-all interactions. At the example of the energy spectrum of oscillators with simulated Coulomb interactions we show that different effective coupling geometries can be emulated with high precision by proper choice of laser illumination conditions. Similarly, basic quantum gates can be selectively implemented between arbitrarily chosen pairs of oscillators in the energy basis as well as in a coherent-state basis. Key properties of the system dynamics and states can be monitored continuously by analysis of the out-coupled fiber fields.