Distributed quantum computing in decoherence-free subspace via adiabatic passage

A scheme is proposed to implement distributed quantum computation in decoherence-free subspaces (DFSs) via adiabatic passage. The logical single-qubit is encoded in two atoms trapped in a single-mode cavity and the cavities are connected by an optical fiber. Our scheme is immune from the decoherence due to dephasing in virtue of encoding scheme and the decoherence due to spontaneous emission from excited states as the system in our scheme evolves along a dark state. Furthermore, the decoherence due to photon decay is greatly suppressed since the fiber mode remains in a vacuum state and the populations of the cavities’ modes being excited can be negligible under certain condition. It is shown that the minimum fidelity of the resultant gate operation for an arbitrary input state could be over 0.97.     

Realization of quantum controlled-NOT gate with resonant interaction

We propose a method for realizing the quantum controlled-NOT gate with a single resonant interaction in cavity QED. Our scheme only requires a single resonant interaction between two atoms and a cavity mode. Thus the scheme is very simple and the quantum dynamics operation can be realized at a high speed, which is important in view of decoherence. In addition, we also show that the gate can be realized in the ion trap system.     

Implementation of a CNOT gate in two cold Rydberg atoms by the nonholonomic control technique

We present a demonstrative application of the nonholonomic control method to a real physical system composed of two cold Cesium atoms. In particular, we show how to implement a CNOT quantum gate in this system by means of a controlled Stark field.     

The cold atom Hubbard toolbox

We review recent theoretical advances in cold atom physics concentrating on strongly correlated cold atoms in optical lattices. We discuss recently developed quantum optical tools for manipulating atoms and show how they can be used to realize a wide range of many body Hamiltonians. Then, we describe connections and differences to condensed matter physics and present applications in the fields of quantum computing and quantum simulations. Finally, we explain how defects and atomic quantum dots can be introduced in a controlled way in optical lattice systems.     

A Scheme for Atomic Entangled States and Quantum Gate Operations in Cavity QED

We propose a scheme for controllably entangling the ground states of five-state W-type atoms confined in a cavity and realizing swap gate and phase gate operations. In this scheme the cavity is only virtually excited and the atomic excited states are almost not occupied, so the produced entangled states and quantum logic operations are very robust against the cavity decay and atomic spontaneous emission.     

Generation of a four-atom entangled cluster state in cavity QED

We propose a method of generating a four-atom entangled cluster state by considering two kinds of the atoms–cavity field interaction in cavity QED. During the preparation the cavity is only virtually excited no quantum information will be transferred from the atoms to the cavity and thus the scheme is insensitive to the cavity field states and cavity decay. The scheme can also be used to generate the cluster state for the trapped ions.     

Two-step photoionization of cold atoms by two-color evanescent-light waves and application to atom detection with high spatial resolution

We consider a new scheme of optically ionizing atoms with 10-nm-order spatial resolution. In this method, two-color near-field lights are generated on a narrow slit illuminated by two-color evanescent lights via total-internal reflection of two-wavelength light beams. In order to illustrate the feasibility, we first obtain the ionization cross section from two-step photionization of cold Rb atoms by two-color evanescent lights on a plane surface of a prism. Then, we numerically estimate the ionization efficiency as a function of the slit width using Bethe formula. The scheme is useful for detecting ground-state atoms under less perturbation by scattered light.     

Coherent Control of Population Transfer in Li Atoms via Chirped Microwave Pulses

We demonstrate theoretically that Li atoms can be transferred to states of a lower principal quantum number by exposing them to a frequency chirped microwave pulse. The population transfer of Li atoms from the n = 75 state to n = 70 with more than 90% efficiency is achieved by means of the sequential single-photon △n = -1 transitions. The calculation fully utilizes all of the available orbital angular momentum l states for a given n, and the interference pattern and population evolution dynamics of individual l states are analyzed in detail. Using the time-dependent multilevel approach, we describe the process reasonably well as a sequence of adiabatic rapid passages.     

Quantum state swap for two trapped Rydberg atoms

The quantum swap gate is one of the most useful gates for quantum computation. Two-qubit entanglement and a controlled-NOT quantum gate in a neutral Rydberg atom system have been achieved in recent experiments. It is therefore very interesting to propose a scheme here for swapping a quantum state between two trapped neutral atoms via the Rydberg blockade mechanism. The atoms interact with a sequence of laser pulses without individual addressing. The errors of the swap gate due to imprecision of pulse length, finite Rydberg interaction, and atomic spontaneous emission are discussed.     

Quantum phase gate in decoherence-free subspace with cavity QED system

We demonstrate how to perform quantum phase gate with cavity QED system in decoherence-free subspace by using only linear optics elements and photon detectors. The qubits are encoded in the singlet state of the atoms in cavities among spatially separated nodes, and the quantum interference of polarized photons decayed from the optical cavities is used to realized the desired quantum operation among distant nodes. In comparison with previous schemes, the distinct advantage is that the gate fidelity could not only resist collective noises, but also immune from atomic spontaneous emission, cavity decay, and imperfection of the photodetectors. We also discuss the experimental feasibility of our scheme.     

Directly Trapping Atoms in a U-Shaped Magneto-Optical Trap Using a Mini Atom Chip

We experimentally demonstrate the trapping of ^85Rb atoms directly on a chip-size U-shaped magneto-optical trap （U-MOT）. The trap includes a U-shaped wire on the chip, two bias magnetic field coils and laser beams. The capture volume of the U-MOT is theoretically calculated, and the trap is experimentally realized. With 2 A current applied to the U-shaped wire and 2-Gauss horizontal bias field, more than 2 × 10^6 atoms are trapped. In contrast with an ordinary mirror-MOT, this U-MOT captures atoms directly from the background, thus the trap size is greatly reduced. Based on this mini trap scheme, it is possible to realize a chip-size atom trap array for quantum information processing.     

Realization of Toffoli gate operation using four-level atoms in cavity QED system

This paper proposes a scheme for realization of a three-qubit Toffoli gate operation using three four-level atoms by a selective atom--field interaction in a cavity quantum electrodynamics system. In the proposed protocol, the quantum information is encoded on the stable ground states of atoms, and atomic spontaneous emission is negligible as the large atom--cavity detuning effectively suppresses the spontaneous decay of the atoms. The influence of the dissipation on fidelity and success probability of the three-qubit Toffoli gate is also discussed. The scheme can also be applied to realize an N-qubit Toffoli gate and the interaction time required does not rise with increasing the number of qubits.     

Preparation of Entanglement of Atoms and of Photons via Cavity Input-Output Process

We propose a method to prepare multipartite entangled states such as cluster states and graph states based on the cavity input-output process and single photon measurement. Two quantum gates, a controlled phase gate and a fusion gate between two atoms trapped in respective cavities, are proposed to prepare atomic cluster states and graph states with one and two dimensions. We also introduce a scheme that can generate an arbitrary multipartite photon duster state which uses two coherent states as a qubit basis.     

Optimized nonadiabatic holonomic quantum computation based on Förster resonance in Rydberg atoms

In this paper, we propose a scheme for implementing the nonadiabatic holonomic quantum computation (NHQC+) of two Rydberg atoms by using invariant-based reverse engineering (IBRE). The scheme is based on Förster resonance induced by strong dipole–dipole interaction between two Rydberg atoms, which provides a selective coupling mechanism to simply the dynamics of system. Moreover, for improving the fidelity of the scheme, the optimal control method is introduced to enhance the gate robustness against systematic errors. Numerical simulations show the scheme is robust against the random noise in control fields, the deviation of dipole–dipole interaction, the Förster defect, and the spontaneous emission of atoms. Therefore, the scheme may provide some useful perspectives for the realization of quantum computation with Rydberg atoms.     

Analysis of a teleportation scheme involving cavity field states in a linear superposition of Fock states

We analyse a teleportation scheme of cavity field states. The experimental sketch discussed makes use of cavity quantum electrodynamics involving the interaction of Rydberg atoms with superconducting (micromaser) cavities as well as with classical microwave (Ramsey) cavities. In our scheme the Ramsey cavities and the atoms play the role of auxiliary systems used to teleport a field state, which is formed by a linear superposition of vacuum |∅〉 and the one-photon state |1〉, from a micromaser cavity to another.     

Quantum dynamics of bouncing atoms in a stable gravitational cavity

Two-level atoms bouncing in a stable gravitational cavity are considered, where the atomic mirror at the bottom of the bounces is an evanescent wave caused by an internally reflected intense Gaussian-mode laser beam. We consider the broadening mechanisms of the atoms from their initially tightly spaced position distribution, using a phenomenological semi-classical model, which includes spontaneous emission. A fully quantum model, which neglects spontaneous emission, is derived, and the broadening of the atomic wave function in the quantum model is compared with the broadening of the atomic distribution in an analogous classical simulation where spontaneous emission is similarly neglected. We find that the broadening is correctly described by the classical simulations in the horizontal directions, while it significantly underestimates the broadening in the vertical direction.Dedicated to H. Walther on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Novel 1D optical molasses composed of two elliptical Gaussian beams with an ultrahigh orbital angular-momentum

We propose a novel scheme to form a 1D optical molasses by using two counter-propagating red-detuned elliptical Gaussian beams possessing an ultrahigh orbital angular-momentum. In this optical molasses, atoms will suffer both an axial and an azimuthal Doppler cooling, and their temperature can be far below the conventional Doppler cooling limit, which provides a new opportunity for the laser cooling of the most abundant bosonic isotopes of alkaline-earth atoms. Because these atoms lack the hyperfine structure, they cannot be cooled by the well-known sub-Doppler cooling schemes.     

Discrete quantum Fourier transform in coupled semiconductor double quantum dot molecules

In this Letter, we present a physical scheme for implementing the discrete quantum Fourier transform in a coupled semiconductor double quantum dot system. The main controlled-R gate operation can be decomposed into many simple and feasible unitary transformations. The current scheme would be a useful step towards the realization of complex quantum algorithms in the quantum dot system.     

Selective Atom-Cavity Interaction Scheme for Quantum Controlled-NOT Gate Using Four-Level Atoms in Cavity QED System

We propose a scheme for realization a quantum Controlled-NOT gate operation using two four-level atoms through a selective atom cavity interaction in cavity quantum electrodynamics system. In our protocol, the quantum information is encoded on the stable ground states of the two atoms. During the interaction between atoms and single-mode vacuum cavity-field, the atomic spontaneous emission is negligible as the large atom-cavity detuning effectively suppresses the spontaneous decay of the atoms. The influences of the dissipation and the deviation of interaction time on fidelity and corresponding success probability of the quantum Controlled-NOT gate and the experimental feasibility of our proposal are also discussed.     

Coherent excitation of Rydberg atoms in an ultracold gas

We demonstrate two schemes for the coherent excitation of Rydberg atoms in an ultracold gas of rubidium atoms employing the three-level ladder system 5S_1/2-5P_3/2-n?_j. In the first approach rapid adiabatic passage with pulsed laser fields yields Rydberg excitation probabilities of 90% in the center of the laser focus. In a second experiment two-photon Rydberg excitation with continuous-wave fields is applied which results in Rabi oscillations between the ground and Rydberg state. The experiments represent a prerequisite for the control of interactions in ultracold Rydberg gases and the application of ultracold Rydberg gases for quantum information processing.