Since the theoretical discovery of Hawking radiation, the quantum nature of black holes has become a central topic in theoretical physics. This topic has motivated experimental searches for quantum black holes based on theories of quantum gravity.

Realizing quantum black holes in the laboratory would open a path toward experimental studies of quantum gravity, key to reconciling general relativity with quantum mechanics. However, no evidence of black hole creation has been observed till date.

A study published in Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics presents one of the first concrete proposals to realize in the laboratory a quantum many-body model that is equivalent to a quantum black hole based on the holographic principle. The work introduces a novel route using optical-lattice systems loaded with ultracold atomic gases.

The proposed approach suggests a way to experimentally realize the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev (SYK) model, which is considered holographically dual to charged black-holes with 2D anti-de Sitter (AdS₂) horizons, by confining ultracold fermionic atoms into optical lattices. Specifically, the method approximates the original SYK model, consisting of spin-polarized fermions with an all-to-all random two-body hopping, by coupling all atomic band combinations of two atoms with molecular states via photo-association (PA) lasers. In the limit of the large number of molecular states, this model can exactly reproduce the SYK model.

The study also demonstrated how out-of-time-order correlation (OTOC) functions and the single-particle Green’s function, which characterize properties of black holes, could be measured in this model by utilizing a control qubit consisting of an atom in a double well.

This work has helped inspire a growing body of research, expanding beyond cold-atom systems to quantum wires, graphene, NMR, and superconducting quantum circuits. As the first step towards experimentally exploring holographic quantum gravity, this study has been honored with The Outstanding Paper Award of the Physical Society of Japan in 2026.

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