Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have developed a new approach that combines photonic devices with trapped atom arrays. This breakthrough opens up possibilities for innovative systems in quantum computing, networking, and simulation, allowing the creation of large, scalable quantum systems. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.
Researchers in Bernien Lab, including graduate students Noah Glachman and Shankar Menon, found a way to combine two powerful technologies—trapped atom arrays and photonic devices—to create advanced systems for quantum computing, simulation, and networking. Quantum information systems offer more powerful and faster computing capabilities compared to traditional computers. But to fully use this potential, scientists need to develop larger and more interconnected quantum computers.
This involves overcoming big challenges in connecting multiple quantum systems and scaling them up effectively. “We have merged two technologies which, in the past, have really not had much to do with each other. It is not only fundamentally interesting to see how we can scale quantum systems in this way, but it also has a lot of practical applications,” said Hannes Bernien, Assistant Professor and Study Senior Author at the University of Chicago.
Building quantum processors with arrays of neutral atoms trapped in optical tweezers and focused laser beams is becoming more common. These arrays can hold atoms in place and allow complex quantum computations with thousands of qubits. However, adding photonic devices to collect data in the form of photons can easily disrupt these delicate quantum states, making it hard to maintain the integrity of quantum information.
“Connecting atom arrays to photonic devices had been quite challenging because of the fundamental differences in the technologies.
Combining atom arrays and photonics
Atom array technology relies on lasers for their generation and computation.
As soon as you expose the system to a semiconductor or a photonic chip, the lasers get scattered, causing problems with the trapping of atoms, their detection, and the computation,” explained Shankar Menon, Study Co-First Author and Graduate Student. Bernien’s group recently addressed these challenges by developing a new semi-open chip design that allows atom arrays to interact seamlessly with photonic circuits. This innovative platform supports quantum computations within a designated computation region.
Once the computations are complete, a subset of atoms containing the necessary data is transferred to a connection region, where it integrates with the photonic chip. “We have two separate regions that the atoms can move between, one away from the photonic chip for computation and another near the photonic chip for interconnecting multiple atom arrays. The way this chip is designed, it has minimal interaction with the computational region of the atom array,” said Noah Glachman, Study Co-First Author.
The qubit interacts with a small photonic device in the connection region that extracts photons, which can then be transmitted via optical fibers to other systems. This setup suggests that connecting multiple atom arrays could enable the creation of a larger quantum computing platform than what a single array alone can achieve. Additionally, the new method allows for multiple nanophotonic cavities to be coupled to a single atom array simultaneously, greatly increasing computational speed.
“We can have hundreds of these cavities at once, and they can all be transmitting quantum information at the same time. This leads to a massive increase in the speed with which information can be shared between interconnected modules,” added Menon. Although the researchers have successfully demonstrated the ability to trap and move atoms across different regions, they plan to conduct follow-up investigations.
These future studies will focus on additional stages of the process, including collecting photons from the nanophotonic cavities and exploring how to create entanglement over extended distances.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
