The objective of this research is to design, fabricate, and demonstrate a microfabricated monolithic ion trap for applications in quantum computation and quantum simulation. Most current microfabricated ion trap designs are based on planar-segmented surface electrodes. Although promising scalability to trap arrays containing ten to one hundred ions, these planar designs suffer from the challenges of shallow trap depths, radial asymmetry of the confining potential, and electrode charging resulting from laser interactions with dielectric surfaces. In this research, the design, fabrication, and testing of a monolithic and symmetric two-level ion trap is presented. This ion trap overcomes the challenges of surface-electrode ion traps. Numerical electrostatic simulations show that this symmetric trap produces a deep (1 eV for 171Yb+ ion), radially symmetric RF confinement potential. The trap has an angled through-chip slot that allows back-side ion loading and generous through laser access, while avoiding surface-light scattering and dielectric charging that can corrupt the design control electrode compensating potentials. The geometry of the trap and its dimensions are optimized for trapping long and linear ion chains with equal spacing for use with quantum simulation problems and quantum computation architectures.

This book offers an introduction to ten key topics in quantum information science and quantum coherent phenomena, aimed at graduate-student level. The chapters cover some of the most recent developments in this dynamic research field where theoretical and experimental physics, combined with computer science, provide a fascinating arena for groundbreaking new concepts in information processing. The book addresses both the theoretical and experimental aspects of the subject, and clearly demonstrates how progress in experimental techniques has stimulated a great deal of theoretical effort and vice versa. Experiments are shifting from simply preparing and measuring quantum states to controlling and manipulating them, and the book outlines how the first real applications, notably quantum key distribution for secure communication, are starting to emerge. The chapters cover quantum retrodiction, ultracold quantum gases in optical lattices, optomechanics, quantum algorithms, quantum key distribution, quantum control based on measurement, orbital angular momentum of light, entanglement theory, trapped ions and quantum metrology, and open quantum systems subject to decoherence. The contributing authors have been chosen not just on the basis of their scientific expertise, but also because of their ability to offer pedagogical and well-written contributions which will be of interest to students and established researchers.

In recent years, there has been much synergy between the exciting areas of quantum information science and ultracold atoms. This volume, as part of the proceedings for the XCI session of Les Houches School of Physics (held for the first time outside Europe in Singapore) brings together experts in both fields. The theme of the school focused on two principal topics: quantum information science and ultracold atomic physics. The topics range from Bose Einstein Condensates to Degenerate Fermi Gases to fundamental concepts in Quantum Information Sciences, including some special topics on Quantum Hall Effects, Quantum Phase Transition, Interactions in Quantum Fluids, Disorder and Interference Phenomenoma, Trapped Ions and Atoms, and Quantum Optical Devices.

In this late-start Tier I Seniors Council sponsored LDRD, we have designed, simulated, microfabricated, packaged, and tested ion traps to extend the current quantum simulation capabilities of macro-ion traps to tens of ions in one and two dimensions in monolithically microfabricated micrometer-scaled MEMS-based ion traps. Such traps are being microfabricated and packaged at Sandia's MESA facility in a unique tungsten MEMS process that has already made arrays of millions of micron-sized cylindrical ion traps for mass spectroscopy applications. We define and discuss the motivation for quantum simulation using the trapping of ions, show the results of efforts in designing, simulating, and microfabricating W based MEMS ion traps at Sandia's MESA facility, and describe is some detail our development of a custom based ion trap chip packaging technology that enables the implementation of these devices in quantum physics experiments.

A microscale cylindrical ion trap, having an inner radius of order one micron, can be fabricated using surface micromachining techniques and materials known to the integrated circuits manufacturing and microelectromechanical systems industries. Micromachining methods enable batch fabrication, reduced manufacturing costs, dimensional and positional precision, and monolithic integration of massive arrays of ion traps with microscale ion generation and detection devices. Massive arraying enables the microscale cylindrical ion trap to retain the resolution, sensitivity, and mass range advantages necessary for high chemical selectivity. The microscale CIT has a reduced ion mean free path, allowing operation at higher pressures with less expensive and less bulky vacuum pumping system, and with lower battery power than conventional- and miniature-sized ion traps. The reduced electrode voltage enables integration of the microscale cylindrical ion trap with on-chip integrated circuit-based rf operation and detection electronics (i.e., cell phone electronics). Therefore, the full performance advantages of microscale cylindrical ion traps can be realized in truly field portable, handheld microanalysis systems.