Researchers have shown that trapped ions can be used to create quantum networks by providing long-distance entanglement between two calcium ions, each located in a different building. Trapped ion qubits are one of the interesting candidate platforms for quantum information applications due to their high coherence times and potential for multi-qubit operations.
Use of Trapped Ion Qubits
However, these properties alone are not sufficient for some quantum applications; For example, establishing quantum communication networks requires long-distance sharing of sensitive quantum states of qubits. There are not many examples of this capacity for trapped ion systems.
To solve this weakness, a team led by Tracy Northup of the University of Innsbruck in Austria and Benjamin Lanyon of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information in Austria entangled two trapped ion qubits in various structures.
According to Lanyon, Northup et al., trapped ion qubits in optical cavities were used. They had it generate a single photon for each qubit, using a dual wavelength laser to excite the ion. Which of the two laser wavelengths the ion absorbed determined the polarization of the photon and linked the photon to the ion's final state. The team then sent a photon from one ion to a near beam splitter through the 510-metre optical fiber, where the two photons interacted and entangled the two ions.
Then, when a pair of photons with a particular individual polarization were found, the researchers declared that successful entanglement had taken place.
According to the researchers, the efficient photon generation they made possible using optical cavities was a crucial component in achieving long-distance entanglement. They also demonstrated that, unlike previous trapped ion experiments, they can overcome time, frequency and phase stability challenges that could hinder real-world applications.
Source: physics.aps.org/articles/v16/s20
Günceleme: 03/02/2023 14:21
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