Fermion Scattering on Quantum Computers

Abstract

Resonant scattering links particle interactions to the formation and decay of unstable excitations. We develop a hybrid quantum-computing framework to study these dynamics through fermion–antifermion collisions. Our formulation of $(1+1)$-dimensional Yukawa theory encodes fermions in qubits and the scalar field in qumodes. We identify the operations needed for a photonic implementation and benchmark the dynamics with tensor-network simulations. Near resonance, we resolve the build-up of a localised scalar excitation and the subsequent partial return of energy to the fermions. Enhanced entanglement accompanies this exchange. Time-dependent correlator measurements reproduce the analytically predicted decay rate to a few percent precision, with energy scans exhibiting a resonance peak consistent with packet-averaged Breit–Wigner behaviour. These results establish a concrete scattering benchmark for hybrid quantum computers and demonstrate how local real-time observables can probe particle-resonance dynamics.