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Trapped atomic ions have been used successfully to demonstrate (1) basic elements of universal quantum information processing. Nevertheless, scaling up such methods to achieve large-scale, universal quantum information processing (or more specialized quantum simulations (2-5)) remains challenging. The use of easily controllable and stable microwave sources, rather than complex laser systems (6,7), could remove obstacles to scalability. However, the microwave approach has drawbacks: it involves the use of magnetic-field-sensitive states, which shorten coherence times considerably, and requires large, stable magnetic field gradients. Here we show how to overcome both problems by using stationary atomic quantum states as qubits that are induced by microwave fields (that is, by dressing magnetic-field-sensitive states with microwave fields). This permits fast quantum logic, even in the presence of a small (effective) Lamb-Dicke parameter (and, therefore, moderate magnetic field gradients). We experimentally demonstrate the basic building blocks of this scheme, showing that the dressed states are long lived and that coherence times are increased by more than two orders of magnitude relative to those of bare magnetic-field-sensitive states. This improves the prospects of microwave-driven ion trap quantum information processing, and offers a route to extending coherence times in all systems that suffer from magnetic noise, such as neutral atoms, nitrogen-vacancy centres, quantum dots or circuit quantum electrodynamic systems., Using laser light for coherent manipulation of quantum bits (qubits) gives rise to fundamental issues, notably unavoidable spontaneous emission that destroys quantum coherence (8,9). The difficulty of cooling a collection [...]

Dephasing—phase randomization of a quantum superposition state—is a major obstacle for the realization of high fidelity quantum logic operations. Here, we implement a two-qubit controlled-NOT gate using dynamical decoupling (DD), despite the gate time being more than 1 order of magnitude longer than the intrinsic coherence time of the system. For realizing this universal conditional quantum gate, we have devised a concatenated DD sequence that ensures robustness against imperfections of DD pulses that otherwise may destroy quantum information or interfere with gate dynamics. We compare its performance with three other types of DD sequences. These experiments are carried out using a well-controlled prototype quantum system—trapped atomic ions coupled by an effective spin-spin interaction. The scheme for protecting conditional quantum gates demonstrated here is applicable to other physical systems, such as nitrogen vacancy centers, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance, and circuit quantum electrodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the experimental investigation of an individual pseudomolecule using trapped ions with adjustable magnetically induced 7-type coupling between spin states. Resonances of individual spins are well separated and are addressed with high fidelity. Quantum gates are carried out using microwave radiation in the presence of thermal excitation of the pseudomolecule's vibrations. Demonstrating controlled-NOT gates between non-nearest neighbors serves as a proof-of-principle of a quantum bus employing a spin chain. Combining advantageous features of nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and trapped ions, respectively, opens up a new avenue toward scalable quantum information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision sensing, and in particular high precision magnetometry, is a central goal of research into quantum technologies. For magnetometers, often trade-offs exist between sensitivity, spatial resolution, and frequency range. The precision, and thus the sensitivity of magnetometry, scales as 1/√T2 with the phase coherence time T2 of the sensing system playing the role of a key determinant. Adapting a dynamical decoupling scheme that allows for extending T2 by orders of magnitude and merging it with a magnetic sensing protocol, we achieve a measurement sensitivity even for high frequency fields close to the standard quantum limit. Using a single atomic ion as a sensor, we experimentally attain a sensitivity of 4.6  pT/√Hz for an alternating-current magnetic field near 14 MHz. Based on the principle demonstrated here, this unprecedented sensitivity combined with spatial resolution in the nanometer range and tunability from direct current to the gigahertz range could be used for magnetic imaging in as of yet inaccessible parameter regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]