Research in theoretical nuclear physics currently relies on high-performance computing to conduct ab initio simulations of atomic nuclei. These calculations enable systematic predictions, serving both to address fundamental questions and to support experimental activities. Significant progress has been made in this field in recent years, leading the CEA team to achieve, in 2026, the first ab initio calculation of the heavy nucleus U-238.

Despite these advances, ab initio calculations of nuclear structure and, in particular, nuclear reactions remain extremely challenging. At the same time, quantum computing is emerging as a new computational paradigm with the potential to transform current approaches and help overcome existing numerical bottlenecks. In this context, a few years ago the CEA team initiated a research program focused on quantum algorithms applied to the nuclear many-body problem.

Within this long-term perspective, this PhD project aims to develop quantum algorithms for calculating key quantities in many-body theory: Green’s functions. These objects, which encode the correlations between the constituents of an interacting system, allow for the study of both the static properties of nuclei and the description of dynamic processes, such as nuclear reactions. This makes them particularly well-suited for quantum computing, where dynamic evolution can be encoded in a natural way.

More specifically, the project will focus on hybrid computational protocols, i.e. combining quantum and classical operations. The algorithms will be implemented and tested on quantum emulators and, wherever possible, on digital quantum platforms. The results of this project will help define future computational strategies in nuclear theory.