Please join us for a presentation by Dr. John Chiaverini from Lincoln Laboratory at MIT.

Title: New Technologies and Techniques for Trapped-Ion Quantum Information Processing

Abstract: Trapped atomic ions are one of the most promising physical implementations for useful quantum information processing due to their reproducibility, long coherence times, and predictable behavior.  Unfortunately, however, current trapped-ion systems are susceptible to deleterious noise from various environmental sources, reducing the achievable precision with which ion quantum states can be prepared, manipulated, and measured.  Moreover, individually controlling arrays of ion qubits with the fidelity attainable in few-ion experiments is challenging using the technology traditionally employed in atomic physics experiments, with limitations also imposed by the set of electronic states typically used for encoding qubits.  I will describe some of the integrated technologies we are developing to enable precision control of trapped-ion systems, as well as some of the new techniques for state control we are investigating to reduce unwanted effects encountered when working with multiple ion qubits.  This work has the potential to bring quantum computers and portable quantum sensors closer to practicality, while also advancing basic science exploration.