Trapped atoms are forced to serve as transistors for a quantum network

It can be hard to wrap your head around quantum science and the ‘out-there’ concepts it embodies, like “trapped atoms” mentioned in this article title. But, in essence, it’s all about exploring the untapped potentials of our universe… and turning them into reality.

With the power to enhance computer processing to levels currently unimaginable, scientists trapped cesium atoms on an integrated photonic circuit, creating a sophisticated system akin to a transistor but for light.

This breakthrough could potentially birth a quantum network based on cold-atom integrated nanophotonic circuits.

Quantum transistors and trapped atoms

The brains behind this work is none other than Associate Professor Chen-Lung Hung of Purdue University College of Science, who also serves at the Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute. With an exceptional team by his side, they’ve shared their fascinating findings in Physical Review X.

“We developed a technique to use lasers to cool and tightly trap atoms on an integrated nanophotonic circuit,” explains Hung.

Think about light traveling through an incredibly thin photonic ‘wire’ or waveguide – so thin, it’s about 200 times thinner than a strand of human hair.

The atoms are cooled down to temperatures just above absolute zero, making them almost stationary.

These chilled atoms can then be locked onto the waveguide using a ‘tractor beam,’ positioned merely 300 nanometers away (roughly the size of a virus).

“Using state-of-the-art nanofabrication instruments in the Birck Nanotechnology Center, we pattern the photonic waveguide in a circular shape at a diameter of around 30 microns (three times smaller than a human hair) to form a so-called microring resonator. Light would circulate within the microring resonator and interact with the trapped atoms,” Hung enthused.

Atomic-transistor is a game changer

What sets their innovation apart is the ingenious use of confined atoms to manipulate the flow of light through the circuit. This process functions similarly to how a transistor controls electrical currents in traditional electronics.

When the atoms are in the right quantum state, they allow photons to pass through seamlessly, enabling efficient light transmission.

Conversely, when the atoms are in the wrong state, the photons are blocked, effectively halting the flow of light.

This precise control over light flow opens up exciting possibilities for advancements in optical computing and communication technologies, potentially leading to faster and more efficient data processing systems.

Xinchao Zhou, a Purdue Physics and Astronomy graduate student and recipient of this year’s Bilsand Dissertation Fellowship, explains this first-of-its-kind phenomenon.

“We have trapped up to 70 atoms that could collectively couple to photons and gate their transmission on an integrated photonic chip. This has not been realized before,” says Zhou.

Potential of trapped atoms

The implications of this technology are poised to transform the landscape of science. Could this platform become a crucial link in the future of quantum computing based on neutral atoms?

It has the potential to advance our understanding of collective light-matter interactions and facilitate the synthesis of quantum degenerate gases or ultracold molecules.

The atom-coupled integrated photonic circuit, unlike conventional electronic transistors, operates on quantum superposition principles.

Chen-Lung Hung expounds, “This allows us to manipulate and store quantum information in trapped atoms, which are quantum bits known as qubits.”

The circuit can then transfer this stored quantum information into photons, establishing a network with other similar circuits through the photonic wire.

Exploring new quantum states

What lies ahead is equally, if not more, thrilling than our current endeavors. The team is poised to meticulously arrange the trapped atoms in an orderly array along the photonic waveguide, thereby enhancing their collective coupling to this innovative structure.

Additionally, they are contemplating the prospect of cooling the atoms further, approaching absolute zero, to engender a strongly interacting Bose-Einstein condensate gas.

This is just the beginning. Exploring new quantum states on an integrated photonic circuit, studying few- and many-body physics through atom-photon interactions, or even creating cold molecules from the trapped atoms; the possibilities are boundless.

Future of quantum networks and trapped atoms

We’re on the cusp of a quantum revolution that promises to redefine our understanding of technology and information, literally transforming our world.

Purdue University is at the forefront of this work, led by the brilliant Chen-Lung Hung and his dedicated team of researchers.

Their innovative efforts offer a fascinating glimpse into a future where quantum networks and advanced quantum computing could be seamlessly integrated into the fabric of our everyday reality, changing how we process information and how we connect and communicate.

For those who are just beginning to explore the vast ocean of quantum computing, this research highlights how these qualities can spark paradigm-shifting discoveries that push the boundaries of what’s possible.

As we delve deeper into this exciting field, the implications for industries ranging from cybersecurity to drug discovery are immense and potentially life-changing.

The full study was published in the journal Physical Review X.

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