Ion Microtrap Array Demonstrates Single Phonon Topological Berry Phase Sharing Between Two or Three Ions
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The ability to precisely control the motion of individual atoms holds immense promise for advancements in quantum simulation and information processing, and researchers are now demonstrating unprecedented control over these atomic movements. Justin F. Niedermeyer, Nathan K. Lysne, and Katherine C. McCormick, all from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder, alongside colleagues including Jonas Keller and Craig W. Hogle from Sandia National Laboratories, have successfully observed a fundamental quantum phenomenon, a topological Berry phase, using a single vibrational unit, or phonon, within an array of trapped ions. This achievement represents a significant step forward because the team can now coherently share this single phonon between ions and manipulate its properties, revealing a phase that arises from the geometry of the ions’ movements. By carefully controlling the interactions between these ions, the researchers gain unique access to explore complex quantum effects and pave the way for more sophisticated quantum technologies. Large Trapped-Ion Quantum Simulator Development This research details the construction and control of a large-scale, two-dimensional trapped-ion quantum simulator, a platform designed to explore complex quantum phenomena relevant to many-body physics, condensed matter systems, and potentially quantum chemistry. The system features hundreds of individually addressable and controllable qubits, or ions, and prioritizes achieving high fidelity control and long coherence times, building upon years of advancements in trapped-ion quantum information processing. The core of the system is a two-dimensional array of Paul traps, utilizing designs such as surface electrode traps for scalability and open-endcap blade traps for improved optical access. Laser cooling techniques are employed to confine the ions and precisely control their quantum states, enabling state preparation, measurement, and manipulation through Raman transitions and sideband cooling.,. Ion Control in 2D Microtrap Arrays Scientists have pioneered a method for precisely controlling the motion of individual ions trapped in a two-dimensional array, opening new avenues for investigating collective phenomena and quantum effects. They engineered a triangular microtrap array, fabricated using a multilayer process with aluminum and gold electrodes, to confine Beryllium ions. This array features 30 individually controlled electrodes, allowing for the creation of potential wells separated by approximately 30 micrometers. Researchers applied tunable voltages to electrodes adjacent to each trapping site to manipulate the ions’ motion, effectively controlling the strength of their coupling. The system is characterized by parameters that fully define the curvature matrix governing the coupled ion motion, allowing scientists to control the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the motional modes. Experiments involved preparing ions in specific motional states and adiabatically tuning the site curvatures, creating a conical intersection in the motional eigenvalue surfaces. When the curvature is tuned along a closed path encircling this intersection, the ions acquire a topological Berry phase of π, a quantum mechanical phenomenon dependent on the path taken.
The team verified this phase through single-phonon interference, demonstrating the ability to manipulate and observe quantum effects in the coupled ion system.,.
Coherent Phonon Sharing and Berry Phase Observation Scientists have achieved precise, individual control of ion motion within a two-dimensional microtrap array, demonstrating quantum-coherent motional coupling and the direct observation of a topological Berry phase. The research centers on an array of three ions positioned at the vertices of an equilateral triangle, where the motional modes can be dynamically tuned. Experiments reveal the ability to coherently share a single phonon, a quantum of vibrational energy, among the ions, creating entangled states of motion.
The team prepared the motional modes of the system close to their ground states and injected a single phonon, establishing a Bell state of the coupled eigenmodes. By continuously tuning the couplings between these modes, scientists deformed the character of the single-phonon state, causing it to encircle a conical intersection in the motional eigenvalue landscape. This process resulted in the acquisition of a topological Berry phase, a measurable quantum effect directly observed through single-phonon interference experiments. The observed Berry phase confirms the system’s ability to manipulate quantum states with high precision.,.
Topological Phonon Sharing in Ion Arrays This research demonstrates a new level of control over the motion of trapped atomic ions, moving beyond the limitations of naturally formed “Coulomb crystals”. Scientists successfully created a two-dimensional array of individually trapped ions and precisely manipulated their motional modes, effectively controlling how they interact. They achieved coherent sharing of a single quantum of motion, or phonon, between two or three ions, demonstrating a fundamental building block for more complex quantum systems. Crucially, the team observed a topological Berry phase by tuning the ion participation in these motional modes around a closed path. This observation was confirmed through single-phonon interference experiments and provides insight into the behaviour of quantum systems at conical intersections of energy surfaces. The results reveal that precise, individual control of ion motion in this array offers unique opportunities to explore complex quantum many-body effects, potentially advancing quantum simulation and information processing. The authors acknowledge that the adiabatic tuning of motional modes becomes less effective at higher speeds, and future work will likely focus on extending these techniques to larger arrays of ions and exploring non-adiabatic tuning methods to achieve faster and more complex quantum operations. 👉 More information 🗞 Observation of a Topological Berry Phase with a Single Phonon in an Ion Microtrap Array 🧠 ArXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.08037 Tags: