Abstract: Quantum computing with neutral atoms has progressed rapidly in recent years, combining large system sizes, flexible and dynamic connectivity, and quickly improving gate fidelities. The pioneering work in this field has been implemented using alkali atoms, primarily rubidium and cesium. However, divalent, alkaline-earth-like atoms such as ytterbium offer significant technical advantages. In this talk, I will present our progress on quantum computing using 171-Yb atoms, including high-fidelity imaging, nuclear spin qubits with extremely long coherence times, and two-qubit gates on nuclear spins using Rydberg states [1,2]. I will also discuss several unexpected benefits of alkaline-earth-atoms: an extremely robust and power-efficient local gate addressing scheme [3], and a novel approach to quantum error correction called “erasure conversion”, which has the potential to implement the surface code with a threshold exceeding 4%, using the unique level structure of 171-Yb to convert spontaneous emission events into erasure errors [4].
[1] S. Saskin et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 143002 (2019).
[2] A. P. Burgers et al, PRX Quantum 3, 020326 (2022).
[3] S. Ma, A. P. Burgers, et al, Phys. Rev. X 12, 021028 (2022).
[4] Y. Wu, et al, Nat. Comms. 13, 4657 (2022).
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.
You will need to bring your cell phone, so you can sign in. For Zoom, please submit a chat saying hello with your first and last name, so you can receive lunch. Lunch will be served after the seminar only to the individuals that have attended.
At 4pm, there will be a tea in ATL 2117 for our speaker and students - this is a chance for students to ask questions directly to our speaker. Refreshments will be served.