Photonic Interfaces for Neutral Atom Quantum Computers
ORAL · Invited
Abstract
Neutral atom arrays have emerged as one of the leading platforms for quantum information science. Realizing their full potential will greatly benefit from the integration with photonic interfaces. These would unlock a novel class of distributed quantum applications, ranging from distributed quantum sensing and long-distance quantum communication to blind quantum computing, and the networking of multiple processors into larger fault-tolerant systems. Coupling atoms to optical cavities is a particularly promising route, enhancing atom-photon interactions and enabling entanglement generation orders of magnitude faster than free-space approaches.
In this talk, I will present a series of experiments that develop the key building blocks of such an interface and demonstrate their compatibility with state-of-the-art neutral-atom processors. First, using atoms in optical tweezers coupled to a nanophotonic photonic-crystal cavity, we generate cavity-mediated entanglement and coherently transport the entangled atoms into free space, bridging cavity-based and free-space quantum operations. Next, we show that coherent Rydberg excitation and two-atom entanglement can be performed within ~100 μm of the nanophotonic device, and we use the entangled pair as a probe of local electric fields. We then integrate tweezer-trapped atoms with a high-cooperativity Fabry-Perot fiber cavity, demonstrating fast qubit readout and cavity-mediated entangling operations with integrated error detection. Finally, I will introduce a new buckled-membrane micromirror fabrication technique that produces ultra-high-finesse optical cavities in a compact, scalable geometry that can be directly integrated with existing neutral-atom quantum processors. Together, these results outline concrete pathways toward novel utility-scale applications of neutral-atom quantum information systems.
Ph.D. completed at Harvard University under the supervision of Prof. Mikhail D. Lukin.
In this talk, I will present a series of experiments that develop the key building blocks of such an interface and demonstrate their compatibility with state-of-the-art neutral-atom processors. First, using atoms in optical tweezers coupled to a nanophotonic photonic-crystal cavity, we generate cavity-mediated entanglement and coherently transport the entangled atoms into free space, bridging cavity-based and free-space quantum operations. Next, we show that coherent Rydberg excitation and two-atom entanglement can be performed within ~100 μm of the nanophotonic device, and we use the entangled pair as a probe of local electric fields. We then integrate tweezer-trapped atoms with a high-cooperativity Fabry-Perot fiber cavity, demonstrating fast qubit readout and cavity-mediated entangling operations with integrated error detection. Finally, I will introduce a new buckled-membrane micromirror fabrication technique that produces ultra-high-finesse optical cavities in a compact, scalable geometry that can be directly integrated with existing neutral-atom quantum processors. Together, these results outline concrete pathways toward novel utility-scale applications of neutral-atom quantum information systems.
Ph.D. completed at Harvard University under the supervision of Prof. Mikhail D. Lukin.
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Presenters
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Brandon Grinkemeyer
- Harvard University