Quantum simulations: 1D black holes and non-abelian anyons

Numerical simulation is typically used to study the dynamics of complex quantum systems, namely 1-dimensional many-body spin systems and 2-dimensional spin lattice models. Systems of this nature tend to have large or complicated to experimentally realise Hilbert spaces. This results in a difficulty in producing realistic experimental methods of creating interacting spin systems and non-abelian topological phenomena. It also gives a limited success in numerical simulation, requiring advanced methods of quantum simulation to achieve results on an interesting scale. In this thesis we verify known theoretical properties and uncover new features of two such models: a many-body XX Hamiltonian modified with an interacting chiral term and a quantum double model utilised in the manipulation of topological particles. The interacting chiral spin chain has previously shown a rich variety of properties, from the semi-classical black hole background found in its continuum limit, to measurements of Hawking radiation and maximal information scrambling abilities. Our work builds upon these findings. First by analysing the phase order transition from the dominance of the chiral coupling and identifying the role interactions play in the chiral phase that define the interior of a black hole. The interactions of this model are then broken down with the Trotter-Suzuki method into a set of local evolutionary ’gates’. This quantum circuit decomposition of the chiral many-body dynamics gives rise to a potential method of experimental realisation, both of black hole geometry and of its maximal scrambling. Then a lattice model capable of manipulating topological particles is introduced. With this model we produce a methodology of extracting the braiding statistics of a simple non-abelian set of topological quasiparticles based on the S3 group with minimal resources. Within the limitations of this model, we manage to produce the result that the braiding operator this particle set has the ability to produce quantum magic states. This indicates a capability to perform universal quantum computation that can be demonstrated in the laboratory with current technology.