Ultracold rings of trapped ions in Silicon traps with novel applications to quantum many-body physics and quantum computing
Abstract
Ultracold rings of trapped ions in silicon traps withnovel applications to quantum many-body physicsand quantum computingAbstractBending a linear chain of ions onto itself eliminates ?finite size effects from its edges. All ionsin a ring experience the same forces, realizing an idealized model often used to study complexmany-body phenomena such as quantum phase transitions. Here we propose to establishcontrol over ion rings to pursue novel quantum physics experiments. Controlling the rotationof the ring would allow us to study phase transitions, effects of quantum statistics for trappedions, as well as processes analogous to Hawking radiation.First, we will explore the paradigm of non-equilibrium transitions in the form of theKibble-Zurek mechanism. We can induce a phase transition from a para- to a ferromagneticstate by ramping down the transverse confinement of the trap until the ions form a zig-zagstructure. Crossing the quantum critical point will necessarily be diabatic and thus generatesexcitations. These manifest themselves as topological defects similar to domain walls formedduring the expansion of the early universe.Second, we aim to demonstrate that despite a lack of wave function overlap, quantumstatistics can still be relevant for ions. Two ions, in contrast to photons and atoms, cannever get close to each other due to their mutual Coulomb repulsion. Naively, quantumstatistics should not play a role in their interaction. A ring of identical ions would providea textbook example of a system without single-particle wave function overlap, where theindistinguishability of the ions determines the symmetry of the many-body wave functionand its energy spectrum.Both of these goals hinge on a superior symmetry of the trapping potential. Thereforeour trap electrodes are fabricated from doped silicon which allows for a reduced surfaceroughness as compared to electroplated metal ?lms. While doped silicon electrodes enablehighly symmetric traps, it is an open question whether the electric ?field noise from thoseelectrodes is low enough to guarantee suffi?cient motional coherence for our quantum experiments. We therefore plan to study the electric ?field noise characteristics of silicon traps andtest whether their performance can be improved with surface treatments such as argon ionbombardment. These studies will not only guide our future trap fabrication process, butmore importantly will give insight into whether traps based solely on the ubiquitous siliconfabrication technology can be used for advanced ion trap quantum computing architectures.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 03, 2017
- Source ID
- N000141712278
Entities
People
- Hartmut Haeffner
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California Regents