A quantum computer made of trapped ions played the role of a tiny universe. In it, particles didn't just move; they wove into knots that change their properties when swapped. Such knots are called Fibonacci anyons: they aren't ordinary particles but rather vortices in the fabric of space.
Physicists wanted to see how this universe reaches thermal equilibrium, like a cup of coffee cooling to room temperature. To do this, they performed up to 47 sequential 'swaps' of the knots. Each swap is like a move in a complex game where the rules are set by a non-Abelian gauge theory — the kind that describes strong interactions inside atomic nuclei.
This approach opens the door to simulating realistic field theories on quantum computers. Instead of simplified one-dimensional models, we can now tackle two-dimensional and more complex ones: those where space already resembles ours.
Fibonacci anyons are candidates for ultra-protected quantum computing: information is stored not in a particle, but in how their trajectories are braided.
The idea of particles that remember their history of swaps recalls the 'chrono-crystals' from Greg Egan's novel 'Schild's Ladder'.