Applied Physics Seminar

NOTE! Every student or postdoc (any option!) will receive a $5 SmartCash "coffee credit" for each Applied Physics lecture attended, in person or online. The credits will be tallied and issued after the last speaker of the term. *If you attend in person be sure to put your name on the sign-in sheet so you are counted.

10/20 Webinar Link: https://caltech.zoom.us/j/85331078218

10/20 Webinar ID: 853 3107 8218

Abstract:

Trapped atomic ions in vacuum are a leading platform for quantum computing, sensing, and networking, thanks in part to their excellent coherence properties and the ability to manipulate and measure their quantum states with high fidelity. While quantum state manipulation in trapped ions typically relies on high-performance laser systems, our group is working to demonstrate high-fidelity control of trapped ions with rf/microwave magnetic and electric fields and gradients, with the goal of improving both performance and scalability. I will describe some recent results, including microwave/rf-based generation of entangled Bell states of ion spin with fidelity on par with that of the best laser-based demonstrations, and the use of laser-free trap potential modulation to perform strong unitary squeezing of ion motion, enabling sensing of electric fields below the standard quantum limit and enhancement of motion-mediated ion-ion entangling interactions. I will conclude by providing some perspectives on how laser-free control may offer advantages for large-scale trapped ion quantum computing.

More about the Speaker:

Daniel Slichter is a staff physicist at in the Ion Storage Group at NIST in Boulder, CO. His research focuses on quantum information experiments with trapped atomic ions, with an emphasis on developing new paradigms for scalable trapped ion quantum computing and networking. Recent projects include performing high-fidelity entangling operations with microwave and rf fields instead of lasers; using strong unitary squeezing of ion motion to enhance ion-ion interactions and to perform electric field sensing below the standard quantum limit; and integrating superconducting photon detectors into microfabricated ion traps as an initial step in building a fully chip-integrated trapped ion quantum processor. Prior to NIST, he conducted research in superconducting quantum information, where he performed the first continuous high-fidelity measurement of a superconducting qubit, studied quantum feedback and measurement backaction, and worked on the development of near-quantum-limited microwave-frequency superconducting parametric amplifiers.

Dr. Slichter received an A.B. in physics from Harvard University (2004), and an M.A. (2007) and Ph.D. (2011) in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. He was the recipient of a Hertz Foundation Fellowship (2006-2011), the Hertz Foundation Thesis Prize (2012), an NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2012-2014), a Kavli Fellowship (2016), and the NIST Jacob Rabinow Applied Research Award (2022). He currently serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Quantum Engineering.