A Cavity-Coupled Rydberg Atom Array Platform for Quantum Computing

Abstract

Neutral atom systems have long been the test bed for complex quantum physics. Recently, much of the focus in quantum research has shifted from fundamental science to applications in quantum computation. Although several different hardware platforms have made strides in their capabilities in this direction, each has its own impediments to scaling system size: both physically in terms of qubit number and temporally in terms of code cycles before decoherence. Specifically in neutral atom systems, the ability to non-destructively readout atomic states on timescales much faster than atomic decoherence is lacking. By pairing the geometric reconfigurability and engineered strong interactions of neutral atom Rydberg arrays with strong optical coupling to high-finesse cavities, we can build a new quantum architecture that oversteps many of the limitations of other hardware systems. In this dissertation, we lay out the case for coupling Rydberg atom arrays to cavities, discussing the connections from atomic physics to quantum computing and the fundamental physics that gives optical cavity systems an advantage over other current quantum computer implementations. We then describe the design, testing, and implementation of such a system. Our system simultaneously accommodates Rydberg excitation, reconfigurable optical tweezer arrays, selective atomic state addressing, and strong coupling to an optical cavity. We discuss in detail the risks and technical considerations of installing such a system in ultra-high vacuum, including the discovery of a new material failure mechanism for high-reflectivity mirrors. Finally, we outline concrete future steps to demonstrate proof-of-principle surface code error correction in our system, paving the way to fault-tolerant quantum computation with neutral atoms.