Speaker: Prof. Christopher Monroe, Joint Quantum Institute and University of Maryland

Title: Quantum simulation of magnetism with individual atomic qubits

Abstract: Trapped atomic ions are among the most promising candidates for quantum information hardware, with entangling quantum gates available through state-dependent laser forces applied to individual ions in a Coulomb crystal. When such a laser force is applied globally, an effective spin-spin interaction emerges whose sign and range can be precisely controlled with the laser, and any possible spin correlation function can be measured with standard state-dependent fluorescence techniques. This allows the quantum simulation of interesting spin models that possess nontrivial ground states for the investigation of quantum phase transitions, quantum frustration, and the emergence of spin liquid behavior. I will review recent experiments along these lines with a dozen or more atomic ions, and speculate how this might be scaled to the hundreds, where classical models fail.