Measuring central charge on a universal quantum processor.

ABSTRACT: Central charge is a fundamental quantity in conformal field theories (CFT), and plays a crucial role in determining universality classes of critical points in two-dimensional systems. Despite its significance, the measurement of central charge has remained elusive thus far. In this work, we present the experimental determination of the central charge using a universal quantum processor. Using a classically optimized variational quantum circuit and employing advanced error mitigation techniques, we successfully prepare ground states of various 1 + 1D quantum spin chain models at their critical point. Leveraging the heavy-hex structure of IBM quantum processors, we are able to implement periodic boundary conditions and mitigate boundary effects. We then extract the central charge from the sc

SUBMITTER: Koyluoglu NU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12789439 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature