Iñigo Arrazola

Digital-Analog Quantum Simulation of Spin Models in Trapped Ions.

We propose a method to simulate spin models in trapped ions using a digital-analog approach, consisting in a suitable gate decomposition in terms of analog blocks and digital steps. In this way, we show that the quantum dynamics of an enhanced variety of spin models could be implemented with substantially less number of gates than a fully digital approach. Typically, analog blocks are built of multipartite dynamics providing the complexity of the simulated model, while the digital steps are local operations bringing versatility to it. Finally, we describe a possible experimental implementation in trapped-ion technologies.

A Single-Ion Reservoir as a High-Sensitive Sensor of Electric Signals

A single-ion reservoir has been tested, and characterized in order to be used as a highly sensitive optical detector of electric signals arriving at the trapping electrodes. Our system consists of a single laser-cooled 40Ca+ ion stored in a Paul trap with rotational symmetry. The performance is observed through the axial motion of the ion, which is equivalent to an underdamped and forced oscillator. Thus, the results can be projected also to Penning traps. We have found that, for an ion oscillator temperature Taxial ≲ 10 mK in the forced-frequency range ωz = 2π × (80,200 kHz), the reservoir is sensitive to a time-varying electric field equivalent to an electric force of 5.3(2) neV/μm, for a measured quality factor Q = 3875(45), and a decay time constant γz = 88(2) s−1. This method can be applied to measure optically the strength of an oscillating field or induced (driven) charge in this frequency range within times of tens of milliseconds. Furthermore the ion reservoir has been proven to be sensitive to electrostatic forces by measuring the ion displacement. Since the heating rate is below 0.3 μeV/s, this reservoir might be used as optical detector for any ion or bunch of charged particles stored in an adjacent trap.

Switchable particle statistics with an embedding quantum simulator

We propose the implementation of a switch of particle statistics with an embedding quantum simulator. By encoding both Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics into an enlarged Hilbert space, the statistics of quantum particles may be changed in situ during the time evolution, from bosons to fermions and from fermions to bosons, as many times as desired. We illustrate our proposal with few-qubit examples, although the protocol is straightforwardly extendable to larger numbers of particles. This proposal can be implemented on different quantum platforms such as trapped ions, quantum photonics, and superconducting circuits, among others. The possibility to implement permutation symmetrization and antisymmetrization of quantum particles enhances the toolbox of quantum simulations, for unphysical operations as well as for symmetry transformations.

Motional studies of one and two laser-cooled trapped ions for electric-field sensing applications

Abstract We have studied the dynamics of one and two laser-cooled trapped Ca ions by applying electric fields of different nature along the axial direction of the trap, namely, driving the motion with a harmonic dipolar field, or with white noise. These two types of driving induce distinct motional states of the axial modes: a coherent oscillation with the dipolar field, or an enhanced Brownian motion due to an additional contribution to the heating rate from the electric noise. In both scenarios, the sensitivity of an isolated ion and a laser-cooled two-ion crystal has been evaluated and compared. The analysis and understanding of this dynamics is important towards the implementation of a novel Penning trap mass-spectroscopy technique based on optical detection, aiming at improving precision and sensitivity.