Variational quantum eigensolver for SU(N) fermions

Variational quantum algorithms aim at harnessing the power of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computers, by using a classical optimizer to train a parameterized quantum circuit to solve tractable quantum problems. The variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) is one of the aforementioned algorithms designed to determine the ground-state of many-body Hamiltonians. Here, we apply the VQE to study the ground-state properties of N-component fermions. With such knowledge, we study the persistent current of interacting SU(N) fermions, which is employed to reliably map out the different quantum phases of the system. Our approach lays out the basis for a current-based quantum simulator of many-body systems that can be implemented on NISQ computers.