Researchers at NIST have successfully enticed two beryllium ions to swap the smallest measurable units of energy (quanta) while vibrating in separate locations. This groundbreaking experiment demonstrates direct coupling between the motions of two physically separated atoms, a key step towards simplifying information processing in future quantum computers and simulations.
The NIST team used a novel one-layer ion trap cooled to cryogenic temperatures to position the ions 40 micrometers apart. By tuning the trap electrodes, they were able to turn the coupling interaction on and off, affecting how quickly the ions exchanged energy. The experiments showed the ions swapping energy at levels of several quanta every 155 microseconds and at the single quantum level every 218 microseconds.
This technique could be particularly useful in future quantum computers, which would use quantum systems like ions to solve problems that are currently intractable. Direct coupling of ions in separate locations could simplify logic operations and help correct processing errors. The demonstration also suggests that similar interactions could be used to connect different types of quantum systems, such as trapped ions and photons, to transfer information in a future quantum network.
Keywords: quanta, quantum mechanics, ion trap, entanglement, quantum computing
