The researchers for the first time entangled more than two atoms in one-dimensional chains of 10 continuous atoms and two-dimensional plates of eight atoms (2×4) with simultaneous entanglement between all atoms.
Chinese researchers led by Jian-Wei Pan, from the University of Science and Technology of China, successfully entangled multiple ultracold atoms into optical lattices, it which, in his opinion, could lead to the construction of scalable quantum processors. While the work is still preliminary, it represents a significant step forward in achieving quantum computing.
The study offered “a new platform toward scalable quantum computing and simulation,” the authors wrote in a paper recently published in Physical Review Letters. Specifically, the team was able to entangle one-dimensional chains of ten atoms and two-dimensional clusters of eight atoms using a laser trap. This fact opens the doors to the preparation, manipulation and entanglement of atoms on a large scale. Until now, no one had managed to entangle more than two atoms at a time.
quantum entanglement
In the field of quantum mechanics, entanglement is a phenomenon in which two or more particles are linked and always share a unified quantum state regardless of the distance between them. Scientists use the analogy of selecting a pair of shoes at random to explain the concept of quantum entanglement. Thus, from the moment one shoe is identified, the nature of the other (whether left or right) is instantly discerned, regardless of its location in the universe.
The achievement
Jian-Wei Pan, with more than 10 years of experience in the entanglement of atoms, He had already successfully entangled pairs of atoms in a system containing more than 2,000 rubidium atoms. Now, his scientific team used a two-dimensional laser beam optical array with two capture locations at each array site, known as an optical superlattice. With it and a quantum gas microscope and space light modulators they were able to extend their entanglement to larger groups of atoms.
Indeed, starting from 100 ultracold rubidium atoms, they formed entangled pairs with a fidelity of more than 95 percent and a lifetime of more than 2 seconds. Then, they connected the entangled pairs into one-dimensional chains of 10 continuous atoms and two-dimensional plates of eight atoms (2×4) with simultaneous entanglement between all atoms.
The results of the study demonstrate that several of the basic components needed for quantum processors based on optical networks are already practical. This ability to entangle multiple atoms and control them at the single-atom level is crucial to building practical quantum computers.. It allows the manipulation and measurement of individual qubits, which are the basic units of quantum information.
Source: RT
