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arXiv:1505.01237 · Physical Review A

Polarization of electric-field noise near metallic surfaces

Philipp Schindler, Dylan J Gorman, Nikos Daniilidis, Hartmut Häffner

Published Jul 16, 2015• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Electric-field noise in proximity to metallic surfaces is a poorly understood phenomenon that appears in different areas of physics. Trapped ion quantum information processors are particularly susceptible to this noise, leading to motional decoherence, which ultimately limits the fidelity of quantum operations. On the other hand, trapped ions present an ideal tool to study this effect, opening new possibilities in surface science. In this work we analyze and measure the polarization of the noise field in a microfabricated ion trap for various noise sources. We find that technical noise sources and noise emanating directly from the surface give rise to different degrees of polarization, which allows us to differentiate between the two noise sources. Based on this we demonstrate a method to infer the magnitude of surface noise in the presence of technical noise.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.92.013414

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Electric-field noise in proximity to metallic surfaces is a poorly understood phenomenon that appears in different areas of physics. Trapped ion quantum information processors are particularly susceptible to this noise, leading to motional decoherence, which ultimately limits the fidelity of quantum operations. On the other hand, trapped ions present an ideal tool to study this effect, opening new possibilities in surface science. In this work we analyze and measure the polarization of the noise field in a microfabricated ion trap for various noise sources. We find that technical noise sources and noise emanating directly from the surface give rise to different degrees of polarization, which allows us to differentiate between the two noise sources. Based on this we demonstrate a method to infer the magnitude of surface noise in the presence of technical noise.
How can the electric noise in the vicinity of a metallic body be measured and understood? Trapped ions, known as unique tools for metrology and quantum information processing, also constitute very sensitive probes of this electric noise for distances from micrometers to millimeters. This paper presents various models for the origin of the electric noise, provides a critical review of the experimental findings, and summarizes the important questions that are still open in this active research area.
In this work, we present a novel method to couple any two vibrational modes of a single trapped ion, allowing energy to be swapped between the two modes. We use the scheme to perform ground state cooling and heating rate measurements of vibrational modes without direct optical access. This lessens experimental design constraints in trapped ion experi- ments, particularly in surface trap apparatus where optical access can be difficult.We use a single ion as an electric-field noise sensor to study noise processes originating on the metallic surfaces of microfabricated ion traps. We show that realistic models of surface noise predict a specific polarization of the electric-field fluctuations relative to the trap geometry. In contrast, technical noise sources predict a different polarization direction and magnitude which can be inferred by electrostatic simulation of the trapping electrodes. We show that, by comparing heating rates of the two radial modes of a single trapped ion, one can determine whether technical noise sources are a significant contribution to heating. This is an important test for experiments aimed at studying surface noise effects. We also study dephasing due to surface noise, in which the electric potential curvature due to surface noise sources disturbs the phase of the ion motion. We measure the dephasing time for trapped ion motion. Using a noise model featuring dipolar noise sources, we probe the power spectrum of surface noise effects. These measurements, especially if repeated in a trap with smaller ion-electrode distances, may yield new insights as to the physical origin of surface noise effects.We demonstrate a two-ion quantum simulation of vibrationally-assisted energy transfer, an important phenomenon in biochemical energy transfer. We show that the quantum simulator performs well when benchmarked against exact numerical simulation. We believe that our approach can be scaled to more complicated systems beyond the reach of classical simulation, and discuss several methods for extending the simulation.
We probe electric-field noise in a surface ion trap for ion-surface distances ddd between 50 and 300 \textmu{}m in the normal and planar directions. We find the noise distance dependence to scale as ${d}^{\ensuremath{-}2.6}$ in our trap and a frequency dependence which is consistent with 1/f1/f1/f noise. Simulations of the electric-field noise specific to our trap geometry provide evidence that we are not limited by technical noise sources. Our distance scaling data is consistent with a noise correlation length of about 100 \textmu{}m at the trap surface, and we discuss how patch potentials of this size would be modified by the electrode geometry.
Microfabricated Paul ion traps show tremendous promise for large-scale quantum information processing. However, motional heating of ions can have a detrimental effect on the fidelity of quantum logic operations in miniaturized, scalable designs. In many experiments, motional heating rates are ascribed solely to anomalous heating, which arises at least in part from electric field noise from the trap surface not attributable to any known mechanisms. Contributions to measured ion heating rates due to technical voltage noise present on the static (DC) and radio frequency (RF) electrodes—i.e., due to voltage sources, amplifiers, and other electrical components—can often be overlooked. We present a reliable method for determining the extent to which motional heating is dominated by technical voltage noise on the DC or RF electrodes. Also, we demonstrate that stray DC electric fields can shift the ion position such that technical noise on the RF electrode can significantly contribute to the motional heating rate. After minimizing the pseudopotential gradient experienced by the ion induced by stray DC electric fields, the motional heating due to RF technical noise can be significantly reduced.
All surfaces generate electric-field noise, yet the physical origins of this noise are not well understood. This has been an active area of research in the ion trapping community for the past two decades, as ions are highly sensitive to electric-field fluctuations. With our work, we aim to illuminate the microscopic processes that drive charge dynamics on metal surfaces, so as to enable the engineering of low noise quantum devices. We use single trapped calcium ions as detectors to study the 1/f noise generated by the surfaces of ion traps. We the study this noise by observing how it responds to changes in the properties of the trap surface. The surface properties are altered using treatments including prolonged heating, argon ion milling, and electron bombardment. In situ characterization tools are used to monitor the effects of these treatments. Our measurements are consistent with noise produced by an ensemble of thermally activated fluctuators, so our data is discussed in this context. In this dissertation, we present results from a lengthy series of surface treatment experiments, the majority of which took place on a single aluminum-copper substrate. The results of these experiments indicate that argon ion milling can lower noise both by removing contaminants and by altering the morphology of the trap surface. The effects of morphology are isolated from the effects of contaminant removal via heat treatments, which alter the structure of the surface without changing its chemical composition. Through electron bombardment experiments, we begin an exploration of the relationship between hydrocarbon adsorbate structure and electric-field noise. In addition, we compare the noise characteristics of a set of similarly fabricated traps, and determine that atmosphere exposure has a major impact on noise produced by aluminum-copper films.These experiments establish links between the electric-field noise characteristics and the microscopic properties of a contaminated metal trap surface. The insights we draw in this work can inform the next generation of ion trap engineering, storage, and treatment.
Electric-field noise in microfabricated surface ion traps contributes to gate errors in trapped-ion quantum computers, but this noise has been challenging to predict. Here, we present a method to predict the electric-field noise arising from fluctuations in the bulk of dielectric and metallic materials. The method is valid for arbitrary trap geometries, and the only relevant material property is energy loss. We apply it to an ion trap with an electrically floating electrode and find the contribution from dielectrics to be dominant. Our model predicts the observed noise for this trap within a factor of four. In addition, we apply our model to typical surface trap designs and analyze how the electrode structures shield the noise.