Abstract We present a review of quantum computation with neutral atom qubits. After an overview of architectural options and approaches to preparing large qubit arrays we examine Rydberg mediated gate protocols and fidelity for two- and multi-qubit interactions. Quantum simulation and Rydberg dressing are alternatives to circuit based quantum computing for exploring many body quantum dynamics. We review the properties of the dressing interaction and provide a quantitative figure of merit for the complexity of the coherent dynamics that can be accessed with dressing. We conclude with a summary of the current status and an outlook for future progress.
Abstract We present a review of quantum computation with neutral atom qubits. After an overview of architectural options and approaches to preparing large qubit arrays we examine Rydberg mediated gate protocols and fidelity for two- and multi-qubit interactions. Quantum simulation and Rydberg dressing are alternatives to circuit based quantum computing for exploring many body quantum dynamics. We review the properties of the dressing interaction and provide a quantitative figure of merit for the complexity of the coherent dynamics that can be accessed with dressing. We conclude with a summary of the current status and an outlook for future progress.
These notes present a review of the status of quantum computing with arrays of neutral atom qubits, an approach which has demonstrated remarkable progress in the last few years. Scaling digital quantum computing to qubit counts and control fidelities that will enable solving outstanding scientific questions, and provide commercial value, is an outstanding challenge, not least because of the requirement of connecting and entangling distant qubits. Long-range Rydberg gates and physical motion outfit atomic qubit arrays with tools for establishing connectivity. These tools operate on different timescales and with distinct levels of parallelization. We analyze several prototypical architectures from the perspective of achieving fast connectivity for circuits with large scale entanglement, as well as fast cycle times for measurement based quantum error correcting codes. Extending Rydberg interactions to multiple atomic species has emerged as a promising route to achieving this latter requirement.
Neutral atom quantum computing utilizes laser-trapped neutral atoms as qubits and realizes quantum logic gate operations through Rydberg-state interactions. In recent years, it has become one of the most vibrant directions in quantum computing hardware. This paper systematically reviews the working principles of neutral-atom quantum computers, including qubit encoding, atom trapping and manipulation, Rydberg states and interactions, the Rydberg blockade quantum gate mechanism, and atom rearrangement with reconfigurable architectures. The mainstream technical routes are surveyed, represented by optical tweezer arrays combined with Rydberg interactions, optical lattice schemes, and dipole trap arrays. A panoramic review is provided of domestic and international research progress from theoretical foundations in 2000 to the latest achievements in 2026, including thousand-qubit-scale systems, logical qubits, and quantum error correction experiments. Key breakthroughs are highlighted, such as the 6100-atom qubit array, continuous operation of a 3000-qubit system, quantum simulation of the Kitaev honeycomb model, toric code error correction demonstrations, encoding rates exceeding 1/2, and fault-tolerant architectures. The core bottlenecks are analyzed in depth, including the scalability--fidelity trade-off, engineering implementation of quantum error correction, atom loss and mid-circuit replenishment, laser system industrialization, control electronics scalability, and long-distance quantum interconnection. This paper aims to provide a systematic reference for academic research and technological development in this field.
Arrays of optically trapped atoms excited to Rydberg states have recently emerged as a competitive physical platform for quantum simulation and computing, where high-fidelity state preparation and readout, quantum logic gates, and controlled quantum dynamics of more than 100 qubits have all been demonstrated. These systems are now approaching the point where reliable quantum computations with hundreds of qubits and realistically thousands of multiqubit gates with low error rates should be within reach for the first time. In this article, the authors give an overview of the Rydberg quantum toolbox, emphasizing the high degree of flexibility for encoding qubits, performing quantum operations, and engineering quantum many-body Hamiltonians. The authors then review the state-of-the-art concerning high-fidelity quantum operations and logic gates as well as quantum simulations in many-body regimes. Finally, the authors discuss computing schemes that are particularly suited to the Rydberg platform and some of the remaining challenges on the road to general purpose quantum simulators and quantum computers.
Neutral atom qubits are one of the leading approaches for implementation of a large scale quantum computer. The original proposals for neutral atom qubits were formulated more than 25 years ago, with first demonstrations of a universal gate set following 10 years later. In the last few years the performance and scale of neutral atom qubit arrays has developed at a rapid pace leading to demonstrations of quantum algorithms, and logical qubits for fault tolerant error correction. This contribution reviews the physics of the neutral atom approach, surveys current capabilities, and provides an outlook for future progress.
Programmable quantum systems provide insights into many-body quantum phenomena and enable new methods for computation and metrology. The frontier challenge for these systems is scaling up in the number of quantum particles while retaining a high degree of quantum control. In recent years arrays of neutral atoms have emerged as a scalable and powerful platform for tackling these challenges, thanks to their large number of qubits, flexible geometry, and a well-established toolbox for preparation, detection, coherent control. At the forefront of quantum science and engineering, these systems have been used for quantum simulation of various spin models and have also demonstrated building blocks of quantum computation. In this thesis I will present advances in development of large two-dimensional atom arrays, where hundreds of individual atoms are trapped, rearranged, and initialized in various defect-free arrangements in one or two dimensions. Afterwards, interactions between atoms is controlled via coherent excitation to highly excited Rydberg states, resulting in strong long-range van der Waals forces. We utilize these interaction for quantum simulation of many-body spin Hamiltonians by demonstrating preparation of several exotic phases of matter, study phase transitions, and probe non-equilibrium dynamics. Further, we study the quantum speedup in solving a hard combinatorial optimization problem via efficiently mapping the problem onto the Rydberg atom array. We also utilize Rydberg interactions to demonstrate high-fidelity two-qubit gate operations in a reconfigurable atom array architecture. Lastly I will demonstrate recent technical improvements that have enabled larger system sizes, higher fidelity rydberg excitations, and local control of individual atoms, paving the way for novel approaches for studying quantum many-body phenomena.
In any physical platform, two ingredients are essential for quantum information processing: single-qubit control, and entangling interactions between qubits. Neutral atoms can be individually controlled with high fidelity and are resilient to environmental noise, making them attractive candidates for implementing quantum information protocols. However, achieving strong interactions remains a major obstacle. One way to increase the interaction strength between neutral atoms is to excite them into high-lying Rydberg states, which exhibit large electric dipole moments (and by extension, strong electric dipole-dipole interactions). By slowly ramping up the Rydberg level coupling in a system, one can "dress'' the atomic ground states with some Rydberg character; this maps the Rydberg dipole interaction to an effective interaction between ground states. Such Rydberg-dressed interaction is the focus of this dissertation. After describing the physics of the Rydberg-dressed interaction, we propose three protocols that demonstrate its versatility and provide a framework for considering some of the details of realistic implementation. In all three cases, Rydberg dressing --- along with some form of single-atom control --- is used to generate highly entangled states of interest. Our first proposal relates to the adiabatic model of quantum computing, in which solutions to problems are encoded in the ground states of carefully engineered Hamiltonians. The Rydberg-dressed interaction can provide nonlinear Hamiltonian terms, allowing us to encode NP-hard and other interesting problems. We model this protocol in the presence of decoherence, and find that computational fidelities of ~0.98 for four atoms should be possible with currently realistic experimental parameters. Our second proposal is also related to quantum computing, this time in the circuit model. The Rydberg-dressed interaction can be used to generate a controlled-NOT logic gate which, when interwoven with single-qubit gates, can perform universal quantum computation. Experimentally, noise due to atomic thermal motion has been a primary limitation on the fidelities of these gates. We show that a Doppler-free setup, with counterpropagating lasers, effectively suppresses this type of noise, allowing simulated fidelities of up to ~0.998 per gate. Such strong suppression is only possible because the Doppler-free configuration can harness the natural robustness of adiabatic dressing; other gate schemes using, e.g., resonant pulses, do not exhibit the same degree of improvement. Finally, we consider exploiting the many-body character of the Rydberg-dressed interaction to generate collective entanglement in mesoscopic ensembles of neutral atoms. An atomic ensemble uniformly illuminated by a single Rydberg-exciting laser is isomorphic to the well-known Jaynes-Cummings model. In addition to adapting generic Jaynes-Cummings entanglement protocols developed in other platforms, one can apply microwaves to drive entanglement in a way that is unique to the atomic platform. We prove that by allowing the microwave phase to vary in time, one can generate arbitrary symmetric states of the ensemble. While this method compares favorably with other entanglement protocols in many ways, the required frequency of phase switching presents a fundamental limitation on its effectiveness. To mitigate this, we propose a variant scheme in which parameters are chosen to only allow excitations within the system's dressed-ground subspace; this effectively cuts phase switching demands in half. All three protocols serve to illustrate the power of the Rydberg-dressed interaction and suggest directions for future study.