Hannover 2013 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 19: Quantum information: Quantum computers

Q 19.1: Group Report

Monday, March 18, 2013, 16:30–17:00, E 214

Interfacing Ions and Photons at the Single Quantum Level — •Matthias Keller, Michale Belayneh, Stephen Begley, Markus Vogt, and Hiroki Takahashi — University of Sussex

The complementary benefits of trapped ions and photons as carriers of quantum information make it appealing to combine them in a joint system. To interface the quantum states of ions and photons efficiently, we use calcium ions coupled to an optical high-finesse cavity. For strong ion-cavity coupling, deterministic transfer of quantum states between ions and photons is possible. Each basis state of the ion is linked with one polarization mode of the cavity. Through a partially transparent cavity mirror, a freely propagating photon is generated which can be used to distribute quantum information. For moderate coupling, quantum entanglement may be generated probabilistically. Ions coupled to two orthogonally polarized cavity modes are projected to an entangled state upon detection of photons emitted from the cavity with different polarization. The realization of these schemes requires the development of novel techniques to combine ion traps with miniature optical cavities, as the strength of the ion-photon coupling increases with shrinking cavity mode volume. We are presently testing two different setups, optimized for the respective interaction regimes mentioned above.