13-ion quantum simulator reportedly models particle formation from energy

Duke researchers used 13 trapped ytterbium ions to simulate “string breaking” and track the process in real time, according to a post. The account says simulated particle-antiparticle pairs appeared near the string’s ends and moved inward, differing from the conventional mechanism physicists expected. It emphasizes that this was a simplified model—not a simulation of the full physics of the early universe—and says the work was published in Nature Physics on September 23, 2026.