Arrays of individually controlled ions suitable for two-dimensional quantum simulations.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27291425.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms11839 and PMC identifier 4909988.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
A precisely controlled quantum system may reveal a fundamental understanding of another, less accessible system of interest. A universal quantum computer is currently out of reach, but an analogue quantum simulator that makes relevant observables, interactions and states of a quantum model accessible could permit insight into complex dynamics. Several platforms have been suggested and proof-of-principle experiments have been conducted. Here, we operate two-dimensional arrays of three trapped ions in individually controlled harmonic wells forming equilateral triangles with side lengths 40 and 80 μm. In our approach, which is scalable to arbitrary two-dimensional lattices, we demonstrate individual control of the electronic and motional degrees of freedom, preparation of a fiducial initial state with ion motion close to the ground state, as well as a tuning of couplings between ions within experimental sequences. Our work paves the way towards a quantum simulator of two-dimensional systems designed at will.