Distributed Quantum Computing and Metrology with Alkaline Earth Atom Arrays

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The nascent field of quantum technology is poised to profoundly affect many aspects of life by drastically improving computing power, sensor resolution, and timing accuracy while offering a new approach to cryptography that leverages the laws of quantum mechanics. Quantum entanglement – by which quantum particles cannot be described individually even when separated over great distances – is the central resource in quantum information science. While increasing the scale of locally entangled systems remains an outstanding challenge, an attractive alternative is to use non-local means of entanglement generation such as optical photons to “connect” locally entangled systems together. The goal of this project is to advance the size and utility of large-scale quantum systems through entanglement generation between remote arrays of individually controlled atoms. This program will train new generations of diverse scientists and engineers in disruptive quantum technology that is commercially viable and will advance the leadership and economic development in quantum science in the United States.This research program will address the challenge of realizing many-body entangled states at a scale beyond classical tractability. The system proposed will consist of arrays of alkaline-earth(-like) ytterbium atoms in optical tweezers. Record-size distributed Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states – with application to quantum computation and metrology – between two separated atomic array sub-systems each containing ~20-30 qubits will be demonstrated. Entangling operations within each sub-system will be performed via highly excited Rydberg states. Additionally, logically encoded qubits containing several physical qubits will be developed. Based on this architecture, gate teleportation between logically encoded qubits will be pursued as a route toward fault-tolerance. This research will merge the toolbox of precision optical metrology with those of quantum computation and communication and will enable the use of programmable many-body entanglement for quantum-enhanced metrology and distributed quantum computing and networking.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.