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Comparison of ion trap geometries with integrated optical cavities for effective ion-photon coupling

Nina Podoliak, Hiroki Takahashi, Matthias Keller, Péter Horák

Published Apr 4, 2016• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

The realisation of efficient ion-photon quantum interfaces is an essential step towards developing operational quantum information networks. Individual trapped ions have been shown as promising candidates for quantum information processing nodes, while effective ion manipulation and photonic links between nodes can be realised by deterministic coupling of ions to optical cavities. However, integrating optical cavities into ion traps remains a challenge as the trapping potential is affected by the presence of any dielectric or conductor.

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The realisation of efficient ion-photon quantum interfaces is an essential step towards developing operational quantum information networks. Individual trapped ions have been shown as promising candidates for quantum information processing nodes, while effective ion manipulation and photonic links between nodes can be realised by deterministic coupling of ions to optical cavities. However, integrating optical cavities into ion traps remains a challenge as the trapping potential is affected by the presence of any dielectric or conductor.
Scaling up qubit numbers remains a major challenge across all quantum computing platforms, including trapped-ion systems. A modular approach seems promising, but hinges on efficient interfaces like miniature optical cavities. Despite decades of effort, a lack of understanding of the relevant challenges has precluded integration. This study identifies key obstacles posed by dielectric optical cavities, and uncovers a critical component that alleviates their negative effects. The findings provide a clear roadmap for improving ion-trap interfacing and suggest that three-dimensional traps are more suitable than planar ones.
Integrating an optical cavity into a radio-frequency ion trap yields an ideal building block for quantum information networks or quantum computers. Unfortunately, it also jeopardizes the trap's stability. The authors compare the advantages and disadvantages of known ion-trap geometries and cavity configurations, and identify general features of the geometries best suited to developing a scalable network. This comprehensive study is an essential step in the development of tomorrow's secure quantum networks.
Combining optical cavities with trapped atomic ions is a powerful tool to investigate the interaction of light with matter on the most fundamental scale: a single atom with a single particle of light. Recent advances have not only demonstrated the emission of single photons, ion-photon entanglement and ion-ion entanglement but paved the way to use these systems in modern quantum technologies. Ion-cavity systems are now one of the most promising technologies for realising a scalable quantum computer and quantum networks. While the integration of optical cavities and ion traps is challenging, new techniques and technologies made it possible to demonstrate important building blocks for such systems.
We study a range of radio-frequency ion trap geometries and investigate the effect of integrating dielectric cavity mirrors on their trapping potential using numerical modelling. We compare five different ion trap geometries with the aim to identify ion trap and cavity configurations that are best suited for achieving small cavity volumes and thus large ion-photon coupling as required for scalable quantum information networks. In particular, we investigate the trapping potential distortions caused by the dielectric material of the cavity mirrors in all 3 dimensions for different mirror orientations with respect to the trapping electrodes. We also analyze the effect of the mirror material properties such as dielectric constants and surface conductivity, and study the effect of surface charges on the mirrors. As well as perfectly symmetric systems, we also consider traps with optical cavities that are not centrally aligned where we find a spatial displacement of the trap centre and asymmetry of the resulting trap only at certain cavity orientations. The best trapcavity configurations with the smallest trapping potential distortions are those where the cavities are aligned along the major symmetry axis of the electrode geometries. These cavity configurations also appear to be the most stable with respect to any mirror misalignment. Although we consider particular trap sizes in our study, the presented results can be easily generalized and scaled to different trap dimensions.
Trapped ions are a promising platform for local quantum information processing. In order to distribute this quantum information over long distances, we can take advantage of optical cavities, which ofier a coherent interface between matter and light, enabling the transfer of quantum information from stationary qubits such as ions onto photons. We demonstrate such an interface by coupling trapped ions to a cavity and have recently shown that a quantum state can be faithfully transferred from a single ion onto a single photon. In particular, this transfer can be improved by taking advantage of a collective effect between multiple ions, namely, superradiant emission into the cavity. In this proof-of-principle experiment, we tune the phase of a two-ion entangled state between sub- and superradiance. The superradiant coupling is then used to enhance the transfer of quantum information onto a photon from a logical qubit encoded in the two ions. Finally, prospects for linking together distant ions in cavities via a quantum network are discussed. Toward this goal, we outline a fiber-based ion-cavity experiment which allows access to the single-ion strong-coupling regime.