Scaling Trapped Ions for Atomic Clocks and Quantum Computing

Trapped ions confined by micro fabricated surface traps are a promising platform for several quantum applications, including atomic clocks and quantum computers. Recent technological advances in atomic clocks aim to scale down the size, weight, and power of devices in an effort to make them more deployable. In quantum computing, there is an obvious desire to scale up the number of qubits, improve gate fidelity, and add system capabilities to support additional algorithms. While these efforts can sound contradictory, the engineering efforts underway in each can be leveraged to improve overall applications. Here, I present on trapped ion advances underway at Sandia National Laboratories for atomic clocks and quantum computing.



Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2023-09998A