Resonant radio frequency (rf) control fields have been employed to suppress decoherence in single quantum bits (qubits) encoded in the probability amplitudes of n p fine-structure states in Li Rydberg atoms. As described previously [1], static electric-field tuning of the spin and orbital angular momentum composition of the fine-structure eigenstates enables qubit storage in an approximate decoherence-free subspace in which phase errors due to small stray electric and magnetic fields are strongly suppressed. In addition, it was found that sequences of short electric field pulses could be utilized in a ‘bang-bang’ dynamic decoupling scheme to improve coherence times. We now show that a continuous resonant rf field can also suppress decoherence in this system. The rf-dressed fine-structure states form a more robust basis in which the energy splitting between the component qubit levels is locked to the drive frequency, and decoherence is essentially eliminated. Measurements of the operational range of rf frequency and field strength required to achieve decoherence suppression are in agreement with the predictions of a two-level model.
Resonant radio frequency (rf) control fields have been employed to suppress decoherence in single quantum bits (qubits) encoded in the probability amplitudes of n p fine-structure states in Li Rydberg atoms. As described previously [1], static electric-field tuning of the spin and orbital angular momentum composition of the fine-structure eigenstates enables qubit storage in an approximate decoherence-free subspace in which phase errors due to small stray electric and magnetic fields are strongly suppressed. In addition, it was found that sequences of short electric field pulses could be utilized in a ‘bang-bang’ dynamic decoupling scheme to improve coherence times. We now show that a continuous resonant rf field can also suppress decoherence in this system. The rf-dressed fine-structure states form a more robust basis in which the energy splitting between the component qubit levels is locked to the drive frequency, and decoherence is essentially eliminated. Measurements of the operational range of rf frequency and field strength required to achieve decoherence suppression are in agreement with the predictions of a two-level model.
The effectiveness of decoherence suppression schemes is explored using quantum bits (qubits) stored in Li np Rydberg states. Following laser excitation, pulsed electric fields coherently control the electronic spin-orbit coupling, facilitating qubit creation, manipulation, and measurement. Spin-orbit coupling creates an approximate decoherence-free subspace for extending qubit storage times. However, sequences of fast NOT operations are found to be substantially more effective for preserving coherence.
We present the experimental realization of a continuous dynamical decoupling scheme which suppresses leading frequency shifts in a multi-ion frequency reference based on 40Caþ. By near-resonant magnetic coupling of the 2S1=2 and 2D5=2 Zeeman sublevels using radio-frequency dressing fields, engineered transitions with reduced sensitivity to magnetic-field fluctuations are obtained. A second stage detuned dressing field reduces the influence of amplitude noise in the first stage driving fields and decreases 2nd-rank tensor shifts, such as the electric quadrupole shift. Suppression of the quadratic dependence of the quadrupole shift to 3ð2Þ mHz=μm2 and coherence times of 290(20) ms on the optical transition are demonstrated even within a laboratory environment with significant magnetic field noise. Besides removing inhomogeneous line shifts in multi-ion clocks, the demonstrated dynamical decoupling technique may find applications in quantum computing and simulation with trapped ions by a tailored design of decoherence-free subspaces.
On-resonance Rydberg atom--based radio-frequency- (rf) electric-field sensing methods remain limited by the narrow frequency-signal detection bands available from resonant transitions. An additional rf tuner field can be used to dress or shift a target Rydberg state to return a detuned signal field to resonance and thus dramatically extend the frequency range available for resonant sensing. Here we investigate three distinct tuning-level schemes based on adjacent Rydberg transitions, which are shown to have distinct characteristics and can be controlled with the frequency or the strength of the tuning field. We further show that a two-photon Raman peak can be used as an effective tuning feature separate from conventional Autler-Townes splitting. We compare our tuning schemes with ac Stark effect--based broadband rf-field sensing and show that although the sensitivity is diminished with tuning away from a resonant state, it nevertheless can be used in configurations where there is a low density of Rydberg states, which would result in a weak ac Stark effect.
The dynamics of a decohering two-level system driven by a suitable control Hamiltonian is studied. The control procedure is implemented as a sequence of radio-frequency pulses that repetitively flip the state of the system, a technique that can be termed quantum ``bang-bang'' control after its classical analog. Decoherence introduced by the system's interaction with a quantum environment is shown to be washed out completely in the limit of continuous flipping and greatly suppressed provided the interval between the pulses is made comparable to the correlation time of the environment. The model suggests a strategy to fight against decoherence that complements existing quantum error-correction techniques.
On-resonance Rydberg atom-based radio-frequency (RF) electric field sensing methods remain limited by the narrow frequency signal detection bands available by resonant transitions. The use of an additional RF tuner field to dress or shift a target Rydberg state can be used to return a detuned signal field to resonance and thus dramatically extend the frequency range available for resonant sensing. Here we investigate three distinct tuning level schemes based on adjacent Rydberg transitions, which are shown to have distinct characteristics and can be controlled with mechanisms based on the tuning field frequency or field strength. We further show that a two-photon Raman feature can be used as an effective tuning mechanism separate from conventional Autler-Townes splitting. We compare our tuning schemes to AC Stark effect-based broadband RF field sensing and show that although the sensitivity is diminished as we tune away from a resonant state, it nevertheless can be used in configurations where there is a low density of Rydberg states, which would result in a weak AC Stark effect.
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.