Project description
Developing a new quantum platform based on 2D Penning trap arrays
Rapid advances have been achieved in quantum computing, demonstrating high-precision quantum control in microfabricated radio frequency ion traps while eliminating the problematic radio frequency potential using a uniform magnetic field. Building on these advances, the EU-funded IONPEN project aims to develop a new quantum computation and simulation platform based on scalable 2D arrays of ions in microfabricated Penning traps. It will demonstrate many-body interacting spin Hamiltonians at ion numbers unattainable by conventional computers. In this way, it will create a scalable quantum simulator that can provide new insights into the links between microscopic physics and emergent behaviour. The project will have an impact on fields such as fundamental physics, chemistry, materials science and cryptography.
Objective
This project will develop a new platform for quantum computation and quantum simulation based on scalable two-dimensional arrays of ions in micro-fabricated Penning traps. It builds upon the rapid advances demonstrating high precision quantum control in micro-fabricated radio-frequency ion traps while eliminating the most problematic element - the radio-frequency potential - using a uniform magnetic field. This offers a significant advantage: since the magnetic field is uniform it provides confinement at any position for which a suitable static quadrupole can be generated. By contrast, r.f. potentials only provide good working conditions along a line. This changed perspective provides access to dense two-dimensional strongly interacting ion lattices, with the possibility to re-configure these lattices in real time. By combining closely-spaced static two-dimensional ion arrays with standard laser control methods, the project will demonstrate previously inaccessible many-body interacting spin Hamiltonians at ion numbers which are out of the reach of classical computers, providing a scalable quantum simulator with the potential to provide new insights into the links between microscopic physics and emergent behavior. Through dynamic control of electrode voltages, reconfigurable two-dimensional arrays will be used to realize a scalable quantum computing architecture, which will be benchmarked through landmark experiments on measurement-based quantum computation and high error-threshold surface codes which are natural to this configuration. Realizing multi-dimensional connectivity between qubits is a major problem facing a number of leading quantum computing architectures including trapped ions. By solving this problem, the proposed project will pave the way to large-scale universal quantum computing with impacts from fundamental physics through to chemistry, materials science and cryptography.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsradio technologyradio frequency
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securitycryptography
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwarequantum computers
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantHost institution
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland