PPD-NQCC seminar: Spectral splits & Quantum bits

by Dr David M Benoit (University of Hull)

Wednesday 10 Jun 2026, 11:30 → 12:30 Europe/London

R61 CR03 (RAL)

Abstract: Core-collapse supernovae are among the most energetic events in the universe, producing vast numbers of neutrinos that play a crucial role in the explosion dynamics and synthesis of heavy elements. In these extreme environments, neutrinos form a strongly interacting quantum fluid whose collective behaviour is challenging to model due to the exponential complexity of the underlying quantum system. In this talk, I will introduce the physics of supernova neutrinos and present our development of a quantum (+gravity) model of collective neutrino oscillations in the supernova shock region. Preliminary quantum computing simulations will be discussed, including evidence for spectral splitting and the emergence of mean-field behaviour. This work explores whether large-scale quantum simulations can provide new insights into neutrino correlations and their impact on supernova dynamics and multi-messenger observations.

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