Simulating superluminal propagation of Dirac particles using trapped ions

Abstract

Simulating quantum phenomena in extreme spacetimes in the laboratory represents a powerful approach to explore fundamental physics in the interplay of quantum field theory and general relativity. Here we propose to simulate the movement of a Dirac particle propagating with a superluminal velocity caused by the emergent Alcubierre warp drive spacetime using trapped ions. We demonstrate that the platform allows observing the tilted lightcone that manifests as a superluminal velocity, which is in agreement with the prediction of general relativity. Furthermore, the Zitterbewegung effect arising from relativistic quantum mechanics persists with the superluminal propagation and is experimentally measurable. The present scheme can be extended to simulate the Dirac equation in other exotic curved spacetimes, thus provides a versatile tool to gain insights into the fundamental limit of these extreme spacetimes.