Molecular Ion Quantum Logic – A New Frontier for Quantum Interactions and Fundamental Physics

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

General audience abstract:This award supports the development of techniques for the production and study of ultracold polar molecular ions held in an ion trap. It is expected that the ability to produce such samples could lead to significant technological and fundamental scientific advancements. This includes potentially learning how to control chemistry in the quantum regime, which could aid novel materials and drug design; creating a platform that could be useful in producing a robust and scalable quantum computer; allowing new probes of quantum matter and charge transport; understanding the formation of interstellar clouds; and precision measurement of molecular structure for tests of fundamental physics. The main research objective of this project is to ascertain if molecular ion qubits are a useful platform for quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communication. The project will also support an effort to partner with local elementary schools to bring inquiry-based, active learning laboratory-based experiments to their classroom. As such, this project has the ability to aid the progress of science and in the longer-term bolster national prosperity and security. Technical audience abstract:Because molecular ions are easily trapped for many minutes in radio-frequency ion traps, there are possibilities for cooling and interrogation that are not applicable to neutral atoms and molecules. Further, the rich structure of molecules provides opportunities for optimizing a given quantum task, eg. decoherence free subspaces and long-range interactions are readily available. Therefore, this team is employing a technique where molecular ions are co-trapped with laser cooled atomic ions and optionally exposed to ultracold neutral gas. The molecular ion qubits can be controlled with lasers or microwave radiation. This team will work to answer three challenges facing the field: developing quantum non-demolition measurements and quantum state preparation and readout; exploring the limits to molecular ion qubit coherence times in a Paul trap; and developing quantum gates for molecular ion qubits.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.