|
 |
|
|
|
Quantum Logic with Trapped Barium Ions
|
The field of Quantum Computation has arisen in the last few years from an idea of Richard Feynman that quantum mechanics might lead to a qualitatively new kind of computer that is far more powerful than any classical device. In the Ion Trap project we are testing the principles of quantum logic using individual trapped ions, which are suspended in ultra-high vacuum by electromagnetic forces. This isolates the ions from the environment so that the superposition states required for quantum computation can live for a relatively long time. Each ion contains a single quantum bit (qubit) of information and the ions can communicate with each other via trap phonons (modes of vibration of the trapped ions). Lasers are used to cool the ions to microKelvin temperatures and to read and write information into and out of each ion. The picture shows a pair of barium ions which have been brought to rest by laser cooling at a separation of 1.5 microns. Current experiments are directed at understanding what processes limit the superposition state lifetime (decoherence), which is the most important limiting factor in quantum computation.
Image of two ions in a trap
|
|
|
|
|
|
