Researchers just used a quantum computer to simulate a 'traversable wormhole' in a lab.
April 15, 2026
Original Paper
Quantum simulation of traversable-wormhole-inspired quantum teleportation in a chaotic binary sparse SYK model
arXiv · 2604.10090
The Takeaway
Wormholes are usually the stuff of science fiction, but this paper describes how a quantum processor was used to mimic the physics of a shortcut through spacetime. They used a specific mathematical model (the sparse SYK model) to teleport quantum information in a way that is mathematically identical to a particle passing through a wormhole. This isn't just a metaphor; it’s a 'duality' where the math of quantum gravity and the math of quantum computing are the same. This allows scientists to study the secrets of black holes and gravity using chips instead of spaceships. It’s a massive step toward a 'Theory of Everything' that connects the tiny world of atoms to the massive world of stars.
From the abstract
We report the experimental observation of holographically motivated quantum teleportation on a quantum processor, driven by the highly entangled, chaotic dynamics of a many-body system. Specifically, we implement the traversable-wormhole (TW) protocol utilizing a \textit{chaotic} binary sparse $N = 8$ Sachdev--Ye--Kitaev (SYK) model. This optimized approach dramatically reduces circuit depth for noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) hardware while rigorously preserving the spectral chaos requi