Observing the phase space trajectory of an entangled matter wave packet

We observe the phase space trajectory of an entangled wave packet of a trapped ion with high precision. The application of a spin dependent light force on a superposition of spin states allows for coherent splitting of the matter wave packet such that two distinct components in phase space emerge. We observe such motion with a precision of better than 9% of the wave packet extension in both momentum and position, corresponding to a 0.8 nm position resolution. We accurately study the effect of the initial ion temperature on the quantum entanglement dynamics. Furthermore, we map out the phonon distributions throughout the action of the displacement force. Our investigation shows corrections to simplified models of the system evolution. The precise knowledge of these dynamics may improve quantum gates for ion crystals and lead to entangled matter wave states with large displacements.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

A Quantum Repeater Node with Trapped Ions: A Realistic Case Example

We evaluate the feasibility of the implementation of two quantum repeater protocols with an existing experimental platform based on a $^{40}$Ca$^+$-ion in a segmented micro trap, and a third one that requires small changes to the platform. A fiber cavity serves as an ion-light interface. Its small mode volume allows for a large coupling strength of $g_c = 2 \pi 20$ MHz despite comparatively large losses $\kappa = 2 \pi 36.6$ MHz. With a fiber diameter of 125 mu m, the cavity is integrated into the microstructured ion trap, which in turn is used to transport single ions in and out of the interaction zone in the fiber cavity. We evaluate the entanglement generation rate for a given fidelity using parameters from the experimental setup. The DLCZ protocol (Duan et al, Nature, 2001, 414, 413-418) and the hybrid protocol (van Loock et al, Phys. Rev. Lett., 2006, 96, 240501) outperform the EPR protocol (Sanguard et al, New J. Phys., 2013, 15, 085004). We calculate rates of more than than 35 s$^{-1}$ for non-local Bell state fidelities larger than 0.9 with the existing platform. We identify parameters which mainly limit the attainable rates, and conclude that entanglement generation rates of 740 s$^{-1}$ at fidelities of 0.9 are within reach with current technology.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figure

Maximizing the information gain of a single ion microscope using bayes experimental design

We show nanoscopic transmission microscopy, using a deterministic single particle source and compare the resulting images in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, with those of conventional Poissonian sources. Our source is realized by deterministic extraction of laser-cooled calcium ions from a Paul trap. Gating by the extraction event allows for the suppression of detector dark counts by six orders of magnitude. Using the Bayes experimental design method, the deterministic characteristics of this source are harnessed to maximize information gain, when imaging structures with a parametrizable transmission function. We demonstrate such optimized imaging by determining parameter values of one and two dimensional transmissive structures.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, From SPIE Conference Volume 9900, Quantum Optics, J\"urgen Stuhler; Andrew J. Shields; Brussels, Belgium, April 03, 201

A single ion as a shot noise limited magnetic field gradient probe

It is expected that ion trap quantum computing can be made scalable through protocols that make use of transport of ion qubits between sub-regions within the ion trap. In this scenario, any magnetic field inhomogeneity the ion experiences during the transport, may lead to dephasing and loss of fidelity. Here we demonstrate how to measure, and compensate for, magnetic field gradients inside a segmented ion trap, by transporting a single ion over variable distances. We attain a relative magnetic field sensitivity of \Delta B/B_0 ~ 5*10^{-7} over a test distance of 140 \micro m, which can be extended to the mm range, still with sub \micro m resolution. A fast experimental sequence is presented, facilitating its use as a magnetic field gradient calibration routine, and it is demonstrated that the main limitation is the quantum shot noise.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Optimal Phonon-to-Spin Mapping in a system of a trapped ion

We propose a protocol for measurement of the phonon number distribution of a harmonic oscillator based on selective mapping to a discrete spin-1/2 degree of freedom. We consider a system of a harmonically trapped ion, where a transition between two long lived states can be driven with resolved motional sidebands. The required unitary transforms are generated by amplitude-modulated polychromatic radiation fields, where the time-domain ramps are obtained from numerical optimization by application of the Chopped RAndom Basis (CRAB) algorithm. We provide a detailed analysis of the scaling behavior of the attainable fidelities and required times for the mapping transform with respect to the size of the Hilbert space. As one application we show how the mapping can be employed as a building block for experiments which require measurement of the work distribution of a quantum process