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arXiv:quant-ph/0401032 · Physical Review Letters

Control of Trapped-Ion Quantum States with Optical Pulses

Chitra Rangan, Anthony M. Bloch, Christopher R. Monroe, P. H. Bucksbaum

Published Mar 19, 2004• 51 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present new results on the quantum control of systems with infinitely large Hilbert spaces. A control-theoretic analysis of the control of trapped-ion quantum states via optical pulses is performed. We demonstrate how resonant bichromatic fields can be applied in two contrasting ways--one that makes the system completely uncontrollable and the other that makes the system controllable. In some interesting cases, the Hilbert space of the qubit-harmonic oscillator can be made finite, and the Schrödinger equation controllable via bichromatic resonant pulses. Extending this analysis to the quantum states of two ions, a new scheme for producing entangled qubits is discovered.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.92.113004

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We present new results on the quantum control of systems with infinitely large Hilbert spaces. A control-theoretic analysis of the control of trapped-ion quantum states via optical pulses is performed. We demonstrate how resonant bichromatic fields can be applied in two contrasting ways--one that makes the system completely uncontrollable and the other that makes the system controllable. In some interesting cases, the Hilbert space of the qubit-harmonic oscillator can be made finite, and the Schrödinger equation controllable via bichromatic resonant pulses. Extending this analysis to the quantum states of two ions, a new scheme for producing entangled qubits is discovered.
Theories of quantum control have, until recently, made the assumption that the Hilbert space of a quantum system can be truncated to finite dimensions. Such truncations, which can be achieved for most quantum systems via bandwidth restrictions, have enabled the development of a rich variety of quantum control and optimal control schemes. Recent studies in quantum information processing have addressed the control of infinite-dimensional quantum systems such as the quantum states of a trapped-ion. Controllability in an infinite-dimensional quantum system is hard to prove with conventional methods, and infinite-dimensional systems provide unique challenges in designing control fields. In this paper, we will discuss the control of a popular system for quantum computing the trapped-ion qubit. This system, modeled by a spin-half particle coupled to a quantized harmonic oscillator, is an example for a surprisingly rich variety of control problems. We will show how this infinite-dimensional quantum system can be examined via the lens of the Finite Controllability Theorem, two-color STIRAP, the generalized Heisenberg system, etc. These results are important from the viewpoint of developing more efficient quantum control protocols, particularly in quantum computing systems. This work shows how one can expand the scope of quantum control research to beyond that of finite-dimensional quantum systems.
In ion traps, entangling gate operations can be realized by a bichromatic pair of laser beams that collectively interact with the ions. In this paper, a new method of modelling the laser–ion interaction is introduced that turns out to be superior to standard techniques for the description of gate operations on optical qubits. The treatment allows for a comparison of the performance of gates based on σ z ⊗σ z and σ ϕ ⊗σ ϕ interactions on optical transitions where the bichromatic laser field can be realized by an amplitude-modulated laser resonant with the qubit transition. Shaping the amplitude of the bichromatic laser pulse is shown to make the gates more robust against experimental imperfections.
Trapped atomic ions are a promising medium for quantum computing, due to their long coherence times and potential for scalability. Current methods of entangling ions rely on addressing individual modes of motion within the trap and applying qubit state dependent forces with external fields. This approach can limit the speed of entangling gates and make them vulnerable to decoherence due to coupling to unwanted modes or ion heating. This thesis is directed towards demonstrating novel entanglement schemes which are not limited by the trap frequency, and can be made almost arbitrarily fast. Towards this goal, I report here on the first experiments using ultrafast laser pulses to control the internal and external states of a single trapped ion. I begin with experiments in ultrafast spin control, showing how a single laser pulse can be used to completely control both spin degrees of freedom of the ion qubit in tens of picoseconds. I also show how a train of weak pulses can be used to drive Raman transitions based on a frequency comb. I then discuss experiments using pulses to rapidly entangle the spin with the motion, and how careful spectral redistribution allows a single pulse to execute a spin-dependent momentum kick. Finally, I explain how these spin-dependent momentum kicks can be used in the future to create an ultrafast entangling gate. I go over how such a gate would work, and present experimentally realizable timing sequences which would create a maximally entangled state of two ions in a time faster than the period of motion in the trap.
Trapped atomic ions are a promising medium for quantum computing, due to their long coherence times and potential for scalability. Current methods of en-tangling ions rely on addressing individual modes of motion within the trap and applying qubit state dependent forces with external fields. This approach can limit the speed of entangling gates and make them vulnerable to decoherence due to coupling to unwanted modes or ion heating. This thesis is directed towards demon-strating novel entanglement schemes which are not limited by the trap frequency, and can be made almost arbitrarily fast. Towards this goal, I report here on the first experiments using ultrafast laser pulses to control the internal and external states of a single trapped ion. I begin with experiments in ultrafast spin control, showing how a single laser pulse can be used to completely control both spin degrees of freedom of the ion qubit in tens of picoseconds. I also show how a train of weak pulses can be used to drive Raman transitions based on a frequency comb. I then discuss exper-iments using pulses to rapidly entangle the spin with the motion, and how careful spectral redistribution allows a single pulse to execute a spin-dependent momentum kick. Finally, I explain how these spin-dependent momentum kicks can be used in the future to create an ultrafast entangling gate. I go over how such a gate would work, and present experimentally realizable timing sequences which would create a maximally entangled state of two ions in a time faster than the period of motion in the trap.
We demonstrate the use of an optical frequency comb to coherently control and entangle atomic qubits. A train of off-resonant ultrafast laser pulses is used to efficiently and coherently transfer population between electronic and vibrational states of trapped atomic ions and implement an entangling quantum logic gate with high fidelity. This technique can be extended to the high field regime where operations can be performed faster than the trap frequency. This general approach can be applied to more complex quantum systems, such as large collections of interacting atoms or molecules.
The scaling of controlled quantum systems to large numbers of degrees of freedom is one of the long term goals of experimental quantum information science. Trapped-ion systems are one of the most promising platforms for building a quantum information processor with enough complexity to enable novel computational power, but face serious challenges in scaling up to the necessary numbers of qubits. In this thesis, I present both technical and operational advancements in the control of trapped-ion systems and their juxtaposition with photonic modes used for quantum networking. After reviewing the basic physics behind ion trapping, I then describe in detail a new method of implementing Raman transitions in atomic systems using optical frequency combs. Several dierent experimental setups along with simple theoretical models are reviewed and the system is shown to be capable of full control of the qubit-oscillator system. Two-ion entangling operations using optical frequency combs are demonstrated along with an extension of the operation designed to suppress certain experimental errors. I then give an overview of how spatially separated ions can be entangled using a photonic interconnect. Experimental results show that pulsed excitation of trapped ions provide an excellent single photon source that can be used as a heralded entangling gate between macroscopically separated systems. This heralded entangling gate is used to show a violation of a Bell inequality while keeping the detection loophole closed and can be used a source private random numbers. Finally, the coherent Coulomb force-based gates are combined with the probabilistic photon-based gates in a proof of concept experiment that shows the feasibility of a distributed ion-photon network.