Exploring quantum phases of matter on quantum processors

Matter occurs in different phases. For example, liquid water turns into solid ice when cooled down below the freezing temperature. In quantum many-body systems, many additional exotic phases can arise, which are characterized by their quantum entanglement. Among them, are topological quantum phases which form the backbone of various quantum error correction codes and can be understood in terms of gauge theories. In this talk we will discuss how the toric code, a paradigmatic state for topological oder, can be explored on a quantum computer. Furthermore, we will show how the dynamics of the excitations of a deformed toric code state can be probed and how they are related to fundamental excetations and strings in a corresponding lattice gauge theory.