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arXiv:2406.12306 · Communications in Theoretical Physics

Interacting Mathieu equation, synchronization dynamics and collision-induced velocity exchange in trapped ions

Asma Benbouza, Xiaoshui Lin, Jin Ming Cui, Ming Gong

Published Feb 24, 2025• 2 citations

Abstract

Abstract Recently, large-scale trapped ion systems have been realized in experiments for quantum simulation and quantum computation. They are the simplest systems for dynamical stability and parametric resonance. In this model, the Mathieu equation plays the most fundamental role for us to understand the stability and instability of a single ion. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of trapped ions with the Coulomb interaction based on the Hamiltonian equation. We show that the many-body interaction will not influence the phase diagram for instability. Then, the dynamics of this model in the large damping limit will also be analytically calculated using few trapped ions. Furthermore, we find that in the presence of modulation, synchronization dynamics can be observed, showing an exchange of velocities between distant ions on the left side and on the right side of the trap. These dynamics resemble that of the exchange of velocities in Newton’s cradle for the collision of balls at the same time. These dynamics are independent of their initial conditions and the number of ions. As a unique feature of the interacting Mathieu equation, we hope this behavior, which leads to a quasi-periodic solution, can be measured in current experimental systems. Finally, we have also discussed the effect of anharmonic trapping potential, showing the desynchronization during the collision process. It is hoped that the dynamics in this many-body Mathieu equation with damping may find applications in quantum simulations. This model may also find interesting applications in dynamics systems as a pure mathematical problem, which may be beyond the results in the Floquet theorem.

DOI: 10.1088/1572-9494/adb946

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Abstract Recently, large-scale trapped ion systems have been realized in experiments for quantum simulation and quantum computation. They are the simplest systems for dynamical stability and parametric resonance. In this model, the Mathieu equation plays the most fundamental role for us to understand the stability and instability of a single ion. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of trapped ions with the Coulomb interaction based on the Hamiltonian equation. We show that the many-body interaction will not influence the phase diagram for instability. Then, the dynamics of this model in the large damping limit will also be analytically calculated using few trapped ions. Furthermore, we find that in the presence of modulation, synchronization dynamics can be observed, showing an exchange of velocities between distant ions on the left side and on the right side of the trap. These dynamics resemble that of the exchange of velocities in Newton’s cradle for the collision of balls at the same time. These dynamics are independent of their initial conditions and the number of ions. As a unique feature of the interacting Mathieu equation, we hope this behavior, which leads to a quasi-periodic solution, can be measured in current experimental systems. Finally, we have also discussed the effect of anharmonic trapping potential, showing the desynchronization during the collision process. It is hoped that the dynamics in this many-body Mathieu equation with damping may find applications in quantum simulations. This model may also find interesting applications in dynamics systems as a pure mathematical problem, which may be beyond the results in the Floquet theorem.

Direct experimental access to some of the most intriguing quantum phenomena is not granted due to the lack of precise control of the relevant parameters in their naturally intricate environment. Their simulation on conventional computers is impossible, since quantum behaviour arising with superposition states or entanglement is not efficiently translatable into the classical language. However, one could gain deeper insight into complex quantum dynamics by experimentally simulating the quantum behaviour of interest in another quantum system, where the relevant parameters and interactions can be controlled and robust effects detected sufficiently well. Systems of trapped ions provide unique control of both the internal (electronic) and external (motional) degrees of freedom. The mutual Coulomb interaction between the ions allows for large interaction strengths at comparatively large mutual ion distances enabling individual control and readout. Systems of trapped ions therefore exhibit a prominent system in several physical disciplines, for example, quantum information processing or metrology. Here, we will give an overview of different trapping techniques of ions as well as implementations for coherent manipulation of their quantum states and discuss the related theoretical basics. We then report on the experimental and theoretical progress in simulating quantum many-body physics with trapped ions and present current approaches for scaling up to more ions and more-dimensional systems.

The parametric resonant behavior of ions inside a linear rf ion trap is studied both theoretically and experimentally. Theoretically, the resonant motion of ions inside an ideal ion trap is described by approximating the trapping rf field as a harmonic pseudopotential with the ions being excited by an additional quadrupolar ac voltage. The resulting damped Mathieu equation is studied and the regions of resonant instability are predicted by investigating the solutions. Experimentally, the parametric excitation of

{\mathrm{Mg}}^{+}

ions is observed by subjecting the cloud of trapped ions to an additional quadrupolar ac field. The various ion motion resonances are detected through the disappearance of the laser-induced fluorescence signal. Weak damping is introduced by the presence of a low-pressure buffer gas. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical predictions.

Synchronizing a few-level quantum system is of fundamental importance to the understanding of synchronization in the deep quantum regime. Whether a two-level system, the smallest quantum system, can be synchronized has been theoretically debated for the past several years. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate that a qubit can indeed be synchronized to an external driving signal by using a trapped-ion system. By engineering fully controllable gain and damping processes, an ion qubit is locked to the driving signal and oscillates in phase. Moreover, upon tuning the parameters of the driving signal, we observe characteristic features of the Arnold tongue as well. Our measurements agree remarkably well with numerical simulations based on recent theory on qubit synchronization. By synchronizing the basic unit of quantum information, our study opens up the possibility of exploring the application of quantum synchronization to quantum information processing in the near future.

Ultracold atom-ion mixtures are gaining increasing interest due to their potential applications in ultracold and state-controlled chemistry, quantum computing, and many-body physics. Here, we studied the dynamics of a single ground-state cooled ion during few, to many, Langevin (spiraling) collisions with ultracold atoms. We measured the ion's energy distribution and observed a clear deviation from the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, characterized by an exponential tail, to a power-law distribution best described by a Tsallis function. Unlike previous experiments, the energy scale of atom-ion interactions is not determined by either the atomic cloud temperature or the ion's trap residual excess-micromotion energy. Instead, it is determined by the force the atom exerts on the ion during a collision which is then amplified by the trap dynamics. This effect is intrinsic to ion Paul traps and sets the lower bound of atom-ion steady-state interaction energy in these systems. Despite the fact that our system is eventually driven out of the ultracold regime, we are capable of studying quantum effects by limiting the interaction to the first collision when the ion is initialized in the ground state of the trap.

In a recent experiment, Barreiro et al (2011 Nature 470 486) demonstrated the fundamental building blocks of an open-system quantum simulator with trapped ions. Using up to five ions, dynamics were realized by sequences that combined single- and multi-qubit entangling gate operations with optical pumping. This enabled the implementation of both coherent many-body dynamics and dissipative processes by controlling the coupling of the system to an artificial, suitably tailored environment. This engineering was illustrated by the dissipative preparation of entangled two- and four-qubit states, the simulation of coherent four-body spin interactions and the quantum non-demolition measurement of a multi-qubit stabilizer operator. In this paper, we present the theoretical framework of this gate-based ('digital') simulation approach for open-system dynamics with trapped ions. In addition, we discuss how within this simulation approach, minimal instances of spin models of interest in the context of topological quantum computing and condensed matter physics can be realized in state-of-the-art linear ion-trap quantum computing architectures. We outline concrete simulation schemes for Kitaev's toric code Hamiltonian and a recently suggested color code model. The presented simulation protocols can be adapted to scalable and two-dimensional ion-trap architectures, which are currently under development.

Ultracold atom-ion systems have been a topic of interest for atomic physicists studying chemical reactions and since recently, the cold ion community (ion trap quantum computation and simulation). They have been looking at the possibility of using an ultracold atom gas to sympathetically cool ions since intrinsic motional modulation i.e micromotion is an inherent cause of decoherence in coherent applications of cold ions. Interest is also piqued by the possibility of using this hybrid system for studying impurity physics and to better understand ion-neutral reactions aimed at creation of molecular ions. In this thesis, we aim to study the effect of ion micromotion in atom-ion collision. As a prelude, we treat the 1D collision of a particle in a harmonic trap (ion) and a free particle (atom) using different numerical schemes. This system is of interest in its own right due to the mixed 0D-1D dimensionality. Atom-ion potential is simpliﬁed to a zero range potential all through out the work. Next we deal with a similar problem but with the trapped particle in a time dependent harmonic trap identical to an ion Paul trap. Finally we extend the study of micromotion to a model system in 3D with an ion in a 3D spherical Paul trap and a heavy atom at the trap centre. We discuss the effect micromotion has on potential applications of such a system, like a quantum phase gate.