CAREER: Quantum Computing - Trapped ion QPU with integrated photonics

捕获离子是量子计算、精密传感、计时和基础物理研究的关键方法。为了实现运算量子计算的优势，并提高传感、计时和基础物理测量的精度，这些系统中捕获离子的数量必须按比例增加。然而，这将需要充满敏感、复杂设备的实验室，限制了它们的可移植性、可扩展性和更广泛社区的可及性。PI提出了一种转换方法，将捕获离子量子研究与集成光子研究结合起来解决这些问题，并展示了它们在量子和基础物理问题上的应用。这项研究将改变这些系统的稳定性，提高最先进的性能，从而使捕获离子物理实验更加可靠和可访问，并允许这些技术传播到新的研究和应用领域。这种融合研究将通过开发多种硬件、集成和软件开源工具来增强，以实现定制的捕获离子物理实验，因此它们可以被更广泛的受众和应用所访问。PI还在开发互动式教育物理教程，将这项研究纳入课堂，以促进对量子物理和技术的更广泛理解。该项目将开发一个与集成光子学共同设计的新型捕获离子集成平台，该平台将在量子计算，量子传感，捕获离子光学时钟和基础物理测量方面具有广泛的应用。为了实现高保真的量子比特操作，该项目将研究新的纳米制造技术，快速封装，以及与新的集成光子学一起设计离子阱，以利用原子跃迁更能适应错误。为了扩大平台的规模，该项目将致力于小型化，不仅是光子光栅耦合器的光学传输，还有通过在捕获离子处理器本身内集成先进光子学的光学稳定和控制。对于捕获离子光学时钟，通过单片集成消除激光基准和捕获离子之间的相位不稳定性将使便携式操作具有抗振动能力。这种弹性还提高了捕获离子系统的可靠性，消除了操作开销和复杂性，从而使它们更容易扩展，更容易在实验室以外的应用中使用。为了促进这些技术的广泛采用，该项目将开发多种开源工具，包括工艺设计套件、离子阱表面模拟和模块化光学布局库。总之，与集成光子学共同设计的新型集成捕获离子平台的开发将提高其性能、可移植性和可扩展性，并对量子计算、传感、计时和基础物理测量产生变革性影响。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Trapped ions are a critical approach for quantum computing, precision sensing, timekeeping, and the study of fundamental physics. To realize operational quantum advantage for computing, and to improve precision for sensing, timekeeping, and fundamental physics measurements, the number of trapped ions in these systems must be scaled up. Yet, this would require laboratories full of sensitive, complex equipment, limiting their portability, scalability, and accessibility to broader communities. The PI proposes a transformational approach that converges trapped ion quantum research with integrated photonics research to solve these problems and demonstrate their application to quantum and fundamental physics problems. This research will transform the stability of these systems and advance the state-of-the-art performance, resulting in trapped ion physics experiments that are more reliable and accessible, and allow these technologies to propagate to new fields of research and applications. This convergence research will be augmented with development of multiple hardware, integration, and software open-source tools to enable customized trapped ion physics experiments, so they are accessible to broader audiences and applications. The PI is also developing interactive educational physics tutorials which will incorporate this research into the classroom to advance the broader understanding of quantum physics and technologies.This project will develop a new trapped ion integrated platform co-designed with integrated photonics which will have versatile applications for quantum computing, quantum sensing, trapped ion optical clocks and fundamental physics measurements. To achieve high fidelity qubit operations, the project will investigate new nanofabrication techniques, rapid packaging, and co-design of ion traps with new integrated photonics to utilize atomic transitions more resilient to errors. To scale the platform, the project will work on miniaturizing not just the optical delivery with photonic grating couplers but also the optical stabilization and control through monolithic integration of advanced photonics within the trapped ion processor itself. For trapped ion optical clocks, eliminating phase instability between the laser reference and the trapped ion though monolithic integration would enable portable operation resilient to vibration. This resilience also improves the reliability of trapped ion systems, removing operational overhead and complexity, thus making them easier to scale and more accessible to applications outside the laboratory. To foster broader adoption of these technologies the project will develop multiple open-source tools, including process design kits, ion trap surface simulation, and modular optical layout libraries. Altogether, the development of a new integrated trapped ion platform co-designed with integrated photonics will improve their performance, portability, and scalability with transformative impacts on quantum computing, sensing, timekeeping, and measurements of fundamental physics.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.