I.I. Rabi Prize in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics: Choreographing Quantum Spin Dynamics with Light

The power of quantum information lies in its capacity to be non-local, encoded in correlations among entangled particles. Yet our ability to produce, understand, and exploit such correlations is hampered by the fact that the interactions between particles are ordinarily local. I will report on experiments in which we use light to engineer non-local interactions among cold atoms, harnessing an optical resonator as a conduit for photons to convey information between distant atoms. We attain arbitrary control over the distance-dependence of spin-spin couplings in an array of atomic ensembles by programming the frequency spectrum of a drive field. We harness this programmability to access interaction graphs conducive to frustration and to explore quantum spin dynamics in exotic geometries and topologies. More broadly, advances in optical control of interactions open new opportunities in areas ranging from quantum technologies to fundamental physics. I will touch on prospects in quantum-enhanced sensing, combinatorial optimization, and simulating toy models of quantum gravity.