Multi-site integrated optical addressing of trapped ions

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Integrated Photonics
• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics

Background:

• Advancing quantum computers and sensors requires increasing the number of qubits.
• Scaling optical signal delivery to individual ions in trapped-ion systems presents a significant technical challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a scalable method for optically addressing multiple ¹⁷¹Yb⁺ ions in a surface trap using integrated photonics.
• To deliver all necessary wavelengths for full qubit control and operations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized integrated waveguides and multi-mode interferometer (MMI) splitters to deliver optical signals.
• Employed waveguides for Doppler cooling, state preparation, coherent operations, and detection on the E2 clock transition.
• Demonstrated simultaneous Rabi flopping on two distinct transitions at separate trap sites using MMI splitters.

Main Results:

• Successfully addressed multiple ¹⁷¹Yb⁺ ions with a single optical input per wavelength.
• Performed measurements of hyperfine spectra and Rabi flopping on the E2 clock transition.
• Showcased simultaneous coherent operations on two ions at distinct locations.

Conclusions:

• The demonstrated approach using integrated waveguides and MMI splitters is a crucial step towards scalable trapped-ion quantum information systems.
• This work paves the way for scalable integrated photonics for atomic clocks and quantum computing applications.
• The method enables efficient optical addressing and control of multiple ions, overcoming a key scaling bottleneck.