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Quantum Information and Computation

Designing an ion trap for quantum simulation

I. M. Buluta, Shuichi Hasegawa

Published May 1, 2009• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Planar Coulomb crystals have been recently proposed for the implementation of quantum simulation and computation. In order to put this idea into practice we designed a specialized RF ion trap system. The design is based on extensive numerical simulations of planar Coulomb crystals in RF traps and the estimation of the error in quantum simulation and computation. Our trap would have reduced heating rates and large axial confinement frequencies would be available. Moreover, it provides very good optical access and it is easy to construct and operate.

DOI
10.26421/qic9.5-6-1

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Planar Coulomb crystals have been recently proposed for the implementation of quantum simulation and computation. In order to put this idea into practice we designed a specialized RF ion trap system. The design is based on extensive numerical simulations of planar Coulomb crystals in RF traps and the estimation of the error in quantum simulation and computation. Our trap would have reduced heating rates and large axial confinement frequencies would be available. Moreover, it provides very good optical access and it is easy to construct and operate.
We numerically studied two-component planar Coulomb crystals (planar bicrystals) in rf traps. The number of ions in the inner shell was found to be limited by the mass difference between the two components and we calculated the maximum possible number of ions in the inner shells for various mass ratios. When large axial potentials are applied the spatial separation between components depends on the trapping parameters as well as on the ion masses and charges. We derived the spatial separation both theoretically and numerically and discussed its effect on the efficiency of sympathetic cooling and on rf heating. We suggest using planar bicrystals for implementing quantum simulation and computation.
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Large ion crystals in diverse geometries are a key resource for quantum simulation experiments. In this work, we introduce a macroscopic rf trap that supports a wide variety of one-dimensional ion configurations as well as lateral two-dimensional crystals with more than 100 ions. Our design is based on precision-machined fused silica wafers that are stacked to form the trap structure. Ten independently biased electrodes provide flexible control over the axial potential, enabling long one-dimensional crystals, isospaced ion strings, split-well chains, and two-dimensional arrays with tunable aspect ratios. We present the design and fabrication process for this trap and demonstrate the ability to tune the radial secular frequencies, detect and compensate micromotion, rotate the principal axes, and characterize trapped ion heating rates. All trap design and documentation files are freely available alongside this work, to facilitate adoption and further development within the ion trap community.