Quantum computer simulates fundamental particle interactions for the first time

A quantum computer that can simulate interactions between fundamental particles has been unveiled by physicists in Austria. Four trapped ions were used to model the physics that describes the creation and annihilation of electron–positron pairs. While the result can be easily calculated using a conventional computer, problems that are beyond the reach of even the most powerful supercomputers could be solved by the computer if it could be scaled up to include about 30 ions.