Integrated photonics and electronics for chip-scale quantum control of trapped ions
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. EST
Jules Stuart, Graduate Student
MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Physics
Trapped atomic ions are promising candidates for quantum information processing and quantum sensing. Current state-of-the-art trapped-ion systems require many lasers and electronics to achieve precise timing and control over quantum states. Usually, electronic signals are sent into vacuum chambers via wire feedthroughs, and laser light is focused down to a trapped ion’s location with external lenses mounted outside of viewports on the chamber. These requirements lead to dense and complex setups that may be prone to drift and limit the amount of control that can be achieved.
In this presentation, Stuart will report on recent progress toward integrating control technology into the substrate of the ion trap itself. By using a planar trap design, which is compatible with lithographic fabrication, other well-developed processes may be implemented in order to enhance the function of the ion trap. In one experiment, researchers demonstrate an ion trap with integrated, CMOS-based high-voltage sources, which can be used to control the motional frequency and position of a trapped ion. In another demonstration, they use photonic waveguides and diffractive grating couplers to route light around a chip and focus it onto ions trapped above the surface.
Integrating controls into ion traps has the potential to increase the density of independently controllable ions on a chip in next-generation systems, but there are also many immediate practical benefits. Reducing the number of required feedthroughs allows chambers to be made more compact, which may be useful for ion-based clocks or sensors. The researchers also show that integrated-photonic platforms help to reduce vibration-induced noise seen when using external optics, which may enable portable systems based on trapped-ion quantum information processing.
Attendees can join and participate in the series via Zoom. Meeting ID#: 860 986 455.