Electromechanical Quantum Simulators

Digital quantum simulators are among the most appealing applications of a quantum computer. Here we propose a universal, scalable, and integrated quantum computing platform based on tunable nonlinear electromechanical nano-oscillators. It is shown that very high operational fidelities for single and two qubits gates can be achieved in a minimal architecture, where qubits are encoded in the anharmonic vibrational modes of mechanical nanoresonators, whose effective coupling is mediated by virtual fluctuations of an intermediate superconducting artificial atom. An effective scheme to induce large single-phonon nonlinearities in nano-electromechanical devices is explicitly discussed, thus opening the route to experimental investigation in this direction. Finally, we explicitly show the very high fidelities that can be reached for the digital quantum simulation of model Hamiltonians, by using realistic experimental parameters in state-of-the art devices, and considering the transverse field Ising model as a paradigmatic example.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Tuning the structural and dynamical properties of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate: Ripples and instability islands

It is now well established that the stability of aligned dipolar Bose gases can be tuned by varying the aspect ratio of the external harmonic confinement. This paper extends this idea and demonstrates that a Gaussian barrier along the strong confinement direction can be employed to tune both the structural properties and the dynamical stability of an oblate dipolar Bose gas aligned along the strong confinement direction. In particular, our theoretical mean-field analysis predicts the existence of instability islands immersed in otherwise stable regions of the phase diagram. Dynamical studies indicate that these instability islands, which can be probed experimentally with present-day technology, are associated with the going soft of a Bogoliubov--de Gennes excitation frequency with radial breathing mode character. Furthermore, we find dynamically stable ground state densities with ripple-like oscillations along the radial direction. These structured ground states exist in the vicinity of a dynamical radial roton-like instability.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figure

Discrete-step evaporation of an atomic beam

We present a theoretical analysis of the evaporative cooling of a magnetically guided atomic beam by means of discrete radio-frequency antennas. First we derive the changes in flux and temperature, as well as in collision rate and phase-space density, for a single evaporation step. Next we show how the occurrence of collisions during the propagation between two successive antennas can be probed. Finally, we discuss the optimization of the evaporation ramp with several antennas to reach quantum degeneracy. We estimate the number of antennas required to increase the phase-space density by several orders of magnitude. We find that at least 30 antennas are needed to gain a factor $10^8$ in phase-space density.Comment: Submitted to Eur. Phys. J.

Superconducting Circuitry for Quantum Electromechanical Systems

Superconducting systems have a long history of use in experiments that push the frontiers of mechanical sensing. This includes both applied and fundamental research, which at present day ranges from quantum computing research and efforts to explore Planck-scale physics to fundamental studies on the nature of motion and the quantum limits on our ability to measure it. In this paper, we first provide a short history of the role of superconducting circuitry and devices in mechanical sensing, focusing primarily on efforts in the last decade to push the study of quantum mechanics to include motion on the scale of human-made structures. This background sets the stage for the remainder of the paper, which focuses on the development of quantum electromechanical systems (QEMS) that incorporate superconducting quantum bits (qubits), superconducting transmission line resonators and flexural nanomechanical elements. In addition to providing the motivation and relevant background on the physical behavior of these systems, we discuss our recent efforts to develop a particular type of QEMS that is based upon the Cooper-pair box (CPB) and superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) cavities, a system which has the potential to serve as a testbed for studying the quantum properties of motion in engineered systems.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE, 9500-4