Abstract: While it can be useful in some cases to abstract away all but 2 levels of the atoms used for quantum computing, it should not be forgotten that these qubit hosts often have many levels capable of participating in processing tasks. These include long-lived states within hyperfine, Zeeman, and electronic-state structure in atoms, but extend to rotational, vibrational, and more exotic level landscapes if one considers molecules instead of just atoms. Given the effectively atom-limited regime in which many (possibly all) atomic processors currently operate, I will pose the question of how can more-flexible encodings that utilize beyond-qubit levels improve the computational power of these devices. A serious consideration of how large molecules might play a role leads to a satisfying connection to Doppler laser cooling that will be discussed.
Location: ATL 2400
JQI Seminars are held on Mondays during Fall and Spring semesters at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time in Room 2400 of the Atlantic Building. University of Maryland affiliates may participate using Zoom. The seminars are also livestreamed on the JQI YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/JQInews), which supports audience participation in the chat interface.