Quantum Simulation with a Trilinear Hamiltonian

Interaction among harmonic oscillators described by a trilinear Hamiltonian (h) over bar xi(a(dagger)bc + ab(dagger)c(dagger)) is one of the most fundamental models in quantum optics. By employing the anharmonicity of the Coulomb potential in a linear trapped three-ion crystal, we experimentally implement it among three normal modes of motion in the strong-coupling regime, where the coupling strength is much larger than the decoherence rate of the ion motion. We use it to simulate the interaction of an atom and light as described by the Tavis-Cummings model and the process of nondegenerate parametric down-conversion in the regime of a depleted pump.