Mark Saffman University of Wisconsin, Madison
Neutral atom qubits are one of the most promising approaches for implementing quantum information processing. All of the DiVincenzo criteria have been fulfilled, and multi-qubit experiments demonstrating scalability are being actively pursued by several research groups.
In these lectures I will provide a detailed introduction to the properties and features of neutral atom qubits. Lecture I will start from the semi-classical electric dipole Hamiltonian of a two-level atom interacting with a classical field. Building on a few basic principles we will see how the
DiVincenzo criteria can be achieved using alkali atoms and coherent optical fields. In lecture II we will review the leading proposals for two-qubit gates. Two approaches to entangling gates have been experimentally demonstrated: collisional interactions and Rydberg blockade. We will show how entanglement can be created using these approaches, and compare and contrast their performance and prospects.
The lectures will be at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students. As far as possible the lectures will be self-contained. Familiarity with basic notions of photon-atom interactions and quantum coherence at the level provided by the introductory part of QIC 750, Implementation of Quantum Information Processing, is desirable, but not required.