Fully-programmable universal quantum simulator with a one-dimensional quantum processor

Current quantum devices execute specific tasks that are hard for classical computers and have the potential to solve problems such as quantum simulation of material science and chemistry, even without error correction. For practical applications it is highly desirable to reconfigure the connectivity of the device, which for superconducting quantum processors is determined at fabrication. In addition, we require a careful design of control lines and couplings to resonators for measurements. Therefore, it is a cumbersome and slow undertaking to fabricate a new device for each problem we want to solve. Here we periodically drive a one-dimensional chain to engineer effective Hamiltonians that simulate arbitrary connectivities. We demonstrate the capability of our method by engineering driving sequences to simulate star, all-to-all, and ring connectivities. We also simulate a minimal example of the 3-SAT problem including three-body interactions, which are difficult to realize experimentally. Our results open a new paradigm to perform quantum simulation in near term quantum devices by enabling us to stroboscopically simulate arbitrary Hamiltonians with a single device and optimized driving sequences