Using quantum computing to see what’s inside a black hole

(TechExplorist) Enrico Rinaldi, research scientist in the University of Michigan Department of Physics, is using two simulation methods to solve quantum matrix models which can describe what the gravity of a black hole looks like. In this image, a pictorial representation of curved space time connects the two simulation methods. Rinaldi is based in Tokyo and hosted by the Theoretical Quantum Physics Laboratory at the Cluster for Pioneering Research at RIKEN, Wako. Image credit: Enrico Rinaldi/U-M, RIKEN and A. Silvestri.
Rinaldi is trying to better understand the idea called holographic duality, a mathematical conjecture that connects theories of particles and their interactions with the theory of gravity.
The gravity of a black hole exists in three- dimensions, whereas the particles dance above it in two dimensions. Hence, the black hole exists in a three-dimensional space, but we see it projected through particles.
In a new study, scientists identified a way to explore holographic duality using quantum computing and deep learning to find the lowest energy state of mathematical problems called quantum matrix models. The quantum matrix model represents particle theory. Solving such a quantum matrix model could reveal information about gravity.
Scientists defined quantum wave function as the mathematical description of the quantum state of their matrix model. Using a particular neural network, they were able to find the wave function of the matrix with the lowest possible energy—its ground state.
Rinaldi said, “Other methods people typically use can find the energy of the ground state but not the entire structure of the wave function. We have shown how to get the full information about the ground state using these new emerging technologies, quantum computers, and deep learning.”
“Because these matrices are one possible representation for a special type of black hole, if we know how the matrices are arranged and what their properties are, we can know, for example, what a black hole looks like on the inside. What is on the event horizon for a black hole? Where does it come from? Answering these questions would be a step towards realizing a quantum theory of gravity.”