Scattering in 1+1D Scalar Field Theory on a Quantum Computer*

The scattering of wavepackets in one-dimensional interacting scalar field theory is simulated on a quantum computer. To initialize the "asymptotic states" for the scattering, the vacuum of the theory is prepared with a variational algorithm. Localized wavepackets with equal but opposite momenta are then created on opposite ends of the lattice. The system is then time-evolved to study the dynamics of scattering events and their products. Quantum resource requirements and impacts of digitization and discretization on the quality of the results are discussed, as well as challenges and implications of this work.