The growing demand for high-capacity quantum communication and large-scale quantum computing underscores the importance of networking quantum processing units via multiplexed photonic channels. A neutral atom array with multiplexed atom-photon entanglement is a promising platform for its realization. Here, we demonstrate a key multiplexed photonic interface guiding the photons from an atom array to a single-mode waveguide array fabricated on a glass-based photonic integrated circuit. Remarkable 10 channels out of the 32-channel waveguide array with 25 $μ$m pitch couple to photons from 10 sites of the atom array with Rydberg gate-enabled separation. Based on the observed correlation between the atomic states and the polarization of the photon with a visibility of 0.87, we anticipate its applicability to a large-scale multiplexed atom-photon entanglement generation for networking quantum processing units.
The growing demand for high-capacity quantum communication and large-scale quantum computing underscores the importance of networking quantum processing units via multiplexed photonic channels. A neutral atom array with multiplexed atom-photon entanglement is a promising platform for its realization. Here, we demonstrate a key multiplexed photonic interface guiding the photons from an atom array to a single-mode waveguide array fabricated on a glass-based photonic integrated circuit. Remarkable 10 channels out of the 32-channel waveguide array with 25 μm pitch couple to photons from 10 sites of the atom array with Rydberg gate-enabled separation. Based on the observed correlation between the atomic states and the polarization of the photon with a visibility of 0.87, we anticipate its applicability to a large-scale multiplexed atom-photon entanglement generation for networking quantum processing units.
Neutral atom arrays have emerged as one of the leading platforms for quantum computation and simulation. Integrating these arrays with photonic interfaces, such as optical cavities, enables high-speed qubit readout, efficient atom-photon entanglement, and novel quantum simulation capabilities through long-range interactions. However, achieving scalable and efficient integration of atom arrays with photonic structures remains a significant challenge. In this work, we present an atom-array cavity-array platform that integrates cesium atom arrays with a photonic chip containing over 100 nanophotonic cavities. This platform inherently supports multiplexing by allowing simultaneous interactions between multiple atoms and multiple cavities, a crucial capability for scaling up quantum information processing and networking. To enable this integration, we develop three key techniques: (1) a backgroundfree imaging scheme utilizing excited-state transitions in cesium with fidelity exceeding 99%, (2) a photonic chip design optimized for efficient atom loading, and (3) a free-space coupling scheme achieving over 65% waveguide-to-fiber coupling efficiency. We demonstrate collisional blockade-limited loading of atom arrays near the photonic chip, parallel transport of atoms to multiple cavities, a key capability that enables the multiplexing required in quantum networks and distributed quantum computing. Finally, we show an array of resonant telecom cavities, and multiple theoretical architectures to make use of these to distribute entanglement across hundreds of kilometers. These results address critical challenges in atom-photon integration and pave the way for scalable quantum information processing.
Scalable arrays of identical single-photon sources are a central resource for photonic quantum information processing, quantum networks and quantum metrology. Neutral atoms provide intrinsically identical emitters that can be assembled and rearranged in optical tweezers, but a many-channel fiber interface to individually trapped atoms has remained a major technical challenge. Here we demonstrate a chip-interfaced single-photon source array based on 50 individually addressable 87Rb atoms. A glass waveguide fan-out converts the \SI{5}{\micro m} pitch of the optical-tweezer array to the \SI{127}{\micro m} pitch of a commercial fiber array, mapping each atom to its own waveguide, fiber and single-photon detector. We resolve all 50 channels with an average nearest-neighbor cross-talk of 0.4% and a uniform insertion loss of \SI{2.9}{dB}, and verify single-photon emission with g(2)(0)=0.29, presently limited by detector dark counts and residual cooling-light scattering. Combining per-channel atom discrimination, rearrangement and reservoir replenishment, we prepare source subarrays of up to 24 atoms with a 93% fill fraction. For small target numbers, atom loss is repaired from the reservoir at the detection-limited rate of \SI{118}{Hz}. We further fabricate a 784-channel waveguide chip, showing that the photonic interface can be extended well beyond the present number. This architecture establishes a fiber-native neutral-atom platform for larger arrays of identical single-photon sources.
Scalable quantum computers and quantum networks require the combination of quantum processing nodes with efficient light-matter interfaces to distribute quantum information in local or long-distance quantum networks. Neutral-atom arrays have both been coupled to Rydberg states to enable high-fidelity quantum gates in universal processing architectures, and to optical cavities to realize interfaces to photons. However, combining these two capabilities and coupling atom arrays to highly excited Rydberg states in the mode of an optical cavity has been an outstanding challenge. Here we present a novel cavity-coupled Rydberg array that achieves this long-standing goal. We prepare, detect, and control individual atoms in a scalable optical tweezer array, couple them strongly to the optical mode of a high-finesse optical cavity and excite them in a controlled way to Rydberg states. We show that high-cooperativity coupling to an optical cavity -- demonstrated via the dispersive shift of the resonance of the cavity in presence of the atoms -- and strong Rydberg interactions -- demonstrated via the collective enhancement of Rydberg coupling in the atomic array -- can be achieved in our setup at the same spatial location. Our presented experimental platform opens the path to several new directions, including the realization of quantum network nodes, quantum simulation of long-range interacting, open quantum systems and photonic-state engineering leveraging high-fidelity Rydberg control.
The realization of a quantum network node of matter-based qubits compatible with telecommunication-band operation and large-scale quantum information processing is an outstanding challenge that has limited the potential of elementary quantum networks. We propose a platform for interfacing quantum processors comprising neutral atom arrays with telecommunication-band photons in a multiplexed network architecture. The use of a large atom array instead of a single atom mitigates the deleterious effects of two-way communication and improves the entanglement rate between two nodes by nearly two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, this system simultaneously provides the ability to perform high-fidelity deterministic gates and readout within each node, opening the door to quantum repeater and purification protocols to enhance the length and fidelity of the network, respectively. Using intermediate nodes as quantum repeaters, we demonstrate the feasibility of entanglement distribution over $\ensuremath{\approx}1500\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{km}$ based on realistic assumptions, providing a blueprint for a transcontinental network. Finally, we demonstrate that our platform can distribute $\ensuremath{\gtrsim}25$ Bell pairs over metropolitan distances, which could serve as the backbone of a distributed fault-tolerant quantum computer.
Neutral atom arrays provide a versatile platform for quantum information processing. However, in large-scale arrays, efficient photon collection remains a bottleneck for key tasks such as fast, non-destructive qubit readout and remote entanglement distribution. We propose a cavity-based approach that enables fast, parallel operations over many atoms using multiple modes of a single optical cavity. By selectively shifting the relevant atomic transitions, each atom can be coupled to a distinct cavity mode, allowing independent simultaneous processing. We present practical system designs that support cavity-mode multiplexing with up to 50 modes, enabling rapid mid-circuit syndrome extraction and significantly enhancing entanglement distribution rates between remote atom arrays. This approach offers a scalable solution to core challenges in neutral atom arrays, advancing the development of practical quantum technologies.
As quantum computers advance toward larger, more powerful systems, scaling beyond a single quantum processing unit (QPU) will require the development of fast, high-fidelity interconnections between QPUs. One of the most promising strategies for achieving this is coupling qubits to optical cavities. Strong atom-cavity interactions enable the generation of atom-photon entanglement at rates orders of magnitude faster than alternative approaches, offering a critical advantage for scalable architectures. This thesis investigates the use of nanophotonic and microscale cavities to achieve exceptional atom-photon coupling while maintaining compatibility with state-of-the-art neutral atom QPUs. The experiments presented in this thesis demonstrate coherent transport between a free-space atom array and an optical cavity, coherent Rydberg excitations and interactions in the presence of the cavity interface, fast high-fidelity readout and cavity-mediated operations, and novel fabrication techniques for improved microcavities that further enhance system performance. Together, these advances outline a pathway toward utility-scale quantum computing.