INTERCOM: A high-performance ion-photon interface to enable multi-core trapped ion quantum computing

量子计算被认为是一种范式转换技术，将彻底改变药物发现、化学、通信，甚至是我们对自然世界的理解。然而，任何科学发现的巨大承诺都必须与阻碍其实现的工程挑战进行衡量。在这个项目中，来自工业界、学术界和公共部门的合作伙伴将生产一个对实现可扩展量子计算至关重要的核心组件。这将有助于实现光和物质在单量子水平上的有效接口，这将允许量子处理节点结合资源并在远距离上同步操作。由大量较小模块构建的网络处理器将解除通往全面量子计算道路上的一个主要技术限制。我们的核心挑战是创造一种能够在被捕获的原子离子和单光子之间传输量子信息的设备。然而，虽然原子很容易被电场和磁场捕获，但“捕获”光仍然是一个相当大的努力。自然的解决方案是将光以共振光学腔的形式限制在两个微镜之间，通过原子和光场的相互重叠来设计强相互作用。然而，光学腔作为量子界面的实现一直局限于学术环境，依赖于不适合未来量子计算机构建的制造方法。为了实现该项目的目标，我们将利用和开发创新技术，创建一个强大的、交钥匙的腔接口，适用于基于离子和原子的量子网络的可扩展集成。

Quantum computation is heralded as a paradigm shifting technology, to revolutionise drug discovery, chemistry, communications, and even our understanding of the natural world. However, the vast promises of any scientific discovery must be measured against the engineering challenges which hold back its delivery. In this project, partners from industry, academia, and the public sector will produce a core component that is critical to the realisation of scalable quantum computing. This will help enable the efficient interfacing of light and matter at the single quantum level, which will allow quantum processing nodes to combine resources and operate in synchronicity over vast distances. The construction of networked processors from large numbers of smaller modules will lift one of the principal technical restrictions on the route to full-scale quantum computation.At its heart, our challenge is to create a device enabling the transfer of quantum information between trapped atomic ions and single optical photons. However, while atoms may be readily trapped with electric and magnetic fields, 'trapping' light remains a considerable endeavour. The natural solution is to confine the light between two micro-mirrors in the form of a resonant optical cavity, engineering a strong interaction between the atom and optical field via their mutual overlap. However, the realisation of optical cavities as a quantum interface has been historically limited to an academic environment, relying upon fabrication methods that are unsuited to the construction of the quantum computers of the future. To fulfil the objectives of this project, we will harness and develop innovative technologies in the creation of a robust, turn-key cavity interface suitable for scalable integration in ion and atom-based quantum networks.