Atom arrays for computation, communication, and sensing

Advances in our ability to control the quantum state of individual atoms are enabling new quantum enhanced devices. I will present our recent progress in neutral atom quantum computing, and point to work in progress using atom arrays for quantum communication and sensing.

One of the daunting challenges in developing a computer with quantum advantage is the need to scale to a very large number of qubits while maintaining the fidelity and isolation of pristine, few qubit demonstrations. Neutral atoms are one of the most promising approaches for meeting this challenge, in part due to the combination of excellent isolation from the environment and the capability to turn on strong two-qubit interactions by excitation to Rydberg states. We program circuits with a universal set of quantum gates using microwave and optical control of Cs atom qubits. Two-qubit gates are implemented using Rydberg interactions. We show that weak interactions, outside the blockade radius, can form the basis of a fast entangling gate protocol with high fidelity, using simultaneous excitation of atom pairs. With this approach several quantum algorithms have been demonstrated on a small scale computer. Work in progress aimed at scaling up the array, mid circuit measurements for error correction, quantum networking, and sensing, will also be described.