Engineers at Caltech have developed an method for quantum storage could support pave the way for the growth of significant-scale optical quantum networks.
The new process relies on nuclear spins — the angular momentum of an atom’s nucleus — oscillating collectively as a spin wave. This collective oscillation correctly chains up numerous atoms to retailer details.
The function, which is explained in a paper posted on February 16 in the journal Mother nature, utilizes a quantum little bit (or qubit) made from an ion of ytterbium (Yb), a unusual earth component also made use of in lasers. The staff, led by Andrei Faraon (BS ’04), professor of applied physics and electrical engineering, embedded the ion in a clear crystal of yttrium orthovanadate (YVO4) and manipulated its quantum states by means of a mixture of optical and microwave fields. The staff then utilised the Yb qubit to management the nuclear spin states of various bordering vanadium atoms in the crystal.
“Based on our previous perform, single ytterbium ions had been recognised to be exceptional candidates for optical quantum networks, but we required to url them with more atoms. We show that in this function,” states Faraon, the co-corresponding writer of the Nature paper.
The machine was fabricated at the Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech, and then analyzed at very small temperatures in Faraon’s lab.
A new approach to utilize entangled nuclear spins as a quantum memory was influenced by approaches utilised in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
“To store quantum facts in nuclear spins, we created new strategies similar to those used in NMR machines used in hospitals,” says Joonhee Choi, a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech and co-corresponding writer of the paper. “The major challenge was to adapt current tactics to get the job done in the absence of a magnetic discipline.”
A exclusive characteristic of this technique is the pre-decided placement of vanadium atoms close to the ytterbium qubit as prescribed by the crystal lattice. Every qubit the workforce measured experienced an similar memory register, that means it would retail outlet the identical information and facts.
“The ability to build a technology reproducibly and reliably is important to its success,” claims graduate university student Andrei Ruskuc, 1st author of the paper. “In the scientific context, this allow us obtain unprecedented insight into microscopic interactions involving ytterbium qubits and the vanadium atoms in their ecosystem.”
This investigation is part of a broader energy by Faraon’s lab to lay the basis for upcoming quantum networks.
Quantum networks would join quantum computers by means of a method that operates at a quantum, instead than classical, degree. In theory, quantum personal computers w just one working day be able to perform sure functions more rapidly than classical personal computers by getting edge of the unique houses of quantum mechanics, such as superposition, which allows quantum bits to keep information and facts as a 1 and a concurrently.
As they can with classical desktops, engineers would like to be capable to join several quantum pcs to share knowledge and get the job done together — developing a “quantum internet.” This would open up the door to a number of purposes, which include the capability to remedy computations that are far too huge to be managed by a single quantum laptop or computer, as properly as the institution of unbreakably safe communications applying quantum cryptography.
The paper is titled “Nuclear spin-wave quantum sign up for a strong-point out qubit.” Co-authors consist of graduate college students Chun-Ju Wu and Jake Rochman (MS ’19). This analysis was funded by the Institute of Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM), a National Science Foundation Physics Frontiers Centre, with aid from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Business office of Naval Investigation, the Air Drive Workplace of Scientific Exploration, Northrop Grumman, Basic Atomics, and the Weston Havens Foundation.
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