Deterministic delivery of externally cold and precisely positioned single molecular ions

We present the preparation and deterministic delivery of a selectable number of externally cold molecular ions. A laser cooled ensemble of Mg^+ ions subsequently confined in several linear Paul traps inter-connected via a quadrupole guide serves as a cold bath for a single or up to a few hundred molecular ions. Sympathetic cooling embeds the molecular ions in the crystalline structure. MgH^+ ions, that serve as a model system for a large variety of other possible molecular ions, are cooled down close to the Doppler limit and are positioned with an accuracy of one micrometer. After the production process, severely compromising the vacuum conditions, the molecular ion is efficiently transfered into nearly background-free environment. The transfer of a molecular ion between different traps as well as the control of the molecular ions in the traps is demonstrated. Schemes, optimized for the transfer of a specific number of ions, are realized and their efficiencies are evaluated. This versatile source applicable for broad charge-to-mass ratios of externally cold and precisely positioned molecular ions can serve as a container-free target preparation device well suited for diffraction or spectroscopic measurements on individual molecular ions at high repetition rates (kHz).Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Efficient photoionization for barium ion trapping using a dipole-allowed resonant two-photon transition

Two efficient and isotope-selective resonant two-photon ionization techniques for loading barium ions into radio-frequency (RF)-traps are demonstrated. The scheme of using a strong dipole-allowed transition at \lambda=553 nm as a first step towards ionization is compared to the established technique of using a weak intercombination line (\lambda=413 nm). An increase of two orders of magnitude in the ionization efficiency is found favoring the transition at 553 nm. This technique can be implemented using commercial all-solid-state laser systems and is expected to be advantageous compared to other narrowband photoionization schemes of barium in cases where highest efficiency and isotope-selectivity are required.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Arrays of individually controlled ions suitable for two-dimensional quantum simulations

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

Quantum control of the hyperfine-coupled electron and nuclear spins in alkali atoms

We study quantum control of the full hyperfine manifold in the ground-electronic state of alkali atoms based on applied radio frequency and microwave fields. Such interactions should allow essentially decoherence-free dynamics and the application of techniques for robust control developed for NMR spectroscopy. We establish the conditions under which the system is controllable in the sense that one can generate an arbitrary unitary on the system. We apply this to the case of $^{133}$Cs with its $d=16$ dimensional Hilbert space of magnetic sublevels in the $6S_{1/2}$ state, and design control waveforms that generate an arbitrary target state from an initial fiducial state. We develop a generalized Wigner function representation for this space consisting of the direct sum of two irreducible representation of SU(2), allowing us to visualize these states. The performance of different control scenarios is evaluated based on the ability to generate high-fidelity operation in an allotted time with the available resources. We find good operating points commensurate with modest laboratory requirements.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures; corrected typo

Beating the channel capacity limit for linear photonic superdense coding

Dense coding is arguably the protocol that launched the field of quantum communication. Today, however, more than a decade after its initial experimental realization, the channel capacity remains fundamentally limited as conceived for photons using linear elements. Bob can only send to Alice three of four potential messages owing to the impossibility of carrying out the deterministic discrimination of all four Bell states with linear optics, reducing the attainable channel capacity from 2 to log_2 3 \approx 1.585 bits. However, entanglement in an extra degree of freedom enables the complete and deterministic discrimination of all Bell states. Using pairs of photons simultaneously entangled in spin and orbital angular momentum, we demonstrate the quantum advantage of the ancillary entanglement. In particular, we describe a dense-coding experiment with the largest reported channel capacity and, to our knowledge, the first to break the conventional linear-optics threshold. Our encoding is suited for quantum communication without alignment and satellite communication.Comment: Letter: 6 pages, 4 figures. Supplementary Information: 4 pages, 1 figur

Trapping ions with lasers

This work theoretically addresses the trapping an ionized atom with a single valence electron by means of lasers, analyzing qualitatively and quantitatively the consequences of the net charge of the particle. In our model, the coupling between the ion and the electromagnetic field includes the charge monopole and the internal dipole, within a multipolar expansion of the interaction Hamiltonian. Specifically, we perform a Power-Zienau-Woolley transformation, taking into account the motion of the center of mass. The net charge produces a correction in the atomic dipole which is of order $m_e/M$ with $m_e$ the electron mass and $M$ the total mass of the ion. With respect to neutral atoms, there is also an extra coupling to the laser field which can be approximated by that of the monopole located at the position of the center of mass. These additional effects, however, are shown to be very small compared to the dominant dipolar trapping term.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, replaced with published version (minor changes

Ion-trap quantum information processing: experimental status

Atomic ions trapped in ultra-high vacuum form an especially well-understood and useful physical system for quantum information processing. They provide excellent shielding of quantum information from environmental noise, while strong, well-controlled laser interactions readily provide quantum logic gates. A number of basic quantum information protocols have been demonstrated with trapped ions. Much current work aims at the construction of large-scale ion-trap quantum computers using complex microfabricated trap arrays. Several groups are also actively pursuing quantum interfacing of trapped ions with photons.Comment: review article for Frontiers of Physics replace corrupted TeX fil

Photonic quantum information processing: a review

Photonic quantum technologies represent a promising platform for several applications, ranging from long-distance communications to the simulation of complex phenomena. Indeed, the advantages offered by single photons do make them the candidate of choice for carrying quantum information in a broad variety of areas with a versatile approach. Furthermore, recent technological advances are now enabling first concrete applications of photonic quantum information processing. The goal of this manuscript is to provide the reader with a comprehensive review of the state of the art in this active field, with a due balance between theoretical, experimental and technological results. When more convenient, we will present significant achievements in tables or in schematic figures, in order to convey a global perspective of the several horizons that fall under the name of photonic quantum information.Comment: 36 pages, 6 figures, 634 references. Updated version with minor changes and extended bibliograph

Determination of nutrient salts by automatic methods both in seawater and brackish water: the phosphate blank

9 páginas, 2 tablas, 2 figurasThe main inconvenience in determining nutrients in seawater by automatic methods is simply solved: the preparation of a suitable blank which corrects the effect of the refractive index change on the recorded signal. Two procedures are proposed, one physical (a simple equation to estimate the effect) and the other chemical (removal of the dissolved phosphorus with ferric hydroxide).Support for this work came from CICYT (MAR88-0245 project) and Conselleria de Pesca de la Xunta de GaliciaPeer reviewe