An atom–molecule platform for quantum computing

Neil Gershenfeld, Isaac L. Chuang

Phelan Yu, Lawrence W. Cheuk, Ivan Kozyryev +1 more

Abstract We propose a new scalable platform for quantum computing (QC)—an array of optically trapped symmetric-top molecules (STMs) of the alkaline earth monomethoxide (MOCH3) family. Individual STMs form qubits, and the system is readily scalable to 100–1000 qubits. STM qubits have desirable features for QC compared to atoms and diatomic molecules. The additional rotational degree of freedom about the symmetric-top axis gives rise to closely spaced opposite parity K-doublets that allow full alignment at low electric fields, and the hyperfine structure naturally provides magnetically insensitive states with switchable electric dipole moments. These features lead to much reduced requirements for electric field control, provide minimal sensitivity to environmental perturbations, and allow for 2-qubit interactions that can be switched on at will. We examine in detail the internal structure of STMs relevant to our proposed platform, taking into account the full effective molecular Hamiltonian including hyperfine interactions, and identify useable STM qubit states. We then examine the effects of the electric dipolar interaction in STMs, which not only guide the design of high-fidelity gates, but also elucidate the nature of dipolar exchange in STMs. Under realistic experimental parameters, we estimate that the proposed QC platform could yield gate errors at the 10−3 level, approaching that required for fault-tolerant QC.

Yi-Han Bai, Yue Wei, Chi Zhang +2 more

Abstract Multi-qubit quantum gates offer an efficient pathway to reducing circuit depth in quantum information processing. Here, we propose two multipartite controlled-NOT gate schemes in a hybrid platform composed of polar molecules and Rydberg atoms. By encoding the control qubits in the long-lived ground states of polar molecules and harnessing the strong dipole–dipole interactions of Rydberg atoms, our approach establishes a gate mechanism that enables both strong and controllable coupling while effectively suppressing decoherence. The scheme can be naturally generalized to larger systems, providing a scalable route toward hybrid quantum computation.

Harshdeep Singh, Sonjoy Majumder, Sabyashachi Mishra

Leena Barshilia, Rajiuddin Sk, Prasanta Kumar Panigrahi +1 more

Recently, neutral atoms have emerged as a promising platform for quantum computing, offering scalability. In this study, we showcase the realization of atomic qubits in atom-molecular Bose-Einstein condensate, belonging to three distinct classes. In the first case, the condensed molecules form a droplet platform with a flat-top configuration, facilitating effective isolation from both external environments and neighbouring molecules. The second atomic qubits have wavefunctions in the ``pulse" form, exhibiting power law behaviour, whereas the third one has ground and excited state wavefunctions in their respective composite forms, $\sech^2{βx}$ and $\sech{βx}\tanh{βx}$. The localization of the qubits depends on the chemical potential, which is governed by the photo association, providing effective control for qubit manipulation. The relevant parameters, such as energy level separation, healing length, and atom numbers, are found to be influenced by the non-linearity and strength of photo associations governing the behaviour of macroscopic qubits and molecular droplets.

Daniel K. Ruttley, Tom R. Hepworth, Juan M. García-Garrido +4 more

Arrays of trapped neutral atoms and polar molecules have separately emerged as powerful and complementary platforms for quantum science. Neutral atoms enable fast, programmable interactions through excitation to Rydberg states, whereas polar molecules possess long-lived rotational states that are attractive for quantum memories and qudits. Combining these platforms would create new possibilities, but requires a coherent interface between individual atoms and molecules, which so far has not been realised. Here, we establish such an interface between a single neutral atom and a single polar molecule. By tuning atomic and molecular transitions into resonance, we realise strong state-dependent dipolar interactions at micrometre separations in an optical tweezer platform with single-particle control. We exploit this interface to perform quantum operations between the two particles, demonstrating atom-mediated readout of a molecular qubit, coherent spin exchange, and entanglement using a blockade-based controlled-NOT operation. These results establish a new hybrid quantum platform at the intersection of atomic and molecular physics, in which long-lived molecular quantum information can be rapidly mapped onto an atom for readout or onward coherent transfer. The platform provides a route to hybrid quantum processors utilising atom-mediated readout and entanglement of molecular qubits, mixed-species quantum simulators of dipolar systems, and macroscopic entangled molecular states for quantum-enhanced metrology and precision sensing.